An Efficient Transfer Learning-based Approach for Apple Leaf Disease Classification

Correct identification and categorization of plant diseases are crucial for ensuring the safety of the global food supply and the overall financial success of stakeholders. In this regard, a wide range of solutions has been made available by introducing deep learning-based classification systems for different staple crops. Despite being one of the most important commercial crops in many parts of the globe, research proposing a smart solution for automatically classifying apple leaf diseases remains relatively unexplored. This study presents a technique for identifying apple leaf diseases based on transfer learning. The system extracts features using a pretrained EfficientNetV2S architecture and passes to a classifier block for effective prediction. The class imbalance issues are tackled by utilizing runtime data augmentation. The effect of various hyperparameters, such as input resolution, learning rate, number of epochs, etc., has been investigated carefully. The competence of the proposed pipeline has been evaluated on the apple leaf disease subset from the publicly available `PlantVillage' dataset, where it achieved an accuracy of 99.21%, outperforming the existing works.Comment: Accepted in ECCE 2023, 6 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

Levels, trends, and inequalities in using institutional delivery services in low- and middle-income countries: a stratified analysis by facility type

Introduction: To ensure equitable and accessible services and improved utilization of institutional delivery it is important to identify what progress has been achieved, whether there are vulnerable and disadvantaged groups that need specific attention and what are the key factors affecting the utilization of institutional delivery services. In this study, we examined levels, trends, and inequalities in the utilization of institutional delivery services in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted during 1990–2018. Bayesian linear regression analysis was performed. Results: Among 74 countries, the utilization of institutional delivery services ranged from 23.7% in Chad to 100% in Ukraine and Armenia (with >90% in 19 countries and <50% in 13 countries) during the latest DHS rounds. Trend analysis in 63 countries with at least 2 surveys showed that the utilization of institutional delivery services increased in 60 countries during 1990–2018, with the highest increase being in Cambodia (18.3%). During this period, the utilization of institutional delivery services increased in 90.3% of countries among the richest, 95.2% of countries in urban, and 84.1% of countries among secondary+ educated women. The utilization of institutional delivery services was higher among wealthiest, urban, and secondary+ educated women compared to their counterparts. Greater utilization of private facilities for delivery was observed in women from the highest income group and urban communities, whereas highest utilization of public facilities was observed for women from the lowest income group and rural communities. Conclusions: The utilization of institutional delivery services varied substantially between and within countries over time. Significant disparities in service utilization identified in this study highlight the need for tailored support for women from disadvantaged and vulnerable groups

A Follow-up Experience of 6 months after Treatment of Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Aim: As there is lack of information about what happens to children after recovery from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), we report their relapse, morbidity, mortality and referral during follow-up period. Methods: From February 2001 to November 2003, 180 children completing acute and nutrition rehabilitation (NR) phases of protocolized management were advised for 6-months follow-up. The mean (SD) age was 12 (5) months, 55% were infants, 53% were male and 68% were breast-fed. Results: The follow-up compliance rate dropped from 91% at first to 49% at tenth visit. The common morbidities following discharge included fever (26%), cough (24%) and diarrhoea (20%). Successful follow-up done in 124 children [68.9% (95% CI 61.8-75.2%)], partial follow-up in 45 [25% (95% CI 19.2-31.8%)], relapse in 32 [17.8% (95% CI 12.9-24%)] and 5 [2.8% (95% CI 1.2-6.3%)] died. Conclusion: Our findings highlight need for follow-up as part of overall management of SAM and recommend an effective community follow-u

Meeting the Global Target in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Care Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

INTRODUCTION Improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) care services is imperative for reducing maternal and child mortality. Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are striving to achieve RMNCH-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We monitored progress, made projections, and calculated the average annual rate of change needed to achieve universal (100%) access of RMNCH service indicators by 2030. METHODS We extracted Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 75 LMICs to estimate the coverage of RMNCH indicators and composite coverage index (CCI) to measure health system strengths. Bayesian linear regression models were fitted to predict the coverage of indicators and the probability of achieving targets. RESULTS The projection analysis included 64 countries with available information for at least 2 DHS rounds. No countries are projected to reach universal CCI by 2030; only Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Honduras, Morocco, and Sierra Leone will have more than 90% CCI. None of the LMICs will achieve universal coverage of all RMNCH indicators by 2030, although some may achieve universal coverage for specific services. To meet targets for universal service access by 2030, most LMICs must attain a 2-fold increase in the coverage of indicators from 2019 to 2030. Coverage of RMNCH indicators, the probability of target attainments, and the required rate of increase vary significantly across the spectrum of sociodemographic disadvantages. Most countries with poor historical and current trends for RMNCH coverage are likely to experience a similar scenario in 2030. Countries with lower coverage had higher disparities across the subgroups of wealth, place of residence, and women's/mother's education and age; these disparities are projected to persist in 2030. CONCLUSION None of the LMICs will meet the SDG RMNCH 2030 targets without scaling up essential RMNCH interventions, reducing gaps in coverage, and reaching marginalized and disadvantaged populations

Efficacy and Economics of Herbicidal Weed Management in Monsoon Rice of Bangladesh: Weed Management in Monsoon Rice of Bangladesh

Weed management is a challenging task in sustainable rice production. Physical and cultural methods of weed control are laborious and expensive, whereas chemical control is cheaper and less time consuming despite of some detrimental effect on environment with its inappropriate application. Considering these points, an experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh during July–December 2015 to find out appropriate weed management practices for inbred and hybrid rice. The experiment comprised of four rice varieties (two inbred; BRRI dhan49 and Binadhan-7, and two hybrids; Dhani gold and Agrodhan-12); and eight herbicidal weed control treatments (season-long weedy or weed free, Pretilachlor fb Penoxsolum or 2,4-D dimethyl amine, Pendimethalin fb Penoxsolum or 2,4-D dimethyl amine, Pretilachlor or Pendimethalin fb one-time hand weeding). Eleven weed species belonging to five families were observed in the experimental plots. The highest weed density and dry weight were found in season-long weedy treatment and the lowest one was found in Pretilachlor fb one-time hand weeding. The highest above ground crop biomass (9.7 t ha-1) and harvest index (46.3%) were obtained from the hybrid variety Agrodhan-12 and the lowest biomass (8.3 t ha-1) was obtained from the inbred variety Binadhan-7. Season long weed free condition resulted the highest above ground crop&nbsp; biomass (10.9 t ha-1), harvest index (48.7%), highest yield increase over control (213.8), weed control efficiency (100%) and gross return (BDT 141480 ha-1) and the lowest values for all those parameters were obtained from season-long weedy treatment. Season-long weed free treatment combined with Pretilachlor or Pendimethalin fb one-time hand weeding showed the best performance in reducing weed density and increasing above ground crop biomass, but gross return was higher because of high labour wages in these treatments. The highest BCR (2.5) was observed in Pretilachlor fb Penoxsolum. Therefore from economic view point Pretilachlor fb Penoxsolum is the best combination. But from sustainability view point Pretilachlor or Pendimethalin along with one-time hand weeding may be recommended for effective weed management in inbred and hybrid rice during monsoon season

Health system impact of COVID-19 on urban slum population of Bangladesh: a mixed-method rapid assessment study

Daniel Reidpath - ORCID: 0000-0002-8796-0420 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8796-0420Design Setting and participants A cross-sectional survey among 476 households was conducted during October–December 2020 in five selected urban slums of Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Gazipur City Corporation. In-depth interviews with purposively selected 22 slum dwellers and key informant interviews with 16 local healthcare providers and four policymakers and technical experts were also conducted. Outcome measures Percentage of people suffering from general illness, percentage of people suffering from chronic illness, percentage of people seeking healthcare, percentage of people seeking maternal care, health system challenges resulting from COVID-19. Results About 12% of members suffered from general illness and 25% reported chronic illness. Over 80% sought healthcare and the majority sought care from informal healthcare providers. 39% of the recently delivered women sought healthcare in 3 months preceding the survey. An overall reduction in healthcare use was reported during the lockdown period compared with prepandemic time. Mismanagement and inefficient use of resources were reported as challenges of health financing during the pandemic. Health information sharing was inadequate at the urban slums, resulting from the lack of community and stakeholder engagement (51% received COVID-19-related information, 49% of respondents knew about the national hotline number for COVID-19 treatment). Shortage of human resources for health was reported to be acute during the pandemic, resulting from the shortage of specialist doctors and uneven distribution of health workforce. COVID-19 test was inadequate due to the lack of adequate test facilities and stigma associated with COVID-19. Lack of strong leadership and stakeholder engagement was seen as the barriers to effective pandemic management. Conclusion The findings of the current study are expected to support the government in tailoring interventions and allocating resources more efficiently and timely during a pandemic.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-05740212pubpub

From soil to plant: strengthening carrot defenses against Meloidogyne incognita with vermicompost and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi biofertilizers

IntroductionSustainable agricultural practices for controlling crop pests are urgently needed to reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides, which have long-term detrimental effects on ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and vermicompost (Vc) supplementation, alone and in combination, in mitigating the negative impacts of Meloidogyne incognita infestation on carrot (Daucus carota L.) growth, development, and physiology.MethodsWe measured different plant growth parameters such as plant height and biomass accumulation, several plant physiological parameters such as the levels of photosynthetic pigments, phenolics, and the activity of defense enzymes such as peroxidases and polyphenol oxidases, and evaluated the severity of Meloidogyne incognita nematode infestation on plants treated or not treated with vermicompost (Vc) and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).ResultsOur findings show that M. incognita significantly affects plant growth, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic pigment and carotenoid content. The incorporation of Vc and AMF into the soil, either individually or in combination, significantly alleviates the negative effects of nematode infestation on carrot plants. This was accompanied by the induction of phenolic compounds and defense enzymes such as peroxidases (+15.65%) and polyphenol oxidases (29.78%), and by a reduction in the severity of nematode infestation on Vc and AMF-treated plants compared to nematode-infested plants. Principal component analysis (PCA) shows significant correlations between various of the studied parameters. In particular, we observed negative correlations between the application of AMF and Vc alone and in combination and disease severity, and positive correlations between plant growth, photosynthetic pigments phenol content, and activity of defense enzymes.DiscussionOur study highlights the relevance of cultural practices and beneficial microorganisms for the sustainable and environmentally friendly management of agricultural pests

In vivo anxiolytic and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of water-soluble extract (WSE) of Nigella sativa (L.) seeds

The WSE is a highly polar, gummy and mucilaginous bioactive content of the Nigella sativa (L.) seeds. This study reports the anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory effects of WSE investigated using Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Hole-Board Test (HBT) in adult mice and human RBCs haemolysis inhibition and protein denaturation respectively. The oral WSE treatment (100 & 200 mg/kg b.w/day) for 72 hours has exhibited slightly better anxiolytic effect (p < 0.05) through the time span (92.33 & 93.33 s) spent in the opened arms of EPM vs. diazepam (1 mg/kg b.w i.p/day; 69.33 s). In HBT, only WSE (200 mg/kg b.w/day) has shown a promising number of mean head pokes (13.27 times/min) vs. diazepam (12.87 times/min). The WSE (62.5-500 mg/mL) exposure has exhibited 40.14-72.18% protection against lysis of RBCs vs. aspirin (57.04-71.48%) whilst 62.67-67.66% inhibition of protein denaturation vs. diclofenac sodium (43.11-80.64%). The current findings suggested WSE has promising anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory activities

Evaluating the implementation related challenges of Shasthyo Suroksha Karmasuchi (health protection scheme) of the government of Bangladesh: a study protocol

Background Rapidly increasing healthcare costs and the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases have increased the out-of-pocket (OOP) spending (63.3% of total health expenditure) in Bangladesh. This increasing OOP spending for healthcare has catastrophic economic impact on households. To reduce this burden, the Health Economics Unit (HEU) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has developed the Shasthyo Surokhsha Karmasuchi (SSK) health protection scheme for the below-poverty line (BPL) population. The key actors in the scheme are HEU, contracted scheme operator and hospital. Under this scheme, each enrolled household is provided 50,000 BDT (620 USD) coverage per year for healthcare services against a government financed premium of 1000 BDT (12 USD). This initiative faces some challenges e.g., delays in scheme activities, registering the targeted population, low utilization of services, lack of motivation of the providers, and management related difficulties. It is also important to estimate the financial requirement for nationwide scale-up of this project. We aim to identify these implementation-related challenges and provide feedback to the project personnel. Methods This is a concurrent process documentation using mixed-method approaches. It will be conducted in the rural Kalihati Upazila where the SSK is being implemented. To validate the BPL population selection process, we will estimate the positive predictive value. A community survey will be conducted to assess the knowledge of the card holders about SSK services. From the SSK information management system, numbers of different services utilized by the card holders will be retrieved. Key-informant interviews with personnel from three key actors will be conducted to understand the barriers in the implementation of the project as per plan and gather their suggestions. To estimate the project costs, all inputs to be used will be identified, quantified and valued. The nationwide scale-up cost of the project will be estimated by applying economic modeling. Discussion SSK is the first ever government initiated health protection scheme in Bangladesh. The study findings will enable decision makers to gain a better understanding of the key challenges in implementation of such scheme and provide feedback towards the successful implementation of the program