Natural fibre composites (NFC) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional synthetic fibre composites, primarily attributed to their inherent environmental friendliness and sustainable nature. This review comprehensively evaluates the recent advancements in NFC concerning their thermal, mechanical, and sustainable attributes. The investigation encompasses a detailed analysis of influential factors, including fibre properties, chemical treatment, hybridization, particle addition, environmental conditions, and fabrication methods, with a specific focus on their impact on the mechanical and thermal behaviour of NFC. In the case of thermal performance, the review scrutinizes key aspects such as thermal conductivity, heat resistance, and flame retardancy of NFC. Emphasis is placed on understanding the significance of sustainability in NFC, encompassing discussions on environmental effects, sustainable material selection, and life cycle assessment. The critical assessment provided by this research offers insights into the intricate interplay of various factors shaping the thermal, mechanical, and sustainability characteristics of NFC. Overall, this review aims to furnish a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape in NFC, providing valuable insights into their thermal, mechanical, and sustainable attributes.
With rising climate anomalies and deterioration of ecological balance, water shortage has emerged as a major environmental problem faced by mankind, which has considerably limited agricultural productivity worldwide. Drought stress generates an insidious hazard by destabilizing global hydrological cycle and due to its increased frequency, severity and associated adverse impacts on climate conditions, drought has obtained attention world over. Exposure to severe and acute drought stress disturbs physiological functioning of plants and inhibits the efficiency of photosynthetic system. As a result, lesser photosynthate production causes lower plant biomass and yield. Hence, it is imperative to sustain and improve plant growth and productivity under water shortage conditions to minimize its dreadful impacts. Current review summarizes the adverse impacts of drought stress on various agricultural crops, its alleviation strategies and various adaptations encountered by plants under drought stress. More importantly, current review emphasizes the beneficial roles played by macronutrients such as nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) in alleviating the adverse impacts of drought stress. As these essential nutrients have reportedly been involved in alleviating the negative impacts of drought stress on plant growth and therefore, major information in the current review article revolves around the N and K supply to the plant under drought stress. In addition, current review necessitates the use of optimum doses of N and K fertilizers to ensure maximum resource utilization efficiency and increased drought resilience.
Climate change, with its increasing temperatures, is significantly disrupting global agricultural systems, and wheat, a key cereal crop faces severe challenges. Heat stress has emerged as a critical threat, accelerating wheat growth, leading to premature maturation, reduced grain filling, and ultimately lower yields. The situation is exacerbated by more frequent and intense heat waves, particularly in regions already struggling with water scarcity. Maintaining the delicate balance of temperature and water necessary for optimal wheat production is becoming challenging, posing a serious risk to global food security. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop adaptive strategies with innovations in breeding and transgenic technologies crucial to improving wheat resilience to environmental stresses, especially to combat the growing impacts of heat stress. Modern tools like CRISPR/Cas9, Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases, and Zinc Finger Nucleases have been instrumental in developing wheat varieties with improved traits. However, the future of wheat cultivation requires more than just resistance to a single stressor. As climate change intensifies, there is an urgent need for wheat varieties that can withstand multiple stresses, including heat, drought, and pests. Developing these multi-stress-tolerant cultivars is crucial for ensuring food security in a rapidly changing climate. Heat stress, worsened by climate change, threatens global wheat production and food security. Advanced breeding technologies, like CRISPR/Cas9, are essential for developing resilient wheat varieties that withstand multiple climate-related stresses.
This research study investigates the substantial impact of utilizing biodegradable, eco-friendly, and even edible coating films derived from whey proteins on extending the overall shelf life and improving various quality attributes of Golden Delicious apples. The samples underwent meticulous evaluation through the utilization of a digital fruit sclerometer and a portable digital refractometer. The results obtained during cold storage conditions demonstrated a slight yet notable increase over a duration spanning from 2 to 5 months following treatment with whey proteins. Furthermore, the weight loss of the sample exhibited a significant variation, shifting from an initial figure of 6.8
Probiotics (PBT) have been extensively studied as an adjunct therapy for various inflammatory conditions. This is because inflammation often leads to dysbiosis, a microbial imbalance that can be corrected using PBT. Most research has focused on Lactobacillus, with limited data on Bacillus PBT for alleviating CFA-induced arthritis in animal models. While most studies focus on the chronic aspect of CFA-induced arthritis, our current research aims to evaluate the effects of pre-treatment, concurrent treatment, and post-treatment with Bacillus subtilis (NMCC-path-14) against the acute phase of arthritis induced by CFA in the mice model. Arthritis was produced by administering CFA into the subplantar region of the mouse's right hind paw. Pain-related behavioral parameters, antioxidant capacity, histological and radiological parameters, expression of essential cytokines, and DNA damage were assessed during the acute phase. B. subtilis treatment significantly reduced the paw edema and improved the arthritic index. The nocifensive threshold was also raised, and muscle coordination improved considerably after B. subtilis treatment on days 7 and 14. The antioxidant capacity and histological and radiological parameters were also enhanced. We demonstrated that B. subtilis therapy preserved the DNA during the acute phase of arthritis using the Comet assay. Comparing results to the arthritic control, a significant reduction was observed in the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In contrast, the level of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) was enhanced. During the acute phase of the disease, B. subtilis displayed a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic action against CFA-induced arthritis.
