Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture.

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental issue that might endanger the health of agricultural soil. Even though several research on the particular toxicity of MPs to species have been carried out, there is little information on MPs' impacts on soil physicochemical properties and heavy metals (HMs) availability of HMs contaminated and without contaminated soils. This study examined the changes in soil characteristics for both HMs contaminated and without contaminated soils by five distinct MPs, including Polyethylene (PE), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene Foam (PS), Polyamide (PA), and a combination of these four types of MPs (Mixed MPs), at two different concentrations (0.

Experience-based food insecurity in Bangladesh: Evidence from Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022.

This paper examines the current state of food insecurity in Bangladesh and its socio-economic drivers using data from the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES 2022). Unlike previous studies that relied on less precise measures of food insecurity, such as food expenditure, diversity, and calorie intake, this study employs the internationally recognized Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and Rasch model-based thresholds to classify households as food secure or insecure. Multilevel logistic regression is used to identify significant predictors of moderate and severe food insecurity, considering the hierarchical structure of the data, with households nested within geographical clusters.

Two Cysteines in Raf Kinase Inhibitor Protein Make Differential Contributions to Structural Dynamics In Vitro.

As a scaffolding protein, Raf kinase binding protein (RKIP) is involved in a variety of cellular pathways, including the Raf-MEK-ERK-cascade. It acts as a negative regulator by binding to its partners, making it an attractive target in the development of therapeutic strategies for cancer. Despite its structural stability as a monomer, RKIP may form a dimer, resulting in the switching of binding partners.

Schistophleps kendricki sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from Bangladesh with an overview of the genus.

Schistophleps Hampson, 1891 is one of the most frequently occurring genera of tiger moths, widely distributed in the Oriental and Australian regions. However, a lion's share of the species belonging to this genus are poorly known except the original descriptions. In this article, we provide a brief overview of all known species currently assigning to this genus.

A new genus and species of Peleopodidae Hodges, 1974 (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from South-East Asia.

Paraxenoacria gen. nov., a new genus belonging to the family Peleopodidae is described to accommodate a new species Paraxenoacria spinosa sp.

An in-depth investigation of lead-free KGeCl perovskite solar cells employing optoelectronic, thermomechanical, and photovoltaic properties: DFT and SCAPS-1D frameworks.

Potassium germanium chloride (KGeCl) has emerged as a promising contender for use as an absorber material for lead-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs), offering significant potential in this domain. In this study, we conducted a density functional theory (DFT) investigation to analyze and assess the structural, electronic, thermomechanical, and optical characteristics of the cubic KGeCl absorber. The positive phonon dispersion curve confirmed the dynamical stability of KGeCl.

Pesticide knowledge and attitude among the potato growing farmers of Bangladesh and determinant factors.

The study aimed to assess the extent of pesticide use among potato-growing farmers in Bangladesh and its relationship with their knowledge, attitude, and socio-demographic characteristics. Data were collected from 553 farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire through multistage random sampling. Bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the frequency of pesticide use and various socio-demographic factors.

Microplastics in the commercially available branded milk in Bangladesh: An emerging threat for human health.

Microplastics (MPs) are polymer-based particles commonly found in diverse foods that pose serious human health impacts throughout the food chain. Assessment of MPs in different food products is a prime measure to combat MP-related food contamination. Therefore, this study first investigated the identification, characterization, and potential risks of MPs in the commercially available milk brands (19 dry powders and 06 liquid brands) in Bangladesh.

A systematic first-principles investigation of the structural, electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermodynamic properties of Half-Heusler ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) for spintronics and optoelectronics applications.

This paper is the first to look at the structural, electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermodynamic properties of the ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) half-Heusler (HH) using DFT based first principles method. The lattice parameters that we have calculated are very similar to those obtained in prior investigations with theoretical and experimental data. The positive phonon dispersion curve confirm the dynamical stability of ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn).

THP-1 Monocytic Cells Are Polarized to More Antitumorigenic Macrophages by Serial Treatment with Phorbol-12-Myristate-13-Acetate and PD98059.

: As modulators of the tumor microenvironment, macrophages have been extensively studied for their potential in developing anticancer strategies, particularly in regulating macrophage polarization towards an antitumorigenic (M1) phenotype rather than a protumorigenic (M2) one in various experimental models. Here, we evaluated the effect of PD98059, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MAPKK MEK1-linked pathway inhibitor, on the differentiation and polarization of THP-1 monocytes in response to phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) under various culture conditions for tumor microenvironmental application. : Differentiation and polarization of THP-1 were analyzed by flow cytometry and RT-PCR.

Prospects and current scenario of industry 4.0 in Bangladeshi textile and apparel industry.

This study aims to explore the scopes and challenges, rank the challenges, and provide strategic solutions for adopting Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) in Bangladesh's textile and apparel industry.

Application of machine learning and multivariate approaches for assessing microplastic pollution and its associated risks in the urban outdoor environment of Bangladesh.

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging global concern due to severe toxicological risks for ecosystems and public health. Therefore, this is the first study in Bangladesh to assess MP pollution and its associated risks for ecosystems and human health in the outdoor urban environment using machine learning and multivariate approaches. The occurrences of MPs in the urban road dust were 52.

Unraveling birth weight determinants: Integrating machine learning, spatial analysis, and district-level mapping.

Despite a decrease in the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) over time, its ongoing significance as a public health concern in Bangladesh remains evident. Low birth weight is believed to be a contributing factor to infant mortality, prolonged health complications, and vulnerability to non-communicable diseases. This study utilizes nationally representative data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) conducted in 2012-2013 and 2019 to explore factors associated with birth weight.

Cooler and drier conditions increase parasitism in a subtropical damselfly population.

Host-parasite interactions are impacted by climate, which may result in variation of parasitism across landscapes and time. Understanding how parasitism varies across these spatio-temporal scales is crucial to predicting how organisms will respond to and cope under a rapidly changing climate. Empirical work on how parasitism varies across climates is limited.

A new species of Phragmataecia Newman, 1850 (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) from Bangladesh.

Herein, we describe Phragmataecia ishuqii Rayhan, Jahan, & Hulsbosch sp. nov., a new species of carpenter moth belonging to the genus Phragmataecia Newman, 1850 from Chittagong, Bangladesh.

From the local disparities to national realities: Mapping and multilevel modeling of catastrophic health expenditure in Bangladesh using HIES 2016.

In developing nations, catastrophic health expenditures have become an all-too-common occurrence, threatening to push households into impoverishment and poverty. By analyzing the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2016, which features a sample of 46,080 households, this study provides a comprehensive district-by-district analysis of the variation in household catastrophic health expenditures and related factors. The study utilizes a multilevel logistic regression model, which considers both fixed and random effects to identify factors associated with catastrophic health expenditure.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 in Indonesia: Lessons from the first wave.

Background: Indonesia's national response to COVID-19 evolved rapidly throughout 2020. Understanding pandemic response and outcomes is crucial for better mitigation strategies ahead. This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to ICU during the early stages of the pandemic.

Estimating peak breeding season, size at first maturity and variation in fecundity and egg-size at different sizes of Hilsa ().

Hilsa shad, , has recently gained momentum due to its taste, nutrition and demand. Imposing ban at peak breeding and setting up a minimum capture size are two of the most effective tools for conservation and management of any fish species. Although, Bangladesh government has been imposing ban on a particular time and set the minimum legal size, there is still contradictory information on these two issues.

New established cell lines from undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma for in vivo study.

As a high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma (STS), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is highly recurrent and malignant. UPS is categorized as a tumor of uncertain differentiation and has few options for treatment due to its lack of targetable genetic alterations. There are also few cell lines that provide a representative model for UPS, leading to a dearth of experimental research.

Paediatric COVID-19 mortality: a database analysis of the impact of health resource disparity.

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric populations varied between high-income countries (HICs) versus low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs). We sought to investigate differences in paediatric clinical outcomes and identify factors contributing to disparity between countries.

Methods: The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 database was queried to include children under 19 years of age admitted to hospital from January 2020 to April 2021 with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

Behavioral factors underlying energy consumption pattern: A cross-sectional study on industrial sector of Bangladesh.

Energy consumption and wastage are increasing proportionally with the growth of the industrial sector of Bangladesh. This study explores the energy consumption behavior of industrial staff in the light of sociodemographic and behavioral aspects using questionnaire sourced survey data. Based on the feedback of 827 employees from the 20 types of industries, behavioral constructs are formed using exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis.