Determinants of malnutrition among urban slum children in Bangladesh

Background: This paper analyzes the role of child, maternal and household variables on weight-for-age nutritional status of children in the largest urban slum of Bangladesh. Methods: We use anthropometric weight-for-age nutrition status of children for an ordered logistic analysis. Our dataset gives us the advantage of segregating health knowledge into three indices: health-seeking practices index, child health precautions index and medical cost knowledge index, which are used as covariates to understand the role of health knowledge towards child health. Gender specific regressions are also run to understand male and female children nutritional function differences. Results: Per capita income significantly improves child health but household assets do not, casting doubt on the robustness of permanent income. After controlling for health knowledge and health-seeking behavior, the remaining impact of maternal education on child health is no longer significant. Health knowledge indices significantly improve child health albeit differentially. While male children are more sensitive to "child health precautions" and "medical cost knowledge", female children are more sensitive to "health-seeking practices". Conclusion: Role of health knowledge on child health carries a significant portion of the education effect. Policy makers looking to improve the nutritional status of female children vis-a-vis male children in study area, should promote programs focusing on health-seeking practices

Control of euglenophyte bloom and fish production enhancement using duckweed and lime

Euglenophyte bloom is a common problem in most of the aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh. In the present study we conducted an experiment to control euglenophyte bloom for getting better fish production using duckweed (Lemna minor) and lime. The experiment was carried out using four treatments, i.e., ponds were supplied with duckweed (T1), lime treatment (T2), both duckweed and lime (T3) and without supply of duckweed and lime (T4). Rohu, catla, mrigal, silver carp and silver barb were stocked and their gut contents were analyzed monthly. The ranges of water quality parameters were analyzed within the productive limit during the experimental period. The mean abundance of euglenophyte was significantly highest in T4 (17.62 ± 1.97 × 104 cells/L), followed by T2 (2.96 ± 0.20 × 104 cells/L), T1 (1.94 ± 0.35 × 104 cells/L) and T3 (1.53 ± 0.42 × 104 cells/L). Gut content analysis revealed that considerable amount of euglenophyte were consumed by silver carp and silver barb, but not preferred by rohu, catla and mrigal. The gross yields of fish were 2133.37, 1967.76, 2816.52 and 1725.62 kg/ha/5 months in T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The highest fish production in T3 and lowest fish production in T4 indicated the use of duckweed and lime is economically sustainable for controlling euglenophytes bloom, maintaining water quality and getting higher fish production

Ever-increasing Caesarean section and its economic burden in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Cesarean Section (CS) delivery has been increasing rapidly worldwide and Bangladesh is no exception. In Bangladesh, the CS rate has increased from about 3% in 2000 to about 24% in 2014. This study examines trend in CS in Bangladesh over the last fifteen years and implications of this increasing CS rates on health care expenditures. METHODS: Birth data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) for the years 2000–2014 have been used for the trend analysis and 2010 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey (BMMS) data were used for estimating health care expenditure associated with CS. RESULTS: Although the share of institutional deliveries increased four times over the years 2000 to 2014, the CS deliveries increased eightfold. In 2000, only 33% of institutional deliveries were conducted through CS and the rate increased to 63% in 2014. Average medical care expenditure for a CS delivery in Bangladesh was about BDT 22,085 (USD 276) in 2010 while the cost of a normal delivery was BDT 3,565 (USD 45). Health care expenditure due to CS deliveries accounted for about 66.5% of total expenditure on all deliveries in Bangladesh in 2010. About 10.3% of Total Health Expenditure (THE) in 2010 was due to delivery costs, while CS costs contribute to 6.9% of THE and rapid increase in CS deliveries will mean that delivering babies will represent even a higher proportion of THE in the future despite declining crude birth rate. CONCLUSION: High CS delivery rate and the negative health outcomes associated with the procedure on mothers and child births incur huge economic burden on the families. This is creating inappropriate allocation of scarce resources in the poor economy like Bangladesh. Therefore it is important to control this unnecessary CS practices by the health providers by introducing litigation and special guidelines in the health policy

Compact relativistic geometries in f(R,G)f(R,G) gravity

One of the possible potential candidates for describing the universe's rapid expansion is modified gravity. In the framework of the modified theory of gravity $f(R,G)$, the present work features the materialization of anisotropic matter, such as compact stars. Specifically, to learn more about the physical behavior of compact stars, the radial, and tangential pressures as well as the energy density of six stars namely $Her X-1$, $SAXJ1808.4-3658$, $4U1820-30$, $PSR J 1614 2230$, $VELA X-1$, and $Cen X-3$ are calculated. Herein, the modified theory of gravity $f(R,G)$ is disintegrated into two parts i.e. the $\tanh$ hyperbolic $f(R)$ model and the three different $f(G)$ model. The study focuses on graphical analysis of compact stars wherein the stability aspects, energy conditions, and anisotropic measurements are mainly addressed. Our calculation revealed that, for the positive value of parameter n of the model $f(G)$, all the six stars behave normally.Comment: Some changes have been made. " To appear in International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics

Health seeking behaviour of parents of burned children in Bangladesh is related to family socioeconomics

Objective: The study was design to explore the health seeking behaviour of Bangladeshi parents for their children during burn injuries. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and December 2003 in Bangladesh. Nationally representative data were collected from 171,366 rural and urban households comprising of a total population of 819,429, including 351,651 children of 0–18 years. Mothers or heads of households were interviewed with a structured questionnaire in obtaining the information. Results: About sixty percent parents seek health care from unqualified service providers for their children during a childhood burn injury. Educated and the higher income groups parents choose qualified service provider at significantly higher rate compared to illiterate and poor. Higher proportion of parents of urban residence chooses qualified service provider compared to rural. No significant difference of health seeking behaviour of parent in choosing care provider was found in relation to sex of the children. Conclusion: Education, economic condition and place of residence were found as the contributory factors in choosing service provider. Education to the parents can contribute in changes in health seeking behaviour which ultimately contribute in reducing morbidity and mortality from childhood burn injuries. Including parent's education a national burn prevention program needs to be developed to combat the devastating child injury, burn

Regularity Criterion for a Two Dimensional Carreau Fluid Flow.

Carreau fuids are a source of research from both theoretical and applied approaches. They have been considered to model diferent non-newtonian phenomena such as blood fow, plasma and viscoeslastic materials. The purpose of this study is to develop the global regularity criteria for a Carreau fuid in two dimensions fowing in a strip. Firstly, a regularity criteria is shown for the initial set ( u10, u20) ∈ H1(Ω) where Ω = [0, L]× [0, ∞). Secondly, the analysis focuses on a regularity criteria when ( u10, u20) ∈ L4(Ω) and, lastly, similar results are obtained for ( u10, u20) ∈ H2(Ω) while the fuid velocity vertical component, u2(x, y), is such that 휕u2 휕x ∈ L4(Ω) and (휕∇u2 휕y , Δu2 ) ∈ L2(Ω).post-print1225 K