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Azo dyes are one of the largest classes of synthetic dyes being used in textile industries. It has been reported that 15–50% of these dyes find their way into wastewater that is often used for irrigation purpose in developing countries. The effect of azo dyes contamination on soil nitrogen (N) has been studied previously. However, how does the azo dye contamination affect soil carbon (C) cycling is unknown. Therefore, we assessed the effect of azo dye contamination (Reactive Black 5, 30 mg kg −1 dry soil), bacteria that decolorize this dye and dye + bacteria in the presence or absence of maize leaf litter on soil respiration, soil inorganic N and microbial biomass. We found that dye contamination did not induce any change in soil respiration, soil microbial biomass or soil inorganic N availability ( P  > 0.05). Litter evidently increased soil respiration. Our study concludes that the Reactive Black 5 azo dye (applied in low amount, i.e., 30 mg kg −1 dry soil) contamination did not modify organic matter decomposition, N mineralization and microbial biomass in a silty loam soil.

Methods In the ED at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (Houston, Texas, USA), an automated, real-time decision support software system (Decisio Health; Houston, Texas, USA) was installed to help calculate the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) for each patient. With regards to the effect on O/E mortality, although there was not a statistically significant difference between intervention and control periods (mean=1.00, SD=0.18 and mean=1.14, SD=0.14, respectively) (z=1.67, p=0.08), O/E mortality was 12% lower during intervention months (as compared with control months) and the effect size was large (d=0.87).Table 1 Observed vs expected mortality and length of stay during the control and intervention periods and comparisons between the two using the Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test Control (n=12 months) Intervention (n=9 months) % Improvement P value Cohen’s d Mean (SD) Mean (SD) Mortality O/E** 1.14 (0.14) 1.00 (0.18) 12 0.09 0.87 Arithmetic LOS O/E†† 1.54 (0.05) 1.47 (0.05) 4.5 0.004 1.40 Geometric LOS O/E†† 1.25 (0.04) 1.17 (0.04) 6.5 0.001 2.00 *Based on data from 11 132 patient admissions for control months and 8346 for intervention months. †Based on data from 11 101 patient admissions for control months and 8313 for intervention months. The ED is a highly complex, and unpredictable clinical environment, making an automated early warning system a critical adjunct and safety net for patients in these dynamic and busy departments.9 10 This study demonstrates that a real-time decision support software system that automates calculation of and notification for abnormal early warning scores was correlated with an improvement of hospital mortality and LOS for ED patients facing hospitalisation. The study demonstrates, that in a complex, dynamic clinical environment such as an ED, an automated decision support software system is an effective tool to implement a vital sign-based early warning score to change the outcomes of hospitalised patients.

Blood-culture overutilization is associated with increased cost and excessive antimicrobial use. We implemented an intervention in the adult intensive care unit (ICU), combining education based on the DISTRIBUTE algorithm and restriction to infectious diseases and ICU providers. Our intervention led to reduced blood-culture utilization without affecting safety metrics.

Azo dyes are one of the largest classes of synthetic dyes being used in textile industries. It has been reported that 15-50 % of these dyes find their way into wastewater that is often used for irrigation purpose in developing countries. Although the effect of azo dye contamination on soil nitrogen (N) cycling processes has been studied but there is no such study on soil carbon cycling. Therefore, we assessed the effect of azo dye contamination (Reactive Black 5, 30 mg kg-1 dry soil), bacteria that decolorize this dye and dye + bacteria in the presence or absence of maize leaf litter on soil respiration, soil inorganic nitrogen and microbial biomass. We found that dye contamination did not induce any change in soil respiration, soil microbial biomass or soil inorganic nitrogen availability (P> 0.05). Litter evidently increased soil respiration. Our study concludes that the Reactive Black 5 azo dye (applied at low level i.e. 30 mg kg-1 dry soil) contamination did not modify organic matter decomposition, N mineralization and microbial biomass in silty loam soil.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) is a space-borne water level estimation mission proposed by NASA and French Space Agency. With the launch of SWOT in the near future, it is expected that the limitations posed by the lack of basin wide flow measurements for flood and water management around the world will be reduced significantly. Bangladesh, being one such country facing tremendous limitations in real-time flow data availability from upstream nations, was chosen as a case study to investigate the potential of SWOT for water management. A SWOT like analogue – a space-borne altimeter named Envisat – was used as proxy for SWOT water elevation data. A well-calibrated 1-D hydrodynamic model, HEC-RAS, was set up for the major river network of Bangladesh using in-situ bathymetry and gauged stream flow and water level data. HEC-RAS simulated water level data at fine spatial spacing along the river reaches, which then allowed a direct comparison with instantaneous estimation of water level at select reaches by Envisat. Using the well-calibrated HEC-RAS derived water level simulations as reference, error analysis of Envisat was made as a function of season (Monsoon and non-Monsoon), basin type and flow regime (low, medium and high). Overall, it was found that Envisat can be a reasonable predictor of water level for Bangladesh rivers. The study indicated that SWOT, with its anticipated higher level of precision and accuracy, will be more effective than Envisat for water management and flood forecasting in Bangladesh after its launch.

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource which may be depleted within next few decades; hence high P use efficiency is need of time. Plants have evolved an array of adaptive mechanisms to enhance external P acquisition and reprioritize internal utilization under P deficiency. Tissue specific biomass and P allocation patterns may affect the P use efficiency in plants. six rice cultivars were grown in solution culture for 20 days and then were divided into two groups to receive either adequate P or no P that were harvested at 30, 40 and 50 days. Plants were dissected into various tissues/organs. Two rice cultivars viz Super Basmati (P-inefficient) and PS-2 (P-efficient) were grown in soil with no or 50 mg P kg −1 soil till maturity. Rice cultivars PS-2 and Basmati-2000 had higher P uptake, utilization efficiency and internal remobilization than other tested cultivars after P omission. Young leaves and roots were the major sinks while stems and mature leaves were the sources of P during P omission. In conclusion, biomass allocation and P accumulation among various tissues and P remobilization were major factors responsible for P efficiency.

Background The immobile nature of plants means that they can be frequently confronted by various biotic and abiotic stresses during their lifecycle. Among the various abiotic stresses, water stress, temperature extremities, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity are the major abiotic stresses challenging overall plant growth. Plants have evolved complex molecular mechanisms to adapt under the given abiotic stresses. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)—a diverse class of RNAs that contain > 200 nucleotides(nt)—play an essential role in plant adaptation to various abiotic stresses. Results LncRNAs play a significant role as ‘biological regulators’ for various developmental processes and biotic and abiotic stress responses in animals and plants at the transcription, post-transcription, and epigenetic level, targeting various stress-responsive mRNAs, regulatory gene(s) encoding transcription factors, and numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate the expression of different genes. However, the mechanistic role of lncRNAs at the molecular level, and possible target gene(s) contributing to plant abiotic stress response and adaptation, remain largely unknown. Here, we review various types of lncRNAs found in different plant species, with a focus on understanding the complex molecular mechanisms that contribute to abiotic stress tolerance in plants. We start by discussing the biogenesis, type and function, phylogenetic relationships, and sequence conservation of lncRNAs. Next, we review the role of lncRNAs controlling various abiotic stresses, including drought, heat, cold, heavy metal toxicity, and nutrient deficiency, with relevant examples from various plant species. Lastly, we briefly discuss the various lncRNA databases and the role of bioinformatics for predicting the structural and functional annotation of novel lncRNAs. Conclusions Understanding the intricate molecular mechanisms of stress-responsive lncRNAs is in its infancy. The availability of a comprehensive atlas of lncRNAs across whole genomes in crop plants, coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms that regulate various abiotic stress responses, will enable us to use lncRNAs as potential biomarkers for tailoring abiotic stress-tolerant plants in the future.

Background Zinc (Zn) deficiency is one of the most important micronutrient disorders affecting human health. Wheat is the staple food for 35% of the world's population and is inherently low in Zn, which increases the incidence of Zn deficiency in humans. Major wheatbased cropping systems viz. rice–wheat, cotton–wheat and maize–wheat are prone to Zn deficiency due to the high Zn demand of these crops. Methods This review highlights the role of Zn in plant biology and its effect on wheat-based cropping systems. Agronomic, breeding and molecular approaches to improve Zn nutrition and biofortification of wheat grain are discussed. Results Zinc is most often applied to crops through soil and foliar methods. The application of Zn through seed treatments has improved grain yield and grain Zn status in wheat. In cropping systems where legumes are cultivated in rotation with wheat, microorganisms can improve the available Zn pool in soil for the wheat crop. Breeding and molecular approaches have been used to develop wheat genotypes with high grain Zn density. Conclusions Options for improving grain yield and grain Zn concentration in wheat include screening wheat genotypes for higher root Zn uptake and grain translocation efficiency, the inclusion of these Zn-efficient genotypes in breeding programs, and Zn fertilization through soil, foliar and seed treatments.

Emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens is increasing globally at an alarming rate with a need to discover novel and effective methods to cope infections due to these pathogens. Green nanoparticles have gained attention to be used as efficient therapeutic agents because of their safety and reliability. In the present study, we prepared zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from aqueous leaf extract of Acacia arabica . The nanoparticles produced were characterized through UV-Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. In vitro antibacterial susceptibility testing against foodborne pathogens was done by agar well diffusion, growth kinetics and broth microdilution assays. Effect of ZnO NPs on biofilm formation (both qualitatively and quantitatively) and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production was also determined. Antioxidant potential of green synthesized nanoparticles was detected by DPPH radical scavenging assay. The cytotoxicity studies of nanoparticles were also performed against HeLa cell lines. The results revealed that diameter of zones of inhibition against foodborne pathogens was found to be 16–30 nm, whereas the values of MIC and MBC ranged between 31.25–62.5 μg/ml. Growth kinetics revealed nanoparticles bactericidal potential after 3 hours incubation at 2 × MIC for E . coli while for S . aureus and S . enterica reached after 2 hours of incubation at 2 × MIC, 4 × MIC, and 8 × MIC. 32.5–71.0% inhibition was observed for biofilm formation. Almost 50.6–65.1% (wet weight) and 44.6–57.8% (dry weight) of EPS production was decreased after treatment with sub-inhibitory concentrations of nanoparticles. Radical scavenging potential of nanoparticles increased in a dose dependent manner and value ranged from 19.25 to 73.15%. Whereas cytotoxicity studies revealed non-toxic nature of nanoparticles at the concentrations tested. The present study suggests that green synthesized ZnO NPs can substitute chemical drugs against antibiotic resistant foodborne pathogens.

In this work, the heat transfer features and stagnation point flow of Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) hybrid second-grade nanofluid through a convectively heated permeable shrinking/stretching sheet is reported. The purpose of the present investigation is to consider hybrid nanofluids comprising of Alumina Al 2 O 3 and Copper Cu nanoparticles within the Sodium Alginate (SA) as a host fluid for boosting the heat transfer rate. Also, the effects of free convection, viscous dissipation, heat source/sink, and nonlinear thermal radiation are considered. The converted nonlinear coupled fuzzy differential equations (FDEs) with the help of triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) are solved using the numerical scheme bvp4c. The numerical results are acquired for various engineering parameters to study the Nusselt number, skin friction coefficient, velocity, and temperature distribution through figures and tables. For the validation, the current numerical results were found to be good as compared to existing results in limiting cases. It is also inspected by this work that with the enhancement of the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the heat transfer rate also increases. So, it may be taken as a fuzzy parameter for a better understanding of fuzzy variables. For the comparison, the volume fraction of nanofluids and hybrid nanofluid are said to be TFN [0, 0.1, 0.2]. In the end, we can see that fuzzy triangular membership functions (MFs) have not only helped to overcome the computational cost but also given better accuracy than the existent results. Finding from fuzzy MFs, the performance of hybrid nanofluids is better than nanofluids.