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Wearable, point-of-care diagnostics, and biosensors are on the verge of bringing transformative changes in detection, management, and treatment of cancer. Bioinspired materials with new forms and functions have frequently been used, in both translational and commercial spaces, to fabricate such diagnostic platforms. Engineered from organic or inorganic molecules, bioinspired systems are naturally equipped with biorecognition and stimuli-sensitive properties. Mechanisms of action of bioinspired materials are deeply connected with thermodynamically or kinetically controlled self-assembly at the molecular and supramolecular levels. Thus, integration of bioinspired materials into wearable devices, either as triggers or sensors, brings about unique device properties usable for detection, capture, or rapid readout for an analyte of interest. In this review, we present the basic principles and mechanisms of action of diagnostic devices engineered from bioinspired materials, describe current advances, and discuss future trends of the field, particularly in the context of cancer.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are multipurpose entities in case of crop quality and yield improvement. This study evaluated the impact of PGPR inoculation in root zone nutrient release, rice yield, and grain nutrient (P, Fe, Mn, and Zn) content in two popular rice varieties of Bangladesh (viz., BRRI dhan49 and Binadhan7). It was a single factor (bacterial treatment) experiment where B0, B1, B2, and B3 treatments represented the inoculated control, indole acetic acid (IAA) producing bacteria consortium, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) consortium, and combination of B1 and B2 treatments, respectively. Nutrients released in pore water was higher at 5 days after transplanting (DAT), compared to 25 DAT. Mostly B2 and B3 treatments performed significantly in the number of tillers/pots, straw yield, grain yield, grain P, Mn, Fe content, and all four nutrients uptake. The highest grain yield observed in B3 treatment is in both Binadhan7 (42.10±1.76 g/pot) and BRRI dhan49 (36.20±1.57 g/pot). PSB containing B2 treatment bio-fortified the largest amount of P in both rice varieties. On the other hand, the B3 treatment stored the highest amount of Mn (46.70±1.30 and 44.30±1.37 mg/kg) and Fe (45.30±2.90 and 25.70±2.37 mg/kg) in Binadhan7 and BRRI dhan49, respectively. The B3 treatment resulted in maximum nutrient content (P, Mn, and Fe) and uptake (P, Mn, Fe, and Zn) in both rice varieties. These bacterial isolates seemed promising for rice yield and quality improvement in an eco-friendly and sustainable way. Res. Agric. Livest. Fish. 10(1): 73-81

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disorder of unclear etiology that can affect multiple different organ systems. Isolated cardiac sarcoidosis is very rare condition which causes lethal arrhythmia and heart failure. A definite diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis remains challenging. The use of multimodality imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of this entity. Cardiovasc j 2023; 15(2): 175-181

Recognizing that the political environment that once fostered a global culture of top down, conditionality-driven aid delivery is no longer in place, this theoretically informed study provides insight into the emerging ‘aid and/or development effectiveness’ narrative. By exploring a case study of Bangladesh, it offers a nuanced analytical perspective on the role of donor agencies in managing development partnership at the country level. It interweaves a critical review of the concept of country ownership, the historical role of three major European donors, namely FCDO, DANIDA, and GIZ, and the conversation with select stakeholders to illuminate the ineptness of the ‘development effectiveness’ narrative in guiding our efforts aimed at creating a new aid architecture. In particular, our research findings call into question the assumption that donors are committed to the principles of country ownership. Contrary to the claims of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), our study observes that the new language of development effectiveness and/or country ownership did not create a positive space for Bangladesh to manage its own development agenda. Instead of demonstrating their desire to promote self-reliant development, donor agencies and countries appear to have leveraged the development effectiveness rhetoric for advancing their own sociopolitical interests.

A novel data dispatching or communication technique based on circulating networks of any network IP is suggested for multi data transmission in multiprocessor systems using Networks-On-Chip (NoC). In wireless communication network management have some negatives have heavy data losses and traffic of data sending data while packet scheduling and low performance in the varied network due to workloads. To overcome the drawbacks, in this method proposed system is Integrated Shortest Path Search Algorithm (ISPSA) using mesh topologies. The message is sent to IP (Internet Protocol) in the network until the specified bus accepts it. Integrated Shortest Path Search Algorithm for communication between two nodes is possible at any one moment. On-chip wireless communications operating at specific frequencies are the most capable option for overcoming metal interconnects multi-hop delay and excessive power consumption in Network-on-Chip (NoC) devices. Each node can be indicated by a pair of coordinates (level, position), where the level is the tree's vertical level and the view point is its horizontal arrangement in the sequence of left to right. The output gateway node's n nodes are linked to two nodes in the following level, with all resource nodes located at the bottommost vertical level and the constraint of this topology is its narrow bisection area. The software Xilinx 14.5 tool by using that overall performance analysis of mesh topology, each method are reduced data losses with better accuracy although the productivity of the delay is decreased by 21 % was evaluated and calculated..

In Bangladesh beetroot is getting attention in recent years due to its high food value and potential industrial use. The present study was conducted to assess the food value in terms of biochemical and mineral nutritional constituents of four exotic beetroot varieties (viz. Chioggia, Detroit Dark Red, Early Wonder Tall Top, and Red Ace) of Bangladesh. The pH, brix and dry matter (DM%) levels of the four beetroot varieties ranges between 5.52 to 6.51, 8.9 to 10.5, and 8.8 to 11.0%, respectively; and Detroit Dark Red had the highest DM%. the protein, fibre, ash, and total sugar contents were also significantly varied in the four varieties and the values ranged between 10.80-12.50, 5.10-6.20, 7.65-8.86, 2.62-6.06%DM, respectively. The vitamin C was found highest in Chioggia (6.20 mg/100g). Among the micro and macronutrient elements tested, all parameters were significantly varied and Detroit Dark Red contained the highest amount of N (1904 mg 100 g−1 DM), Fe (53 mg 100 g−1 DM), Zn (26 mg 100 g−1 DM) and Mn (17 mg 100 g−1 DM); while Chioggia contained the highest amount of K (3331 mg 100 g−1 DM), Ca (151 mg 100 g−1 DM) and B (21 mg 100 g−1 DM). Total anthocyanin and total phenolic contents also varied among the varieties and the highest values were observed in Chioggia and Early Wonder Tall Top, respectively. Based on the observed parameters, Chioggia and Detroit Dark Red seemed to be the better performers among the four beetroot cultivars. Vol. 9, No. 3, December 2022: 279-287

In the present paper, a theoretical analysis is made to investigate fluid flow and heat energy transformation features of single and multi-walled water functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with uniform heat inconstancy boundary conditions onward a flat plate. The liquid motion and momentum transfer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been analyzed using a homogeneous flow model. Both single-wall CNTs (SWCNTs) and multi-wall CNTs (MWCNTs) used base fluids, namely, water. The thermophysical characteristics of CNTs regarding the solid volume fraction of CNTs are studied by applying empirical correlations. Similarity transformations have been used to the governing partial differential equations turning them into ordinary differential equations. The outcome of similarity transformations which are nonlinear ordinary differential equations subjected to reconstructed boundary conditions, are subsequently solved numerically using bvp4c. The effects of the governing parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, and skin friction are investigated numerically and graphically. An increase in the volume fraction and the velocity ratio parameter increase the flow, the velocity, and the temperature profile. Regardless of any physical parameter, SWCNTs give better heat transfer than MWCNTs.

Introduction: The identification and monitoring of benign moles and skin cancers leads to a challenging task because of the usual standard significant skin patches. Actually, the skin lesions vary very little in their look and only limited amount of information is available. There are seven fundamental types of skin cancer like Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), Melanoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) whereas Melanoma is the highly risky which has low survival rate. Objective: This work classifies skin lesions with the help of Convolution Neural Network and the images are trained end-to-end. A dataset comprised of 10000 clinical images were trained using Convolution Neural Network (CNN). Materials and Methods: The skin cancer identification process is generally separated into two basic components, image pre-processing which includes classification of images and removing the duplicate images and sharpening, which resizes the skin image. This work discusses a methodology to segment the high-level skin lesion and identification of malignancy more accurately with the help of deep learning: 1) Construction of a neural network, which detects the edge of a huge lesion accurately; 2) Designing model that can run on mobile phones. The model designed a transfer learning which is based deep on neural network and the fine turning that supports to attain high prediction accuracy. Results: The dataset comprises of a total of 10,000 images stored in two folders. The information about the data is stored in a data frame. Total 10000 dermoscopic images contains 374 melanoma images, 254 seborrheic keratosis images and 1372 nevus images. Using transfer learning validation loss, Top-2 accuracy and Top-3 accuracy have been calculated. The result has been compared with the different models. Conclusions: The proposed system can categorize healthy skin lesions, eczema, acne, malignant and benign skin lesions. The proposed work investigates the attributes acquired by the deep convolutional neural network. The attributes are extracted and the datasets were divided into seven different categories. Based on that categories the data was trained and validated. Based on the calculation the validation loss, top-2 accuracy, top-3 accuracy was calculated.

The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) other than rRNA and tRNA were earlier assumed to be ‘junk genomic material’. However, recent advancements in genomics methods have highlighted their roles not only in housekeeping but also in the progression of diseases like cancer as well as viral infections. lncRNAs owing to their length, have both short-range and long-range interactions resulting in complex folded structures that recruit various biomolecules enabling lncRNAs to undertake their various biological functions. Using cell lysate pull-down assays increasing number of lnRNAs-interacting proteins are being identified. These interactions can be further exploited to develop targeted novel therapeutic strategies to inhibit lncRNA–protein interactions. This review attempts to succinctly techniques that can identify and characterize the lnRNAs–protein interactions (i.e. affinity, stoichiometry, and thermodynamics). Furthermore, using other sophisticated biophysical techniques, one can also perform size estimations, and determine low-resolution structures. Since these methods study the biomolecules in solution, large-scale structural observations can be performed in real-time. This review attempts to briefly introduce the readers to biochemical and biophysical techniques, such that they can utilize these methods to obtain a holistic characterization of the biomolecules of interest. Additionally, it should be noted that the use of these methods is not limited to the characterization of the interacting molecules but can also be used to determine the efficacy of the therapeutic molecules to disrupt these interactions.

Flipped Classroom Model is reported in research studies to bring in numerous benefits to learners in comparison to conventional, teacher-dominated language pedagogy. However, some researchers believe that most of the FCM success stories reported in research are anecdotal and based on hearsay. The present research study investigates the efficacy of FCM to teach English as a foreign language in the Saudi Arabian context. In a quasi-experimental study, a selected group of twenty students was taught through the conventional as well as FCM approaches. Marks obtained by the control and treatment group participants were compared and t-test was applied to mark the significance of difference, if any. The findings showed a significant difference (t = 3.889; significant at α =.001; df = 38, two-tailed test) between the marks of the same group of students taught using different approaches. Participants performed better under conventional lesson delivery approach. The study concludes that FCM as a teaching practice is unsuitable for some EFL learners, especially with teacher-intensive language elements, such as reading and writing. Keywords: Flipped Classroom, language pedagogy, reading comprehension, teaching strategies, TEFL

Background: Infertility is a global health issue affecting approximately 8-10% of couples and has multidimensional problem with social, economic and cultural implications, which can take threatening proportions in countries with strong demographic problems. Reproductive health in Bangladesh focused mainly on women health and ignoring the role of men, in spite of the important role that men are playing in reproduction and fertility which impact his family and environment. Objective: To find out the factors of infertility among the males in selected hospitals of Dhaka city. Methods: A convenience sample of 112 medical records for males diagnosed with infertility in Shaheed Suhrawardi Medical College Hospital, National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology, Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Fertility center Mohammedpur Dhaka, Infertility care and Research Center Mohammedpur Dhaka were retrospectively reviewed for the cause of their infertility. Four months duration of study from May 2016 to August 2016. After completion of data collection, the collected data was checked and verified on regular basis for accuracy, consistency and completeness. Data was edited and coded. The results were presented into the form of tables and figures. Data was processed in computer by using the software SPSS, version 22 and statistical analysis was done. Results: Male factor alone was accounted for 52% of infertility among couples of these 90 had primary infertility and 22 had secondary infertility. The mean duration of infertility was 4.98±3.99 years and the mean age for male cases was 33.5±7.24 years The most common causes among infertile men were, idiopathic infertility 36.6%, varicocele 32.1%, obstruction of the seminal tract 18.8%, and hormonal problems 5.4%. Least common causes found were, medication 1.8%, spinal cord injury 1.8%, cryptorchidism 1.8%, and testicular failure 1.8%. Conclusion: More than half of the infertile couples were from an idiopathic cause. Study results confirm that understanding about male reproductive function and the environmental factors that affect it is insufficient. Provide education to infertile men by doctors in charge about potential risk factors that may affect fertility and not just provide treatment because simple changes in lifestyle can improve fertility. Bangladesh J. Urol. 2021; 24(1): 37-45

Chitosan is a promising natural biopolymer that stimulates growth, increases yield, and boosts-up plants' immune systems. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of foliar application of chitosan on growth, yield and quality attributes (viz. chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, total ash and major nutrient contents) of red amaranth. The field experiment was laid out in a Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and six treatments [viz. T0 = Control (no chitosan application); T1 = 100 mg L-1; T2 = 150 mg L-1; T3 = 200 mg L-1; T4 = 250 mg L-1 and T5 = 300 mg L-1 chitosan solution]. The study results revealed that the application of chitosan at different doses had no significant effect on plant height, the number of leaves plant-1, and the moisture content of red amaranth. But there were significant variations in stem diameter, root length, and yield of red amaranth. Similarly, the application of chitosan at different doses also showed a significant effect on chlorophyll contents, carotenoids and total ash contents of red amaranth. The average chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophylls, carotenoids and ash content of red amaranth ranged from 6.02-9.51, 3.67-5.92 and 9.68-15.15 mg g-1 tissue, 0.20-0.28 µg g-1 sample (fresh wt.), and 16.36-17.69%, respectively. Among the major nutrient elements, the amount of Ca, Mg, Na, K and P in red amaranth was statistically insignificant among the treatments. On the contrary, the effect of foliar application of chitosan at different doses disclosed a statistically significant difference in S, Zn and Fe contents of red amaranth. The highest amounts of chlorophyll-a, carotenoids, total ash, S, and Fe in red amaranth were obtained from treatment T5. Finally, the study results concluded that foliar application of chitosan at 300 mg L-1 has a significant positive effect on the growth, yield, pigments, S, and Fe contents of red amaranth.

Seafloor hydrothermal chimneys from back-arc basins are important hosts for metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, and Au. Although the general growth history of chimneys has been well documented, recent studies have revealed that the fine-scale mineralogy can be highly complex and reflects variable physicochemical conditions of formation. This study utilized a novel combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-based electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SXFM) to uncover the detailed growth processes of multiple chalcopyrite-lined conduits within a modern chalcopyrite-sphalerite chimney from Manus Basin and to assess the controls on native gold precipitation. On the basis of previous studies, the chimney conduit was thought to develop from an initial sulfate-dominated wall, which was subsequently dissolved and replaced by sphalerite and chalcopyrite during gradual mixing of hydrothermal fluids and seawater. During this process, sphalerite was epitaxially overgrown by chalcopyrite. Accretionary growth of chalcopyrite onto this early formed substrate thickened the chimney walls by bi-directional growth inward and outward from the original tube wall, also enclosing the outgrown pyrite cluster. A group of similar conduits with slightly different mineral assemblages continued to form in the vicinity of the main conduit during the further fluid mixing process. Four types of distinct native gold-sulfide/sulfosalt associations were developed during the varying mixing of hydrothermal fluids and seawater. Previously unobserved chains of gold nanoparticles occur at the boundary of early sphalerite and chalcopyrite, distinct from gold observed in massive sphalerite as identified in other studies. These observations provide baseline data in a well-preserved modern system for studies of enrichment mechanisms of native gold in hydrothermal chimneys. Furthermore, native gold is relatively rarely observed in chalcopyrite-lined conduit walls. Our observations imply that: (1) native gold is closely associated with various sulfides/sulfosalts in chalcopyrite-lined conduit walls rather than limited to the association with tennantite, Bi-rich minerals, and bornite as reported previously; and (2) the broad spectrum of gold occurrence in chalcopyrite-line conduits is likely to be determined by the various mixing process between hot hydrothermal fluids with surrounding fluids or seawater. Quantitative modeling of fluid mixing processes is recommended in the future to probe the precise gold deposition stages to efficiently locate gold in modern hydrothermal chimneys.

Background: Adults with undiagnosed bleeding disorders present in a variety of ways. While severe bleeding disorders and most congenital bleeding disorders initially present during childhood, conditions associated with heavy bleeding only after a haemostatic challenge (Such as surgery or trauma) often present during adulthood. The evaluation of a patient with a possible bleeding disorder can be one of the most challenging referrals in hematology practice. In the absence of much evidence-based outcomes data, the practitioner’s experimental judgment will be called upon to formulate a working diagnosis and management plan in many instances. The present study is aimed to find out the incidence of diseases presenting with bleeding manifestations and their clinical patterns with age and sex relationship. It is also important to establish the pathological correlation with clinical features. Materials and methods: This observational study was carried out in the Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Dhaka cantonment for a period of one year between 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2018. A total of 57 cases of all ages with bleeding manifestations were studied clinically and appropriate laboratory investigations were carried out to find the causes of bleeding. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS for windows version 17. c2 test was used as the tests of significance and p value

To describe the neurodevelopmental outcomes following extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in early infancy.Thirty-seven patients who had survived following ECMO support from 2008 to 2018 had their neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed and analysed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Developmental outcome was defined as impairment in any of the developmental domains of motor function, cognition and language with mild impairment being 1-2 standard deviations below the test mean, moderate being 2-3 standard deviations below and severe being greater than 3 standard deviations below.Of these 37 patients, the median age at admission to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit was 0.4 months (interquartile range 2.8 months) with all of the study patients having an underlying diagnosis of congenital cardiac disease and 37/40 (92.5%) ECMO runs occurring in the immediate post-operative period. Of the 29 patients who had had follow-up at 12 months of age or older, 3 (10.3%) had severe impairment, 4 (13.8%) had moderate impairment, 12 (41.3%) had mild impairment and 10 (34.5%) had no impairment. Gross motor function was most significantly impacted in 18/29 (62.1%) patients, of which 7/18 (38.9%) had severe impairment. This was followed by impairment of receptive language in 8/29 (27.6%) patients and expressive language in 6/29 (20.1%) patients.One in four infants undergoing ECMO treatment in early infancy has moderate to severe neurodevelopmental impairment. Gross motor and language are the most affected developmental domains.

This paper reviews the overarching strategies, implementation rigour, achievements, strengths and weaknesses, and challenges and opportunities faced by Pakistan’s National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) during the period 2011-2020. NTP’s annual reports, Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report (2019 & 2020), peer-reviewed journal articles, NTP and NSP plans, along with voluminous programmatic data reviewed. Pakistan’s national and provincial tuberculosis control program has treated around four million people and gained more than 90% treatment success. Iterative planning, partnership with the private sector, strategic advocacy, communication, social mobilization, operational research, and increasing domestic funding are essential to improving case notification and treatment success. Lack of adequate political commitment, over-and under-reporting, lack of a systematic mechanism for sputum transport, and inefficient coverage from the private sector are the main areas for improvement. Local and national strategic planning in funding, program development, and implementation is imperative from a multisectoral perspective for ending TB. Ensuring universal health coverage, treating drug-resistant cases, maintaining and strengthening the national health information system, and upgrading the vital registration system is the cornerstone for ending TB.

This narrative review of the public private mix (PPM) TB plan by comprehensively evaluated the performance of this initiative in case reporting, management, treatment outcome, affordability, and accessibility from the district health system data to the TB Control Programs. Comprehensive literature review was done from the peer-reviewed journals; reports including global and national TB control programs along with technical guidelines on PPM were reviewed. This paper focusses on PPM model in the TB case notification since its establishment in Pakistan based on the data reported by national TB control mechanisms by reviewing the involvement of and TB case contribution by private health care providers, active case finding through chest camps, TB case finding through enhanced case findings in large private hospitals, and case finding through lady health workers. PPM is a promising strategy for TB care and control and scaling up of PPM should include financial support in addition to material inputs. Moreover, improving program governance and training for the health care providers with the help of integrated collaborative mechanisms is warranted. There should be a standard reporting system for private practitioners for setting up standard guidelines for the Tuberculosis treatment.

Background: The paper presents the salient features of a comprehensive treatment package for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), its adaptation and implementation in two indoor care hospital settings in Pakistan, and lessons learned from this implementation. Methods: A pilot study was undertaken on a group of 100 patients at two Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant TB (PMDT) sites. Fifty patients each were selected from the Samli Sanatorium Murree and the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar by the National Tuberculosis Control authorities, and delivered a comprehensive package of services, including psychosocial and food support. Data were collected using standard TB tools and surveillance indicators. The results were compared between intervention and a historical cohort of DR-TB patients. Results: Among the total 100 patients, the treatment success rate was 88%, the failure rate was 4%, while there were 7% deaths. A patient was transferred out while none were lost to follow-up, indicating much improvement over the historical cohort. Patients ranked the economic support, free medicines and nutritional support as most helpful, while majority of providers found the intervention sustainable. Conclusion: A comprehensive package including the psychosocial support can be crucial in enhancing DR-TB outcomes. Regular interaction with patients and improved nutrition leads to improved treatment adherence, while capacity building of psychologists and home visits can further benefit the DR-TB patients leading to their cure.

Background and objectives: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the leading cause of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). Drug such as proton pump inhibitors or cytoprotective agents used to treat PUD have several adverse effects. Therefore, interest in alternative therapies like honey has increased due to fewer side effects, ease of accessibility and affordability. This study determined the anti-ulcer effect of natural honey against indomethacin induced ulcer in rats. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on albino rats. Rats were assigned to four groups (Group1 to 4) and each group consisted of six rats. Gr1 received indomethacin (60 mg/kg) only and Gr2, 3 and 4 were pre-treated with assigned doses of sucralfate, honey, and honey + sucralfate respectively for 7 days. The effects of experimental agents were assessed by ulcer score, ulcer index (UI), percentage protective ratio (PPR). Effect of honey, sucralfate and honey plus sucralfate mixture was compared against high dose indomethacin induced gastric ulcer in rats. Results: UI significantly (p < 0.001) reduced in sucralfate, (0.67 ± 0.82), honey (0.83 ± 0.98) and honey + sucralfate (0.17 ± 0.41) treated group compared to only indomethacin treated group (4 ± 0.63).The PPR of sucralfate, honey and honey + sucralfate was 83.25%, 79.25% and 95.75%, respectively. Conclusions: The study showed that honey had anti-ulcer properties against the indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers and the effect is potentiated when used with sucralfate. Honey may be used to protect the gastric mucosa against NSAIDs. IMC J Med Sci 2022; 16(2): 009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.16.019 *Correspondence: Md. Faizul Ahasan, Department of Pharmacology, Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A Ibrahim Sarani, Segunbagicha, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. Email: arronnoo_shuvro@live.com

Refractive errors are considered as avoidable conditions which may lead to visual disabilities in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May of 2021 in a tertiary level specialized eye hospital in the southern region of Bangladesh to assess the refractive errors among primary (elementary) school children. Our study population was all the primary school children attending the outpatient department of the hospital. However, we used convenient sampling in the study. A total of 252 primary school-going children were examined – 148(58.7%) boys and 104(41.3%) girls. Among them, the minimum age was seven years, and the maximum age was 12 years. The mean age of the children was 9.67 years. Among the refractive errors, myopia was the highest prevalent condition (103 children, 50%), followed by astigmatism (77 children, 37.4%), and hyperopia (26 children, 12.6%). Among astigmatism, myopic astigmatism was 58(75.3%), while mixed astigmatism was observed in 13(17%) children and hyperopic astigmatism was found in 6(7.8%) children. The amblyopia was noted in 17 children (6.7%). The visual acuity was improved after corrections of the refractive errors. CBMJ 2022 January: vol. 11 no. 01 P: 41-45

Aims: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria enhance growth by making plant nutrients available to plants under a variety of growing conditions. The study was designed to screen zinc (Zn) solubilizing rhizobacteria and test their colonization ability in the rice rhizosphere. Place and Duration of Study: The experiments were conducted in the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, from January 2019 to July 2019. Methodology: Initially, thirty-two previously isolated rhizobacteria were used for screening Zn solubilizing ability under a solid medium. Selected rhizobacteria from previous screening were used to quantify Zn solubilization in broth culture and evaluate their root colonization in rice using water agar media in a growth chamber. Early seedling growth was monitored for two weeks, and root-shoot lengths were recorded. Eleven of the tested rhizobacteria responded positively to ZnO-containing media. Results: The Zn solubilizing index (ZSI) of the positive isolates ranged between 1.08-2.25 after 5 days of incubation. Isolate MQ1 solubilized the highest Zn both in solid medium (ZSI=2.25) and culture broth (solubilized 220.20 ppm Zn). The colonization of bacteria in the root zone was also investigated via bio-primed rice seeds of Binadhan-20. Eight of 11 isolates (MQ1, MQ2, MQ3, MQ4, OSbr5, OSbr6, EC1, and MQL9) showed substantial colonization in the rhizosphere after two weeks. The germination percentage of bio-primed seeds was not increased over the control, however, in most cases, bio-priming boasted early seedling growth. The OSbr5, OSbr6, and MQ6 isolates were superior performers in case of root and shoot growth. Conclusion: The study identified some Zn solubilizing isolates, revealed their root colonizing ability, and observed early plant growth promotion. These isolates could be used as a potential tool for the Zn biofortification approach in rice.

The Cellular communication network (CCN) family of growth regulatory factors comprises six secreted matricellular proteins that promote signal transduction through cell-cell or cell-matrix interaction. The diversity of functionality between each protein is specific to the many aspects of healthy and cancer biology. For example, CCN family proteins modulate cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, invasiveness, apoptosis, and survival. In addition, the expression of each protein regulates many biological and pathobiological processes within its microenvironment to regulate angiogenesis, inflammatory response, chondrogenesis, fibrosis, and mitochondrial integrity. The collective range of CCN operation remains fully comprehended; however, understanding each protein’s microenvironment may draw more conclusions about the abundance of interactions and signaling cascades occurring within such issues. This review observes and distinguishes the various roles a CCN protein may execute within distinct tumor microenvironments and the biological associations among them. Finally. We also review how CCN-family proteins can be used in nano-based therapeutic implications.

BACKGROUND: The impact of gender on outcomes in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is frequently debated. However, the synchronous influence of additional risk factors is seldom mentioned. With increasing emphasis on identifying patients who are at risk of complications from COVID-19, we decided to conduct a retrospective review to assess the influence of age and body mass index (BMI) on gender-based differences in outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 1288 patients was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Binary logistic regression was used to assess differences in risk factors and outcomes between genders. The associations between predictors and outcomes were described using odds ratios in tables, forest plots, and regression curves plotted using Sigma Plot. RESULTS: Majority of patients were women (53.6% vs. 46.4%). Median BMI in men was higher than women (p = 0.003). Key predictors for all-cause morbidity/mortality in men were diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and regular use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. In women, age >65 and regular use of inhaled steroid were additional risk factors. Men had a higher risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (2.83 [1.70–4.70]), acute renal failure (1.96 [1.20–3.20]), and had a longer length of stay (0.11 [1.52]). Obesity has a stronger bearing on outcomes in women, and age has a more pronounced effect on outcomes in men. CONCLUSION: Extremes of BMI and older age are associated with worse outcomes in both men and women. Obesity has a stronger bearing on outcomes of COVID-19 infection in women, while the effect of older age on outcomes is more pronounced in men.

An attempt is made to simulate a pre-monsoon hailstorm event over Bangladesh using the high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. A severe hailstorm event embedded with multi-cell thunderstorm occurred over the North-central region of Bangladesh and adjacent West Bengal state of India on 30 March 2018, which moved towards the South-East direction up to its highest intensity stage during 0900-1030 UTC is selected for the study. The WRF model is used to investigate the dynamical and thermodynamical characteristics of the selected hail producing thunderstorm event. The model is run on a double nested domain at 9 and 3 km horizontal resolutions using the Kain-Fritsch (new Eta) cumulus and Mellor-Yamada Nakanishi and Niino Level 2.5 (MYNN2) planetary boundary layer parameterization schemes. The analysis of the accumulated hail, mean sea level pressure, vertical wind shear, vertical (w) component of wind, relative humidity along with low level wind, convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition energy (CINE), rainfall (mm) parameters are investigated. Rainfall is compared with that of observed value. The high amount of relative humidity (>90%), CAPE (>3000 JKg-1) and vertical wind shear (>40 ms-1) help to form severe convective storm which vertically developed upto 150 hPa level. In addition, the high value of w component of winds (~0.4 ms-1) helps updraft process which is favorable for hail formation. The present combination of parameterization schemes of model is found suitable to capture the selected hailstorm event reasonably well, but more similar hailstorm events need to be studied to make any final conclusions. The Dhaka University Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Centennial Special Volume June 2022: 123-130

Selective laser melting (SLM) or powder bed fusion is a type of additive manufacturing technology with applications in, e.g., the orthopedics, energy, and aerospace industries. Several studies investigated the localized corrosion behavior of SLM-fabricated Type 316L (UNS S31603) stainless steel. However, little is known about the effects of tribocorrosive conditions on the response of stainless steels fabricated by SLM. In this study, the effects of third-body abrasive particles on the tribo-electrochemical behavior of SLM 316L stainless steel produced by SLM were investigated and compared with wrought counterparts (including UNS S31703, 317W) in 0.6 M NaCl. It was found that the presence of Mo played a more decisive role in the tribocorrosion behavior than the manufacturing method, i.e., 317W revealed the best tribocorrosion behavior vis-a-vis wrought 316L and the SLM-fabricated specimens. The improved tribocorrosion behavior contrasted with the much higher breakdown potential of the SLM-fabricated samples. Nano-scale secondary ion mass spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of Mo on passivity. The implications of passivity and tribocorrosion behavior are discussed.

AlphaFold-Multimer has emerged as the state-of-the-art tool for predicting the quaternary structure of protein complexes (assemblies or multimers) since its release in 2021. To further enhance the AlphaFold-Multimer-based complex structure prediction, we developed a new quaternary structure prediction system (MULTICOM) to improve the input fed to AlphaFold-Multimer and evaluate and refine the outputs generated by AlphaFold2-Multimer. Specifically, MULTICOM samples diverse multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) and templates for AlphaFold-Multimer to generate structural models by using both traditionalsequencealignments and new Foldseek-basedstructurealignments, ranks structural models through multiple complementary metrics, and refines the structural models via a Foldseek structure alignment-based refinement method. The MULTICOM system with different implementations was blindly tested in the assembly structure prediction in the 15th Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP15) in 2022 as both server and human predictors. Our server (MULTICOM_qa) ranked 3rdamong 26 CASP15 server predictors and our human predictor (MULTICOM_human) ranked 7thamong 87 CASP15 server and human predictors. The average TM-score of the first models predicted by MULTICOM_qa for CASP15 assembly targets is ∼0.76, 5.3% higher than ∼0.72 of the standard AlphaFold-Multimer. The average TM-score of the best of top 5 models predicted by MULTICOM_qa is ∼0.80, about 8% higher than ∼0.74 of the standard AlphaFold-Multimer. Moreover, the novel Foldseek Structure Alignment-based Model Generation (FSAMG) method based on AlphaFold-Multimer outperforms the widely used sequence alignment-based model generation. The source code of MULTICOM is available at:https://github.com/BioinfoMachineLearning/MULTICOM3.

Therapeutic options for managing Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest types of aggressive malignancies, are limited and disappointing. Therefore, despite suboptimal clinical effects, Gemcitabine (GEM) remains the first-line chemotherapeutic drug in the clinic for PDAC treatment. The therapeutic limitations of GEM are primarily due to poor bioavailability and the development of chemoresistance resulting from the addiction of mutant-K-RAS/AKT/ERK signaling-mediated desmoplastic barriers with a hypoxic microenvironment. Several new therapeutic approaches, including nanoparticle-assisted drug delivery, are being investigated. In this study, we designed pH-responsive nanoparticles composed of PEG-b-poly (carbonate) block copolymer encapsulated ERK inhibitor (SCH772984). Nanoparticles surface functionalized with tumor-penetrating peptide, iRGD, to target PDAC tumor tissue specifically. We used these nanoparticles to perform a combination drug treatment of GEM and ERKi. We found that the pH-responsive targeted nanocarrier efficiently released ERKi in hypoxic and low-pH environments. We also found that the free GEM, combined with nanoencapsulated ERKi, demonstrated significant synergistic outcomes in vitro and in vivo and impaired desmoplastic regulatory factors production in PDAC cells. In particular, the combination approaches significantly enhanced the GEM effect in PDAC growth inhibition and prolonged survival of the animals in the KPC mouse model.

There is a fast-growing interest in the use of selective laser melting (SLM) for metal/alloy additive manufacturing. Our current knowledge of SLM printed 316 stainless steel (SS316) is limited and sometimes appears sporadic, presumably due to the complex interdependent effects of a large number of process variables of the SLM processing. This is reflected from the discrepant findings in the crystallographic textures and microstructures in this investigation with those reported in the literatures, which also vary itself. The as-printed material is macroscopically asymmetric in both the structures and crystallographic textures. The and crystallographic directions align parallel with the SLM scanning direction (SD) and build direction (BD), respectively. Like-wise, some characteristic low angle boundary features are reported crystallographic, while this investigation unequivocally proves them non-crystallographic since they always maintain an identical alignment with the SLM laser scanning direction irrespective of the matrix material’s crystal orientation. There is also 500±200 nm columnar or cellular features, depending on the cross-section, generally found all over the sample. These columnar or cellular features are formed with walls made of dense packing of dislocations entangled with Mn, Si and O enriched amorphous inclusions. They remain stable after the ASM solution treatments at 1050 °C temperatures, and therefore, are capable of hindering boundary migration events of recrystallization and grain growth. Thus, the nanoscale structures can be retained at high temperatures. Large 2-4 µm inclusions form during the solution treatment, within which the chemical and phase distribution are heterogeneous.

Psilocybin and its active metabolite psilocin have been shown to elicit rapid and long-lasting symptom improvements in a variety of affective psychiatric illnesses. However, the region-specific alterations underlying these therapeutic effects remain relatively unknown. The central amygdala (CeA) is a primary output region within the extended amygdala that is dysregulated in affective psychiatric disorders. Here, we measured CeA activity using the activity marker c-Fos and CeA reactivity using fiber photometry paired with an aversive air-puff stimulus. We found that psilocin administration acutely increased CeA activity in both males and females and increased stimulus specific CeA reactivity in females, but not males. In contrast, psilocin produced time-dependent decreases in reactivity in males, but not in females, as early as 2 days and lasting to 28 days post administration. We also measured behavioral responses to the air-puff stimulus and found sex-dependent changes in threat responding but not exploratory behavior or general locomotion. Repeated presentations of the auditory component of the air-puff were also performed and sex-specific effects of psilocin on CeA reactivity to the auditory-alone stimulus were also observed. This study provides new evidence that a single dose of psilocin produces sex-specific, time-dependent, and enduring changes in CeA reactivity and behavioral responding to specific components of an aversive stimulus.

Robotically assisted painting is widely used for spray and dip applications. However, use of robots for coating substrates using a roller applicator has not been systematically investigated. We showed for the first time, a generic robot arm-supported approach to painting engineering substrates using a roller with a constant force at an accurate joint step, while retaining compliance and thus safety. We optimized the robot design such that it is able to coat the substrate using a roller with a performance equivalent to that of a human applicator. To achieve this, we optimized the force, frequency of adjustment, and position control parameters of robotic design. A framework for autonomous coating is available at https://github.com/duyayun/Vision-and-force-control-automonous-painting-with-rollers; users are only required to provide the boundary coordinates of surfaces to be coated. We found that robotically- and human-painted panels showed similar trends in dry film thickness, coating hardness, flexibility, impact resistance, and microscopic properties. Color profile analysis of the coated panels showed non-significant difference in color scheme and is acceptable for architectural paints. Overall, this work shows the potential of robot-assisted coating strategy using roller applicator. This could be a viable option for hazardous area coating, high-altitude architectural paints, germs sanitization, and accelerated household applications.

Background: RT-PCT test for Covid-19 is the most widely used test during the pandemic. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to see the status of RT-PCR test for Covid-19 during first wave of pandemic in Bangladesh at a dedicated hospital outside Dhaka city. Methodology: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology at Colonel Malek Medical College, Manikgonj, Bangladesh from November 2020 to April 2021 for a period of six months. The suspected cases of covid-19 patients or patients who had the history of contact with the confirmed cases of Covid-19 patients were advised by the clinician to do the test. RT-PCR for Covid-19 test was performed and results were recorded with their age and gender. Results: A total number of 6678 cases were recruited for this study. The mean age with SD of positive and negative were 42.6±17.32 years and 40.98±18.78 years respectively (p=0.023). The male and female ratio was 1.8:1 (p=0.004). Out of 668 positive cases of Covid-19 patients most of them were from urban area which was 464(9.1%) cases during this pandemic (p=0.000). Out of 675 cases of having history of travel, Covid-19 was positive in 43(6.4%) cases. Again, 6003 patients were without travel history and among these 625(10.4%) cases were Covid-19 RT-PCR positive (p=0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion young adult male patients are most commonly suffering with Covid-19 infection. Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, July 2021, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 132-136

We studied self-assembly and colloidal properties of poly(ethylene glycol) (pEG) conjugated sucrose soyate polyols (PSSP). These molecular platforms were synthesized by covalently connecting PEGs of different molecular weights (

Motivation Deep learning has revolutionized protein tertiary structure prediction recently. The cutting-edge deep learning methods such as AlphaFold can predict high-accuracy tertiary structures for most individual protein chains. However, the accuracy of predicting quaternary structures of protein complexes consisting of multiple chains is still relatively low due to lack of advanced deep learning methods in the field. Because interchain residue–residue contacts can be used as distance restraints to guide quaternary structure modeling, here we develop a deep dilated convolutional residual network method (DRCon) to predict interchain residue–residue contacts in homodimers from residue–residue co-evolutionary signals derived from multiple sequence alignments of monomers, intrachain residue–residue contacts of monomers extracted from true/predicted tertiary structures or predicted by deep learning, and other sequence and structural features. Results Tested on three homodimer test datasets (Homo_std dataset, DeepHomo dataset and CASP-CAPRI dataset), the precision of DRCon for top L/5 interchain contact predictions (L: length of monomer in a homodimer) is 43.46%, 47.10% and 33.50% respectively at 6 Å contact threshold, which is substantially better than DeepHomo and DNCON2_inter and similar to Glinter. Moreover, our experiments demonstrate that using predicted tertiary structure or intrachain contacts of monomers in the unbound state as input, DRCon still performs well, even though its accuracy is lower than using true tertiary structures in the bound state are used as input. Finally, our case study shows that good interchain contact predictions can be used to build high-accuracy quaternary structure models of homodimers. Availability and implementation The source code of DRCon is available at https://github.com/jianlin-cheng/DRCon. The datasets are available at https://zenodo.org/record/5998532#.YgF70vXMKsB. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

An attempt has been made to study the prediction of the track of Super Cyclone (SuC) Amphan that formed on 13 May over Southeast Bay of Bengal (BoB) and made landfall to West Bengal-Bangladesh Coast on 20 May 2020 using Advanced Research WRF (ARW) dynamics of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Model integration has been carried out using two-way interactive nesting domains with resolutions of 27 km for domain 1 and 9 km for domain 2 respectively covering the Bay of Bengal. Simulations are performed at an interval of 6 hours with ICs using the National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) global forecast system (GFS) 0.25° analysis and forecasts. To understand the applicability of the model in predicting the track along with landfall position and landfall time, nine real-time numerical forecasts have been carried out with model simulation starting at 00 UTC of 13 May, 14 May, 15 May, 16 May, 17 May, 18 May, 19 May, 20 May and 21 May 2020. The experiments with initial time on 16 May, 17 May, 18 May, 19 May, and 20 May 2020 have produced the best performance for the track and intensity prediction which are comparable to those provided by Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC). The tracks are produced based on the distribution of sea level pressure and vorticity. The model shows that the track prediction accuracy increases as the lead time decreases with the updated ICs. The results obtained from the model are in good agreement with the reported data. The experiment of SuCAmphan produced better track and intensity predictions with lead-time of 144, 120, 96, 48, and 24 hours. The results demonstrate that the model is capable to produce the track of SuCAmphan with reasonable accuracy. The Dhaka University Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 10(2), 2021, P 35-42