Haemoglobin E/Beta Thalassaemia- A Study in BSMMU

Background: Thalassaemias and haemoglobinopathies have been found sporadically in every ethnic group and geographic region, they occur with particularly high frequency from the shores of the Mediterranean and Africa through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Burma and Southeast Asia. Objective: The study was designed to find out the incidence of HbE/beta thalassaemia in BSMMU. Method: A total of 700 patients suspected to have been suffering from haemolytic anaemia were included in the study. Patients having evidence of haemolysis in peripheral blood film were selected for reticulocyte count and haemoglobin electrophoresis in cellulose acetate membrane at pH 8.6. Result: The study group of 700 patients underwent Hb-electrophoresis of which only 52 (7.4%) cases were diagnosed as HbE/beta thalassaemia. Out of 52 cases, 34 (65.4%) patients were found symptomatic and the remaining 18 (34.6%) patients were asymptomatic. Out of 34 symptomatic cases of HbE/beta thalassaemia, only 14 cases needed blood transfusion. Among the 14 patients, only 8 patients needed more than 10 units of transfusion and 6 patients needed frequent transfusion that is two units of blood in every month. Conclusion: It is clearly evident from the present and other studied so far carried out in this Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia that hereditary haemolytic anaemia due to globin chain defects are quite common in this region, especially in Bangladesh and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Key words: Thalassaemia; Haemoglobinopathies; HbE/beta thalassemia. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i2.4762 BSMMU J 2009; 2(2): 78-8

Effects of salinity and temperature on the larval development of a sesarmid crab Neosarmatium trispinosum Davie (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from mangrove swamp in Okinawa Island, Japan

The larval development of the semiterrestrial sesarmid mangrove crab Neosarmarium trispinosum was studied under laboratory conditions at salinities 0-35%o and constant temperatures of 20-30°C. The larval development consists of five zoeal stages and a megalopa. Larvae survived to the first crab stage at salinities between 15 and 35%o with different percentages. At 0, 5 and 10%o, the larvae died within 12-18 hours without moulting to subsequent stages. The highest survival rate was recorded at 20-25%o and 25-30°C with shortest development duration to the first crab stage ranging from 24-28 days. At the highest salinity (35%o), survival rate was gradually decreased with increasing development duration. There were significant differences (P<O.Ol) found in the development period among the tested salinities. Results of this study suggest that the larvae of N. trispinosum develop in estuarine water and recruit to the mangrove swamp at the megalopa stage, where they spend the rest of their lives

A Data-Driven Approach using Long-Short Term Memory for Fault Prognosis and Remaining Useful Life Estimation of Satellite Reaction Wheel

Artificial satellites are objects or a body that are stationed in the orbit of another object. The purpose of artificial satellites includes monitoring, information transfer, studying a different planet, space exploration, and fulfilling many other modern-day needs. For the increased demand, the number of artificial satellites revolving around the earth is also increasing. Due to cost efficiency, bulk manufacturing capability, and ease to launch in the orbits, small satellites are the topic of interest. Reaction wheels are widely used in the attitude control system of small satellites. Unfortunately, reaction wheels failure restricts the efficacy of a satellite, and it is one of the many reasons that lead to premature abandonment of the satellites. In larger satellites, there is room for mechanical redundancy to increase service reliability, so an onboard health monitoring system is in demand to ensure seamless performance by minimizing the risk factor of the sudden failure of a small satellite. This study observes the measurable system parameter of a faulty reaction wheel to estimate the remaining useful life of the reaction wheels. In this research, a data-driven approach is for the fault prognosis of the satellite reaction wheel. The measurable system parameters from the satellite reaction wheel are not directly related to the health of the system. So, the proposed method involves three stages to achieve the goal. In the first stage, the necessary observable system parameters are identified, and their future state is predicted based on historical data using a long short-term memory recurrent neural network. A health index parameter is defined and estimated using a multi-variate long short-term memory network in the second stage. In the third stage, the remaining useful life of the reaction wheel is estimated based on historical data of the health index parameter and a threshold. The approach is very efficient depending on the fault severity and can be used in on-field scenarios. The approach is robust up to a certain degree of noise, disturbance, and missing data

A Study on Milk Value Chains for Poor People in Bangladesh

Child and maternal undernutrition is still prevalent in Bangladesh and poor dietary diversity is one of the major causes. While milk can contribute to nutritional requirements, currently availability in Bangladesh is 126ml/person/day, whereas recommended consumption is 250ml/person/day. This case study was conducted to identify existing milk value chains and the milk consumption behaviour of poor people. Priority was given to women and children as they are the most vulnerable in both rural and urban areas. It was observed that both formal and informal value chains coexist where milk collectors and chilling centres have a lead role. At the household level, milk purchase decisions are usually taken by men in rural areas, whereas in urban areas women take part equally in the process. Government and private sector initiatives can play a role in increasing milk production and consumption through greater investment. Behavioural change communication is also vital to build awareness of milk consumption.Department for International Development (DFID

Characteristics, importance and objectives of research: an overview of the indispensable of ethical research

This study focuses on Characteristics, Importance and Objectives (CIO) of research. The main aim of this article is to emphasize on research ethics. Knowledge in characteristics, importance and objectives of research motivate to be ethical in research. It is the utmost importance knowing these three basic subjects of research for researchers specially for novice researchers. These improve research mentality, academic attitude and way of thinking that enable researcher to choose research area, generate constructive potential research title. In addition, motivate to know what the problem is and cause of problem and how to solve the recognized valid problem. In fact, an outstanding unique contribution of a research depends on applying research ethics. A profound understanding the (CIO) of research reinforce research motive and enable to follow research ethics that is core requirement in each research activities

People with special needs in Ancient societies: a comparative study between few early philosophers and Islam

This article focuses on people with special needs in ancient societies. The main aim of this article is to examine people with special needs in ancient societies as a comparative study between few early philosophers and Islam in order to find out the real circumstance and situation of this group of people. It focuses on three different ancient societies Europe, Arab, and India. This systematic investigation meets with ruthless and brutal decision of few philosophers, invalid notion of people; inhuman customs and picture of harassment towards disabled people in abovementioned societies. It attains only in the Holy Qur’ān and Prophetic traditions moral approaches in caring and empowering persons with special needs in early Islamic society in 7th century

Review of Agri-Food Chain Interventions Aimed at Enhancing Consumption of Nutritious Food by the Poor: Bangladesh

Bangladesh is primarily an agrarian nation. Most of the people of the country directly or indirectly depend on agriculture. Rural people are more involved in this sector compared to urban people. Agriculture is the single largest producing sector of the economy. The performance of this sector has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives like employment generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development and food security. The acceleration in economic and agricultural growth has made a positive impact on the diversity of food intake, away from the rice- and vegetable-based diet in favour of quality food. However, nearly 20 per cent of the population is still calorie deficient and the gender disparity in calorie intake still persists. Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing under nutrition of children. However, progress in reducing stunting, the indicator of chronic malnutrition, shows a less encouraging picture. A review on existing agriculture value chain-based interventions that focus on enhancing the availability, affordability, acceptability and/or consumption of nutritious foods in households beyond the farm gate in Bangladesh has been undertaken. This review covers: interventions focused on foods that are naturally nutrient-dense interventions focused on enhancing the nutritional value of foods, including staples and prepared foods, whether directed at particular nutritional uses or for consumption by the general population food distribution programmes that might incorporate foods in either of the preceding categorie