Womens participation in rice mills in Sherpur sadar upazila of Bangladesh

The main purpose of this study was to determine womens participation in rice mills of Sherpur sadar upazila of Bangladesh. Ninety respondents were selected using cluster random sampling method. The researchers personally collected data from August to September 2012. Aimed at explaining the assessment of the present status of women worker of rice mills and explored the relationship between their selected characteristics and extent of participation. Majority of the respondents had long experience in working in the rice mill and almost everybody had participation around the year. Women were mostly involved in drying and on an average spent time for helping in husking machine operating (3.02 hours) followed by final drying of paddy (2.05 hours), drying the paddy before boiling (1.25 hours), piling the paddy (1.12 hours), cleaning the threshing floor (1.05 hours), packing the rice (1.02 hours) per day. They worked about 8-10 hours per day. Results show that the women workers performance decreased with the increase of their age. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i1.21089 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (1): 36-39, June, 201

Growers’ knowledge on spices cultivation in Shibganj upazila under Bogura district

The main objective guided the present study was to evaluate the knowledge of the growers on spices cultivation practice in Shibganj upazila under Bogura district. Three unions of the upazila were purposively selected based on the vicinity to the Spices Research Center, Bogura. Data were collected from selected growers using predesigned structured interview schedule. Eleven selected characteristics of the growers were considered as independent variables. As dependent variable, knowledge on spices cultivation practice was calculated by construction of a scale containing thirteen relevant questions. Coefficient of correlation was employed to determine the relationship between the selected characteristics of the growers and their knowledge on spices cultivation practice. Majority (67.8%) of the growers were middle aged, the highest portion (61.1%) of them belonged to primary level education. Major proportion (60.0%) of them had small family size, almost all of them (98.9%) possessed small to medium farm size, and huge majority (87.8%) of them earned up to BDT 240000 annually. About three-fourth (73.3%) of the farmers had medium extension contact, half of them (50.0%) had poor training experience while 40.0 percent of them had medium innovativeness. Great majority (85.5%) of the farmers had small to medium spices cultivation area (up to 0.6 ha) while almost three-fourth (72.2%) of them had medium to long durational (11 to above 20 years) practice of spices cultivation. Majority (65.6%) of them had moderate knowledge on spices cultivation technology compared to more than onefourth (26.7%) having high knowledge and only 7.7 percent had low knowledge on the same. None of the selected characteristics showed significant relationship with the knowledge on spices cultivation practice. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 10(1): 102-107, June 202

Knowledge and perception of extension workers towards ict utilization in agricultural extension service delivery in Gazipur district of Bangladesh

The primary purpose of the study was to assess the extent of knowledge and perception of extension workers towards ICT utilization and to determine the relationship between the selected characteristics of the respondents and knowledge and perception of extension workers towards ICT utilization in extension service delivery. The study was conducted in Gazipur district and comprised proportionate random sample of 90 extension workers from five upazila of Gazipur district. A pre-tested interview schedule was used to collect data from the respondents. To measure the knowledge on ICT utilization 35 statements were selected regarding 7 ICT with five possible answer of each tools and a score of one was given to the right answer and zero to the wrong answer alternatively to measure the perception of the respondents rated each of 10 statements ICT utilization in agriculture on a 5-point Likert type scale and the total of these ratings formed perception index. The result of the study showed that out of seven ICT tools the knowledge of extension workers was highest in case of MS Word this was followed by internet/ web service and the lowest knowledge was found in case of Geographical Information System. It is observed that an overwhelming majority (88.9%) of agricultural extension workers in the study area had low to medium knowledge towards ICT utilization. Findings reveal that the respondents had top most perception on the ICT utilization in respect of Extension work can be greatly enhanced by ICT followed by on The benefits of ICT use outweigh the financial burden involved. The result also indicated that more than fourth-fifth (84.4%) of the respondents had medium to high perception towards ICT utilization. There were significant relationship between service experience and use of the information sources of the respondents with their knowledge towards ICT utilization conversely innovativeness, cosmopoliteness and job satisfaction of the respondents showed positive significant relationship with their perception towards ICT utilization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22647 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 46-52, December, 201

Employability of Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) Graduates of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University

Employability is a contemporary global concern of developing countries which indirectly affects other categories of countries. Hence, the necessity for institutions turning out graduates to focus on ensuring their products meet market demands. The present study was therefore, centred on employability of Bachelor of Science Agriculture graduates of BSMRAU. Mixed research methods were adopted to conduct a survey on 140 (Master of Science students, Alumni and Service providers) respondents concerning generic skills and job performance. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean, percent, frequency and range in SPSS software, while qualitative data was analysed through collection of themes with respect to the study objectives. Results revealed that majority of graduates dominantly acquired generic skills related to communication and ICT, interpersonal, teamwork and leadership skills, and self-management and personal development skills from Agricultural Extension and Rural Development offered courses. The employability trend of Bachelor of Science Agriculture graduates was obtained to be high in the early years after graduation and decreases afterwards. Governmental organisations that include research, extension, education and bank absorbed majority of the graduates. Higher level of satisfaction was expressed in teaching-learning, communications skills and process control, while curriculum update and knowledge achievement were low satisfied. Major perceived strength was adherence to academic calendar while less extracurricular activities was the major weakness. Carrying out practical in a practical way and provision of some important laboratory equipment were the key areas suggested for improvement

Ansatz-Agnostic Exponential Resource Saving in Variational Quantum Algorithms Using Shallow Shadows

Variational Quantum Algorithms (VQA) have been identified as a promising candidate for the demonstration of near-term quantum advantage in solving optimization tasks in chemical simulation, quantum information, and machine learning. The standard model of training requires a significant amount of quantum resources, which led us to use classical shadows to devise an alternative that consumes exponentially fewer quantum resources. However, the approach only works when the observables are local and the ansatz is the shallow Alternating Layered Ansatz (ALA), thus severely limiting its potential in solving problems such as quantum state preparation, where the ideal state might not be approximable with an ALA. In this work, we present a protocol based on shallow shadows that achieves similar levels of savings for almost any shallow ansatz studied in the literature, when combined with observables of low Frobenius norm. We show that two important applications in quantum information for which VQAs can be a powerful option, namely variational quantum state preparation and variational quantum circuit synthesis, are compatible with our protocol. We also experimentally demonstrate orders of magnitude improvement in comparison to the standard VQA model.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Status of compost usage and its performance on vegetable production in Monga areas of Bangladesh

The present study was carried out to assess the existing status of compost usage on vegetable production and determine the overall effect of household waste compost (HWC) on growth and yield of vegetables and enhancement of soil fertility in the monga areas of Bangladesh. A field survey was conducted on 152 sampled farmers during 2010 to 2011. Questionnaire containing both closed and open-ended questions were used to assess existing production practices of vegetables using compost in both homestead and field conditions. Three field trials at Badargonj and Kawnia upazilas of Rangpur district were conducted taking four treatments i.e. control, recommended doses (RD) of fertilizers, HWC at the rate of 10 tha-1, and HWC 10 t ha-1 plus RD as IPNS based with Lal shak, Palong shak, Pui shak and Tomato. Base line survey results indicated inadequate knowledge of the farmers on use and preparation of the household waste compost. Yield data of all vegetables i.e. Tomato, Lal shak, Palong shak and Pui shak indicated that the combined application of nutrients using organic and inorganic sources were significantly better than that of solitary application of inorganic fertilizers. The potential of household waste compost applied @ 10 t ha-1 along with inorganic fertilizers applied was found highly satisfactory in producing Tomato, where yield was recorded 75 t ha-1 in the study area. The fresh yield of Palong shak was found 16 t ha-1 when recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers were applied, but it was about 19 t ha-1 under combined application of HWC @ 10 t ha-1 and inorganic fertilizers following IPNS concept. The fresh yield of Pui shak was found about 49 t ha-1 under combined application of organic and inorganic nutrients. Considering the availability and costs of different composts, it is evinced that HWC contained good amount of NPK which indicates its potentiality to be used as a soil amendment, improving soil fertility and crop productivity. It can be an alternative to chemical fertilizer to increase soil microbial populations and enzyme activities and to promote the soil nutrient for horticultural crops in the unfertile areas especially in the monga areas of Bangladesh. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22640 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 4 (2): 22-28, December, 201

High quality reference genomes for toxigenic and non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae serogroup O139.

Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae of the O139 serogroup have been responsible for several large cholera epidemics in South Asia, and continue to be of clinical and historical significance today. This serogroup was initially feared to represent a new, emerging V. cholerae clone that would lead to an eighth cholera pandemic. However, these concerns were ultimately unfounded. The majority of clinically relevant V. cholerae O139 isolates are closely related to serogroup O1, biotype El Tor V. cholerae, and comprise a single sublineage of the seventh pandemic El Tor lineage. Although related, these V. cholerae serogroups differ in several fundamental ways, in terms of their O-antigen, capsulation phenotype, and the genomic islands found on their chromosomes. Here, we present four complete, high-quality genomes for V. cholerae O139, obtained using long-read sequencing. Three of these sequences are from toxigenic V. cholerae, and one is from a bacterium which, although classified serologically as V. cholerae O139, lacks the CTXφ bacteriophage and the ability to produce cholera toxin. We highlight fundamental genomic differences between these isolates, the V. cholerae O1 reference strain N16961, and the prototypical O139 strain MO10. These sequences are an important resource for the scientific community, and will improve greatly our ability to perform genomic analyses of non-O1 V. cholerae in the future. These genomes also offer new insights into the biology of a V. cholerae serogroup that, from a genomic perspective, is poorly understood

Genomics, social media and mobile phone data enable mapping of SARS-CoV-2 lineages to inform health policy in Bangladesh.

Genomics, combined with population mobility data, used to map importation and spatial spread of SARS-CoV-2 in high-income countries has enabled the implementation of local control measures. Here, to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Bangladesh at the national level, we analysed outbreak trajectory and variant emergence using genomics, Facebook 'Data for Good' and data from three mobile phone operators. We sequenced the complete genomes of 67 SARS-CoV-2 samples (collected by the IEDCR in Bangladesh between March and July 2020) and combined these data with 324 publicly available Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Bangladesh at that time. We found that most (85%) of the sequenced isolates were Pango lineage B.1.1.25 (58%), B.1.1 (19%) or B.1.36 (8%) in early-mid 2020. Bayesian time-scaled phylogenetic analysis predicted that SARS-CoV-2 first emerged during mid-February in Bangladesh, from abroad, with the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported on 8 March 2020. At the end of March 2020, three discrete lineages expanded and spread clonally across Bangladesh. The shifting pattern of viral diversity in Bangladesh, combined with the mobility data, revealed that the mass migration of people from cities to rural areas at the end of March, followed by frequent travel between Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) and the rest of the country, disseminated three dominant viral lineages. Further analysis of an additional 85 genomes (November 2020 to April 2021) found that importation of variant of concern Beta (B.1.351) had occurred and that Beta had become dominant in Dhaka. Our interpretation that population mobility out of Dhaka, and travel from urban hotspots to rural areas, disseminated lineages in Bangladesh in the first wave continues to inform government policies to control national case numbers by limiting within-country travel

Natural selection shapes the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Bangladesh

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved to give rise to a highly transmissive and immune-escaping variant of concern, known as Omicron. Many aspects of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the driving forces behind the ongoing Omicron outbreaks remain unclear. Substitution at the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein is one of the primary strategies of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron to hinder recognition by the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and avoid antibody-dependent defense activation. Here, we scanned for adaptive evolution within the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron genomes reported from Bangladesh in the public database GISAID (www.gisaid.org; dated 2 April 2023). The ratio of the non-synonymous (Ka) to synonymous (Ks) nucleotide substitution rate, denoted as ω, is an indicator of the selection pressure acting on protein-coding genes. A higher proportion of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks or ω > 1) indicates positive selection, while Ka/Ks or ω near zero indicates purifying selection. An equal amount of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks or ω = 1) refers to neutrally evolving sites. We found evidence of adaptive evolution within the spike (S) gene of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron isolated from Bangladesh. In total, 22 codon sites of the S gene displayed a signature of positive selection. The data also highlighted that the receptor-binding motif within the RBD of the spike glycoprotein is a hotspot of adaptive evolution, where many of the codons had ω > 1. Some of these adaptive sites at the RBD of the spike protein are known to be associated with increased viral fitness. The M gene and ORF6 have also experienced positive selection. These results suggest that although purifying selection is the dominant evolutionary force, positive Darwinian selection also plays a vital role in shaping the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Bangladesh