Secondary Education During Lockdown Situation Due to Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Teachers’ Response on Online Classes

Online classes started in many secondary schools one month after the compulsory closure of all education institutions in Bangladesh. This study explores the current scenario as well as challenges of adaptation of online classes in secondary education in terms of teachers’ experience. The study followed sequential exploratory mixed-method approach. Five secondary teachers were interviewed and 54 secondary teachers from 17 districts in Bangladesh were surveyed over telephone, Google forms and by email. The quantitative data was analyzed with Microsoft Excel and the thematic analysis approach had been followed for the qualitative one. The findings revealed that a good number of teachers have started teaching online by using social media platforms despite of not having any training or experience. Very few respondent teachers were found to take online examination; instead they are trying to assess the students from the feedback of given home works and home assignments. Teachers are facing numerous challenges like deficit of digital equipment, lack of expertise, unfamiliarity with the LMS, proficiency in assessment technique etc. The paper concludes with few recommendations such as providing proper devices to the teachers and students to participate in online class; facilitate rigorous training to enhance technology-based skills and capacities of the teachers so as to get the expected outcome. Keywords: Secondary education, Education in pandemic, Online class, Teachers’ response. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-20-11 Publication date:July 31st 202

The pathophysiology of degenerative cervical myelopathy and the physiology of recovery following decompression

Background: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), also known as cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the leading cause of spinal cord compression in adults. The mainstay of treatment is surgical decompression, which leads to partial recovery of symptoms, however, long term prognosis of the condition remains poor. Despite advances in treatment methods, the underlying pathobiology is not well-known. A better understanding of the disease is therefore required for the development of treatments to improve outcomes following surgery. Objective: To systematically evaluate the pathophysiology of DCM and the mechanism underlying recovery following decompression. Methods: A total of 13,808 published articles were identified in our systematic search of electronic databases (PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE). A total of 51 studies investigating the secondary injury mechanisms of DCM or physiology of recovery in animal models of disease underwent comprehensive review. Results: Forty-seven studies addressed the pathophysiology of DCM. Majority of the studies demonstrated evidence of neuronal loss following spinal cord compression. A number of studies provided further details of structural changes in neurons such as myelin damage and axon degeneration. The mechanisms of injury to cells included direct apoptosis and increased inflammation. Only four papers investigated the pathobiological changes that occur in spinal cords following decompression. One study demonstrated evidence of axonal plasticity following decompressive surgery. Another study demonstrated ischaemic-reperfusion injury following decompression, however this phenomenon was worse when decompression was delayed. Conclusions: In preclinical studies, the pathophysiology of DCM has been poorly studied and a number of questions remain unanswered. The physiological changes seen in the decompressed spinal cord has not been widely investigated and it is paramount that researchers investigate the decompressed spinal cord further to enable the development of therapeutic tools, to enhance recovery following surgery

Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide Concentration on 100% Cotton Knit Fabric Bleaching

This paper focuses on the effect of different concentration of hydrogen peroxide (an oxidizing bleaching agent) on 100% single jersey cotton knit fabric. Five different concentrations (25%, 30%, 35%, 40% and 45%) of hydrogen peroxide solution (5% stock solution) were adopted for this experiment. For each individual concentration, bleaching was performed in three different quantities (6gm/L, 8gm/L and 10gm/L) at the same temperature (100˚C) and same time (60 minute) cycle. 5gm samples were taken where 1:10 material and liquor ratio was maintained in each operation. Spectrophotometer (data color 650) was used to test the reflectance of all bleached samples, and their bursting strengths were measured by an Auto burst instrument following ISO 13938-1 method. The effects of hydrogen peroxide concentration on various physical properties such as weight loss, absorbency, GSM, bursting strength, and whiteness was studied to minimize the cost of bleaching process by optimizing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. As majority of industries have concerned to alineate the production cost with maximum quality assurance which has been obtained through bleaching at 30% concentration

Corrigendum: The Pathophysiology of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and the Physiology of Recovery Following Decompression.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00138.]

From evidence to action: Results from the 2013 baseline survey for the BALIKA project

The Population Council and partners are working on a program to generate evidence on what works to prevent child marriage in Bangladesh. This report is an integral part of the program and presents evidence from a baseline study conducted in three districts in southern Bangladesh. The study documents data from a survey conducted in 96 villages on education, livelihoods, sexual and reproductive health, and social life. The program, which offers skills development for girls who are at highest risk and live in impoverished areas of the country with the highest child marriage prevalence, explores the potential benefits of investing in skills development for girls 12–19 years of age. The study finds that there are few opportunities for income earning or skills training. Similarly, very few of the respondents have opportunities to develop social networks or participate in civic engagement. By offering a place to meet other girls, socialize, build networks, and acquire skills, Bangladeshi Association for Life Skills, Income, and Knowledge for Adolescents (BALIKA) centers can help fill an important void in the lives of girls in the study area

Effects of locally produced bacterial phytase on humoral immunity, live body weight and blood characteristics in broilers vaccinated against Newcastle disease

Immune responses in association with body weight performance and hemato-biochemical constituents might influence the Newcastle disease (ND) vaccination by dietary phytase supplementation (Enterobacter sakazakii ASUA273). The objective of the study was to determine the effects of bacterial phytase supplementation on humoral immunity in association with live body weight and blood characteristics of broilers. Male-day-old Cobb broilers (n=180) were assigned into four phytase treatments (0, 500, 1000 and 1500 FTU/kg-1 of diet) with 12 cages comprised of 3 replicates and each cage contained 15 birds. Birds were maintained on formulated basal diet based with available phosphorus (0.19%) that lasted up to six weeks in feed. Birds were vaccinated with a live ND vaccine at day-old and 21 day-old. Two birds were randomly selected from each treatment weekly. Specific antibody to ND, non-specific immunoglobins (IgM, IgG, and IgA) and live body weight were measured weekly. At the end of experiment, the complete haemato-biochemical constituents were determined. Data of humoral immunity with live body weight and haemato- biochemical values were analysed based on factorial arrangement (treatments×weeks) of completely randomized design (CRD), respectively. Response of the humoral immunity shown that although serum-antibody of ND, IgM, and IgG levels were not improved, the mucosal IgA contents were increased with the increasing phytase doses. The live body weights of broilers were significantly increased (P<0.05) to the graded levels of phytase supplementation throughout the experimental period. Cumulative effects of mucosal IgA contents and live body weights of broilers showed significant (P<0.05) interaction between the effects of phytase levels and effects of weeks. Overall, phytase dose at 1500 FTU/kg-1 of diet over the age of 6 weeks-old showed the best performance. Conversely, no significant, sequential, and consistent treatment effects were observed on hemato-biochemical constituents in broiler chickens. It is therefore, concluded that the efficacy of this local phytase was flourished in respective to mucosal IgA contents and live body weights of broilers

Factors determining the profitability of rice farming in Bangladesh

This study was conducted to analyze the profitability of rice farming in Bangladesh. In doing so, it utilized the multistage sampling technique to collect the cross-sectional data from seven rice producing districts in Bangladesh during 2016. A total of 140 samples were directly interviewed using a structured questionnaire for achieving the purpose. Apart from the descriptive analysis of the socioeconomic variables of the selected respondents, the benefit-cost and functional profitability analysis of rice were also performed. The log-linear form of Cobb-Douglas production function was chosen to determine the effects of various inputs on the profitability of rice. The finding of cost-benefit analysis reveals that rice farming is a profitable activity in Bangladesh as the estimated cost of production was lower than the return in the selected study areas. However, the profitability differs among different farmers? group and large farmers are more profitable in rice cultivation than small and medium farmers. In addition, the functional analysis identifies three inputs such as the cost of power tiller, fertilizer and hired labor as the significant determinants of profitability for all farmers in the study regions. Moreover, these factors also differ across the farmer's groups except the cost of fertilizer. Therefore, it is recommended in this study that the concerned authority of the government should ensure adequate and timely fertilizer use at a subsidized price which would be affordable by the farmers. Besides, a fair pricing policy should be set so that fluctuation in the price level can be controlled. Effective extension service may also help the farmers using a better combination of input that will generate higher productivity and return, thereby, will contribute to being food secure and self-sufficient in rice cultivation

Key issues surrounding the management of non-communicable diseases including the management of diabetes post COVID-19 among developing countries with a specific focus on Bangladesh

There continues to be a high and growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which is a concern. Currently, over 41 million people globally die each year from NCDs, and growing, with the greatest shift in disease burden, including mortality, from communicable diseases to NCDs among African and South Asian countries (Khanam et al., 2019). For instance in Bangladesh, deaths due to NCDs increased from 43.4% of total deaths in 2000 to 66.9% in 2015 (Rawal et al., 2019). It has been estimated by 2025 that nearly 30% of adults globally will have hypertension estimated at 1.5 billion people (Khanam et al., 2019, Legido-Quigley et al., 2019), with these figures likely to be an under-estimate with the recent COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures (Ahmed et al., 2020, Kluge et al., 2020, Mistry et al., 2021), further increasing morbidity and mortality. There are similar concerns with patients with diabetes. Globally in 2019, there was an estimated 463 million people worldwide with diabetes mellitus (Chan et al., 2021, Liu et al., 2020), with these rates expected to grow unless addressed (Godman et al., 2021a). However, the International Diabetes Federation recorded higher rates globally at 537 million adults aged between 20 and 70 years, i.e., approximately one in ten adults, with this figure expected to rise of 643 million by 2030 unless addressed (IDF, 2021a)

Numerical Investigation of the Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of Water-Based Nanofluids in a Dimpled Channel Flow using Al₂O₃, CuO, and Hybrid Al₂O₃-CuO as Nanoparticles

In this study, the authors study the impact of spherical dimple surfaces and nanofluid coolants on heat transfer and pressure drop. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the thermal performance of nanofluids with respect to different Reynolds numbers (Re) and nanoparticle compositions in dimpled channel flow. Water-based nanofluids with Al2O3, CuO, and Al2O3-CuO nanoparticles are considered for this investigation with 1%, 2%, and 4% volume fraction for each nanofluid. The simulations are conducted at low Reynolds numbers varying from 500 to 1250, assuming constant and uniform heat flux. The effective properties of nanofluids are estimated using models proposed in the literature and are combined with the computational fluid dynamics solver ANSYS Fluent for the analysis. The results are discussed in terms of heat transfer coefficient, temperature distributions, pressure drop, Nusselt number, friction factors, and performance criterion for all the cases. For all cases of different nanoparticle compositions, the heat transfer coefficient was seen as 35%-46% higher for the dimpled channel in comparison with the smooth channel. Besides, it was observed that with increasing volume fraction, the values of heat transfer and pressure drop were increased. With a maximum of 25.18% increase in the thermal performance, the 1% Al2O3/water was found to be the best performing nanofluid at Re = 500 in the dimpled channel flow