Analyzing urban population density gradient of Dhaka Metropolitan Area using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Census Data

Worldwide increase in urban population draws special attention to urban population density related research. Based on Thana level census data for the years 2001 and 2011, this study attempts to analyze the density gradient of urban population in Dhaka Metropolitan Area using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Four mathematical functions have been considered to examine the change in population density with distance from CBD, after the classical work of Colin Clark in 1951. The density gradient appears to be following the negative exponential function. Result reveals that the density curve flattens over time, indicating greater increase of population density in the areas located further from the CBD than areas adjacent to it. GIS-based surface modeling using density contours shows the spatial pattern of population density has changed substantially. The study further corroborates that historical as well as economic factors are influencing the pattern and change of population density in Dhaka Metropolitan Area (DMA)

How can humanitarian services provision during mass displacement better support health systems? An exploratory qualitative study of humanitarian service provider perspectives in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

Health services provision in mass displacement settings is a humanitarian imperative and essential to promoting international and regional security. Internationally displaced populations experience a range of issues pre-, peri-, post-displacement and residing in host countries that affect their health and well-being. This study examined links between humanitarian and government health services provision for forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMN) in Cox's Bazar to consider how improved knowledge sharing and collaboration might better support health systems during mass displacement. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study, interviewing 25 humanitarian service providers in-person in Bangladesh in early 2021 and analysing data thematically. We found that government restricted what essential services humanitarian health actors could provide and FDMN had to undergo stringent screening and referral to receive tertiary healthcare. Concurrently, the government health system was challenged by accessibility, affordability and availability of medicines, equipment, and trained staff. Humanitarian health service providers augmented government responses by working with community groups, recruiting and training Rohingya volunteers, and involving religious leaders. Findings suggest that easing barriers to a fuller range of health services, allowing access to digital devices, and hiring FDMN to support their communities would improve health system responsiveness to the legitimate needs of FDMN displaced around Cox's Bazar. It is imperative to amplify and listen to the voices of FDMN and collaborate in addressing structural and social barriers constraining their access to effective health services, both to increase trust in and responsiveness of the health system

Effects of digital filtering technique in reducing the effects of clipping of an enhanced orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system

Despite of many advantages of OFDM, it has two main drawbacks which are high peak to average power ratio (PAPR) and synchronization problem. High PAPR causes saturation in power amplifiers, leading to intermodulation products among the sub carriers and disturbing out of band energy. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the PAPR by means of PAPR reduction schemes. However, it caused the degradation of BER and enhanced the growth of out of band radiation which has led to the degradation of OFDM overall performance In this paper, OFDM system with an enhanced clipping technique has been proposed, the effects of clipping have been analyzed and the system is evaluated by integrating with its significant features including convolutional forward error control coding, oversampled inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) and digital filtering technique in order to minimize the effects of clipping. It is shown that the bit error rate (BER) of the clipped OFDM signal is improved, the PAPR is further reduced and the effect of out of band radiation is minimized. Besides, other effects of filtering technique are also analyzed in order to optimize the overall performance of our proposed system

Heat-shock-induced cathepsin B activity during IVF and culture compromises the developmental competence of bovine embryos

Heat stress can cause significant reproductive dysfunction in mammals and previous studies report that expression and activity of cathepsin B (CTSB), a lysosomal cysteine protease, is negatively correlated with the developmental competence of bovine oocytes and embryos. However, the relationship between heat shock (HS) and CTSB remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of HS during IVF and early embryonic stages of IVC on CTSB activity and developmental competence in bovine embryos. HS (40 C for 6 h during IVF and 20 h during IVC) caused a significant increase in CTSB activity irrespective of the developmental stage or duration of HS. The developmental rate to the blastocyst stage was also significantly decreased by HS. Additionally, HS during IVC significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells in blastocysts. Notably, these HS-induced changes in blastocyst development and quality were significantly improved by inhibition of CTSB activity, indicating a key role for CTSB. These results showed that CTSB activity plays an essential role in HS-induced dysfunction in bovine embryo development, and that inhibition of this activity could enhance the developmental competence of heat-shocked embryos. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Effect of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy vs Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Following Extubation on Liberation From Respiratory Support in Critically Ill Children

IMPORTANCE: The optimal first-line mode of noninvasive respiratory support following extubation of critically ill children is not known. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the noninferiority of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy as the first-line mode of noninvasive respiratory support following extubation, compared with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), on time to liberation from respiratory support. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, noninferiority trial conducted at 22 pediatric intensive care units in the United Kingdom. Six hundred children aged 0 to 15 years clinically assessed to require noninvasive respiratory support within 72 hours of extubation were recruited between August 8, 2019, and May 18, 2020, with last follow-up completed on November 22, 2020. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized 1:1 to start either HFNC at a flow rate based on patient weight (n = 299) or CPAP of 7 to 8 cm H2O (n = 301). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was time from randomization to liberation from respiratory support, defined as the start of a 48-hour period during which the child was free from all forms of respiratory support (invasive or noninvasive), assessed against a noninferiority margin of an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.75. There were 6 secondary outcomes, including mortality at day 180 and reintubation within 48 hours. RESULTS: Of the 600 children who were randomized, 553 children (HFNC, 281; CPAP, 272) were included in the primary analysis (median age, 3 months; 241 girls [44%]). HFNC failed to meet noninferiority, with a median time to liberation of 50.5 hours (95% CI, 43.0-67.9) vs 42.9 hours (95% CI, 30.5-48.2) for CPAP (adjusted HR, 0.83; 1-sided 97.5% CI, 0.70-∞). Similar results were seen across prespecified subgroups. Of the 6 prespecified secondary outcomes, 5 showed no significant difference, including the rate of reintubation within 48 hours (13.3% for HFNC vs 11.5 % for CPAP). Mortality at day 180 was significantly higher for HFNC (5.6% vs 2.4% for CPAP; adjusted odds ratio, 3.07 [95% CI, 1.1-8.8]). The most common adverse events were abdominal distension (HFNC: 8/281 [2.8%] vs CPAP: 7/272 [2.6%]) and nasal/facial trauma (HFNC: 14/281 [5.0%] vs CPAP: 15/272 [5.5%]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among critically ill children requiring noninvasive respiratory support following extubation, HFNC compared with CPAP following extubation failed to meet the criterion for noninferiority for time to liberation from respiratory support. TRIAL REGISTRATION: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN60048867