The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Bangladeshi university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed at identifying the determinants ...of depression and anxiety. A total of 476 university students living in Bangladesh participated in this cross-sectional web-based survey. A standardized e-questionnaire was generated using the Google Form, and the link was shared through social media-Facebook. The information was analyzed in three consecutive levels, such as univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. Students were experiencing heightened depression and anxiety. Around 15% of the students reportedly had moderately severe depression, whereas 18.1% were severely suffering from anxiety. The binary logistic regression suggests that older students have greater depression (OR = 2.886, 95% CI = 0.961-8.669). It is also evident that students who provided private tuition in the pre-pandemic period had depression (OR = 1.199, 95% CI = 0.736-1.952). It is expected that both the government and universities could work together to fix the academic delays and financial problems to reduce depression and anxiety among university students.
Classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has spread to Bangladesh since early March of 2020, and people are getting daily updates from the ...social and electronic media. We aimed at assessing the prevalence of anxiety among Bangladeshi people during the pandemic in connection with social media exposure (SME) and electronic media exposure (EME). For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 880 participants by a self-administered online-based questionnaire relating personal characteristics, self-rate health (SRH), SME, and EME with anxiety. Findings show that around half of the surveyed population experienced a spike of anxiety (49.1%) during the pandemic, ten times higher than the national anxiety rate in 2019. The participants with an increased SME of over four hours per day experienced a higher level of anxiety than individuals with < = 2 hours exposure to social media. Similarly, the anxiety was higher among people with fair/bad SRH compared to individuals with excellent SRH. It is highly recommended to develop active surveillance and effective monitoring systems to reduce the spread of misinformation from both social and electronic media to improve the state of mental health conditions during the pandemic.
Antenatal care (ANC) contacts have long been considered a critical component of the continuum of care for a pregnant mother along with the newborn baby. The latest maternal mortality survey in ...Bangladesh suggests that progress in reducing maternal mortality has stalled as only 37% of pregnant women have attended at least four ANC contacts. This paper aims to determine what factors are associated with ANC contacts for women in Bangladesh. We analysed the data, provided by Bangladesh demographic and health survey 2014, covering a nationally representative sample of 17,863 ever married women aged 15-49 years. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to collect the data. Data derived from 4,475 mothers who gave birth in the three years preceding the survey. Descriptive, inferential, and multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. An overall 78.4% of women had ANC contacts, but the WHO recommended ≥8 ANC contacts and ANC contacts by qualified doctors were only 8% for each. The logistic regression analysis revealed that division, maternal age, women's education, husband's education, wealth index and media exposure were associated with the ANC contacts. Likewise, place of residence, women's education, religion, and wealth index were also found to be associated with the WHO recommended ANC contacts. Furthermore, the husband's education, division, religion and husband's employment showed significant associations with ANC contacts by qualified doctors. However, Bangladeshi women in general revealed an unsatisfactory level of ANC contacts, the WHO recommended as well as ANC contacts by qualified doctors. In order to improve the situation, it is necessary to follow the most recent ANC contacts recommended by the WHO and to contact the qualified doctors. Moreover, an improvement in education as well as access to information along with an increase of transports, care centres and reduction of service costs would see an improvement of ANC contacts in Bangladesh.
Most humans are in contact with animals in a way or another. A zoonotic disease is a disease or infection that can be transmitted naturally from vertebrate animals to humans or from humans to ...vertebrate animals. More than 60% of human pathogens are zoonotic in origin. This includes a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, parasites, and other pathogens. Factors such as climate change, urbanization, animal migration and trade, travel and tourism, vector biology, anthropogenic factors, and natural factors have greatly influenced the emergence, re-emergence, distribution, and patterns of zoonoses. As time goes on, there are more emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. In this review, we reviewed the etiology of major zoonotic diseases, their impact on human health, and control measures for better management. We also highlighted COVID-19, a newly emerging zoonotic disease of likely bat origin that has affected millions of humans along with devastating global consequences. The implementation of One Health measures is highly recommended for the effective prevention and control of possible zoonosis.
•To illustrate numerically a High Sensitivity D Shaped Dual Core Photonic Crystal Fiber SPR Biosensor modeling employing gold coat.•To investigate Sensing characteristics with the modal analysis ...based finite element method (FEM) incorporating COMSOL multiphysics software.
In this paper, an enhanced performance of dual core D-shape photonic crystal fiber utilizing surface plasmon resonance (DD-PCF-SPR) based sensor is numerically proposed and analyzed. The thickness of gold and pitch parameter are optimized to 30 nm and 1.9 um, respectively, which ensures superior sensor performance. It is revealed; at optimized geometrical parameter, the offered sensor displays a supreme wavelength sensitivity of 8000 nm/RIU, wavelength resolution of 1.25 × 10−5 RIU, a supreme amplitude sensitivity of 700 RIU−1, amplitude resolution 1.7857 × 10−5 RIU and a figure of merit (FoM) of 138 RIU−1 due to the analyte refractive index changing from 1.47 RIU to 1.48 RIU. The identifying features are investigated using modal analysis based finite element method (FEM) incorporating COMSOL commercial software. Finally, a relative review is executed comparing amplitude sensitivity, resolution and wavelength sensitivity of the offered sensor with previously reported sensors. As high sensitivity, simple structure, and tremendous linear polynomial characteristics, the offered sensor will be a talented candidate for the detection of various biochemical and biological samples (DNA, mRNA, proteins, sugar).
Polypropylene (PP) is a versatile polymer with numerous applications that has undergone substantial changes in recent years, focusing on the demand for next-generation polymers. This article provides ...a comprehensive review of recent research in PP and its advanced functional applications. The chronological development and fundamentals of PP are mentioned. Notably, the incorporation of nanomaterial like graphene, MXene, nano-clay, borophane, silver nanoparticles, etc., with PP for advanced applications has been tabulated with their key features and challenges. The article also conducts a detailed analysis of advancements and research gaps within three key forms of PP: fiber, membrane, and matrix. The versatile applications of PP across sectors like biomedical, automotive, aerospace, and air/water filtration are highlighted. However, challenges such as limited UV resistance, bonding issues, and flammability are noted. The study emphasizes the promising potential of PP while addressing unresolved concerns, with the goal of guiding future research and promoting innovation in polymer applications.
Graphical Abstract
Caesarean delivery (C-section) has been increasing worldwide; however, many women from developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are deprived of these lifesaving services. This study aimed to ...explore the impact of certain socioeconomic factors, including respondent's education, husband's education, place of residence, and wealth index, on C-section delivery for women in Sub-Saharan Africa. We used pooled data from 36 demographic and health surveys (DHS) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Married women aged 15-49 years who have at least one child in the last five years were considered in this survey. After inclusion and excluding criteria, 234,660 participants were eligible for final analysis. Binary logistic regression was executed to determine the effects of selected socioeconomic factors. The countries were assembled into four sub-regions (Southern Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and Central Africa), and a meta-analysis was conducted. We performed random-effects model estimation for meta-analysis to assess the overall effects and consistency between covariates and utilization of C-section delivery as substantial heterogeneity was identified (I
> 50%). Furthermore, the meta-regression was carried out to explain the additional amount of heterogeneity by country levels. We performed a sensitivity analysis to examine the effects of outliers in this study. Findings suggest that less than 15% of women in many Sub-Saharan African countries had C-section delivery. Maternal education (OR 4.12; CI 3.75, 4.51), wealth index (OR 2.05; CI 1.94, 2.17), paternal education (OR 1.71; CI 1.57, 1.86), and place of residence (OR 1.51; CI 1.44, 1.58) were significantly associated with the utilization of C-section delivery. These results were also consistent in sub-regional meta-analyses. The meta-regression suggests that the total percentage of births attended by skilled health staff (TPBASHS) has a significant inverse association with C-section utilization regarding educational attainment (respondent & husband), place of residence, and wealth index. The data structure was restricted to define the distinction between elective and emergency c-sections. It is essential to provide an appropriate lifesaving mechanism, such as C-section delivery opportunities, through proper facilities for rural, uneducated, impoverished Sub-Saharan African women to minimize both maternal and infant mortality.
In this era of technological advancement, the flow of an enormous amount of information has become such an inevitable phenomenon that makes a path for the takeover of the internet of things (IoT) ...based smart grid from the currently available grid system. In a smart grid, demand-side management plays a crucial role in reducing the generation capacity by shifting the user energy consumption from peak period to off-peak period, which requires detailed knowledge of the user consumption at the individual appliance level. Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) provides an exceptionally low-cost solution for determining individual appliance levels using a single-point measurement. This paper proposed an IoT-based real-time non-intrusive load classification (RT-NILC) system considering the variability of supply voltage using low-frequency data. Due to the unavailability of smart meters at the household level in Bangladesh, a data-acquisition system (DAS) is developed. The DAS is capable of measuring and storing rms voltage, rms current, active power, and power factor data at a sampling rate of 1 Hz. These data are processed to train different multilabel classification models. The best-performed classification model has been selected and utilized for the implementation of RT-NILC over IoT. The Firebase real-time online database is considered for data storage to flow the data in two-way between end-user and service provider (energy distributor). The GPRS module is used for wireless data transmission as a Wi-Fi network may not be available everywhere. Windows and web applications are developed for data visualization. The proposed system has been validated in real-time, using rms voltage, rms current, and active power measurements at a real house. Even under supply voltage variability, the performance evaluation of the RT-NILC system has shown an average classification accuracy of more than 94%. Good classification accuracy and the overall operation of the IoT-based information exchange systems ensure the proposed system's applicability for efficient energy management.
The recent outbreak of viral zoonotic disease-monkeypox-caused by the monkeypox virus, has infected many people worldwide. This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) ...concerning monkeypox among university students in Bangladesh. Data were collected using purposive snowball sampling from 887 university students through an online survey using Google Form. The participants were mostly in their twenties (M = 22.33 SD 2.01 years), and they spent, on average, 2.59 SD 1.91 hours/day on electronic and social media. The participants generally showed moderate knowledge (39.5%), low attitude (25.1%), and moderate practice (48.6%) toward monkeypox, with 47.6% having had a moderate KAP score. Findings further showed that personal attributes of university students, i.e., age, sex, year of schooling, residence, living status, geographical distribution, e.g., division, were statistically and significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding monkeypox and overall KAP score. It is also apparent that health status, susceptibility to monkeypox, and exposure to social media were the most common factors significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding monkeypox and overall KAP score. The current study's findings underscore the need for developing appropriate information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and their dissemination, which could play an important role in reducing the risk of monkeypox and similar other infectious diseases, particularly among students in Bangladesh.
To estimate the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in urban and rural settings and identify the specific risk factors for each location.
We conducted this study using data from the 2017-18 ...Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), sourced from the DHS website. The survey employed a stratified two-stage sampling method, which included 7,658 women and 7,048 men aged 18 and older who had their blood glucose levels measured. We utilized chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regression to analyze the association between various selected variables in both urban and rural settings and their relationship with diabetes and prediabetes.
The prevalence of T2D was 10.8% in urban areas and 7.4% in rural areas, while pre-diabetes affected 31.4% and 27% of the populations in these respective settings. The study found significant factors influencing diabetes in both urban and rural regions, particularly in the 55-64 age group (Urban: AOR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.46, 2.42; Rural: AOR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.54, 2.27). Highly educated individuals had lower odds of T2D, while wealthier and overweight participants had higher odds in both areas. In rural regions, T2D risk was higher among caffeinated drink consumers and those not engaged in occupation-related physical activity, while these factors did not show significant influence in urban areas. Furthermore, urban participants displayed a significant association between T2D and hypertension.
Our study outlines a comprehensive strategy to combat the increasing prevalence of T2D in both urban and rural areas. It includes promoting healthier diets to control BMI level, encouraging regular physical activity, early detection through health check-ups, tailored awareness campaigns, improving healthcare access in rural regions, stress management in urban areas, community involvement, healthcare professional training, policy advocacy like sugary drink taxation, research, and monitoring interventions. These measures collectively address the T2D challenge while accommodating the distinct features of urban and rural settings.
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