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Syncope, a brief loss of consciousness, has many potential causes, with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis being a relatively uncommon but serious one. We present the case of a 62-year-old man from Dhaka, Bangladesh, who experienced recurrent syncope over 6 months, characterized by a brief loss of consciousness, occasional dizziness, and blurred vision. Despite a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, initial cardiac and neurogenic investigations were inconclusive. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed 90% stenosis of the right ICA, which was confirmed by digital subtraction angiography. The patient was treated with antiplatelet therapy, statins, and antihypertensives, and underwent carotid artery stenting. His postoperative recovery was uneventful, and he remained symptom-free during follow-up. This case underscores the importance of considering ICA stenosis in patients with recurrent syncope and comorbid vascular disease, particularly in resource-limited settings where timely diagnosis and intervention can prevent serious cerebrovascular complications.

ABSTRACTBackground The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, caused over 6.8 million deaths globally as of March 2023. The knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of people to COVID-19 varied in different locations around the world. In this study, we investigated the KAP of women attending Maimusari Primary Healthcare in Jere Local Government, Borno state during the pandemic with a view to understanding the KAP related to COVID-19 across different demographics of women.Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out using self-administered questionnaire on 400 women attending the health facility. The questionnaire surveyed participants’ demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practices, and willingness to take vaccine. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data.Results Of the 400 participants, a higher proportion were between the ages of 20 and 29 (36.2%), Kanuri by tribe (47.2%), from monogamous family (66.0%) with less than 5 in terms of family size (64.8%) with no formal education (57.8%). The overall mean knowledge score was 13.64 ± 2.36, which differs significantly (p

Globally, suitable freshwater habitats are undergoing alterations and fish population declines, primarily attributed to the swift changes in climate and land use. Developing an effective conservation policy for freshwater fish necessitates careful consideration of the impacts of climatic and spatial factors. This study focuses on the analysis of 64 threatened freshwater fish in Bangladesh to anticipate their current and future climatically suitable habitats, utilizing the bioclim() species distribution model. Additionally, this study examines existing inland hydrographic networks and their corresponding harvest rates. The findings indicate that approximately 75% of the area of occupancy for the studied species is currently climatically suitable, but this is expected to decrease to 13% under future climate scenarios. Notably, 27 threatened species are at risk of lacking climatically suitable habitats in the future within their current area of occupancy. The three components of hydrographic networks—floodplains, rivers, and natural lakes—play varying roles in providing a climatically suitable habitat for the studied species. For instance, only 34% of threatened fish species are projected to find a suitable habitat over flood areas, 23% over rivers, and 16% over lakes. Existing protected areas presently offer limited protection (21% suitable area), expected to decline to 6% in the future, with no dedicated protected areas for freshwater fish. Floodplains are highlighted for providing habitat connectivity and facilitating brood fish dispersal. However, the unregulated and unmonitored annual harvest of freshwater fish from floodwater and rivers poses a potential silent cause for rapid population decline. Prioritizing the management of hydrographic components to maintain habitat connectivity, legal protection for threatened fish species, and establishing permanent protected areas for fish are crucial aspects in developing a conservation policy to mitigate the impact of future climate scenarios on threatened freshwater species.

AbstractThis paper reviews the application of artificial intelligence (AI)-based models in modeling vehicular road traffic noise. A computerized search method was used to conduct the literature search. Fifty published articles from 2007 to 2023 were reviewed regarding observation time, input data, countries where studies were performed, and modeling techniques. Sixty-three percent of the studies used an observation period of 60 min, and 29% used 15 min. All the reviewed papers considered traffic flow as the major input parameter, followed by average speed, with 95% of the researchers using it as an input parameter. It was found that using AI-based models for traffic noise prediction was popular in countries with no established empirical models. The primary input parameters for the AI-based models are traffic volume and speed. Traffic volume is used either as total traffic volume or classified into sub-categories, and each category is used as an independent input parameter. Although AI-based models have demonstrated reliable performance regarding prediction error and goodness of fit, the accuracy of the AI-based models’ performance should be compared with the results of the empirical models in countries with established models, such as the UK (CoRTN) and the USA (FHWA).

Integrating ethnomathematics into mathematics education holds tremendous promise, fostering a range of positive outcomes. It has shown potential in enhancing students' mathematical creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, active engagement in learning, and fostering a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity. Despite these promising prospects, an evident gap looms large in the literature—specifically, the lack of comprehensive research on developing, validating, and evaluating teaching materials that effectively integrate ethnomathematics content. The study aimed to create teaching materials within the context of ethnomathematics to evaluate students' mathematical creative thinking. This endeavor followed the ADDIE research and development model, encompassing analysis, development, design, implementation, and evaluation. Small-group testing was undertaken involving 10 participants, while field testing involved 35 respondents. The validation process involved both media, and material experts to ensure the suitability of the teaching materials for development. The findings indicated that the teaching materials received validation from experts, confirming their quality and appropriateness. Additionally, student feedback showed that the materials were not only valid but also engaging and intellectually stimulating, meeting the criteria for an effective educational resource. In summary, the development of teaching materials stands out as a valuable asset in evaluating students' mathematical creative thinking abilities. This research contributes to the field of mathematics education, especially in mathematics teaching and learning

Objectives: Trimeresurus erythrurus (Red-tailed bamboo pit viper) contributes significantly to snakebite envenoming cases in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. However, the absence of specific antivenom and challenging socio-economic conditions in these regions necessitate the development of symptom-based medication to mitigate the severity of T. erythrurus envenoming. Therefore, documenting the effects of T. erythrurus venom on mammalian organs can establish a foundation for further research on symptom-based medication. Methods: We profiled T. erythrurus venom toxins using SDS-PAGE. Additionally, we assessed the venom's toxicological properties through lethality, hemorrhagic, edematogenic, hemolytic, and phospholytic assays. Furthermore, we examined the histological alterations induced by crude venom on various organs of mice. Results: SDS-PAGE profiling confirmed the presence of Snake Venom Metalloproteases (SVMPs), Snake Venom Serine Proteases (SVSPs), Phospholipase A2 (PLA2), L-amino Acid Oxidases (LAAOs), Myotoxins, and Disintegrins as toxic components in T. erythrurus venom. The venom exhibited a Median Lethal Dose (LD50) of 1.131 mg/kg, Minimum Hemorrhagic Dose (MHD) of 0.21 mg/kg, Minimum Edematogenic Dose (MED) of 0.17 mg/kg, and Median Hemolytic Dose (HD50) of 2.527 mg/L. Moreover, the venom induced significant pathological changes in mammalian skin, skeletal muscle, lung, heart, kidney, and intestine. Conclusions: This study elucidates the major toxins, critical toxicological indices, and histopathological effects of T. erythrurus venom on mammalian organs. These findings provide valuable insights on the development of effective treatment strategies for pathophysiological complications that could manifest post T. erythrurus envenoming.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a carboxylic-acid-rich, bio-derived, water-soluble, edible, hydrating, non-immunogenic polymer produced naturally by several microorganisms. Here, we re-emphasise the ability of Bacillus subtilis natto to naturally produce γ-PGA on whole seaweed, as well as for the yields and chemical properties of the material to be affected by the presence of Mn(2+). Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an extracellular glycosaminoglycan which presents a high concentration of carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups, being key in fulfilling numerous applications. Currently, there are strong environmental (solvent use), social (non-vegan extraction), and economic factors pushing for the biosynthesis of this material through prokaryotic microorganisms, which is not yet scalable or sustainable. Our study aimed to investigate an innovative raw material which can combine both superior hygroscopicity and UV protection to the cosmetic industry. Comparable hydration effect of commercially available γ-PGA to conventional moisturising agents (HA and glycerol) was observed; however, greater hydration capacity was observed from seaweed-derived γ-PGA. Herewith, successful incorporation of seaweed-derived γ-PGA (0.2–2 w/v%) was achieved for several model cream systems with absorbances reported at 300 and 400 nm. All γ-PGA-based creams displayed shear thinning behaviour as the viscosity decreased, following increasing shear rates. Although the use of commercial γ-PGA within creams did not suggest a significant effect in rheological behaviour, this was confirmed to be a result of the similar molecular weight. Seaweed-derived γ-PGA cream systems did not display any negative effect on model HaCaT keratinocytes by means of in vitro MTT analysis.

Abstract Background Zinner syndrome is a rare Wolffian duct anomaly presenting as a triad of unilateral renal agenesis, ipsilateral seminal vesicle cyst and ipsilateral ejaculatory duct obstruction. The condition is due to a developmental anomaly leading to malformation of the mesonephric duct. Magnetic resonance imaging is considered to be the gold standard for the diagnosis of Zinner syndrome. Due to the limited number of cases reported in the literature, the associations of Zinner syndrome are not well established. Case presentation In this case report, we are presenting a case of a 38-year-old male with dysuria, intermittent pain in the scrotum and lower abdomen and painful ejaculation for the past six months. Imaging findings led to the diagnosis of Zinner syndrome, with unilateral testicular agenesis and an aberrant course of the left common iliac artery. Conclusions Apart from the known associations of Zinner syndrome, testicular agenesis in a patient with Zinner syndrome has not been reported in the literature and is an important addition to the limited literature available.

As the incidence of neurodegeneration and cancer fatalities remains high, researchers are focusing their efforts on discovering and developing effective medications, especially plant-based drugs, against these diseases. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the neuropharmacological potentials of aerial parts of Tetrastigma leucostaphyllum, employing some behavioral models, while the antiproliferative effect was explored against a panel of cancer cell lines (MGC-803, A549, U-251, HeLa and MCF-7) using a colorimetric assay. In addition, active extracts were analyzed by GC–MS technique to identify the active compounds, where some selective compounds were docked with the particular pure proteins to check their binding affinity. Results from neuropharmacological research indicated that the total extract and its fractions may be effective (p = 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001, respectively) at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of animal body weight. The greatest antidepressant and anxiolytic effects were found in the n-hexane fraction. The n-haxane fraction also exhibited the highest cytotoxicity against the U-251 cell line (IC5014.3 μg/mL), followed by the A549, MG-803, HeLa, and MCF-7 cell lines, respectively. From the n-hexane fraction, ten chemicals were detected using the GC–MS method. Additionally, the in-silico research revealed interactions between the n-hexane fractions' identified compounds and the antidepressant, anxiolytic, and cytotoxic receptors. The molecules showed binding affinities that ranged from 4.6 kcal/mol to 6.8 kcal/mol, which indicates the likelihood that they would make good drug candidates. This study highlighted the plant's neuropharmacological and cytotoxic properties, however, more research is needed to determine the etymological origin of these effects.

Cooperative None Orthogonal Multiple Access (C-NOMA) is a promising approach for 5G and beyond communication networks. Users will benefit from the full bandwidth of the channel without time constraints. NOMA’s features are incomplete without efficient power allocation that ensures power distribution among users fairly. Integrating power management (allocation) with Cooperative-NOMA (C-NOMA) may improve the system metrics. In addition, a physical layer security (PLS) is added to make the process of sending and receiving safe, and the system works in an integrated manner, preventing any interrupting or eavesdropping inside or outside the network. This paper demonstrates the user and channel performance of C-NOMA with Amplify-and-forward (AF) and Decode-and-forward (DF) approaches. The analysis is performed by varying the power allocation techniques to derive the best system configurations. The simulation results confirmed the analytic findings and showed that the proposed system outperforms orthogonal multiple access (OMA), conventional NOMA, and conventional cooperative NOMA, enhancing the performance metrics in terms of throughput, sum rate, and outage probability. The bit-error-rate (BER) of the far user can be identical to that of the near user if power allocation is properly set. All techniques excelled except for the fixed power allocation, which had the same BER. The Channel capacity and outage probability were also considered. A slight variation in the channel capacity in all the experiments for different numbers of users was found. The generalized power allocation for AF and DF models had the optimum channel capacity close to 14 bps/Hz. Moreover, far users always had a higher outage probability than near users and channels, and generalized power allocation was the highest outage probability technique when the transmit power was close to (4 dB).

In the kingdom of Saudi Arabia almost 60% of the construction projects were delayed in the recent decade. Contractor selection is the critical decision for the success of any construction project. The typical method of contractor selection in Saudi Arabian projects is generally based on prioritizing the lowest bid price, irrespective of experience, quality, and other factors without investigating in-depth the pre-qualification of contractors. This often leads to disputes and project delays. In this regard, the main goal of the presented research work is the development of a framework that can help decision-makers in both government and private sector to investigate the pre-qualification, and then to select the most suitable contractors for the proposed projects. The presented framework was developed based on a detailed literature review, market analysis, information collection from stakeholders and decision-makers along with collaboration with industry-academia experts. Forty criterion-based selection framework was developed in the presented research work with each criterion possessing a relative weightage developed in comparison with ones obtained using smart techniques. The main categories of the selection criteria are project value, financial capability, reputation, management structure, technical capability and performance, organizational culture, along with safety and environmental health. Through detailed survey and analysis, the main criterion for contractor selection was identified as quality assurance and control with the least important being the Current/Past Joint Venture(s). The presented framework model was validated using a case study where three construction contractors were evaluated using Multi-Attribute Utility Theory Score (MAUT). The framework was deemed reliable and valuable for contractor selection in construction projects for adding the increased selection criterion and insight into the selection evaluation.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most prevalent bacterial pathogen causing young children to suffer acute watery diarrhea in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) [...]

الأهداف: هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن تصورات طلبة تعليم الكبار في المملكة العربية السعودية نحو تعليم الرياضيات وتعلمها. المنهجية: استخدمت الدراسة المنهج النوعي، واستخدمت الأدوات الآتية لجمع البيانات: المقابلة، والملاحظة، والاستبانة المفتوحة. شارك في الدراسة (18) طالبًا من طلاب مدرسة الجزيرة المتوسطة التابعة لإدارة تعليم رجال ألمع. وتم اختيارهم بالطريقة القصدية. النتائج: يرى الطلبة أهمية علم الرياضيات في حلِّ المشكلات اليومية، وارتباطها بالعلوم الأخرى، وأن فائدتها محصورة في العمليات الأربع من وجهة نظرهم. كما اتفق الطلبة على أهمية الرياضيات كمادة دراسية، ودورها في تنمية التفكير، والإبداع، وإعمال العقل. كما بينت النتائج تعدد التحديات في تعليم وتعلم الرياضيات مثل: تعدد الأفكار المطروحة في الدرس، وطول فترة الانقطاع عن الدراسة، وعجز بعض الطلبة عن استيعاب المعرفة الرياضية. الخلاصة: أوصت الدراسة على اتفاق وجهات نظر الطلبة في تعليم الكبار على أهمية الرياضيات كعلم ومادة دراسية ودورها الفاعل في حلِّ مشكلات الحياة اليومية وتنمية التفكير، إضافة إلى دور المعلم -كعنصر رئيس- في تنمية الخبرات التعليمية واتجاهاتهم نحو الرياضيات.

Abstract Background Diabetic retinopathy is now recognized as a neurovascular in lieu of a microvascular complication. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are greatly valuable in detecting early diabetic retinal functional changes before the occurrence of structural damage. Low-grade inflammation plays a fundamental part in the development and progression of retinopathy in diabetics. Detecting diabetic patients with early retinopathy before the occurrence of clinical symptoms provides a window of opportunity to ensure the best prognosis for these eyes. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been introduced as a novel marker of inflammation in various diseases. Indeed, the presence of a cheap, available, and reliable marker of inflammation that is capable to detect pre-clinical diabetic retinopathy (P-DR) is crucial for early intervention to retard the progression of ocular damage. As far as we know no previous studies investigated the role of NLR in the detection of P-DR. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of prediction of NLR in detecting pre-clinical retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients. Results In this case–control study, VEPs results showed a significant delay in P100 latencies of the patients’ group compared to the control group. According to the VEPs results, the patient group was further subdivided into two: diabetic with VEPs changes (a group with P-DR) and diabetic without VEPs changes. NLR was significantly elevated in patients with P-DR (p

The issue of ethics in financial accounting arises in the conditions under which it aims to produce an image of reality so that diverse recipients are informed, and which depend on the assessment of the participants. Their ethics play a particular part in finding the truth, however, because they are those who observe, understand, formalize, and, finally, create financial statements which should reflect the reality faithfully. As temptations are considerable, the search for truth, through formalizing a concrete economic reality, is guaranteed only by the professionalism and consciousness of those involved in the accounting of finance. Accounting practices are basic, however, for creative accounting numerous problems occur. Creating accounting does not clearly correspond to its spirit, even though it fulfils statutory requirements, accounting principles, and reporting norms. The creative accounting function for academics, regulators and investors is of great importance in developing and reporting on financial performance in business. The aim of this research is to identify the degree in which employees in accounting firms in Lebanon use creative accounting techniques.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to a number of adverse health effects, hence its prediction for epidemiological studies has become very crucial. In this study, a novel ensemble technique was proposed for the prediction of PM2.5 concentration in cities with high traffic noise using traffic noise as an input parameter. Air pollutants concentration (P), meteorological parameters (M) and traffic data (T) simultaneously collected from seven sampling points in North Cyprus were used for conducting the study. The modelling was done in 2 scenarios. In scenario I, PM2.5 was modelled using 4 different input combination without traffic noise as input parameter while in scenario II, traffic noise was added as an input variable for 4 input combinations. The models were evaluated using 4 performance criteria including Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Correlation Coefficient (CC) and Bias (BIAS). Modelling PM2.5 with combined relevant input parameters of P, M and T could improve the performance of the model developed with only one set of the parameters by up to 12, 17 and 29% for models containing only P, M and T respectively. All the models in scenario II have demonstrated high prediction accuracy than the corresponding model in scenario I by up to 12% in the verification stage. The Support Vector Regression-based Ensemble model (SVR-E) could improve the performance accuracy of single models by up to 17% in the verification stage.

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent medical condition which represents a high impact on public health. In addition, the underlying etiology still has been unelucidated. Osteoarthritis is a multifactorial disease with a high genetic predisposition. Identification of genes associated with higher OA predisposition can assist in elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms as well as detecting possible areas for gene-targeted OA therapies. Among these genetic targets, double Von Willebrand factor domain A (DVWA) has been shown to be related to β-tubulin protein interaction which is considered a protecting factor from OA development. Studies have shown a reduction in protein binding strength with single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11718863 in the Von Willebrand factor domain A (VWA domain). Development of weakness between β-tubulin and the wild protein has been linked with increased risk of OA development. We aimed to investigate the association between primary knee OA susceptibility and severity with DVWA rs11718863 SNP among a subset of Egyptian population. Results There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of AA, AT and TT genotypes frequencies between patient group and control group (P = 0.502). There was no statistically significant difference between different genotypes of DVWA rs11718863 SNP as regards the radiological assessment of different knee joint compartments using Kellgren Lawrence scale (P = 0.960 for medial tibiofemoral compartment), (P = 0.260 for lateral tibiofemoral compartment) and (P = 0.597 for patellofemoral compartment). Conclusions DVWA rs11718863 SNP was not demonstrated to influence OA susceptibility and severity among the studied Egyptian population subset. Larger sample size with inclusion of more genetic variants of DVWA SNP would be necessary to support the presence or absence of any relationship between DVWA SNP and OA.

Teratomas are usually seen in gonads but they do occur in other extra gonadal regions such as sacrococcygeal region, mediastinum, head and neck, and retroperitoneum. Rarely in the retroperitoneal area, such tumours mostly develop in the pararenal area and usually on the left side. They have bimodal presentation at the age of six months and then in early adulthood. They originate from the germ cells that have failed to migrate to normal anatomical destinations. Many of such patients are diagnosed incidentally. Here, we report a case of symptomatic primary retroperitoneal mature teratoma in a young lady managed at Pakistan kidney and Liver Institute, Lahore. Key Words: Benign Mature Cystic Teratoma; Kidney; Surgery; Retroperitoneal teratoma.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a bio-derived water-soluble, edible, hydrating, non-immunogenic polymer. Bacillus subtilis natto is a wild-type γ-PGA producer originally isolated from Japanese fermented natto beans whose activity has been shown to be enhanced through ion-specific activation of Extrachromosomal DNA maintenance mechanisms. Being a GRAS γ-PGA producer, this microorganism has attracted great interest in its use within an industrial context. Here we successfully synthesised amorphous, crystalline and semi-crystalline γ-PGA between 11–27 g/L. In line with circular economy principles, scalable macroalgal biomass has been evaluated as substrate for γ-PGA, displaying great potential in both yields and material composition. In this study whole cell, freeze dried seaweed -namely Laminaria digitata, Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta-were pre-treated by means of mechanical methods, sterilised and subsequently inoculated with B. subtilis natto. High shear mixing was found to be the most suitable pre-treatment technique. Supplemented L. digitata (9.1 g/L), S. latissima (10.2 g/L), A. esculenta (13 g/L) displayed γ-PGA yields comparable to those of standard GS media (14.4 g/L). Greatest yields of pure γ-PGA were obtained during the month of June for L. digitata (Avg. 4.76 g/L) comparable to those obtained with GS media (7.0 g/L). Further, pre-treated S. latissima and L. digitata complex media enabled for high molar mass (4,500 kDa) γ-PGA biosynthesis at 8.6 and 8.7 g/L respectively. Compared to standard GS media, algal derived γ-PGA displayed significantly higher molar masses. Further studies will be necessary to further evaluate the impact of varying ash contents upon the stereochemical properties and modify the properties of algal media based γ-PGA with the aid of key nutrients; however, the material synthesised to date can directly displace a number of fossil fuel derived chemicals in drug delivery applications, cosmetics, bioremediation, wastewater treatment, flocculation and as cryoprotectants.

As a disaster-prone country with unique geographical features, snake biting is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. The primary reasons of mortality from snakebite include late presentation to the hospital, low efficacy of antivenom, and a lack of adequate management facilities. Because snake venom characteristics vary depending on geographical location, antivenom should be manufactured from snakes native to the region in which it would be administered. Bungarus caeruleus is a highly venomous snake contributing to the major snakebite issue in Bangladesh. Therefore, the neutralization efficacy of the antivenom against B. caeruleus venom was evaluated in the current study along with the characterization of venom. For biological characterization of venom, RP-HPLC and SDS-PAGE profiling, hemolytic activity, hemorrhagic activity, phospholipases A2 (PLA2) activity, edema inducing activity and histopathological observations were carried out following standard protocol. LD50 of the venom was calculated along with neutralization potency of Incepta antivenom through probit analysis. Results showed that venom possesses phospholipase A2 activity, hemolytic activity and edema inducing activity while hemorrhagic activity was absent in the skin of envenomed mice. Histopathological alterations including necrosis, congestion and infiltrations were observed in envenomed mice organs after hematoxylin and eosin staining. Neutralization study showed that Incepta polyvalent antivenom could neutralize (potency 0.53 mg/ml) the lethal effect in in vitro study on mice. Further investigation on snakebite epidemiology and clinical observations of the envenomed patients will help in combating the snakebite problem more efficiently.

Abstract Background Primary osteoarthritis is considered one of the most common and the most studied musculoskeletal disorder. Nevertheless, the risk factors remain unclear. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) 14 (ADAMTS14) gene is involved in the cleavage of amino-terminal propeptides from type II procollagen, a necessary step in the formation of collagen fibers. The abnormal metabolism of collagen fibers type II leads to a decreased mechanical strength of joint cartilage which is one of the most important contributing factors to joint osteoarthritis. We aimed at investigating the association between primary osteoarthritis and ADAMTS14 gene rs4747096 single nucleotide polymorphism in a sample of Egyptian patients and analyzing the relationship between this genetic polymorphism with the severity of osteoarthritis. Sixty-five Egyptian patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for primary knee osteoarthritis were compared with thirty-one apparently healthy subjects. Genotyping was performed by TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assay. Results There was a statistically significantly higher frequency of AA genotype among osteoarthritis patients compared to the control group (P = 0.004). The number of affected hand joints was significantly higher among patients with ADAMTS14 AA genotype in comparison to patients with ADAMTS14 AG genotype (P = 0.002). In addition, AA genotype was associated with statistically significantly higher Kellgren-Lawrence radiological grades in the knee and hand joints (proximal interphalangeal and thumb interphalangeal joints) (P = 0.037, 0.003, and 0.030 respectively). Conclusion The study showed an association between the AA genotype of ADAMTS14 gene rs4747096 single nucleotide polymorphism with knee and hand osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis severity in these joints. The AA genotype of ADAMTS14 gene rs4747096 single nucleotide polymorphism could be implicated in the increased incidence of primary osteoarthritis development and elevated disease severity among the Egyptian population.

In the realm of software project management, predicting and mitigating risks are pivotal for successful project execution. Traditional risk assessment methods have limitations in handling complex and dynamic software projects. This study presents a novel approach that leverages artificial neural networks (ANNs) to enhance risk prediction accuracy. We utilize historical project data, encompassing project complexity, financial factors, performance metrics, schedule adherence, and user-related variables, to train the ANN model. Our approach involves optimizing the ANN architecture, with various configurations tested to identify the most effective setup. We compare the performance of mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) as error functions and find that MAE yields superior results. Furthermore, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our model through comprehensive risk assessment. We predict both the overall project risk and individual risk factors, providing project managers with a valuable tool for risk mitigation. Validation results confirm the robustness of our approach when applied to previously unseen data. The achieved accuracy of 97.12% (or 99.12% with uncertainty consideration) underscores the potential of ANNs in risk management. This research contributes to the software project management field by offering an innovative and highly accurate risk assessment model. It empowers project managers to make informed decisions and proactively address potential risks, ultimately enhancing project success.

We provide the first evidence of the presence of the Persian Gulf Sea Snake, Hydrophis lapemoides (Gray, 1849), along the coast of Bangladesh. This species was assumed to exist in there, but neither specimens nor confirmed observations exist until now. We document here the first confirmed record of H. lapemoides based on a freshly collected and taxonomically verified specimen from coastal Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi specimen had the following diagnostic characters: 55 black bands, a dorsal scale composition of 35:51:43, 342 ventrals, one pre-ocular, two post-oculars, 2+3 temporals, 8 supralabials (II largest and contact prefrontals; III–IV contact orbit) and 8 infralabials (I–IV contact genials).

A brain–computer interface (BCI), as a solution to disabled people’s concerns, has drawn attention in biomedical engineering over the last decade. However, the most existing brain–computer interface systems are based on the time or frequency domain of feature extraction, and it is associated with inaccurate detection of event-related desynchronization (ERD). In this study, a new algorithm relating to subject-specific regions of interest (ROIs) with intrinsic time-scale decomposition (ITD) was investigated to achieve satisfactory classification accuracy. ROI-based discrete wavelet transform (DWT) combined with an artificial neural network was used to validate the ROI-based ITD method. Experimentally recorded data of motor imagery movement tasks (right hand, left hand, both hands and both feet) were collected from 15 subjects. The parameters of the subject-specific regions of interest were investigated and optimized. An optimal condition was observed at a specific region of interest and the accuracy increased by 12.76 to 15.17% compared to that without ROI estimation. ITD showed higher classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and Kappa coefficient of 9.47%, 8.99%, 9.79% and 12.09%, respectively, for the four classes of motor imagery movements compared to DWT. The developed ITD model was validated using the dataset from BCI Competition IV. On average, ITD with ROIs showed 8.56% and 7.32% higher classification accuracy compared to common spatial patents (CSP) and DWT with ROIs.

The study was aimed at identifying the factors contributing to truck driver’s involvement in an injury accident in Kano, Nigeria using Logistic regression. 248 truck drivers were interviewed using a questionnaire and relevant information on their involvement in injury accident was collected. The result of the survey shows that 52.8% of the drivers were involved in an injury accident at least once in their professional carrier and 80% of the drivers were below the age of 40years. Results from the regression analysis found the Average distance traveled/week (p=0.0057), average driving hours/day (p=0.0232), sleeping on the wheel (p=0.0004), and presence of co-driver (p=0.0003) to be statistically significant in contributing to driver’s involvement in an injury accident. Average distance traveled/week, sleeping on wheel and presence of co-driver were found to positively affect involvement in injury accident with OR values of 1.80, 3.61 and 3.94 respectively. The model was found to be good in classifying truck drivers’ involvement in injury accident with a reasonable level of accuracy (70%). Increased safety awareness among drivers by conducting seminars and organizing training sessions regularly will help reduce the involvement of truck drivers in accidents.

Abstract Background Child and adolescent injury is one of the leading causes of child death globally with a large proportion occurring in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Similarly, the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries borne a heavy burden that largely impact child and adolescent safety and health in the region. We aim to assess child and adolescent injury morbidity and mortality and estimate its burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region based on findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), Injuries and Risk Factors study 2017. Methods Data from the Global Burden of Disease GBD 2017 were used to estimate injury mortality for children aged 0–19, Years of Life Lost (YLLs), Years lived with Disability (YLDs) and Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) by age and sex from 1990 to 2017. Results In 2017, an estimated 133,117 (95% UI 122,587-143,361) children died in EMR compared to 707,755 (95% UI 674401.6–738,166.6) globally. The highest rate of injury deaths was reported in Syria at 183.7 (95% UI 181.8–185.7) per 100,000 population. The leading cause of injury deaths was self-harm and interpersonal violence followed by transport injury. The primary cause of injury DALYs in EMR in 2017 was self-harm and interpersonal violence with a rate of 1272.95 (95% UI 1228.9 – 1319.2) almost 3-times the global rate. Conclusion Almost 19% of global child injury related deaths occur in the EMR. Concerted efforts should be integrated to inform policies and adopt injury preventive strategies to reduce injury burden and promote child and adolescent health and well-being in EMR countries.

As the world trend is going towards renewable energy, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy shines the most due to the low generation cost especially by using the latest PV cell technologies and materials, although the conventional silicon cell has an efficiency in the range of 15-16%. A PV tracking system (PVTS) could be a considerable method to increase electrical PV efficiency. In this study, the performance enhancement of the daily output power and energy has been experimentally investigated using single- and dual-axis tracking mechanisms for flat-plate conventional PV panels under the insolation conditions of the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia (SA). In the current study, the active PVTS has been designed and implemented with PID controllers and controlled in real-time with an embedded system. The fixed-tilt (FTPV), single-axis solar tracking system (SAST), and dual-axis solar tracking system (DAST) were tested simultaneously under clear-sky conditions. The PV electrical energy balance has revealed that the energy consumed by the electrical controllers of the SAST and DAST is 3.4% and 3.9%, respectively. In addition, the energy losses due to the actuators of the SAST and DAST are 7.8% and 13.0%, respectively, where they contributed mainly to the energy losses. However, the PV energy production by the DAST was high enough to compensate for the higher actuating mechanism losing rate compared to the SAST and performed incremental net energy output of around 8.64%. On other hand, the DAST and SAST were more efficient than the FTPV recording higher net energy increase by 28.98% and 18.73%, respectively.

Dengue is a prevalent and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans. The geographic range of dengue is expanding, and much like in many other tropical regions of the world, dengue has become a major public health issue in Bangladesh. Until a large epidemic dengue outbreak in 2000, sporadic outbreaks have occurred in Bangladesh since 1964. After 2000, varying intensities of dengue activity were observed each year until 2018. However, in 2019, Bangladesh experienced the largest dengue epidemic in its history, with 101,354 dengue cases and 164 dengue-related deaths. Notably, this outbreak occurred in many regions that were previously considered free of the disease. As of 10 December 2022, a total of 60,078 dengue cases and 266 dengue-related deaths were reported in Bangladesh, with the 2022 outbreak being the second largest since 2000. There is an increased genetic diversity of the dengue virus (DENV) in Bangladesh and all four DENV serotypes are prevalent and co-circulating, which increases the risk for severe dengue owing to the antibody-dependent enhancement effect. Vector control remains the mainstay of dengue outbreak prevention; however, the vector control programs adopted in Bangladesh seem inadequate, requiring improved vector control strategies. In this review, we provide an overview of the epidemiology of DENV infection and the risks for a severe dengue outbreak in Bangladesh. Additionally, we discuss different dengue vector control strategies, from which the most suitable and effective measures can be applied in the context of Bangladesh for tackling future dengue epidemics.

Bauhinia scandens L. (Family, Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant used for conventional and societal medication in Ayurveda. The present study has been conducted to screen the chemical, pharmacological and biochemical potentiality of the methanol extracts of B. scandens stems (MEBS) along with its related fractions including carbon tetrachloride (CTBS), di-chloromethane (DMBS) and n-butanol (BTBS). UPLC-QTOF–MS has been implemented to analyze the chemical compounds of the methanol extracts of Bauhinia scandens stems. Additionally, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects were performed by following the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-mediated paw licking test in the mice model. The antipyretic investigation was performed by Brewer Yeast induced pyrexia method. The clot lysis method was implemented to screen the thrombolytic activity in human serum. Besides, the in silico study was performed for the five selected chemical compounds of Bauhinia scandens, found by UPLC-QTOF–MS By using Discover Studio 2020, UCSF Chimera, PyRx autodock vina and online tools. The MEBS and its fractions exhibited remarkable inhibition in dose dependant manner in the antinociceptive and antiinflammatory investigations. The antipyretic results of MEBS and DMBS were close to the standard drug indomethacin. Investigation of the thrombolytic effect of MEBS, CTBS, DMBS, and BTBS revealed notable clot-lytic potentials. Besides, the phenolic compounds of the plant extracts revealed strong binding affinity to the COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1 and plasminogen activator enzymes. To recapitulate, based on the research work, Bauhinia scandens L. stem and its phytochemicals can be considered as prospective wellsprings for novel drug development and discovery by future researchers.

A smart device carries a great amount of sensitive patient data as it offers innovative and enhanced functionalities in the smart healthcare system. Moreover, the components of healthcare systems are interconnected via the Internet, bringing significant changes to the delivery of healthcare services to individuals. However, easy access to healthcare services and applications has given rise to severe risks and vulnerabilities that hamper the performance of a smart healthcare system. Moreover, a large number of heterogeneous devices accumulate data that vary in terms of size and formats, making it challenging to manage the data in the healthcare repository and secure it from attackers who seek to profit from the data. Thus, smart healthcare systems are susceptible to numerous security threats and risks, such as hardware and software-based attacks, system-level attacks, and network attacks that have the potential to place patients’ lives at risk. An analysis of the literature revealed a research gap in that most security surveys on the healthcare ecosystem examined only the security challenges and did not explore the possibility of integrating modern technologies to alleviate security issues in the smart healthcare system. Therefore, in this article, we conduct a comprehensive review of the various most recent security challenges and their countermeasures in the smart healthcare environment. In addition, an artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain-based secure architecture is proposed as a case study to analyse malware and network attacks on wearable devices. The proposed architecture is evaluated using various performance metrics such as blockchain scalability, accuracy, and dynamic malware analysis. Lastly, we highlight different open issues and research challenges facing smart healthcare systems.

One of the modern methods for enhancing the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) systems is implementing a solar tracking mechanism in order to redirect PV modules toward the sun throughout the day. However, the use of solar trackers increases the system’s electrical consumption, hindering its net generated energy. In this study, a novel self-tracking solar-driven PV system is proposed. The smart solar-driven thermomechanical actuator takes advantage of a solar heat collector (SHC) device, in the form of a parabolic trough solar concentrator (PTC), and smart shape memory alloy (SMA) to produce effective mechanical energy for solar tracking applications from sun rays. Furthermore, a thermal–optical analysis is presented to evaluate the performance of the solar concentrator for the simulated weather condition of Dammam City, Saudi Arabia. The numerical results of the thermal and optical analyses show the promising feasibility of the proposed system in which SMA springs with an activation temperature between 31.09 °C and 45.15 °C can be utilized for the self-tracking operations. The work presented adds to the body of knowledge an advanced SMA-based SHC device for solar-based self-actuation systems, which enables further expansions within modern and advanced solar thermal applications.

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis, and thus they contribute in development of different malignancies including cervical cancer (CC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Through integrated strategies of computational biology, this study aims to identify prognostic biomarkers responsible for CRC and CC prognosis, and potential therapeutic agents to halt the progression of these cancers. Expression analysis of miRNA datasets of CRC and CC identified 17 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). SYNPO2, NEGR1, FGF7, LIFR, RUNX1T1, CFL2, BNC2, EPHB2, PMAIP1, and CDC25A differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by these DEMs were classified as candidate genes responsible for CRC and CC. Down-regulation of Synaptopodin-2 (SYNPO2) is involved in emergence and progression of these cancers by activating ER, PI3K/AKT, and EMT pathways as well as by suppressing DNA damage response, and cell cycle pathways. Higher methylation rate in promoter region of SYNPO2 could be a possible reason for lowering the expression of SYNPO2 in tumor stages. Hence, the lower expression of SYNPO2 is associated with poor prognosis of CRC and CC and could function as prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Fourteen transcription factors were recognized which can activate/inhibit the transcription of SYNPO2 and may be a potential target to regulate expression of SYNPO2 in CRC and CC. Retinoic acid and Estradiol were identified as putative therapeutic drugs for CRC and CC patients. This study will thus help in understanding the underlying molecular events in CRC and CC that may improve the detection of malignant lesions in primary screening and will broaden the clinical applications.

An individual of Banded Lineblue Prosotas aluta was discovered in Bangladesh on 7 September 2018 from the Kaptai National Park, a mixed evergreen protected forest in the southeastern region of the country. The discovered species was found in the hill stream named ‘Boro Chara’. The photographic documentation confirms the certainty of the species. The occupancy of P. aluta in Asia and distribution around Bangladesh in Cachar and Khasi Hills of India indicate its existence but confirmation was wanting till date. Hence, we report the first confirmed record from Bangladesh.

The vast development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud-enabled data processing solutions provide the opportunity to build novel and fascinating smart, connected healthcare systems. Smart healthcare systems analyze the IoT-generated patient data to both enhance the quality of patient care and reduce healthcare costs. A major challenge for these systems is how the Cloud of Things can handle the data generated from billions of connected IoT devices. Edge computing infrastructure offers a promising solution by operating as a middle layer between the IoT devices and cloud computing. The Edge of Things (EoT) can offer small-scale real-time computing and storage capabilities that ensures low latency and optimal utilization of the IoT resources. However, the EoT has privacy-preservation issues, which is a significant concern for the healthcare systems that contain sensitive patient data. This paper introduces a novel EoT computing framework for secure and smart healthcare surveillance services. Fully homomorphic encryption preserves data privacy and is stored and processed within an EoT framework. A distributed approach for clustering-based techniques is developed for the proposed EoT framework with the scalability to aggregate and analyze the large-scale and heterogeneous data in the distributed EoT devices independently before it is sent to the cloud. We demonstrate the proposed framework by evaluating a case study for the patient biosignal data. Our framework rapidly accelerates the analysis response time and performance of the encrypted data processing while preserving a high level of analysis accuracy and data privacy.

BACKGROUND: Anthracyclines are antibiotic antineoplastic drugs used in the treatment of various hematological and solid malignancies. They are well-known for their cardiotoxic side effects which are related to their cumulative dosages. Many investigations are used to detect such cardiotoxicity, the gold standard of which is the endomyocardial biopsy that has a limited use because it is an invasive procedure. The aims of this study were to explore the cardiotoxicity induced by anthracyclines in patients with hematological malignancies by using electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography and to determine relationship between the detected changes in ECG and echocardiography, with some demographic and clinical variables. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of fifty patients was recruited at Al-Imamein Al-Kadhemein Medical City from March 2014 to January 2015. ECG and echocardiography were done to the patients to study several parameters such as ejection fraction (EF), diastolic dysfunction, QRS voltage, QRS duration, and corrected QT (QTc) both at baseline and reassessment. Reassessment was done after completing induction for leukemia patients and at mid-term reassessment for lymphoma patients. RESULTS: ECG showed reduction in QRS voltage, increase in QRS duration, and increase in QTc, all of which showed statistical significance and may reflect the effect on the depolarization and repolarization on the myocardium. The echo study showed the development of systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (EF 30% from baseline) with the development of LV dysfunction was also found. CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes in QRS voltage, QRS duration, QTc, as well as the occurrence of LV systolic dysfunction and diastolic dysfunction were noted. The mean cumulative dose at which LV systolic dysfunction occurred was about 250 mg/m2.

BACKGROUND: Acute leukemia and allogenic bone marrow transplantation BMT are immunocompromised conditions which may be susceptible for many opportunistic infections or reactivation of latent infections like Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii). OBJECTIVES: The aims of study were to detect T.gondii in both acute leukemia patients and allogenic BMT recipients and to determine copy number of T.gondii in these groups in comparison to healthy individual as control group. METHODS: Sixty one acute leukemia patients enrolled in a prospective study from 1st December 2016 to 1st June 2017. Forty eight of them evaluated while induction chemotherapy (group I), while the other 13 within 1 year post bone marrow transplantation-BMT-(group II). In addition to 30 apparently healthy individuals as (control group), blood samples were collected from all groups. T.gondii DNA was extracted and then measured by Taqman quantitative real-time PCR. Measurement IgG and IgM antibody specific to T. gondii was investigated also in the control group by an enzyme-linked immune assay (ELISA). RESULTS: T.gondii parasitemia was detected in (8.3%) 4 out of 48 group I patient. While negative in group II and control group. The range of T.gondii load was (6.285×103-17.915×103) copy/ml, the mean of the copy numbers 11458.75± 5120.85. CONCLUSION: T.gondii should be looked for Leukemic patients at least by routine serological test for early diagnosis and early treatment if indicated. Quantitative PCR is used to monitor post BMT patients at risk for T.gondii disease and for a timely start of preemptive therapy.

This research aims to present a state-of-the-art cleaning technology solution that effectively overcomes the dust accumulation issue for conventional photovoltaic systems. Although continuous innovations and advanced developments within renewable energy technologies have shown steady improvements over the past years, the dust accumulation issue remains one of the main factors hindering their efficiency and degradation rate. By harvesting abundant solar thermal energy, the presented self-cleaning system uses a unique thermomechanical property of Shape Memory Alloys to operate a solar-based thermomechanical actuator. Therefore, this study carries out different numerical and experimental validation tests to highlight the promising practicability of the developed self-cleaning system from thermal and mechanical perspectives. The results showed that the system has a life expectancy of over 20 years, which is closely equivalent to the life expectancy of conventional photovoltaic modules while operating under actual weather conditions in Dammam city. Additionally, the thermal to mechanical energy conversion efficiency reached 19.15% while providing average cleaning effectiveness of about 95%. The presented outcomes of this study add to the body of knowledge an innovative methodology for a unique solar-based self-cleaning system aimed toward smart and modern photovoltaic applications.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a bio-derived water-soluble, edible, non-immunogenic nylon-like polymer with the biochemical characteristics of a polypeptide. This Bacillus-derived material has great potential for a wide range of applications, from bioremediation to tunable drug delivery systems. In the context of oral care, γ-PGA holds great promise in enamel demineralisation prevention. The salivary protein statherin has previously been shown to protect tooth enamel from acid dissolution and act as a reservoir for free calcium ions within oral cavities. Its superb enamel-binding capacity is attributed to the L-glutamic acid residues of this 5380 Da protein. In this study, γ-PGA was successfully synthesised from Bacillus subtilis natto cultivated on supplemented algae media and standard commercial media. The polymers obtained were tested for their potential to inhibit demineralisation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) when exposed to caries simulating acidic conditions. Formulations presenting 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3 and 4% (w/v) γ-PGA concentration were assessed to determine the optimal conditions. Our data suggests that both the concentration and the molar mass of the γ-PGA were significant in enamel protection (p = 0.028 and p < 0.01 respectively). Ion Selective Electrode, combined with Fourier Transform Infra-Red studies, were employed to quantify enamel protection capacity of γ-PGA. All concentrations tested showed an inhibitory effect on the dissolution rate of calcium ions from hydroxyapatite, with 1% (wt) and 2% (wt) concentrations being the most effective. The impact of the average molar mass (M) on enamel dissolution was also investigated by employing commercial 66 kDa, 166 kDa, 440 kDa and 520 kDa γ-PGA fractions. All γ-PGA solutions adhered to the surface of HAp with evidence that this remained after 60 min of continuous acidic challenge. Inductively Coupled Plasma analysis showed a significant abundance of calcium ions associated with γ-PGA, which suggests that this material could also act as a responsive calcium delivery system. We have concluded that all γ-PGA samples tested (commercial and algae derived) display enamel protection capacity regardless of their concentration or average molar mass. However, we believe that γ-PGA D/L ratios might affect the binding more than its molar mass.

Introduction. Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is the congenital presence of pancreatic tissue outside its normal location in the absence of vascular and anatomical connection with the main pancreas. HP can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, and it is mostly encountered in the stomach. The gallbladder is a rare site of HP, and our literature review revealed that only 38 cases were reported. We present a case of HP in the gallbladder that was presented with a picture of acute cholecystitis. After the case presentation, we will discuss HP in the gallbladder by reviewing the literature. Case Presentation. A 49-year-old male presented to the emergency department complaining of progressively worsening right upper abdominal pain for the last 24 hours. After thorough history and physical examination, a provisional diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was made. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a rim of edema surrounding the gallbladder wall with two stones impacted at the gallbladder neck. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed with an uneventful postoperative course, and the patient was discharged the next day. Microscopic examination of the gallbladder showed that a heterotopic pancreatic tissue, composed of a large number of pancreatic acini and few ducts with the absence of islets of Langerhans, was found around the cystic duct. The patient was asymptomatic at the regular follow-up six months postoperatively. Conclusion. HP in the gallbladder is an extremely rare finding. Its clinical presentation is not different from other cholecystopathic diseases. Most cases were accompanied by cholelithiasis. Preoperative laboratory and imaging modalities are usually not helpful in the diagnosis of HP in the gallbladder. The definitive diagnosis is made by histological examination of the gallbladder specimen. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is sufficing treatment.

Currently, energy demand is more significant than ever due to population growth and advances in recent technologies. In order to supply more energy while maintaining a healthy environment, renewable energy resources are employed. This paper proposes a novel solar-driven shape memory alloy thermomechanical actuator as an eco-friendly solution for solar thermal applications. The proposed actuator was assessed numerically and experimentally. The numerical tests showed that the designed actuation mechanism’s inner temperature has a minimum variation per day of about 14 °C and a temperature variation of 19 °C for most days of the year, which allows for proper activation and deactivation of the actuator. As for the experimental tests, the presented actuation mechanism achieved a bi-directional force of over 150 N, where the inner temperatures of the actuator were recorded at about 70.5 °C while pushing forces and 28.9 °C while pulling forces. Additionally, a displacement of about 127 mm was achieved as the internal temperature of the actuator reached 70.4 °C. The work presented adds to the body of knowledge of a novel solar-based self-driven actuation mechanism that facilitates various applications for solar thermal systems.

This research was aimed to evaluate the potential of biosorption technique in more realistic conditions that appeal to the industry by exploiting locally available biosorbents such as jute stick powder (JSP), an agricultural product, for the removal of toxic Pb(II), Cr(III) and Cd(II) ions from wastewater. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) analysis proved that the surface of biosorbent was porous, with heterogeneous structures that contained high internal spaces. The removal efficiencies of the mixture of the target metals by JSP were optimized with respect to pH, initial metal concentration, shaking time and biomass dose. Biosorption performance of JSP in multiple metal systems was above 90 percent adsorption for tested metal ions. Biomass regeneration efficiencies up to 98% were achieved using acid as eluent. Sorption performance of the JSP as biosorbent was examined by classical adsorption equilibrium isotherms, kinetics in batch systems, and dynamic continuous flow studies. Batch sorption studies revealed that pseudo-first, pseudo-second-order, and Langmuir isotherm models were suitable to describe the metals sorption kinetics and equilibrium, respectively.

This study deals with the existence of libraries and their curators in the virtual world, which is open and available for all users of the internet. As a result of this, the development of both university and public libraries was described through shedding more light on the moves and reasons of logging on libraries in the virtual world, and the central projects of academic and public libraries. In addition, this study provides general guidelines for both curators and users owho work side by side in the virtual world. It also surveys the developments of university and public libraries, services offered by both of them, difficulties encountered in the virtual word, and the activities of librarians. The significance of this study lies in its attempt to identify the roles played by both public and university libraries in the virtual world. The researcher proposes that public and university libraries in the virtual environment should play an active role by updating their services and keeping up with the developments in this field.

Developing country like Bangladesh among 90% of oral malignant neoplasm are arising from squamous layer of oral epithelium which are third leading of this country with severe disfiguration, functiolaesa, psychological impairments and socio-economic hardship. In this study we found the prevalence of OSCC was 6.5% among total cancer patients in the two tertiary level hospitals of Bogura. Male (70%) are affected more than in females (30%). In response to male and female parameter, sex distribution ratio was 2.3:1. The prevalent average age was 55.40 years. About 80% of ulcer site was buccal mucosa then 10 % were lip mucosa. About 80% people were habituated by betel nut, leaf with tobacco chewers. Moreover 46.7% of them were maltreated by quack doctors before. Majority of the patient was in Grade II (56.7%). Correlation between variable in respect of age and cancer grading was explained. According to these study OSCC patients in north bangle region like Bogura was quite high on ( significant p-value ≤ 0.05). Description of oral squamous cell carcinoma on the basis of demographic and clinical profile was the major aim . Most of the cases report with intermediate grade of the disease which often leads to decrease the chance of survival of a patient. So new strategies should be considered to overcome the present situation must be undertaken by oral health programs for the early diagnosis and prevention, build up awareness and management and follow up of oral cancer. Update Dent. Coll. j: 2020; 10 (1): 3-5

This work presents the analysis and modeling of communication network used for data transmission with multi-protocols in campus network. The designed network is based on the geographical location of communication nodes. (Colleges and centers). Network optimal backbone is first designed by Kruskal algorithm. It will be subject to reliability improvement by links addition. Tie-sets method is used to evaluate the network reliability. Communication nodes are modeled using local area network (LAN), server, links, router, switch, and Firewall. Intranet will be used as communication backbone mainly to connect different communication nodes with the Principal Communication Center (PCC) where the System Server (SS) is located. The connection of Intranet to the Internet is mad via the front-end system server (SS). Tikrit University Intranet (TUI) is taking as case study in the present research. Tikrit University sites are grouped into master communication nodes. Each node is composed from several colleges, centers, and administrative sections.

The Quality of Service (QoS)-based personalized web service recommendations have been gaining increasing popularity due to its ability to assist users in finding high quality web services. For this purpose, Collaborative Filtering (CF)-based technique has been a useful approach in that it is able to predict with high accuracy the QoS values of web services which are not invoked by the users. The basic idea behind CF-based techniques is that they identify users with similar QoS experiences and predict their QoS requirements on web services accordingly. However, as the calculation of QoS values and user similarity require parameters which may contain privacy sensitive information, users may not trust the server that provides such third-party recommendations. In general, users are usually not willing to disclose such information to a third-party as it contains their tastes and preferences as well as experiences. Therefore the main challenge is to address the need for providing accurate web service recommendations to users while preserving their privacy from any third party server, as well as to protect the privacy of individual users from one another. To tackle this challenge, we propose a new protocol for privacy preserving web service recommendation where an untrusted recommendation server is able to provide the recommendation without disclosing any private information of individual users, and with negligible loss of accuracy of QoS values. We present both privacy and experimental analysis to verify that our proposed method is secure and efficient in terms of performance.

In the content-centric networking (CCN), the content transmitted between data owners, consumers, and the servers is confidential to its publishers. Therefore, the content's publishers are sensitive to publication of their content to unauthorized consumers and third party service providers. Access control-based mechanisms have been efficient solutions to address this challenge where the content can be accessed by legitimate consumers only. However, the main limitation with an access control-based solution is that the content itself and the user interests are made public to certain parties in the system. Moreover, the solutions based on access control mechanism are limited within only sharing the content among various publishers and consumers where on the contrary, the secure aggregation of content in CCN is yet to be explored. To address these issues, we describe possible cryptographic solutions for content privacy in CCN, which can share and aggregate the content securely. More specifically, we propose two cryptographic protocols for content sharing and aggregation: (1) cryptographic protocol to exchange the encrypted content (CPE2C) and (2) privacy-preserving aggregation over distributed content (PDAC). The CPE2C protocol is simple yet highly secure against intruders or collusion attacks. This protocol is useful in terms of exchanging sensitive content between a publisher and a consumer. The PDAC is effective for distributed, secure, and energy-efficient content aggregation in smart IoT systems leveraging the CCN architecture and cloud services. The privacy analysis and performance results show that the proposed cryptographic protocols perform efficiently without disclosing any private information.

We performed a comparative study of birds in Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Inani Reserve Forest (IRF) and the Chittagong University Campus (CUC) in 2015. A total of 249 species belonging to 50 families were recorded: 210 species from 46 families in TWS, 187 species from 45 families in IRF, and 182 species from 45 families in CUC. Of these, 181 species (73%) were resident, 57 (23%) winter visitors, three (1.20%) summer visitors, two (0.80%) passage migrants and five (2%) vagrants. According to their frequency of occurrence, 73 species (29.32%) were very common, 66 (26.5%) common, 62 (25%) uncommon and 48 (19%) rare. 120 species (48%) were passerines (97 in TWS, 95 in IRF and 97 in CUC) and 129 (52%) non-passerines (113 in TWS, 92 in IRF and 85 in CUC). Among the three areas, TWS had the greatest diversity in terms of total species, (210˃187˃182), residents (161˃148˃134), non-residents (49˃48˃39), forest indicator birds (47˃44˃31) and wading birds (48˃34˃24).

Butterflies of the Inani Reserve Forest were studied between May 2014 and May 2015. One hundred twenty five species of butterflies belonging to 84 genera and six families (Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae and Nymphalidae) were recorded during this study. The highest number of species comprised Family Nymphalidae (38 species, 30.4%) followed by Lycaenidae (35 species, 20.8%), Hesperiidae (26 species, 20.16%), Pieridae (16 species, 12.8%), Papilionidae (9 species, 7.2%) and the Family Riodinidae comprised the lowest (one species, 0.8%). The abundance of recorded butterflies was calculated in term of Very Common (20 species), Common (29 species), Uncommon (32 species), Rare (23 species) and Very Rare (21 species). The butterflies preferred different types of habitat (viz., Grass Land, Crop Land, Open Forest, Scrub Forest, Dense Forest and Bamboo Patches). Thirty species of butterflies were regularly observed in all kind of habitats, 69 species preferred multiple habitats (8 in 4 types, 24 in 3 types and 38 in 2 types of habitat) and 25 species were recorded only in a single type of habitats. Mud-puddling of 36 species were also observed. During this study, Zinaspa todara (Family: Lycaenidae) was the first time record in Bangladesh and Euploea doubledayi (Family: Danaidae) was recorded after 150 year later.

A study was conducted on the butterflies of the Chittagong University Campus (CUC), Bangladesh between March 2014 and May 2015. A total of 142 species of butterflies belonging to 87 genera and six families (Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae and Nymphalidae) were recorded from the CUC during the study period. Family Nymphalidae comprised the highest number of species followed by Lycaenidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae, Papilionidae and Riodinidae. The abundance of this species stated in terms of very common, common, uncommon, rare and very rare. The butterflies used different types of habitat (viz., grass land, crop land, open forest, scrub forest, dense forest and bamboo patch) and among all, scrub forests were the most preferred habitat. Mud puddling of 35 species were also observed. Five species of butterflies (Ampittia dioscorides, Matapa purpurascens, Polytremis eltola, Unkana ambasa and Ypthima ceylonica) were recorded for the first time in Bangladesh.

Diversion according to Article 1 number 7 of Act Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Child Criminal Justice System is the transfer of settlement of Child cases from criminal justice processes to processes outside of criminal justice. Diversion is to settle criminal cases involving children as perpetrators and children as victims. The implementation of diversion is intended to avoid negative effects and stigmatization of children so that children are expected to return to the social environment fairly. The Payakumbuh District Attorney also conducted a diversion of cases of criminal acts of violence against children through a process that turned out to be not as simple as expected, so that it encountered obstacles in resolving cases of children facing the law.