Dhemaji College

There is a consistent increase in persistent organic pollutants and co-contaminants across diverse ecosystems. The polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides along with heavy metals pose serious threats to our ecosystem and environment. Use of conventional physical and chemical decontamination technologies of persistent organic pollutant removal is often discouraged due to their operational complexities and potential environmental hazards. The pollutant removing potential of certain plants has been attributed to the assemblance of putative microbial populations residing in their inner tissues, popularly known as the endophytes. The current review addresses the potential of endophyte microbial mutualists as significant contributors in phytoremediation. The intrinsic metabolic machineries of the endophytic fungal cell factories accelerate the host plant’s mechanism in pollutant decontamination. Notwithstanding significant progress in the field, a comprehensive understanding of host-endophyte interaction during pollutant removal is still challenging. In this context, the current review has been designed to study the mechanistic interactions of endophyte fungi-mediated phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants and co-contaminants. The review delineates the characteristics of various persistent organic pollutants, provides a concise overview of endophytic and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and elucidates their essential mechanisms in augmenting the phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants and associated contaminants. The recent update discusses technological interventions in host-fungal endophyte interactions that enhance phytoremediation efficiency and highlights potential in future research approaches.

With the growing demand for compact, high-performance and reconfigurable antenna systems in mid-band 5G communication (3.3–6 GHz), polarization agility has become essential for improving link reliability and spectral efficiency. This paper presents the design, simulation and experimental validation of a polarization reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna capable of dynamically switching between vertical (VP) and horizontal (HP) linear polarization states using a single RF excitation port. The antenna employs two orthogonal microstrip feedlines connected via PIN diode switches to a common feed, enabling selective excitation of adjacent patch edges. This facilitates activation of the fundamental TM01​ or TM10​ mode, producing vertical or horizontal polarization, respectively. Fabricated on an FR4 substrate, the antenna features a low-profile, planar configuration ideal for compact RF systems. Simulated and measured resonances occur at 5.31/5.40 GHz (VP) and 5.27/5.33 GHz (HP), respectively. The antenna achieves –10 dB impedance bandwidths of 3.52% (VP) and 6.01% (HP), peak gains of 2.48 dBi and 2.76 dBi and axial ratios above 48 dB, confirming high polarization purity and low cross-polarization. Radiation patterns show good agreement with simulations. The proposed design offers a compact and efficient solution for applications demanding polarization reconfigurability, making it well-suited for advanced wireless communication systems.

The increasing global demand for maintaining sustainable agriculture has focused on the critical role played by endophytic entomopathogenic fungi as dual-purpose microbial agents facilitating plant growth promotion and pest management. Endophytic entomopathogenic fungi as natural endosymbionts, provide multifaceted benefits, such as improving plant growth and nutrient uptake, enhancing tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and protecting the crops against devastating insect pests, pathogens, nematodes, and weeds. Addressing the potential of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi in agriculture has eventually reduced the dependence on toxic agrochemicals, thereby assists to adopt key alarms of environmental safety and agricultural sustainability. Direct application of this category of fungi involves seed treatment, soil inoculation, and foliar sprays, resulting enhancement in plant endosphere colonization, assisting in optimum plant protection and growth promotion. Indirect applications include the potential use of bioformulations, thereby reducing the reliance on toxic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Customized strategies for integrating entomopathogenic fungi into sustainable pest and disease management frameworks must be generated to boost their use efficiency under field evaluations. These strategies must ensure that the fungi are compatible with other biocontrol agents and recommended dosages of agrochemicals. The integration of advanced technologies, including the genetic engineering, myconanoformulations, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things, alongside Fuzzy logics, has recently revolutionized the strategic advancements in entomopathogenic research for sustainable plant growth promotion and crop protection, leading to the development of climate-smart agriculture.

Phytohormone signaling underpins practically all facets of plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stressors. While the molecular foundation of hormone monitoring and subsequent signaling is well understood, it is evident that these pathways function within a wider epigenetic context that introduces flexibility, regulatory memory, and environmental responsiveness. The current review summarizes recent discoveries elucidating the impact of DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and small RNA pathways on hormone biosynthesis, transport, perception, and transcriptional regulation across principal phytohormone classes, including the auxin, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonates, brassinosteroids, and salicylic acid. Epigenetic modification of chromatin architecture at hormone-responsive sites enables the plants to synchronize developmental processes with environmental stimuli, including high temperatures, water scarcity, and pathogen attacks. Dynamic and reversible chromatin states facilitate rapid hormonal reprogramming, regulate hormone interactions, and are integral to vital phenotypic processes like thermomorphogenesis, regulation of flowering intervals, fruit ripening, and immune signaling. Subsequent research further substantiates the involvement of hormone-associated epigenetic memory in heterosis and stress adaption across generations. Future advancements in single-cell epigenomics, spatio-temporal chromatin profiling, and targeted epigenome editing is essential for elucidating causal relationships between hormone signaling and chromatin dynamics, especially in agricultural settings. Bibliometrics inevitably illustrate the rapid growth in this area, pinpoint dominant research trends and gaps, and underscore prospective opportunities at the intersection of phytohormone regulation, epigenetic inheritance, crop improvement and protection.

This study examines the steady, two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary-layer flow and heat transfer of a micropolar fluid over an exponentially stretching inclined sheet. The analysis incorporates the effects of viscous dissipation, Joule heating, thermal radiation, a porous medium, a chemical reaction, a heat source/sink, and velocity slip. The nonlinear partial differential equations governing the flow are converted into ordinary differential equations through similarity transformations and solved numerically using MATLAB’s bvp4c solver. The numerical solution demonstrates reliable convergence and accuracy, confirmed through comparison with published benchmark data. The numerical results for velocity, angular velocity, temperature, and concentration are presented graphically, and the influence of various parameters, including the Chemical Reaction Parameter, Porosity Parameter, Eckert Number, Thermal Radiation Parameter, and heat source parameter, is analyzed. Results indicate that Eckert number, thermal radiation parameter, and chemical reaction parameter significantly elevate the thermal boundary layer thickness. Conversely, higher porosity parameters reduce temperature and concentration profiles. Further, skin friction, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number demonstrate clear sensitivity to melting effects. Findings from this work provide insights relevant to industrial processes involving polymer extrusion, thermal insulation systems, porous media transport, and heat-assisted chemical reactors.