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Studies in ecological stoichiometry highlight that grazer dynamics are affected by insufficient food nutrient content (low phosphorus (P)/carbon (C) ratio) as well as excess food nutrient content (high P:C). Contaminant stressors affect all levels of the biological hierarchy, from cells to organs to organisms to populations to entire ecosystems. Eco-toxicological modeling under the framework of ecological stoichiometry predicts the risk of bio-accumulation of a toxicant under stoichiometric constraints. In this paper, we developed and analyzed a Lotka-Volterra type predator- prey model which explicitly tracks the environmental toxicant as well as the toxicant in the populations under stoichiometric constraints. Analytic, numerical, slow-fast steady state and bifurcation theory are employed to predict the risk of toxicant bio-accumulation under varying food conditions. In some cases, our model predicts different population dynamics, including wide amplitude limit cycles where producer densities exhibit very low values and may be in danger of stochastic extinction.

Bioaccumulation of toxicants in aquatic food webs can pose risks to ecosystem function and human health. Toxicant models of aquatic ecosystems can be improved by incorporating realistic environmental impacts such as nutrient availability and seasonality. It is well known that the carrying capacity of predator-prey systems can vary seasonally due to environmental cycles resulting from natural and human activities. As such, incorporating seasonal variation in the carrying capacity of a predator-prey system provides a better understanding of the underlying population dynamics bioaccumulation of toxicants. Here, we develop a seasonally varied predator-prey model subject to concurrent nutrient and toxicant stressors. We investigate the effects of seasonality on population dynamics to increase understanding of the complex governing processes of the trophic transfer of nutrients, energy, and toxicants. We observe that the strength of seasonality can shift solutions from periodic to quasi-periodic and models that neglect environmental seasonality may be under-predicting adverse effects of toxicity.

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with an increased rate of glucose which can be reduced by diets, drugs, lifestyle changes and physical activity. The present study aimed to investigate the comparison of the effectiveness of drugs and combination of diets with exercise on biochemical parameters of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients. A follow up study of 150 diabetes patient’s biochemical test >30 years of age were conducted in two phages before and after three months from Diabetes Hospital, Barishal. The investigator categorized two groups of diabetes patients where intervention of diets with exercise was given to 75 respondents and on the other hand 75 respondents by drugs to find out which intervention was more effective. This study found the incidence of reduced blood glucose from 50% to 13.33% by diets with exercise and 50% to 10.67% by drugs during fasting after three months of intervention. After 2 hours eating, blood glucose reduced to 14% and 18% respectively. Analyst established diets with exercise and drugs both had a great effect on fasting glucose, after two hours glucose and serum creatinine which was statistically significant between two phages of same respondents (P

Accurately assessing the risks of contaminants requires more than an understanding of the effects of contaminants on individual organism, but requires further understanding of complex ecological interactions, elemental cycling, and the interactive effects of natural stressors, such as resource limitations, and contaminant stressors. There is increasing evidence that organisms experience interactive effects of contaminant stressors and food conditions, such as resource stoichiometry, availability and excess of nutrient. Here, we develop and analyze the first producer-grazer population model that incorporates the effects of excess nutrients, as well as nutrient limitations on grazer exposed to toxicants. We use analytical, numerical and bifurcation analysis to reduce and exploremodel parameterized for an aquatic system of algae and zooplankton exposed to methylmercury under varying phosphorus conditions. Under certain environmental conditions, our models predict higher toxicity than previous models that neglect the consequences excess nutrient conditions can have on grazer populations.

Synthesis of six new α, β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (2′-hydroxychalcones) from 2′-hydroxyacethophenone and aromatic aldehyde derivatives under microwave condition has been described due to their pharmaceutical interest. They were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, Mass spectra, micro-analytical data and other physic-chemical properties. Density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP/6-311 + G (d,p) has been employed for the optimization of all synthesized chalcones which helps to confirm the structures of the compounds proposed based on experimental evidences. The synthesized compounds were proved to inhibit microbial activity and showed good antioxidant property. Molecular docking was performed against prostaglandin H2 (PGH2) synthase protein 5F19. The binding affinity and binding mode of 2′-hydroxychalcones with this protein was searched considering paracetamol (PCT) as standard.

The present study attempts to identify the nutrition profile of the destitute women and children living in a rehabilitation center, Shishu Polli Plus (SPP), Gazipur. The vision of SPP is to serve underprivileged orphan children and destitute women and rehabilitate them by providing education and skill training. Information on anthropometric data, dietary intake, prevalence of morbidity and health and nutrition knowledge of SPP beneficiaries were collected by visiting the rehabilitation center. Dietary intake was calculated using dietary weighing of 7 consecutive days. Mean energy intake of SPP inmates was 1759 Kcal (86% of RDA). Mean intake of other nutrients were- protein 43 g, fat 33g, CHO 325g, calcium 307mg, iron 17mg, vitamin A 4120 IU, thiamine l.21mg, riboflavin 0.59mg and vitamin C 61 mg. They fulfilled the RDA for protein (96%), vitamin A (240%), and thiamine (ll8%). They were deficient in calcium (61% of RDA), iron (77% of RDA), riboflavin (48% of RDA) and vitamin C (130% of RDA; without considering cooking loss). Anthropometric assessments of the inmates indicated the presence of double burden of malnutrition at SPP. The great majority of the children (specially under-5) were undernourished; while at the same time about 9% of all adult women were found obese (BMI >25). Overall one in five children in SPP was found to be stunted. The situation however changes dramatically with age. A higher prevalence of stunting was reported with the lower age group of children. According to the weight for age and weight for height classification of nutritional status, about 30 per cent of all children residing at SPP were underweight and one quarter of all SPP children were, wasted. SPP environmental hygiene was much appreciated and the personal hygiene of SPP was far better than those of their counterparts in rural areas. The morbidity reporting was very few except for skin diseases. But SPP inmates' knowledge on nutrition and health was very poor. The study findings are encouraging in that the dietary intakes, anthropometry and the knowledge base (nutrition and health) of the SPP beneficiaries are comparable to those of their counterparts in the rural Bangladesh. This implies that without SPP interventions and attention the real life situation for these inmates would have been different. SPP has been trying very hard to bring meaningful changes in the life and living of these destitute.

Deinococcus species display a high degree of resistance to radiation and desiccation due to their ability to protect critical proteome from oxidatively generated damage; however, the underlying mechanisms are not understood. Comparative analysis of DNA repair proteins reported here has identified 22 conserved signature indels (CSIs) in the proteins UvrA1, UvrC, UvrD, UvsE, MutY, MutM, Nth, RecA, RecD, RecG, RecQ, RecR, RuvC, RadA, PolA, DnaE, LigA, GyrA and GyrB, that are uniquely shared by all/most Deinococcus homologs. Of these CSIs, a 30 amino acid surface-exposed insert in the Deinococcus UvrA1, which distinguishes it from all other UvrA homologs, is of much interest. The uvrA1 gene in Deinococcus also exhibits specific genetic linkage (predicted operonic arrangement) to genes for three other proteins including a novel Deinococcus-specific transmembrane protein (designated dCSP-1) and the proteins DsbA and DsbB, playing central roles in protein disulfide bond formation by oxidation-reduction of CXXC (C represents cysteine, X any other amino acid) motifs. The CXXC motifs provide important targets for oxidation damage and they are present in many DNA repair proteins including five in UvrA, which are part of Zinc-finger elements. A conserved insert specific for Deinococcus is also present in the DsbA protein. Additionally, the uvsE gene in Deinococcus also shows specific linkage to the gene for a membrane-associated protein. To account for these novel observations, a model is proposed where specific interaction of the Deinococcus UvrA1 protein with membrane-bound dCSP-1 enables the UvrA1 to receive electrons from DsbA-DsbB oxido-reductase machinery to ameliorate oxidation damage in the UvrA1 protein.

Improvements in micronutrient content or bioavailability of staples can impact diet. We aimed to assess variability of rice zinc at field, household, and village levels, and its association with dietary zinc and nutritional status of children. Rice samples were collected from

Iron, calcium and zinc contents of 15 commonly consumed Bangladeshi vegetables were analysed. Analysis of β-carotene was carried out on 7 vegetables and analyses of vitamin C and water-soluble oxalate were carried out on 2 and 4 vegetables, respectively. Samples were purchased at two different times in 2 districts, and 2 markets in each district. The samples were chopped, peeled, washed and prepared ready for cooking according to local practices by local women and the non-edible portions discarded. Statistical evaluation of the results was done using mixed model analysis of variance. The values found for iron and β-carotene contents were lower compared to those in the Bangladeshi food composition tables, while the values for calcium content were either lower or higher. The differences found emphasize the need of updated Bangladeshi food composition tables. The use of the results from this study to produce updated food composition tables is a step towards making estimates of nutrient intakes and adequacies from food consumption surveys more reliable and accurate.

Anaerobic Digestion is a biological process that takes place naturally when microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. In an enclosed chamber, controlled anaerobic digestion of organic matter produces biogas which is predominantly methane. The produced methane then can be directly used for rural cooking; or after certain conditioning, can be used in onsite power generation, heating homes or as vehicular fuel. Besides, food waste is increasingly becoming a major problem in every society imposing serious economic and environmental concerns. For this reason, many contemporary researches are emphasizing in finding sustainable solutions to recycle and produce energy from such waste. In this context, this paper aims to study and optimize the production of biogas from food waste (rice). For the experiment, an existing wet digestion biogas plant installed in Islamic University of Technology was used. The food waste (rice) for the research was collected from the cafeteria of Islamic University of Technology. Furthermore, a process simulation was performed by PROII software to estimate the methane production rate. Eventually, the simulated and experimental results were compared. The duration of the study period was 120 days. The experimental results showed that an average specific gas production of 14.4 kg-mol/hr can be obtained for 0.05 kg-mol/hr of starch loading rate. In case of the simulated results, the gas production was found to be 19.82 kg-mol/hr for the same loading rate of starch. The percentage of methane and CO2 obtained in the biogas plant was 69% and 29% respectively.Copyright © 2014 by ASME

A food consumption survey was conducted in rural Bangladesh in January-March 1996 using a 24-h food weighing method. Intakes and adequacies of energy, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium were estimated for 81 children (aged 24-71 months) and 182 women (aged 18-45 years) using three sets of food composition tables. The local food composition table was modified with newer values for nutrient contents of foods identified as important for the contribution of vitamin A and iron. Significant differences in estimated dietary intakes and adequacies were found for vitamin A and iron when different sets of food composition values were used. This study shows that up-to-date chemical analyses of foods selected on the basis of a high frequency of consumption and a large contribution of the nutrients in focus is a useful approach in improving the quality of food composition tables, resulting in greater accuracy of estimates of nutrient intakes and adequacies.

BackgroundChronic exposure to high level of inorganic arsenic in drinking water has been associated with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Most research has been ecological in nature and has focused on high levels of arsenic exposure with few studies directly measuring arsenic levels in drinking water as an index of arsenic exposure. The effect of low to moderate levels of arsenic exposure on diabetes risk is largely unknown thus our study is adding further knowledge over previous works.MethodsThis cross sectional study was conducted in 1004 consenting women and men from 1682 eligible participants yielding a participation rate of 60%. These participants are aged>30 years and were living in Bangladesh and had continuously consumed arsenic-contaminated drinking water for at least 6 months. T2D cases were diagnosed using glucometer following the new diagnostic criteria (Fasting Blood Glucose>126 mg/dl) from the WHO guideline (WHO 2006), or a self-reported physician diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Association between T2D and chronic arsenic exposure was estimated by multiple logistic regression with adjustment for age, sex, education, Body Mass Index (BMI) and family history of T2D.ResultsA total of 1004 individuals participated in the study. The prevalence of T2D was 9% (95% CI 7-11%). After adjustment for diabetes risk factors, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes was observed for arsenic exposure over 50 μg/L with those in the highest category having almost double the risk of type 2 diabetes (OR=1.9 ; 95% CI 1.1-3.5). For most levels of arsenic exposure, the risk estimates are higher with longer exposure; a dose–response pattern was also observed.ConclusionsThese findings suggest an association between chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water and T2D. Risks are generally higher with longer duration of arsenic exposure. The risk of T2D is highest among those who were exposed to the highest concentration of arsenic for more than 10 years.

In 1981–82 a nationwide food consumption survey covering 4000 people was carried out in 12 statistically selected rural locations of Bangladesh. Comparison of the results with those of the 1975–76 and 1962–64 studies revealed an alarming food and nutrition situation in the country. Intakes of almost all foods and nutrients had decreased. Consumption of pulses and food from animal sources in particular had seriously declined. The foremost deficiency was of energy in which 76% of families consumed less than the requirement. Seventy‐seven percent of families consumed inadequate protein, but in 25% there would not have been a protein problem had there been an adequate supply of nonprotein sources of energy. Of the micronutrients the severest deficiencies were riboflavin and retinol. Eighty‐seven percent of families consumed less than the recommended level of ascorbic acid.

Mixed ligand transition metal complexes of Cu(II), Co(III), Rh(III) and Pt(IV) ions with dibasic acids viz., diphenic acid and adipic acid as primary ligands and amine bases as secondary ligands have been synthesized. They were characterized by conventional physical and chemical analyses. The antibacterial and antifungal activities have been evaluated for the synthetic ligands. Disc diffusion methods were employed for antimicrobial assays against five pathogenic bacteria and two fungi. The complexes containing 8-hydroxy quinoline as secondary ligand were much more active than the other complexes. In addition, the complex [Rh(DA)(8-HQ)(H 2 O) 2 ] ( 4 ) showed the highest antibacterial activity against all bacteria tested (where, DA = Diphenic acid, 8-HQ = 8-hydroxyquinoline) and the complex [Pt(A) 2 (Q) 2 ] ( 3 ) showed the lowest. On the other hand, he highest inhibition of growth occurred by complex K[Cu(DA)(8-HQ)] ( 1 ) against the fungi Botryodiplodia theobromae and the lowest by complex [Rh(DA)(8-HQ)(H 2 O) 2 ] ( 4 ) against the fungi Colletotrichum gloesparioides . Key words: Biological activity, Diphenic acid, Heterocyclic amine, Mixed ligand complexes doi: 10.3329/dujps.v7i2.2170 Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 7 (2): 145-148, 2008 (December)

Mixed ligand transition metal complexes of Cu (II), Co (III), Rh (III) and Pt (IV) ions with dibasic acids viz., diphenic acid and adipic acid as primary ligands and amine bases as secondary ligands have been synthesized. Their conventional physical and chemical analyses have been done. The antifungal activities have been evaluated by Disc Diffusion method employed for antifungal assays against two pathogenic fungi. All the complexes show moderate antifungal activity. The highest inhibition of growth occurred on complex [Cu (DA)(8-HQ)] against the fungi Botryodiplodia theobromae and the lowest on complex [Rh (DA)(8-HQ)(H 2 O) 2 ] against the fungi Colletotrichum gloesparioides penz. Key words: Biological Activity, diphenic acid, heterocylic amine, mixed ligand complexes DOI: 10.3329/diujst.v4i1.4357 Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.4(1) 2009 pp.57-59