The relatively rapid expansion of protected areas (PAs) has outpaced their effective governance, monitoring, and evaluation processes, resulting in a knowledge gap, particularly in relation to the ...impact and efficacy of co-managed protected areas in conserving biodiversity globally. Bangladesh, like numerous other nations, is expanding its existing co-management model to incorporate additional PAs while simultaneously making only limited modifications to the management of these protected areas. Evaluations, however, are relatively rare throughout the world, including Bangladesh, despite their potential to improve PA quality and effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine current co-management practices at two sites in Bangladesh's Sundarbans to identify significant challenges and the efficacy of co-management initiatives through the establishment of a novel evaluative framework. The primary empirical data collection methods included key informant interviews, stakeholder consultation in focus group discussions, and uncontrolled personal observation. Despite significant progress in terms of policy and legislative reforms, many issues remained unattended, such as a goal of balancing conservation and development, increasing locals' say in decision making, access to resources, and establishing strong institutions. This addition is believed to aid in reconciling the local community and the government. We also need to give more weight to such things as accounting and transparency, income diversification, and showing respect for preexisting social norms. The problems raised in this article are thought to be significant in bridging the gap between management plans and actual management of PAs, not just in Bangladesh but also in other regions of the world that use co-management to achieve sustainability.
This paper presents the design and analysis of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) platform, where graphene is used externally to attain improved sensing ...performance for an aqueous solution. The performance of the proposed sensor was analyzed using the finite element method-based simulation tool COMSOL Multiphysics. According to the simulation results, the proposed sensor exhibits identical linear characteristics as well as a very high figure of merit (FOM) of 2310.11 RIU−1 in the very low detection limit of 10−3. The analysis also reveals the maximum amplitude sensitivity of 14,847.03 RIU−1 and 7351.82 RIU−1 for the x and y polarized modes, respectively, which are high compared to several previously reported configurations. In addition, the average wavelength sensitivity is 2000 nm/RIU which is comparatively high for the analyte refractive index (RI) ranging from 1.331 to 1.339. Hence, it is highly expected that the proposed PCF-based SPR sensor can be a suitable candidate in different sensing applications, especially for aqueous solutions.
A novel automated multi-classification approach is proposed for the anticipation of lung abnormalities using chest X-ray and CT images. The study leverages a publicly accessible dataset with an ...insufficient and unbalanced number of images, addressing this issue by employing the data augmentation approach DCGAN to balance the dataset. Various preprocessing procedures are applied to improve features and reduce noise in lung pictures. As the base for the model, the vision trans-former and convolution-based compact convolutional transformer (CCT) model is utilized. To determine the best model configuration, an ablation study is performed on the original CCT model using a CT scan dataset with image dimensions of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">32\times32 </tex-math></inline-formula>. Following that, this model is trained on the X-ray dataset to evaluate performance on an entirely other modality. The performances are compared to six pre-trained models with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">32\times 32 </tex-math></inline-formula> images. While traditional models achieved modest performance, with test accuracies ranging from 43% to 77% and 49% to 73% requiring lengthy training times, the suggested model performed exceptionally well, obtaining test accuracies of 99.77% and 95.37% for CT and X-ray, respectively with a short training duration of 10-12 and 40-42 seconds/epoch. Robustness is demonstrated through the progressive reduction of the number of training images, with findings indicating that the model maintains good performance even on a reduced dataset. An explainable AI technique Grad-CAM is used to explain the model's judgment. Grad-CAM-based color visualization is shown to explain model assessments and help health specialists make quick, confident decisions. This study used image preprocessing and deep learning techniques to detect lung anomalies, and it addressed the challenges of training time and computational complexity.
With the sustainable economy and the development of innovative technology, China is anticipated to have a large number of mobile payment (m-payment) users due to cultural influences and population ...size. This payment culture leads to a significant motivation to adopt m-payment services, which can stimulate new users from other groups. The role of cultural motivation is the most important factor in the m-payment context. This paper empirically examines the impact of cross-cultural motivation in the context of the practicing of social distancing behavior due to COVID-19 and the mobile payment (m-payment) context. We develop a conceptual model to validate user intention to use mobile payment systems during the COVID-19 crisis. Data were surveyed from 409 international students in China, and the model is validated using the AMOS structural equation modeling approach. Similar to the results of previous studies based on the adoption of mobile payment, this study also confirms the hypothesis testing. The key and robust result is that, due to cultural motivation and social distancing behavior, international students respond swiftly to the use of mobile payment services during COVID-19. Subsequently, perceived usefulness and awareness influence behavior intention to use mobile payment services. The findings of this study suggest that motivational characteristics, including the awareness of efficiency and the social distancing behavior due to COVID-19, play an important role in the adoption of mobile payment. As a result, the empirical results of this research provide useful information to stakeholders so that they can enhance m-payment services strategies and implement these successfully by considering various factors.
The dynamic topology of a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) distinguishes it as a decentralized kind of wireless network. When it comes to performance, a routing protocol is crucial. It is employed to ...ascertain and to find route that is both accurate and effective between two source and destination nodes to ensure that messages are delivered on time. We have examined the OLSR (Optimized Link State Routing) protocol in this research. Multi-point relays (MPRs), which are chosen nodes that forward broadcast messages throughout the flooding process, are the main idea employed in the protocol. MPRs are used to reduce routing cost by limiting the spread of control messages across the network. Many efforts have been made in the last few years to choose MPRs efficiently, which leads to improved routing performance. We provide a state-of-the-art assessment of the various MPR selection processes used in recent years in this work.
Watermelon (
) is a nutritionally rich and economically important horticultural crop of the Cucurbitaceae family. Gummy stem blight (GSB) is a major disease of watermelon, which is caused by the ...fungus
, and results in substantial economic losses in terms of yield and quality. However, only a few molecular studies have focused on GSB resistance in watermelon. Nucleotide binding site (NBS)-encoding resistance (
) genes play important roles in plant defense responses to several pathogens, but little is known about the role of NBS-encoding genes in disease resistance in watermelon. The analyzed NBS-encoding
genes comprises several domains, including Toll/interleukin-1 receptor(TIR), NBS, leucine-rich repeat (LRR), resistance to powdery mildew8(RPW8) and coiled coil (CC), which are known to be involved in disease resistance. We determined the expression patterns of these
genes in resistant and susceptible watermelon lines at different time points after
infection by quantitative RT-PCR. The
genes exhibited various expression patterns in the resistant watermelon compared to the susceptible watermelon. Only six
genes exhibited consistent expression patterns (
,
,
,
,
and
), which were higher in the resistant line compared to the susceptible line. Our study provides fundamental insights into the NBS-LRR gene family in watermelon in response to
infection. Further functional studies of these six candidate resistance genes should help to advance breeding programs aimed at improving disease resistance in watermelons.
Gummy stem blight (GSB) causes enormous losses to melon (
L.) production worldwide. We aimed to develop useful molecular markers linked to GSB resistance. In this study, 168 F
plants were obtained ...from the F₁ population of a cross between the GSB-susceptible 'Cornell ZPPM 339' and the GSB-resistant 'PI482399' lines. A 3:1 ratio of susceptible and resistant genotypes was observed in the F₂ population, indicating control by a single recessive gene. Nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes confer resistance against insects and diseases in cucurbits including melon. We cloned and sequenced the TIR-NBS-LRR-type resistance gene MELO3C022157, located on melon chromosome 9, from resistant and susceptible lines. Sequence analysis revealed deletions in the first intron, a 2-bp frameshift deletion from the second exon and a 7-bp insertion in the 4th exon of the resistant line. We developed two insertion/deletion (InDel) markers, GSB9-kh-1 and GSB9-kh-2, which were found in the first intron of MELO3C022157 linked to GSB resistance. We validated these markers with the F₂ population and inbred lines. These InDels may be used to facilitate marker-assisted selection of GSB resistance in melon. However, functional analysis of overexpressing and/or knock-down mutants is needed to confirm the frameshift mutation.
Objectives
To assess disease-related knowledge of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients
Patients and methods
Consecutive RA patients were invited from the rheumatology departments of BSMM University, ...Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Bangla version of the Patient Knowledge Questionnaire (B-PKQ) was used. Correlations between the B-PKQ scores and clinical-demographic data were measured using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Impact of independent variables on the level of knowledge about RA was analyzed through multiple regression analysis. Possible explanatory variables included the following: age, disease duration, formal education level, and Bangla Health Assessment Questionnaire (B-HAQ) score. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the difference between demographical, clinical, and socioeconomic variables. For statistical analysis, SPSS statistics version 20 was used.
Results
A total of 168 RA patients could be included. The mean B-PKQ score was 9.84 (range 1–20) from a possible maximum of 30. The mean time for answering the questionnaire was 24.3 min (range 15–34). Low scores were observed in all domains but the lowest were in medications and joint protection/energy conservation. Knowledge level was higher (15.5) in 6 patients who had RA education before enrollment. B-PKQ showed positive correlation with education level (
r
= 0.338) and negative correlation with HAQ (
r
= −0.169). The B-PKQ showed no correlation with age, disease duration, having first degree family member with RA, education from other sources (neighbor, RA patient, nurses), or information from mass media.
Conclusions
Disease-related knowledge of Bangladeshi RA patients was poor in all domains. Using these findings, improved education and knowledge will result in better disease control.
Key Points
•
Little is known about the knowledge of RA patients regarding their disease and its treatment in Bangladesh and in developing countries in general.
•
We found that the knowledge of Bangladeshi RA patients regarding their disease was poor in all domains; it correlated positive with education level and negative with function (HAQ), but showed no correlation with age or disease duration.
•
The findings of this study can be used for improving current patient education programs by health professionals and through mass media.
•
Better disease control of RA may be achieved by improving patient knowledge in a developing country like Bangladesh, but also in other parts of the world.
This study focuses on trailers’ utilization turn-around and fleets deployment of haulage industry in Malaysia. The study proposes a framework for Drop Trailer Method (DTM) which is suitable at ...present competitive business and suggest for specific mechanism in maximizing of fleets capacity. The ratio of 1:7 for prime movers and trailers was suggested which suitable for movement planning and better scheduling. It reflects with a complete system that requires in monitoring on the deployment of the machineries especially on the timing of DTM. Haulage industry involved with huge capital investment which therefore an appropriate planning and optimizing the trailers are significant. This is an exploratory study where the interviews were carried out among the 12 nominated haulage companies and its customers and at the end a qualitative research was adopted. Through the implementation on the proposed framework of DTM, the operational in haulage industry will be more effective and better impacts on trailers’ performance. The results indicated that the effectiveness of DTM is based on coordination and utilization of trailers. The DTM framework is suggested to be used in the measurement on the performance of trailers’ turn-around of haulage industry in future.
Background: Unani Medicine had its golden past in the middle age. Allopathic medicine evolved with simultaneous exploration of modern scientific development. Discovery of chemicals and antibiotics to ...deal infectious disease led foundation of epitome of modern medicine. There is however growing tendency among people to show their to depend on plant source and time old preparations. It is estimated that about 80 percent of population of the Asia and African countries uses herbal medicine for health care. This scenario opened the scope and merit to evaluate the preparation(s) which people are still using and the present study tested the usefulness and safety of ‘Sarbat Misali’ an Unani hematinic preparation in treating anemia.Materials and Methods: A total 31 women of age 24-40 yrs were enrolled in the study following ethical guidelines. The volunteers offered the choice and were free to refuse for not being included. Anthropometry recorded and blood sample obtained for biochemical test from the consenting subjects and prescribed with the preparation. Weight recorded and blood samples taken at the baseline end of four weeks. During study period they were in touch for their allegiance to taking the test preparation. Hemoglobin was estimated using autoanalyzer. Serum creatinine and SGPT were determined by standard biochemical method using autoanalyzer.Results: Blood hemoglobin level showed significant increase at the end of the supplementation (12.03±0.82) compared to the baseline level (10.78±1.08) (p<0.001). Serum creatinine and SGOT did not show any statistical difference between before and after supplementation.Conclusion: Data concluded that Sharbat Misali an Unani preparation of hematinics improved hemoglobin level and safety was supported by the fact of unaltered hepatic and renal functional status, however, to conclusively comment on adverse and toxic effect(s) chronic study needs to be undertaken with attention of inclusion of exhaustive biochemical markers.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(1) 2018 p.144-148
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