Empowering hearts and shaping destinies: unveiling the profound influence of education on women's mate selection in Pakistan - a comprehensive mixed-methods study

This study investigates the impact of education on women's empowerment in the realm of mate selection within Malakand Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Employing a mixed-method research approach, the study conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with educated women and distributed a Likert Scale questionnaire to 500 women. The qualitative findings reveals that education significantly influences women's perspectives, guiding their priorities, and instilling a desire for compatibility and shared values in their relationships. Educated women also display resilience, confidence, and a readiness to challenge prevailing societal norms and gender stereotypes when selecting a life partner. Quantitative analysis establishes a statistically significant positive correlation between education and women's empowerment in mate selection. These findings underscore the pivotal role of education in enhancing women's agency and autonomy in a critical aspect of their lives. The study's implications extend to policy recommendations advocating for increased access to quality education and the implementation of gender-sensitive curricula in Malakand Division and analogous regions. Recognizing education's potential to empower women in mate selection is vital for fostering a more equitable and inclusive society.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria induced metal and salt stress tolerance in Brassica juncea through ion homeostasis

Soil heavy metal contamination and salinity constitute a major environmental problem worldwide. The affected area and impact of these problems are increasing day by day; therefore, it is imperative to restore their potential using environmentally friendly technology. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) provides a better option in this context. Thirty-seven bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of maize cultivated in metal- and salt-affected soils. Some selected bacterial strains grew well under a wide range of pH (4-10), salt (5-50 g/L), and Cd (50-1000 mg/L) stress. Three bacterial strains, Exiguobacterium aestuarii (UM1), Bacillus cereus (UM8), and Bacillus megaterium (UM35), were selected because of their robust growth and high tolerance to both stress conditions. The bacterial strains UM1, UM8, and UM35 showed P-solubilization, whereas UM8 and UM35 exhibited 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and indole acetic acid (IAA) production, respectively. The bacterial strains were inoculated on Brassica juncea plants cultivated in Cd and salt-affected soils due to the above PGP activities and stress tolerance. Plants inoculated with the bacterial strains B. cereus and B. megaterium significantly (p < 0.05) increased shoot fresh weight (17 ± 1.17-29 ± 0.88 g/plant), shoot dry weight (2.50 ± 0.03-4.40 ± 0.32 g/plant), root fresh weight (7.30 ± 0.58-13.30 ± 0.58 g/plant), root dry weight (0.80 ± 0.04-2.00 ± 0.01 g/plant), and shoot K contents (62.76 ± 1.80-105.40 ± 1.15 mg/kg dwt) in normal and stressful conditions. The bacterial strain B. megaterium significantly (p < 0.05) decreased shoot Na+ and Cd++ uptake in single and dual stress conditions. Both bacterial strains, E. aestuarii and B. cereus, efficiently reduced Cd++ translocation and bioaccumulation in the shoot. Bacterial inoculation improved the uptake of K+ and Ca++, while restricted Na+ and Cd++ in B. juncea shoots indicated their potential to mitigate the dual stresses of salt and Cd in B. juncea through ion homeostasis.

Soil Bacterial Communities Across Seven Rhizoma Peanut Cultivars (Arachis glabrata Benth.) Respond to Seasonal Variation

Soil microorganisms play key roles in soil nutrient transformations and have a notable effect on plant growth and health. Different plant genotypes can shape soil microbial patterns via the secretion of root exudates and volatiles, but it is uncertain how a difference in soil microorganisms induced by crop cultivars will respond to short-term seasonal variations. A field experiment was conducted to assess the changes in soil bacterial communities of seven rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth, RP) cultivars across two growing seasons, April (Spring season) and October (Fall season). Soils' bacterial communities were targeted using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Bacterial community diversity and taxonomic composition among rhizoma peanut cultivars were significantly affected by seasons, cultivars, and their interactions (p < 0.05). Alpha diversity, as estimated by the OTU richness and Simpson index, was around onefold decrease in October than in April across most of the RP cultivars, while the soils from Arblick and Latitude had around one time higher alpha diversity in both seasons compared with other cultivars. Beta diversity differed significantly in April (R = 0.073, p < 0.01) and October (R = 0.084, p < 0.01) across seven cultivars. Bacterial dominant taxa (at phylum and genus level) were strongly affected by seasons and varied towards more dominant groups that have functional potentials involved in nutrient cycling from April to October. A large shift in water availability induced by season variations in addition to host cultivar's effects can explain the observed patterns in diversity, composition, and co-occurrence of bacterial taxa. Overall, our results demonstrate an overriding effect of short-term seasonal variations on soil bacterial communities associated with different crop cultivars. The findings suggest that season-induced shifts in environmental conditions could exert stronger impacts on soil microorganisms than the finer-scale rhizosphere effect from crop cultivars, and consequently influence largely microbe-mediated soil processes and crop health in agricultural ecosystems.

An overview of genome engineering in plants, including its scope, technologies, progress and grand challenges

Genome editing is a useful, adaptable, and favored technique for both functional genomics and crop enhancement. Over the years, rapidly evolving genome editing technologies, including clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), have shown broad application prospects in gene function research and improvement of critical agronomic traits in many crops. These technologies have also opened up opportunities for plant breeding. These techniques provide excellent chances for the quick modification of crops and the advancement of plant science in the future. The current review describes various genome editing techniques and how they function, particularly CRISPR/Cas9 systems, which can contribute significantly to the most accurate characterization of genomic rearrangement and plant gene functions as well as the enhancement of critical traits in field crops. To accelerate the use of gene-editing technologies for crop enhancement, the speed editing strategy of gene-family members was designed. As it permits genome editing in numerous biological systems, the CRISPR technology provides a valuable edge in this regard that particularly captures the attention of scientists.

Remediation technologies for acid mine drainage: Recent trends and future perspectives

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a highly acidic solution rich in heavy metals and produced by mining activities. It can severely inhibit the growth of plants, and microbial communities and disturb the surrounding ecosystem. In recent years, the use of different bioremediation technologies to treat AMD pollution has received widespread attention due to its environment-friendly and low-cost nature. Various active and passive remediation technologies have been developed for the treatment of AMD. The active treatment involves the use of different chemical compounds while passive treatments utilize natural and biological processes like constructed wetlands, anaerobic sulfate-reducing bioreactors, anoxic limestone drains, vertical flow wetlands, limestone leach beds, open limestone channels, and various organic materials. Moreover, different nanomaterials have also been successfully employed in AMD treatment. There are also reports on certain plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which have the potential to enhance the growth and productivity of plants under AMD-contaminated soil conditions. PGPR applied to plants with phytoremediation potential called PGPR-assisted phytoremediation has emerged as an economical and environment-friendly approach. Nevertheless, various approaches have been tested and employed, all the approaches have certain limitations in terms of efficiency, secondary pollution of chemicals used for the remediation of AMD, and disposal of materials used as sorbents or as phytoextractants as in the case of PGPR-assisted phytoremediation. In the future, more research work is needed to enhance the efficiency of various approaches employed with special attention to alleviating secondary pollutants production and safe disposal of materials used or biomass produced during PGPR-assisted phytoremediation.

Bacillus spp. as Bioagents: Uses and Application for Sustainable Agriculture

Food security will be a substantial issue in the near future due to the expeditiously growing global population. The current trend in the agriculture industry entails the extravagant use of synthesized pesticides and fertilizers, making sustainability a difficult challenge. Land degradation, lower production, and vulnerability to both abiotic and biotic stresses are problems caused by the usage of these pesticides and fertilizers. The major goal of sustainable agriculture is to ameliorate productivity and reduce pests and disease prevalence to such a degree that prevents large-scale damage to crops. Agriculture is a composite interrelation among plants, microbes, and soil. Plant microbes play a major role in growth promotion and improve soil fertility as well. Bacillus spp. produces an extensive range of bio-chemicals that assist in plant disease control, promote plant development, and make them suitable for agricultural uses. Bacillus spp. support plant growth by N fixation, P and K solubilization, and phytohormone synthesis, in addition to being the most propitious biocontrol agent. Moreover, Bacilli excrete extracellular metabolites, including antibiotics, lytic enzymes, and siderophores, and demonstrate antagonistic activity against phytopathogens. Bacillus spp. boosts plant resistance toward pathogens by inducing systemic resistance (ISR). The most effective microbial insecticide against insects and pests in agriculture is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Additionally, the incorporation of toxin genes in genetically modified crops increases resistance to insects and pests. There is a constant increase in the identified Bacillus species as potential biocontrol agents. Moreover, they have been involved in the biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles. The main objective of this review article is to display the uses and application of Bacillus specie as a promising biopesticide in sustainable agriculture. Bacillus spp. strains that are antagonistic and promote plant yield attributes could be valuable in developing novel formulations to lead the way toward sustainable agriculture.

Reduction of Acute Postoperative Pain With Pre-Emptive Pregabalin Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Abstract

Pregabalin has been considered to be a safe treatment for neuropathic pain. Owing to the lack of research regarding the use of pregabalin in the management of pain in under-resourced settings, our study aimed to deduce the effectiveness of a pre-emptive single dose of pregabalin pre-operatively to provide pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Treating acute pain is essential to avoid an increased hospital stay. There is a need for non-opioid drugs with lower risks to avoid using opioids, which lead to many side effects.

Methodology

Patients diagnosed with cholelithiasis and scheduled to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital were included in this study. The study aimed to determine whether the effect of pregabalin in combination with patient-controlled analgesia can decrease pain scores. This was a double-blind study where patients, caregivers, and analysts were blinded to group allocation and drugs administered until the data was recorded and sealed. The patients were divided into pregabalin and placebo groups through a web-based model; blocks of four were used and stratification was employed at the center. A confidence interval of 95% was considered significant.

Results

In our study, a total number of 60 patients were included. They were randomly divided by a computer-based model into two groups, the pregabalin group, and the control group. The placebo group had 33 patients while the pregabalin group had 27 patients. The pregabalin group was given a pregabalin tablet of 150 mg before surgery while the placebo group was given an identical-looking placebo. Patient-controlled analgesia was started in both groups and the visual analog scale (VAS) scoring was observed postoperatively. The pregabalin group had a decreased incidence of pain as compared to the placebo group. There were no significant side effects during the trial; episodes of vomiting were managed using intravenous ondansetron.

Conclusion

Pregabalin is effective in reducing pain in an acute postoperative period when compared with a placebo. Patients who were pre-emptively administered pregabalin reported decreased VAS as compared to the placebo. However, both were inefficient in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Denitrifier abundance and community composition linked to denitrification potential in river sediments

Denitrification in river sediments plays a very important role in removing nitrogen in aquatic ecosystem. To gain insight into the key factors driving denitrification at large spatial scales, a total of 135 sediment samples were collected from Huaihe River and its branches located in the northern of Anhui province. Bacterial community composition and denitrifying functional genes (nirS, nirK, and nosZ) were measured by high-throughput sequencing and real-time PCR approaches. Potential denitrification rate (PDR) was measured by acetylene inhibition method, which varied from 0.01 to 15.69 μg N g^-1 h^-1. The sequencing results based on 16S rRNA gene found that the main denitrification bacterial taxa included Bacillus, Thiobacillus, Acinetobacter, Halomonas, Denitratisoma, Pseudomonas, Rhodanobacter, and Thauera. Therein, Thiobacillus might play key roles in the denitrification. Total nitrogen and N:P ratio were the only chemical factors related with all denitrification genes. Furthermore, nirS gene abundance could be more susceptible to environmental parameters compared with nirK and nosZ genes. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that NO₃^-, NO₂^-, NH₄⁺ and IP had the significant impacts on the nirS-encoding bacterial community and spatial distributions. There was a significantly positive correlation between Thiobacillus and nirS gene. We considered that higher numbers of nosZ appeared in nutrient rich sediments. More strikingly, PDR was positively correlated with the abundance of three functional genes. Random forest analysis showed that NH₄⁺ was the most powerful predictor of PDR. These findings can yield practical and important reference for the bioremediation or evaluation of wetland systems.

Physiological responses and metal distributions of different organs of Phragmites australis shoots under acid mine drainage stress

Phragmites australis, which is widely distributed throughout the world, is often used in the phytoremediation of acid mine drainage (AMD) due to its various mechanisms for survival under extremely harsh conditions. To explore the different responses of different aerial organs of P. australis to stress, soil and plant samples were collected from the AMD-polluted area of the Tongling mining area. The contents of manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in the soil and the leaf blades, leaf sheaths, and stems of P. australis as well as the contents/activities of cysteine synthase (CSase), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and proline (Pro) in the organs were determined. Our results revealed that the leaf sheath had the highest potential to store metals of all the organs. The highest translocation factor (TF) for Fe was observed from the stems to the leaf sheaths. A higher bioconcentration factor (BCF) for Mn was found in the leaf blades and leaf sheaths, while higher BCFs for Cd and Zn were observed in the stems. The content/activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic stress-resistance substances varied from organ to organ. In general, the leaf sheaths remained almost as or slightly less stress-resistant than the leaf blades. It can be concluded that different plant organs play different roles in stress resistance, and understanding the tolerance mechanism of leaf sheaths to metals is essential for the application of phytoremediation procedures.

Inoculation of Bacillus spp. Modulate the soil bacterial communities and available nutrients in the rhizosphere of vetiver plant irrigated with acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of an important pollution sources associated with mining activities and often inhibits plant growth. Plant growth promoting bacteria has received extensive attention for enhancing adaptability of plants growing in AMD polluted soils. The present study investigated the effect of plant growth promoting Bacillus spp. (strains UM5, UM10, UM13, UM15 and UM20) to improve vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) adaptability in a soil irrigated with 50% AMD. Bacillus spp. exhibited P-solubilization, IAA and siderophore production. The Bacillus spp. strains UM10 and UM13 significantly increased shoot (4.2-2.5%) and root (3.4-1.9%) biomass in normal and AMD-impacted soil, respectively. Bacillus sp. strain UM20 significantly increased soil AP (379.93 mg/kg) while strain UM13 increased TN (1501.69 mg/kg) and WEON (114.44 mg/kg) than control. Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes are the dominant phyla, of which Acidobacteria (12%) and Bacteroidetes (8.5%) were dominated in soil inoculated with Bacillus sp. strain UM20 while Proteobacteria (70%) in AMD soil only. However, the Chao1 and evenness indices were significantly increased in soil inoculated with Bacillus sp. strain UM13. Soil pH, AP and N fractions were positively correlated with the inoculation of bacterial strains UM13 and UM20. Plant growth promoting Bacillus spp. strains UM13 and UM20 were the main contributors to the variations in the rhizosphere bacterial community structure, improving soil available P, TN, WEON, NO₃^--N thus could be a best option to promote C. zizanioides adaptability in AMD-impacted soils.

Abundance of human pathogen genes in the phyllosphere of four landscape plants

The surface of leaf, also known as phyllosphere, harbors diverse microbial communities which include both beneficial microorganisms promoting plants growth and harmful microorganisms, such as plant pathogens and human pathogens. Several studies have investigated the interaction between plants and human pathogens, while few works have focused on the quantitative analysis of pathogenic bacteria. On the basis of real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), this study aimed to evaluate the abundance of following genes: the nuc and pvl of Staphylococcus aureus, the lytA and psaA of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and the ttr and invA of Salmonella enterica in the phyllosphere of four landscape plants (Nandina domestica, Rhododendron pulchrum, Photinia serrulata, and Cinnamomum camphora) growing in two habitats. Our results indicated that the relative abundance of pathogenic genes in the phyllosphere ranged from 10^-9 to 10^-6. The specific genes of S. aureus, S. pneumoniae and S. enterica in landscape plants were pvl, lytA and ttr, respectively. The two pathogenic genes of S. pneumoniae and the 16S rRNA gene were mainly affected by habitats, host species, and habitats-species interaction. Moreover, for the abundance of lytA and 16S rRNA, results showed that plants present in roadside with traffic pollution were relatively higher than that of campus with less pollution. The N. domestica and C. camphora were recommended for planting along the roadsides due to lower abundance of pathogenic genes. However, we have observed no significant difference in the abundance of pathogenic genes among four plants in the campus. Thereby, this study provided a valuable reference for selecting landscape plants in view of human health.

Effectiveness of Multilevel Risk Management Emergency Response Activities To Ensure Free Chlorine Residual in Household Drinking Water in Southern Syria

To provide safe drinking water and reduce the risk of disease, emergency responders in southern Syria are implementing a multilevel risk reduction strategy with the aim of ensuring free chlorine residual (FCR) in household drinking water. Responders implemented activities across the water chain (from chlorination station and well operators to water vendors to household members), including distribution of supplies for chlorination and training on chlorine use; activities varied by responder. We evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions in a cross-sectional observation study including interviews and observations with 24 chlorination station operators and 63 well owners/managers; interviews, observations, and water quality testing with 220 water truckers; and surveys and water quality testing with 1006 households. Across all responders, activities successfully ensured FCR in household drinking water (61-96% of households with FCR ≥ 0.1 mg/L compared to 21% in nonintervention households, p < 0.001). Centralized interventions led to the highest FCR results. Household FCR was associated with access to piped water systems (aOR 3.5, 95% CI 1.8-6.7) and chlorine distribution (aOR 6.1, 95% CI 3.4-11.0). We recommend continuing activities, emphasizing central-level activities, and supplementing with household-level activities. These results will help to optimize current interventions and guide future response design in similar contexts.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene access in southern Syria: analysis of survey data and recommendations for response

BACKGROUND

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are immediate priorities for human survival and dignity in emergencies. In 2010, > 90% of Syrians had access to improved drinking water. In 2011, armed conflict began and currently 12 million people need WASH services. We analyzed data collected in southern Syria to identify effective WASH response activities for this context.

METHODS

Cross-sectional household surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in 17 sub-districts of two governorates in opposition controlled southern Syria. During the survey, household water was tested for free chlorine residual (FCR). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and mixed effect logistic regressions were completed to determine associations between demographic and WASH variables with outcomes of FCR > 0.1 mg/L in household water and reported diarrhea in children < 5 years old.

RESULTS

In 2016 and 2017, 1281 and 1360 surveys were conducted. Piped water as the main water source declined from 22.0% to 15.3% over this time. Households accessed 50-60 l per capita daily (primarily from private water trucking networks). Households spent ~ 20% of income on water and reported market-available hygiene items were unaffordable. FCR > 0.1 mg/L increased from 4.1% to 27.9% over this time, with Water Safety Plan (WSP) programming strongly associated with FCR (mOR: 24.16; 95% CI: 5.93-98.5). The proportion of households with childhood diarrhea declined from 32.8% to 20.4% over this time; sanitation and hygiene access were protective against childhood diarrhea.

CONCLUSIONS

The private sector has effectively replaced decaying infrastructure in Syria, although at high cost and uncertain quality. Allowing market forces to manage WASH services and quantity, and targeting emergency response activities on increasing affordability with well-targeted subsidies and improving water quality and regulation via WSPs can be an effective, scalable, and cost-effective strategy to guarantee water and sanitation access in protracted emergencies with local markets.