An integrated approach for the improvement of flood control and drainage schemes in the coastal belt of Bangladesh

During the past decades huge investments have been made in flood protection, drainage and irrigation schemes to reclaim and develop many polder areas in Bangladesh. In these areas a careful water management is required to get optimal results from the investments in the physical infrastructure and enable the farmers to have a better living. However, in many instances the actual water management in the Flood Control and Drainage (FCD) schemes has been below expectation, resulting in lower yields than were envisaged during the feasibility, design and construction stages.In order to formulate suitable water management strategies for this type of areas research has been conducted in a pilotpolder 43/2A. In the framework of this research water management strategies and practices have been developed in consultation with the farmers considering the needs of agriculture, fisheries, navigation and environment. As per requirement in the field and considering the results of the hydrodynamic simulations, a new water management strategy has been developed. This strategy is designed to achieve the maintaining of preferred water levels during the year which will give optimal benefits that were not thought of earlier. The strategy has been prepared to match the normal practice of the farmers. This has also resulted in recommendations for land use zoning, linked to topography, soil and water management conditions. Based on the developed criteria and water management strategy a land suitability analysis has been performed for the present and potential conditions in polder 43/2A

DIELECTRIC RELAXATION STUDIES OF 1:1 COMPLEXES OF ALKYL METHACRYLATE WITH PHENOLS DERIVATIVES

ABSTRACT Dielectric absorption studies of H-bonded complexes of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA) with p-cresol, p-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and p-bromophenol have been studied at microwave frequency 9.37 GHz in dilute solution of carbon tetrachloride at 308K. Different dielectric parameters like dielectric constant ε′ and dielectric loss ε″ at microwave frequency, static dielectric constant ε o and dielectric constant ε ∞ at optical frequency have been determined. The validity of the single frequency equation of Higasi et al. for multiple relaxation time

Myosin 10 is involved in murine pigmentation.

Myosins are molecular motors that are well known for their role in cell movement and contractile functions. Although extensively studied in muscle physiology, little is known about the function of myosins in mammalian skin. As part of the Sanger Institute Mouse Genetics Project, we have identified a role for Myo10 in pigmentation, with a phenotype unlike those of Myo5a or Myo7a. Adult mice homozygous for a disrupted Myo10 allele on a C57BL/6N background displayed a high degree of penetrance for white patches on their abdomen and dorsal surface. Forepaw syndactyly and hind paw syndactyly were also observed in these mice. Tail epidermal wholemounts showed a complete lack of melanocytes in the hair follicles and interfollicular epidermis. Myo10 has previously been implicated in human pigmentation. Our current study reveals involvement of Myo10 in murine skin pigmentation

Co-composting of faecal sludge with solid waste to improve FSM practice in Sakhipur municipality

Sakhipur municipality with 32,000 inhabitants mostly comprise of onsite septic tank and pit toilet of different types. When the pit or septic tank is full, the usual practice is to engage professional sweepers are employed to manually empty them and deposit the wastes in mostly the nearby water bodies. A co-compost plant was designed by the Sakhipur municipality and partners and it’s been in operation since 2016 to tackle faecal sludge generated from pit toilets and septic tanks, and solid waste from households exploring sanitation service chain. This study provides a description of an innovative co-composting system which improves current FSM practice in municipality regime. The generated lessons against tackling the operational challenges of sanitation service chain will provide good learnings for replicating similar practice in other municipalities