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We report the first record of the grand leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros grandis, from a cave in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. We confirmed its identity using morphometric and molecular analyses. This study enhances the number of national bat fauna and underscores the importance of comprehensive bat surveys in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamomum tamala (bay leaf) is widely used for culinary and medicinal purposes in South Asia. A leaf blight/spot disease was first discovered on nearly 90% of C. tamala plants with a mean severity of 48% to 74.4% in Gazipur and Bogura, Bangladesh, in 2019. The present study identified and characterized the causal organism and formulated the optimum growth conditions and effective fungicides for the chemical control of the pathogen. The characteristic symptoms on the infected leaves appeared circular to oval reddish‐brown spots with raised margins and often developed in tear‐stain patterns. Severe infection of C. tamala sapling resulted in dieback symptoms with leaf defoliation. A fungus with floccose, dense, white colonies with well‐differentiated acervuli was isolated from the infected leaves. Combined cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics identified the pathogen as Colletotrichum siamense. Inculcating healthy leaves and 1‐year‐old saplings of C. tamala with a conidial suspension of the fungus reproduced the same symptoms observed in the bay leaf orchard. The highest mycelial growth was recorded on V‐8 Juice Agar media, while the maximum radial mycelial growth and level of sporulation of the fungus were significantly higher in incubation temperature 30°C. Fungicide trials showed that carbendazim 50 WP, azoxystrobin, mancozeb, and trifloxystrobin, either singly or in combination, successfully reduced fungal mycelial growth in vitro. Therefore, disease management strategies should be opted to halt the further spread of this issue. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document the incidence of Colletotrichum leaf blight on C. tamala in Bangladesh and even in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Revised (SATAQ-4R) has been widely used in Western countries to link body appearance that is related to eating disorders and body dissatisfaction being commonly reported by adolescents. However, a comprehensive psychometric validation of the SATAQ-4R in Chinese adolescent samples is still lacking. To this end, the aim of the current study was to validate the gender-appropriate SATAQ-4R in a sample of Chinese adolescents, following by an investigation of its associations with body-related outcomes and eating disorder symptoms. Methods: Two gender-specific studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the SATAQ-4R-Female and SATAQ-4R-Male respectively among adolescent girls (Study1, N=344, with 73 participants at retest) and boys (Study2, N=335, with 64 participants at retest). Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the factor structure and their test-retest reliability, the internal consistency and convergent validity were subsequently examined. Results: For the SATAQ-4R-Females, the seven-factor model has a reasonable fit, with Chi-square =1112.769 (p < 0.001), CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.071, SRMR = 0.067. For the SATAR-4R-Males, an acceptable seven-factor model with Chi-square = 982.92 (p<0.001), CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.08, SRMR= 0.06 was observed. With respect to test-retest reliability, the internal consistency for 7 subscales was rated as good (Cronbach's alpha =0.74 to 0.95) among female adolescents, likewise the internal consistency of the seven subscales was also rated as good (Cronbach's alpha =0.70 to 0.96) among male participants. Good convergent validity was observed, reflected by associations of the subscales of the gender-specific SATAQ-4R with muscularity-related attitude, body imageacceptance, body appearance, perceived stress level, symptoms of eating disorder and self-esteem. Discussion: For women and men, the original 7-factor structure was validated among Chinese adolescents, internal reliability coefficients for the seven subscale scores were good and test-retest reliability was acceptable. Our results also confirmed the convergent validity of the two different gender-appropriate scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheomalacia is an airway condition in which the trachea excessively collapses during breathing. Neonates diagnosed with tracheomalacia require more energy to breathe, and the effect of tracheomalacia can be quantified by assessing flow-resistive work of breathing (WOB) in the trachea using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the airway. However, CFD simulations are computationally expensive; the ability to instead predict WOB based on more straightforward measures would provide a clinically useful estimate of tracheal disease severity. The objective of this study is to quantify the WOB in the trachea using CFD and identify simple airway and/or clinical parameters that directly relate to WOB. This study included 30 neonatal intensive care unit subjects (15 with tracheomalacia and 15 without tracheomalacia). All subjects were imaged using ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI. CFD simulations were performed using patient-specific data obtained from MRI (airway anatomy, dynamic motion, and airflow rates) to calculate the WOB in the trachea. Several airway and clinical measurements were obtained and compared with the tracheal resistive WOB. The maximum percent change in the tracheal cross-sectional area (ρ = 0.560, P = 0.001), average glottis cross-sectional area (ρ = −0.488, P = 0.006), minute ventilation (ρ = 0.613, P < 0.001), and lung tidal volume (ρ = 0.599, P < 0.001) had significant correlations with WOB. A multivariable regression model with three independent variables (minute ventilation, average glottis cross-sectional area, and minimum of the eccentricity index of the trachea) can be used to estimate WOB more accurately (R² = 0.726). This statistical model may allow clinicians to estimate tracheal resistive WOB based on airway images and clinical data. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The work of breathing due to resistance in the trachea is an important metric for quantifying the effect of tracheal abnormalities such as tracheomalacia, but currently requires complex dynamic imaging and computational fluid dynamics simulation to calculate it. This study produces a method to predict the tracheal work of breathing based on readily available imaging and clinical metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussion of ethics in the public health arena has primarily focused on the practices of public health doctors and professionals. The community could not get the required attention in terms of their role in compliance with the communication in the form of public health advisory in times of public health crisis. Even though public health is the societal approach to protecting and promoting health, ethics in public health have prioritised behaviours of and moral dilemmas faced by public health professionals only. Leaving out the community's responsibility makes the entire gamut of public health efforts incomplete and deficient. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, non-compliance to the public health advisory raised an important aspect of expectation of ethical behaviour by the community and what could facilitate and hinder compliance of ethical behaviour ensuring the safety of self and others. Public health ought to consider the community as not only an important but also responsible stakeholder in its pursuit of promotion of health and prevention of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe‐MRI provides non‐invasive methods to quantify lung function and structure, with the 129Xe apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) being a well validated measure of alveolar airspace size. However, the experimental factors that impact the precision and accuracy of HP 129Xe ADC measurements have not been rigorously investigated. Here, we introduce an analytical model to predict the experimental uncertainty of 129Xe ADC estimates. Additionally, we report ADC dependence on age in healthy pediatric volunteers. Methods: An analytical expression for ADC uncertainty was derived from the Stejskal‐Tanner equation and simplified Bloch equations appropriate for HP media. Parameters in the model were maximum b‐value (bmax), number of b‐values (Nb), number of phase encoding lines (Nph), flip angle and the ADC itself. This model was validated by simulations and phantom experiments, and five fitting methods for calculating ADC were investigated. To examine the lower range for 129Xe ADC, 32 healthy subjects (age 6‐40 years) underwent diffusion‐weighted 129Xe MRI. Results: The analytical model provides a lower bound on ADC uncertainty and predicts that decreased signal‐to‐noise ratio yields increases in relative uncertainty (ϵADC). As such, experimental parameters that impact non‐equilibrium 129Xe magnetization necessarily impact the resulting ϵADC. The values of diffusion encoding parameters (Nb and bmax) that minimize ϵADC strongly depend on the underlying ADC value, resulting in a global minimum for ϵADC. Bayesian fitting outperformed other methods (error < 5%) for estimating ADC. The whole‐lung mean 129Xe ADC of healthy subjects increased with age at a rate of 1.75 × 10−4 cm2/s/yr (p = 0.001). Conclusions: HP 129Xe diffusion MRI can be improved by minimizing the uncertainty of ADC measurements via uncertainty propagation. Doing so will improve experimental accuracy when measuring lung microstructure in vivo and should allow improved monitoring of regional disease progression and assessment of therapy response in a range of lung diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate structural and functional carotid changes and inflammatory profiles in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and healthy controls.Study Design: Patients with OSA and matched controls (ages 5-13 years) were recruited. Proinflammatory cytokines and acute phase reactants were measured at 6:00 p.m. Common carotid artery measures were determined using ultrasound. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine subgroups of cytokines and their effects on carotid measures.Results: Ninety-six patients participated (53 healthy controls, 43 patients with OSA). OSA was associated with increased proinflammatory cytokines (cluster of differentiation-40 ligand [CD40-L], interleukin [IL]-6, and IL-8) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (P < .05 for all). One cytokine subgroup (IL-6 and IL-8) was negatively associated with markers of carotid function, indicating reduced arterial distensibility and increased stiffness (P < .05 for 3 ultrasound measures); and tumor necrosis factor-α had an opposing effect on carotid function compared with this cytokine subgroup (P < .05 for 2 ultrasound measures). Linear regression demonstrated significant associations between and tumor necrosis factor- α and 2 measures of carotid function (P < .05 for each). Children with OSA did not have functional or structural carotid changes compared with controls.Conclusion: OSA was not directly associated with structural and functional carotid changes but was associated with upregulation of key proinflammatory cytokines (sCD40-L, IL-6, and IL-8). Together, IL-6 and IL-8 were associated with changes in carotid function. Longitudinal studies are needed to demonstrate that the inflammatory milieu observed in our population is a precursor of atherosclerosis in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on small firm growth in many countries focused on some specific factors, and no comprehensive research on this issue is available to draw the conclusion. Based on the concept of the theory of Resource Based View (RBV), a research framework is formulated in order to examine how resources like finance and financial literacy of the owner-manager affect financial and non-financial growth of small firms operating in Bangladesh. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires from 407 owner-managers of small firms operating in three divisions of Bangladesh where most of the small businesses are concentrated. Using partial least squares analysis, the paper found that both finance and financial literacy have positive and statistically significant relation with small firm financial and non-financial growth. The paper also showed that private organizations support moderates the relationships between finance, financial literacy and small firm financial and non-financial growth. From the findings, it is evident that if small firms have better access to financial resources and can earn required financial literacy and at the same time get proper and adequate support from private organizations, they will contribute more to the economy by achieving their financial and non-financial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyramiding Asian soybean rust (ASR) resistance (Rpp) genes in a single genotype has been shown to increase ASR resistance in soybean. However, it remains unclear which combinations of Rpp genes are superior. Therefore, here, we developed six new Rpp‐pyramided lines carrying different combinations of Rpp genes and evaluated their resistance against 13 Bangladeshi rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) isolates (BdRPs) alongside seven previously developed Rpp‐pyramided lines. We found that lines carrying one, two and three Rpp genes had high ASR resistance without sporulation in 13.8%, 35.2% and 73.1% of the assays, respectively. Among the new lines that were developed, those with Rpp3 + Rpp4 and Rpp3 + Rpp4 + Rpp5 had high levels of ASR resistance, while the line containing Rpp2 + Rpp4 + Rpp5 showed immunity phenotype at two weeks after inoculation by the BdRP‐22 infection. Thus, pyramiding larger numbers of Rpp genes confers soybean with a higher level of resistance to ASR pathogens and can produce an immunity phenotype at two weeks after inoculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia in the form of gas or ammonium ion is toxic to the environment. Removal of this compound in either form is important in order to meet the limits set by regulatory authorities. The treatment of the polluted waters can be accomplished by a variety of physical, chemical, and biological methods. Liquid–liquid separation is one of the promising methods that has been developed and demonstrated success for removing ions selectively. In many industrial operations, the solvents used are fossil fuel-based (a non-sustainable source), they have undesirable properties (toxic, corrosive, and health and safety issues). In recent years, there has been research work to examine the feasibility of other solvents from sustainable source and with good characteristics to minimize some of the above adverse effects. In this study, the effectiveness of a new solvent, sunflower oil, is described in the removal of ammonium in a small-scale pilot process at their natural pH. High percentage removal was achieved (in the range 43–73%) from a high feed of concentrated ammonia solution (25,600 ppm). It would require 1,000 L of sunflower oil with 100 L of D2EHPA to treat 1 m3of ammoniated seawater to reduce the concentration to 3,750 ppm from such high concentration. With this reduced concentration, the treated water is suitable for irrigation purposes. The main attraction of the process is the performance of sunflower oil, which offers the benefit of being environmentally friendly, less costly, non-toxic, and from a sustainable source. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: We designed this retrospective observational study on the use of α2-agonist dexmedetomidine to determine the optimum intranasal dose to achieve sedation for pediatric transthoracic echocardiography and to identify any dose-related adverse effects.Methods: Outpatient children aged three months to three years with diverse diagnoses of congenital heart disease, including cyanotic cardiac defects, underwent transthoracic echocardiography under dexmedetomidine sedation. Aerosolized intranasal dexmedetomidine was administered with initial doses ranging from 1-3 µg·kg(-1). A rescue dose of 1 µg·kg(-1) was administered if adequate sedation was not achieved within 45 min following the first dose. The primary study outcome was the achievement of adequate sedation to allow transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) scanning, including subxiphoid and suprasternal probe manipulation.Results: Sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine for transthoracic echocardiography was successful in 62 of the 63 (98%) patients studied, with an intranasal rescue dose required in 13 (21%) patients. Intranasal doses of dexmedetomidine 2.5-3.0 µg·kg(-1) were required for tolerating TTE probe placement, including subxiphoid and suprasternal manipulation, with minimal response and a 90% success rate. Excluding patients who required a second dose of dexmedetomidine, the mean (standard deviation) time from administration to achieving such sedation (onset time) was 26 (8) min for low-dose (1-2 µg·kg(-1)) dexmedetomidine and 28 (8) min for moderate-dose (2.5-3.0 µg·kg(-1)) dexmedetomidine (P = 0.33). Time from administration of low-dose dexmedetomidine to discharge, including TTE scan time, was 80 (14) min, and it increased with moderate-dose dexmedetomidine to 91 (22) min (P = 0.05). Mild to moderate bradycardia and hypotension were observed, but no interventions were required.Conclusion: We found that aerosolized intranasal dexmedetomidine offers satisfactory conditions for TTE in children three months to three years of age with an optimal dose of 2.5-3.0 µg·kg(-1)administered under the supervision of a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission of CO2 has been increasing steadily and with the increasing demand of desalinated water (especially in Gulf Cooperation Council countries) this is expected to increase at a faster rate. CO2 removal from sour natural gas, from the water desalination power plants and similar sources is important not only to these industries but also to reduce the effect on global warming. In this study, a simple process is investigated experimentally to remove CO2 from a synthetic mixture of natural gas containing it. The method is based on the modified Solvay process and involves the chemical reaction between CO2 and ammonia in saline solution. The process can reduce CO2 by about 99% and at the same time reduce water salinity by 40%. The process is potentially much more effective than the amine scrubbing process, without the operational problems for environmental damage posed by monoethanolamine organic compounds. The innovative process shows the technical feasibility of sweetening natural gas in the laboratory-scale operation. It can also be applied to the removal of CO2 from polluting sources like car exhaust. Simultaneous reduction of salinity is additional benefit of this process. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 250-256, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenols are present in discharge effluents of many heavy industries such as refineries. The refinery at Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), UAE, processes condensate oil and produces wastewater that is treated at the refinery wastewater treatment plant (ENOC-RWTP). Characterization of phenol level at ENOC-RWTP and assessment of the effectiveness of employed pollution control technologies in reducing phenol level at the treatment plant have been conducted in this study. It was found that the main sources of total phenols in the received waste streams at ENOC-RWTP are the tank water drain (average 11.8 mg/l), the desalter effluent (average 1.4 mg/l), and the neutralized spent caustic (average 234 mg/l) waste streams. However, there are large fluctuations from the average phenol level within each waste stream. Also, the level of total phenols and its derivatives (substituted phenols) in these streams vary significantly with straight phenol, combined m- and p-cresols, o-cresol, tri- and tetra-chlorophenols and to a lesser extent 4-chloro-3-methylphenol are common among these streams. The study further showed that the sequencing batch reactor system employed at the plant was effective in the removal of total phenols from the waste streams, with an average removal efficiency of about 98%. Meanwhile, the employed activated carbon bed has an additional removal capacity in reducing the level of total phenols to the regulatory discharge limit, with an average removal efficiency of 30%. It was further found that statistically significant relationships exist between the level of total phenols in the discharged treated effluent and the levels of the chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, and sulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Metals, especially chromium exists in a wide range of concentrations in natural water and wastewaters from various industrial operations. Reactive liquid extraction can be used for removing chromium. In this report, equilibrium experiments are presented on the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) using Aliquat 336 in various non-traditional solvents. The solvents are sunflower oil (fresh and recycled) and lubricating oil (fresh and recycled). The results are presented for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions in the concentration range 0.5-500ppm using Aliquat 336 (in the range 1.0-20% (v/v)). It is shown that sunflower oil and lubricating oil, both in the fresh and recycled forms, are able to remove Cr(VI) from ground waters and industrial wastewaters at their natural pH (range 6-8). These solvents gave satisfactory percentage extractions, producing water that can be recycled and they also offer advantages from health and safety, and environmental points of view. The results of the re-extraction process using KCl, K2CO3 and seawater are also presented. Seawater at its natural pH of 8 has shown potential for re-extraction. The findings have been applied to remove Cr(VI) from complex industrial wastewaters. The results provide good guidelines to the development of Cr(VI) removal and recovery processes using renewable, biodegradable, safe and cheap solvent systems demonstrated in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsteady free convection boundary layer flow of a thermo-micropolar fluid along a vertical plate has been investigated in this paper. The temperature of the plate is assumed to be oscillating about a mean temperature, ϑw(x), with small amplitude ε. The governing boundary layer equations are analyzed using straight forward finite difference method. The effects of the material parameters such as micropolar heat conduction parameter, N*, the vortex viscosity parameter, K, on the shear stress, τω, surface heat transfer, q ω, and the couple-stress, m ω, have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA) are small regulatory RNA molecules that are implicated in regulating and controlling a wide range of physiological processes including cell division, differentiation, migration, apoptosis, morphogenesis, and organogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the expression pattern of 32 miRNA and 18 miRNA processing machinery genes during somite formation in quail embryos. The embryos were collected at stages HH (Hamburger and Hamilton) 4, 6, and 9 of embryo development (19, 24, and 30 h of incubation, respectively). Total RNA including miRNA was isolated from 4 groups of embryos (each group consisting of 6 to 8 embryos) were collected at each of the 3 stages (19, 24, and 30 h). The expression pattern of candidate miRNA and miRNA processing machinery genes was performed using quantitative real-time PCR. The results demonstrated that 7 miRNA (let-7a, mir- 122, mir-125b, mir-10b, P<0.01; let-7b, mir-26a, and mir-126, P<0.05) were differentially expressed during early quail embryo development. In addition, the expression profile of 18 miRNA processing machinery genes was not significantly increased at 30h of incubation compared with both 19 and 24 h. Our results suggest that machinery genes for miRNA biogenetic pathways are functional, and hence, miRNA may be involved in the regulation of early quail development. These 7 differentially expressed miRNA are suggested to play critical roles in quail embryo somite formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant growth-promoting fungus (PGPF), Phoma sp. GS8-3, isolated from a zoysia grass rhizosphere, is capable of protecting cucumber plants against virulent pathogens. This fungus was investigated in terms of the underlying mechanisms and ability to elicit systemic resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Root treatment of Arabidopsis plants with a culture filtrate (CF) from Phoma sp. GS8-3 elicited systemic resistance against the bacterial speck pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 ( Pst), with restricted disease development and inhibited pathogen proliferation. Pathway-specific mutant plants, such as jar1 (jasmonic acid insensitive) and ein2 (ethylene insensitive), and transgenic NahG plants (impaired in salicylate signalling) were protected after application of the CF, demonstrating that these pathways are dispensable (at least individually) in CF-mediated resistance. Similarly, NPR1 interference in npr1 mutants had no effect on CF-induced resistance. Gene expression studies revealed that CF treatment stimulated the systemic expression of both the SA-inducible PR-1 and JA/ET-inducible PDF1.2 genes. However, pathogenic challenge to CF-treated plants was associated with potentiated expression of the PR-1 gene and down-regulated expression of the PDF1.2 gene. The observed down-regulation of the PDF1.2 gene in CF-treated plants indicates that there may be cross-talk between SA- and JA/ET-dependent signalling pathways during the pathogenic infection process. In conclusion, our data suggest that CF of Phoma sp. GS8-3 induces resistance in Arabidopsis in a manner where SA and JA/ET may play a role in defence signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Analysis of the reaction equilibrium and mass transfer in the extraction of penicillin G (Pen G) into an organic phase is an important research area to develop a cost-effective process for its separation from an aqueous fermentation media. In order to evaluate this, equilibrium experiments were first carried out to select the organic phase (composed of the carrier and solvent) that gives good values for the distribution of penicillin G between the aqueous and organic phases. An organic phase of Amberlite LA-2 in any of the solvents (Shellsol TK/butyl acetate/tributyl phosphate) gave high distribution coefficient and the stoichiometry of the reaction has been shown to follow a simple ratio of 2:2. The performance of the organic phases was evaluated in a membrane contactor and very high percentage extraction was achieved. The extraction was performed by contacting a “feed” solution containing penicillin G (flowing in the fiber side) with an “organic phase” of Amberlite LA-2 in one of the solvents (flowing on the shell side) of the contactor. The antibiotic solutes formed complex with the Amberlite LA-2 molecules which were transported across the fiber wall to the shell side and extracted in the organic phase. The extraction in once-through mode was low and the feed/organic solutions need to be recycled to increase the percentage extraction. In the recycle mode operated at flow rates of 3.6–4.4mL/s, an extraction of 90–98% was achieved. A simple mathematical model and its semi-analytical solution presented here can be used to determine the overall mass transfer coefficient using the experimental values of the distribution coefficient, operating parameters and the dimensions of the membrane module. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Foam separation was used for the recovery and enrichment of proteins from processing wastewater obtained from the industrial blanching of green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus). The wastewater samples showed variability in initial protein content between 0.3mg/mL and 0.6mg/mL, and a range of pH between 5.6 and 7.0, which affected foam generation and foam stability. Protein enrichment was inversely proportional to the volume of foam generated and the percentage of protein recovered. The main controlling variable for separation was the flow rate of air sparged into the system (between 1.0L/min and 5.0L/min). Optimal operating conditions for protein enrichment required low air flow rates in order to generate small volumes of highly enriched foam with typically 50 times the initial protein concentration and protein recovery of 85%. The foam separation process was compatible with mussel wastewater and would be suitable as the first stage of a multi-stage concentration process, since the foaming process gave highest enrichment when the initial sample was dilute in proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]