Growth and Yield of Hybrid Maize as Influenced by Fertilizer Management

An experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Bangladesh during the rabi season (December to May), 2012-13 to study the effect of different organic and inorganic fertilizers on growth and development of hybrid maize (Denali). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete block Design with three replications with 30 plots. Ten fertilizer treatments (T1= Compost, T2= Cow dung, T3= Poultry manure, T4= Recommended fertilizer dose, T5= Compost + Half recommended fertilizer dose, T6= Compost + Full recommended fertilizer dose, T7= Cow dung + Half recommended fertilizer dose, T8= Cow dung + Full recommended fertilizer dose, T9= Poultry manure + Half recommended fertilizer dose, T10= Poultry manure + Full recommended fertilizer dose. The recommended fertilizer dose was 500 Kg ha-1 urea + 250 Kg ha-1 TSP + 200 Kg ha-1 MP + 15 Kg ha-1 ZnSO4 + 6 Kg ha-1 Boric Acid. And the rate of Compost, Cow dung and Poultry manure was 10t/ha. The effect of different manure and fertilizer doses on the yield and yield attributes were significant. The plant height, number of leaves per plant, weight of stem per plant, weight of leaves per plant, length of cob, grain weight per cob, diameter of cob, no. of grains per row, no. of total grains per cob, 1000-grain weight, yield plant-1, yield ha-1 were significantly affected by different manures and fertilizer uses with different doses. The treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9 and T10 gave grain yield 10.16, 9.09, 8.49, 14.34, 13.35, 18.12, 11.99, 17.09, 11.40 and 15.98 t ha-1, respectively. The T6 Treatment gave higher grain yield (18.12) t ha-1 and the T3 treatment performed lowest grain yield (8.49 t ha-1). The application of compost and full dose fertilizer is higher yielding. Balance nutrition with enough organic matter enrichment of the soil is the cause of this result

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years) are lacking. To address this gap, we analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, with a focus on the outcome of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), to inform global cancer control measures in adolescents and young adults. Methods Using the GBD 2019 methodology, international mortality data were collected from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and population-based cancer registry inputs modelled with mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs). Incidence was computed with mortality estimates and corresponding MIRs. Prevalence estimates were calculated using modelled survival and multiplied by disability weights to obtain years lived with disability (YLDs). Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated as age-specific cancer deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. The main outcome was DALYs (the sum of YLLs and YLDs). Estimates were presented globally and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles (countries ranked and divided into five equal SDI groups), and all estimates were presented with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). For this analysis, we used the age range of 15-39 years to define adolescents and young adults. Findings There were 1.19 million (95% UI 1.11-1.28) incident cancer cases and 396 000 (370 000-425 000) deaths due to cancer among people aged 15-39 years worldwide in 2019. The highest age-standardised incidence rates occurred in high SDI (59.6 [54.5-65.7] per 100 000 person-years) and high-middle SDI countries (53.2 [48.8-57.9] per 100 000 person-years), while the highest age-standardised mortality rates were in low-middle SDI (14.2 [12.9-15.6] per 100 000 person-years) and middle SDI (13.6 [12.6-14.8] per 100 000 person-years) countries. In 2019, adolescent and young adult cancers contributed 23.5 million (21.9-25.2) DALYs to the global burden of disease, of which 2.7% (1.9-3.6) came from YLDs and 97.3% (96.4-98.1) from YLLs. Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death and tenth leading cause of DALYs in adolescents and young adults globally. Interpretation Adolescent and young adult cancers contributed substantially to the overall adolescent and young adult disease burden globally in 2019. These results provide new insights into the distribution and magnitude of the adolescent and young adult cancer burden around the world. With notable differences observed across SDI settings, these estimates can inform global and country-level cancer control efforts. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Development of Flexible Composite Sheet with Chrome Shavings Using Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Cross-Linker

Leather processing generates a huge amount of chromium (Cr) containing wastes, and one of them is chrome shavings (CS), which frequently end up in landfills. It may be harmful to the environment and human health due to the oxidation of Cr(III) to poisonous Cr(VI). Herein, CS and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are used for the preparation of flexible CS-PVA composite sheets, using CS as a skeletal and PVA as a cross-linker by a simple and facile technique. CS-PVA composite sheets are characterized by FT-IR, SEM, STA, and UTM. FT-IR analysis of CS-PVA composite sheets indicated the existence of dominating peaks corresponding to collagen amide bands as well as PVA characteristic bands, and it demonstrates the uniformity of the developed composite sheets. When the amount of PVA is increased, the tensile strength of CS-PVA composite sheets increases from 0.21 to 4.17 N/mm2. With increasing of the amount of PVA, the softness decreases from 6.47 to 3.7 mm, and SEM shows decreasing of pores in the composite sheet. The addition of more PVA makes CS-PVA composite sheets more thermally stable. This facile method of preparing CS-PVA composite sheet is low-cost and eco-friendly, having potential applications in various fields, including clothing, leather goods, decoration, packaging, and footwear products, as well as presenting promising platforms for effective utilization of industrial waste materials

Yield and Yield Components of Maize as Affected by Planting Density

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of planting density on growth, development, yield and yield components contributing characteristics of maize during the period of November, 2012 to March 2013 in the Research Field and Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Ecology Department, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The experimental area belongs to Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain (AEZ-1) of Bangladesh having sandy loam soil with pH 6.1. The experimental treatments were five plant spacing (S1=75 cm X 25 cm, S2=75 cm X 20 cm, S3=60 cm X 25 cm, S4=65 cm X 20 cm and S5=50 cm X 25 cm) corresponding to 35,000, 50,000, 60,000, 80,000, 95,000 plants ha-1 respectively with one maize variety. The experiment was laid out in a single factor Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. The experiment plots were divided into four blocks each representing a replication. Growth parameters, some phenological parameters such and some yield and yield attributes increased with decreased in plant the plant population. The highest grain yield of 5.65 t/ ha was produced at (S5) high planting density (95,000 plants ha-1) and the lowest grain yield of 4.21 t/ha was produced at (S1) lowest planting density (35,000 plants ha-1). &nbsp

Advancements in Urban Environmental Studies : Application of Geospatial Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Urban Studies

Advancements in Urban Environmental Studie

Age–sex differences in the global burden of lower respiratory infections and risk factors, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: The global burden of lower respiratory infections (LRI) and corresponding risk factors in children older than five years and adults has not been studied as comprehensively as in children under five years old. We assessed the burden and trends of LRI and risk factors across all age groups by sex for 204 countries and territories. Methods: We used clinician-diagnosed pneumonia or bronchiolitis as our case definition for lower respiratory infections. We included ICD9 codes 073.0-073.6, 079.82, 466-469, 480-489, 513.0, and 770.0 and ICD10 codes A48.1, J09-J22, J85.1, P23-P23.9, and U04. We used the Cause of Death Ensemble modelling strategy to analyse 23,109 site-years of vital registration data, 825 site-years of sample vital registration data, 1766 site-years of verbal autopsy data, and 681 site-years of mortality surveillance data. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, to analyse age-sex-specific incidence and prevalence data identified via systematic review, population-based surveys, and claims and inpatient data. Additionally, we estimated age-sex-specific LRI mortality that is attributable to the independent effects of 14 risk factors.Results: Globally, we estimated LRI episodes of 257 million (95% UI 240–275) for males and 232 million (217–248) for females in 2019. In the same year, LRI accounted for 1.3 million (1.2–1.4) deaths among males and 1.2 million (1.1–1.3) deaths among females. Age-standardised incidence and mortality rates were 1.2 times and 1.3 times greater in males than in females in 2019. Between 1990 and 2019, LRI incidence and mortality rates declined at different rates across age groups while an increase in LRI episodes and deaths was estimated among all adult age groups, with males aged 70 years and older experiencing the highest increase in LRI episodes (126.0% [121.4–131.1]) and deaths (100.0% [83.4–115.9]). During the same period, LRI episodes and deaths in children younger than 15 years were estimated to have decreased, and the greatest decline was observed for mortality among males under the age of five (70.7% [61.8–77.3]). The leading risk factors for LRI mortality varied across age groups and sex. More than half of global LRI deaths among males and females younger than five years were attributable to child wasting, and more than a quarter of LRI deaths among those aged 5–14 years were attributable to household air pollution in 2019. For males aged 15–49, 50–69, and 70 years and older, 20.4 (15.4-25.2), 30.5% (24.1–36.9), and 21.9% (16.8–27.3), respectively, of estimated LRI deaths were attributable to smoking in the same year. For females aged 15–49 and 50–69 years, 21.1% (14.5–27.9) and 7.9% (5.5–10.5) of estimated LRI deaths were attributable to household air pollution in 2019. For females aged 70 years and older, the leading risk factor, ambient particulate matter, was responsible for 11.7% (8.2–15.8) of LRI deaths in the same year.Interpretation: The patterns and progress in reducing the burden of LRI and key risk factors varied across age groups and sexes.. The progress seen in under five children was clearly a result of targeted interventions, such as vaccination and reduction of exposure to risk factors. Similar interventions for other age groups could contribute to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals targets, including promoting well-being at all ages and reducing inequalities. Interventions, including addressing risk factors such as child wasting, smoking, ambient particulate matter pollution, and household air pollution, would mean preventable deaths and millions of lives saved, as well as reduced health disparities

Assessing performance of the Healthcare Access and Quality Index, overall and by select age groups, for 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Health-care needs change throughout the life course. It is thus crucial to assess whether health systems provide access to quality health care for all ages. W measured the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index overall and for select age groups in 204 locations from 1990 to 2019. For GBD 2019, HAQ Index construction methods were updated to use the arithmetic mean of scaled mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) and risk-standardised death rates (RSDRs) for 32 causes of death that should not occur in the presence of timely, quality health care. Across locations and years, MIRs and RSDRs were scaled from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) separately, putting the HAQ Index on a different relative scale for each age group. We estimated absolute convergence for each group on the basis of whether the HAQ Index grew faster in absolute terms between 1990 and 2019 in countries with lower 1990 HAQ Index scores than countries with higher 1990 HAQ Index scores and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile. Interpretation Although major gaps remain across levels of social and economic development, convergence in the young group is an encouraging sign of reduced disparities in health-care access and quality. However, divergence in the working and post-working groups indicates that health-care access and quality is lagging at lower levels of social and economic development. To meet the needs of ageing populations, health systems need to improve health-care access and quality for working-age adults and older populations while continuing to realise gains among the young