Development of E-banking in Bangladesh: A Survey Study

E-Banking is being grownup speedily in Bangladesh. The recent exceptional advancement in data technology and smartphones’ convenience has brought important changes in banks' services in Bangladesh. Notably, banks are presently competitory to supply complete banking services via smartphones or through on-line platforms. Such digital banking services cut back long queues within the bank’s counter to withdraw cash/ to deposit cash to their accounts

Accelerating Sparse Tensor Decomposition Using Adaptive Linearized Representation

High-dimensional sparse data emerge in many critical application domains such as cybersecurity, healthcare, anomaly detection, and trend analysis. To quickly extract meaningful insights from massive volumes of these multi-dimensional data, scientists employ unsupervised analysis tools based on tensor decomposition (TD) methods. However, real-world sparse tensors exhibit highly irregular shapes, data distributions, and sparsity, which pose significant challenges for making efficient use of modern parallel architectures. This study breaks the prevailing assumption that compressing sparse tensors into coarse-grained structures (i.e., tensor slices or blocks) or along a particular dimension/mode (i.e., mode-specific) is more efficient than keeping them in a fine-grained, mode-agnostic form. Our novel sparse tensor representation, Adaptive Linearized Tensor Order (ALTO), encodes tensors in a compact format that can be easily streamed from memory and is amenable to both caching and parallel execution. To demonstrate the efficacy of ALTO, we accelerate popular TD methods that compute the Canonical Polyadic Decomposition (CPD) model across a range of real-world sparse tensors. Additionally, we characterize the major execution bottlenecks of TD methods on multiple generations of the latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors, including Sapphire Rapids CPUs, and introduce dynamic adaptation heuristics to automatically select the best algorithm based on the sparse tensor characteristics. Across a diverse set of real-world data sets, ALTO outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches, achieving more than an order-of-magnitude speedup over the best mode-agnostic formats. Compared to the best mode-specific formats, which require multiple tensor copies, ALTO achieves more than 5.1x geometric mean speedup at a fraction (25%) of their storage.Comment: We extend the results of our previous ICS paper to significantly improve the parallel performance of the Canonical Polyadic Alternating Least Squares (CP-ALS) algorithm for normally distributed data and the Canonical Polyadic Alternating Poisson Regression (CP-APR) algorithm for non-negative count dat

MISIM: A Novel Code Similarity System

Code similarity systems are integral to a range of applications from code recommendation to automated software defect correction. We argue that code similarity is now a first-order problem that must be solved. To begin to address this, we present machine Inferred Code Similarity (MISIM), a novel end-to-end code similarity system that consists of two core components. First, MISIM uses a novel context-aware semantic structure, which is designed to aid in lifting semantic meaning from code syntax. Second, MISIM provides a neural-based code similarity scoring algorithm, which can be implemented with various neural network architectures with learned parameters. We compare MISIM to three state-of-the-art code similarity systems: (i) code2vec, (ii) Neural Code Comprehension, and (iii) Aroma. In our experimental evaluation across 328,155 programs (over 18 million lines of code), MISIM has 1.5x to 43.4x better accuracy than all three systems

eRegMat – a digital registry for improved quality of antenatal care: a cluster-randomized trial in a rural area in Bangladesh

Introduction Longitudinal client tracking systems with digital health interventions are recommended for implementation in resource-limited settings but lack evidence of benefits, harms, and implementation. In the eRegMat cluster-randomized controlled trial, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of an eRegistry versus an unshared digital client record. Methods Fifty-nine primary health care facilities in Matlab, Bangladesh were randomized with a 1:1 allocation ratio to receive an eRegistry (intervention, 30 health facilities) with decision support, feedback dashboards and targeted client communication, or an unshared digital client record without digital health interventions (control, 29 health facilities). We assessed timely antenatal care attendance, quality of care, and health outcomes. Outcome data were captured in the eRegistry, or unshared digital client record used by health workers, and through a postpartum household survey. We estimated adjusted relative risks (ARRs) following the intention-to-treat principle and adjusted for cluster randomization. Results From October 2018 to June 2020, 3023 pregnant women were enrolled in the intervention and 2746 in the control groups through community and facility registrations. Intervention and control groups did not differ for the primary outcomes: timely attendance at eligible antenatal care visits (42.5% vs. 40.3%, ARR 0.96, 95% CI 0.89–1.05, p-value 0.4) and hypertension screening and management (95.1% vs. 94.7%, ARR 1.00, 95% CI 0.96–1.03, p-value 0.8). The secondary outcome of perinatal mortality and severe perinatal morbidities was lower in the intervention (14.6%) compared to the control group (15%) (ARR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.96, p-value 0.02), with the change mostly attributed to morbidity outcomes. Conclusion Due to technical and implementation challenges we were unable to estimate the effect of the intervention with sufficient precision. Challenges included delays in rollout of the digital health interventions and outcome data collection, existence of parallel documentation systems on paper and digital and the COVID-19 pandemic. Given these methodological constraints, we are unable to draw definitive interpretations of trial results.publishedVersio

The final transformation of Étaín

Abstract Background Although serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonists are effective in reducing nausea and vomiting, they may be associated with increased cardiac risk. Our objective was to examine the comparative safety and effectiveness of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists (e.g., dolasetron, granisetron, ondansetron, palonosetron, tropisetron) alone or combined with steroids for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception until December 2015 for studies comparing 5-HT3 receptor antagonists with each other or placebo in chemotherapy patients. The search results were screened, data were abstracted, and risk of bias was appraised by pairs of reviewers, independently. Random-effects meta-analyses and network meta-analyses (NMAs) were conducted. Results After screening 9226 citations and 970 full-text articles, we included 299 studies (n = 58,412 patients). None of the included studies reported harms for active treatment versus placebo. For NMAs on the risk of arrhythmia (primary outcome; three randomized controlled trials [RCTs], 627 adults) and mortality (secondary outcome; eight RCTs, 4823 adults), no statistically significant differences were observed between agents. A NMA on the risk of QTc prolongation showed a significantly greater risk for dolasetron + dexamethasone versus ondansetron + dexamethasone (four RCTs, 3358 children and adults, odds ratio 2.94, 95% confidence interval 2.13–4.17). For NMAs on the number of patients without nausea (44 RCTs, 11,664 adults, 12 treatments), number of patients without vomiting (63 RCTs, 15,460 adults, 12 treatments), and number of patients without chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting (27 RCTs, 10,924 adults, nine treatments), all agents were significantly superior to placebo. For a NMA on severe vomiting (10 RCTs, 917 adults), all treatments decreased the risk, but only ondansetron and ramosetron were significantly superior to placebo. According to a rank-heat plot with the surface under the cumulative ranking curve results, palonosetron + steroid was ranked the safest and most effective agent overall. Conclusions Most 5-HT3 receptor antagonists were relatively safe when compared with each other, yet none of the studies compared active treatment with placebo for harms. However, dolasetron + dexamethasone may prolong the QTc compared to ondansetron + dexamethasone. All agents were effective for reducing risk of nausea, vomiting, and chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting. Trial registration This study was registered at PROSPERO: ( CRD42013003564 )

Exploration of Attendance, Active Participation, and Behavior Change in a Group-Based Responsive Stimulation, Maternal and Child Health, and Nutrition Intervention

Delivery of interventions through group sessions allows for in-depth discussions and creates opportunities for group members to work together to identify and solve common problems. However, low attendance may limit impact. We explored factors affecting attendance, active participation, and behavior change in an integrated group-based child development and maternal and child health intervention in Bangladesh. Community health workers (CHWs) facilitated two sessions a month including material on child stimulation; water, sanitation, and hygiene; nutrition, maternal depression, and lead exposure prevention. Sessions were conducted with 320 pregnant women and mothers with children younger than 24 months, in 16 villages in Kishoreganj district. After 4 and 9 months of intervention, we conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with mothers (n = 55 and n = 48) to identify determinants of attendance and behavior change, and to examine potential for intervention scale-up. Recruiting family members to assist with childcare resulted in improved attention during sessions. Adopting a storytelling format for presentation of session materials resulted in more engaged participation during courtyard sessions. Session attendance and behavior change, especially purchasing decisions, were difficult for participants without the support of male heads of the household. Selecting a rotating leader from among the group members to remind group members to attend sessions and support CHWs in organizing the sessions was not successful. Facilitating self-appraisals and planning for water and sanitation allowed participants to identify areas for improvement and track their progress. Key determinants of a participant's attendance were identified, and the resulting intervention shows promise for future implementation at scale

Protein Kinase C-δ Mediates Neuronal Apoptosis in the Retinas of Diabetic Rats via the Akt Signaling Pathway

OBJECTIVE—Protein kinase C (PKC)-δ, an upstream regulator of the Akt survival pathway, contributes to cellular dysfunction in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Herein, we examined the role of PKC-δ in neuronal apoptosis through Akt in the retinas of diabetic rats

Delineation of VEGF-regulated genes and functions in the cervix of pregnant rodents by DNA microarray analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>VEGF-regulated genes in the cervices of pregnant and non-pregnant rodents (rats and mice) were delineated by DNA microarray and Real Time PCR, after locally altering levels of or action of VEGF using VEGF agents, namely siRNA, VEGF receptor antagonist and mouse VEGF recombinant protein.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Tissues were analyzed by genome-wide DNA microarray analysis, Real-time and gel-based PCR, and SEM, to decipher VEGF function during cervical remodeling. Data were analyzed by EASE score (microarray) and ANOVA (Real Time PCR) followed by Scheffe's <it>F</it>-test for multiple comparisons.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 30,000 genes analyzed, about 4,200 genes were altered in expression by VEGF, i.e., expression of about 2,400 and 1,700 genes were down- and up-regulated, respectively. Based on EASE score, i.e., grouping of genes according to their biological process, cell component and molecular functions, a number of vascular- and non-vascular-related processes were found to be regulated by VEGF in the cervix, including immune response (including inflammatory), cell proliferation, protein kinase activity, and cell adhesion molecule activity. Of interest, mRNA levels of a select group of genes, known to or with potential to influence cervical remodeling were altered. For example, real time PCR analysis showed that levels of VCAM-1, a key molecule in leukocyte recruitment, endothelial adhesion, and subsequent trans-endothelial migration, were elevated about 10 folds by VEGF. Further, VEGF agents also altered mRNA levels of decorin, which is involved in cervical collagen fibrillogenesis, and expression of eNO, PLC and PKC mRNA, critical downstream mediators of VEGF. Of note, we show that VEGF may regulate cervical epithelial proliferation, as revealed by SEM.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data are important in that they shed new insights in VEGF's possible roles and mechanisms in cervical events near-term, including cervical remodeling.</p

Beneficial effect of Sparassis crispa on stroke through activation of Akt/eNOS pathway in brain of SHRSP

Sparassis crispa (S. crispa) is a mushroom used as a natural medicine that recently became cultivatable in Japan. In this study, we investigated not only the preventive effects of S. crispa against stroke and hypertension in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) but also the mechanism involved by using studies of the cerebral cortex at a young age. Six-week-old male SHRSP were divided into 2 groups, a control group and an S. crispa group administered 1.5% S. crispa in feed, and we then observed their survival. In addition, rats of the same age were treated with 1.5% S. crispa for 4 weeks and we measured body weight, blood pressure, blood flow from the tail, NOx production, and the levels of expression of several proteins in the cerebral cortex by western blot analysis. Our results showed that the S. crispa group had a delayed incidence of stroke and death and significantly decreased blood pressure and increased blood flow after the administration. Moreover, the quantity of urinary excretion and the nitrate/nitrite concentration in cerebral tissue were higher than those of control SHRSP rats. In the cerebral cortex, phosphor-eNOS (Ser1177) and phosphor-Akt (Ser473) in S. crispa-treated SHRSP were increased compared with those of control SHRSP rats. In conclusion, S. crispa could ameliorate cerebrovascular endothelial dysfunction by promoting recovery of Akt-dependent eNOS phosphorylation and increasing NO production in the cerebral cortex. S. crispa may be useful for preventing stroke and hypertension