The primary objective of this paper is to explore the impact of household policies in both Saudi Arabia and Nigeria towards achieving efficient and sustainable economic growth in the 21st century. Fundamentally, the objective of the study was sparked by the basic factors of comparison the importance of culture in international relations, challenges related to terrorism which impede adequate implementations of economic policies, trade facilitation and logistics to enhance economic growth and cross-border movement of goods and services. Systematic literature review (SLR) and content analysis (CA) were used as methodological approaches of the paper. The articles explored for review were accessed using visualization of similarities (VOS) by exploring different database such as: journals, core collection of Web of Science (WOS), peer review sources and library sources. The findings demonstrated that Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have different policies regarding households in achieving sustainable economic growth. On one hand, in Saudi Arabia, the focus is on the economic burden associated with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the out-of-pocket spending among individuals diagnosed with these diseases. In addition, the study found that households with older and more educated members, an employed head of household, higher socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, and urban residency had significantly higher out-of-pocket expenditure in achieving sustainable economic development. On the other hand, Nigeria’s policy is centered around trade liberalization and its impact on household welfare as an integral part of sustainable economic development. The policies implemented in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria have implications for the well-being of their citizens. In Saudi Arabia, the household policies have significantly impacted the quality of life (QoL) of households, particularly those with low income, large size, male-led, urban, and with elderly heads. In Nigeria, trade liberalization policies have mixed welfare implications for households in the aspects of real income, they also induce unemployment in key sectors, such as agriculture and industry. To mitigate negative effects, it is suggested that Saudi Arabia should effectively address chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the households while Nigeria should efficiently pursue trade liberalization on a sectorial basis, focusing on sectors that do not severely undermine household welfare.

This study explores the role of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and STEM education in building the soft infrastructure necessary for economic development within Kazakhstan’s transforming education system. The authors conducted an interdisciplinary analysis, emphasizing the cognitive and communicative aspects of foreign language education in secondary schools, proposing a model for integrating ICC through the use of information and analytical technologies. The research focuses on personalized education, teacher competencies, and student engagement, with experimental methods applied in a Karaganda-based school. The study aims to identify mechanisms and principles that enhance ICC development, contributing to Kazakhstan’s modernization efforts in fostering globally competitive graduates prepared for the demands of the international arena. This research lays the foundation for further practical experimentation in profiled schools, aligning education with national development goals.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offer eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers, promoting sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil fertility, reducing pathogens, and aiding in stress resistance. In agriculture, they play a crucial role in plant growth promotion through the production of agroactive compounds and extracellular enzymes to promote plant health and protection against phytopathogens. In the rhizosphere, diverse microbial interactions, including those with bacteria and fungi, influence plant health by production of antimicrobial compounds. The antagonism displayed by rhizobacteria plays a crucial role in shaping microbial communities and has potential applications in developing a natural and environmentally friendly approach to pest control. The rhizospheric microbes showcase their ecological importance and potential for biotechnological applications in the context of plant-microbe interactions. The extracellular enzymes produced by rhizospheric microbes like amylases, chitinases, glucanases, cellulases, proteases, and ACC deaminase contribute to plant processes and stress response emphasizing their importance in sustainable agriculture. Moreover, this review highlights the new paradigm including artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainable horticulture and agriculture as a harmonious interaction between ecological networks for promoting soil health and microbial diversity that leads to a more robust and self-regulating agricultural system for protecting the environment in the future. Overall, this review emphasizes microbial interactions and the role of rhizospheric microbial extracellular enzymes which is crucial for developing eco-friendly approaches to enhance crop production and soil health.

An alternative for sustainable management in the cultivation of Capsicum annuum L. has focused on the use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). This research selected PGPRPGPR and AMF based on their effect on Bell Pepper and Jalapeño bell pepper plants. Five bacterial strains isolated from different localities in the state of Mexico (P61 [Pseudomonas tolaasii], A46 [P. tolaasii], R44 [Bacillus pumilus], BSP1.1 [Paenibacillus sp.] and OLs-Sf5 [Pseudomonas sp.]) and 3 AMF treatments (H1 [consortium isolated from Chile rhizosphere in the state of Puebla], H2 [Rhizophagus intraradices] and H3 [consortium isolated from lemon rhizosphere from the state of Tabasco]). In addition, a fertilized treatment (Steiner solution 25%) and an absolute control were included. Jalapeño bell pepper “Caloro” and Bell Pepper “California Wonder” seedlings were inoculated with AMF at sowing and with CPB 15 days after emergence, and grown under controlled environment chamber conditions. In Jalapeño bell pepper, the best bacterial strain was P61 and the best AMF treatment was H1; in Bell Pepper the best strain was R44 and the best AMF were H3 and H1. These microorganisms increased the growth of jalapeño bell pepper and Bell Pepper seedlings compared to the unfertilized control. Likewise, P61 and R44 positively benefited the photosynthetic capacity of PSII.

This paper uses a new cross-country cross-industry dataset on investment in tangible and intangible assets for 18 European countries and the US.  We set out a framework for measuring intangible investment and capital stocks and their effect on output, inputs and total factor productivity. The analysis provides evidence on the diffusion of intangible investment across Europe and the US over the years 2000-2013 and offers growth accounting evidence before and after the Great Recession in 2008-2009. Our major findings are the following. First, tangible investment fell massively during the Great Recession and has hardly recovered, whereas intangible investment has been relatively resilient and recovered fast in the US but lagged behind in the EU. Second, the sources of growth analysis including only national account intangibles (software, R&D, mineral exploration and artistic originals), suggest that capital deepening is the main driver of growth, with tangibles and intangibles accounting for 80% and 20% in the EU while both account for 50% in the US, over 2000-2013. Extending the asset boundary to the intangible assets not included in the national accounts (Corrado, Hulten and Sichel (2005)) makes capital deepening increase. The contribution of tangibles is reduced both in the EU and the US (60% and 40% respectively) while intangibles account for a larger share (40% in EU and 60% in the US). Then, our analysis shows that since the Great Recession, the slowdown in labour productivity growth has been driven by a decline in TFP growth with relatively a minor role for tangible and intangible capital. Finally, we document a significant correlation between stricter employment protection rules and less government investment in R&D, and a lower ratio of intangible to tangible investment.

Cucumber Variety ‘Drite L108’ (Cucumis sativus L. Cv. Derit L108) was selected as the test material. In the solar greenhouse, different days (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 d) of light (PAR < 200 µmol·m^-2·s^-1) and normal light conditions were designed with shading nets to observe the growth indexes of cucumber plants and the changes of antioxidant enzyme activities in leaves. The results showed that: (1) continuous low light increased the SPAD (relative chlorophyll) value of cucumber leaves and decreased the net photosynthetic rate. The longer the continuous low light days are, the smaller the net photosynthetic rate of cucumber leaves and the worse the photosynthetic recovery ability would be. (2) The plant height, stem diameter and leaf area per plant were lower than CK, and the above indexes could not return to the normal level after 9 days of normal light recovery; the yield and marketability of cucumber fruit decreased under continuous low illumination. (3) The activities of SOD (superoxide dismutase) and POD (peroxidase) in cucumber leaves increased, the activities of CAT (catalase) first increased and then decreased, and the content of MDA (malondialdehyde) continued to increase. The longer the days of continuous light keep, the more seriously the cucumber leaves were damaged by membrane lipid peroxidation. After continuous light for more than 7 days, the metabolic function of cucumber leaves was difficult to recover to the normal level.