GPU accelerated real-time multi-functional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system at 1300 nm.

We present a GPU accelerated multi-functional spectral domain optical coherence tomography system at 1300 nm. The system is capable of real-time processing and display of every intensity image, comprised of 512 pixels by 2048 A-lines acquired at 20 frames per second. The update rate for all four images with size of 512 pixels by 2048 A-lines simultaneously (intensity, phase retardation, flow and en face view) is approximately 10 frames per second. Additionally, we report for the first time the characterization of phase retardation and diattenuation by a sample comprised of a stacked set of polarizing film and wave plate. The calculated optic axis orientation, phase retardation and diattenuation match well with expected values. The speed of each facet of the multi-functional OCT CPU-GPU hybrid acquisition system, intensity, phase retardation, and flow, were separately demonstrated by imaging a horseshoe crab lateral compound eye, a non-uniformly heated chicken muscle, and a microfluidic device. A mouse brain with thin skull preparation was imaged in vivo and demonstrated the capability of the system for live multi-functional OCT visualization

Misuse of Antibiotics and Potential Economic Loss in Bangladesh

Misuse of antibiotics is a global phenomenon. It is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society. This study is an attempt to determine the rate of inappropriate use or misuse of antibiotics and understand potential economic loss in Bangladesh. This study uses simulated patients and they behaved like ordinary patients when they visited the doctors and collected prescriptions from them. The study finds that of total, 71.2% prescriptions contained antibiotic drug. The more the male doctors the higher the prescription of antibiotics. Doctors in sub-district level prescribe more antibiotics than the doctors in Dhaka urban periphery and public hospitals. This misuse of antibiotics has serious potential economic loss as it will lead to the development of antibacterial resistance coinciding with the increase in drug-resistant organisms which may result in the use of more toxic drugs. It will impose unnecessary costs on the patients and obviously reduce productivity of labor which is a very important factor of economic growth thus economic development. Keywords: Misuse, Antibiotics, Side effects, Economic growth.

RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION FROM PALM BIOMASS BY PYROLYSIS: A PATH TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

This study aims to unlock the information on the renewable energy production performance from carbon emission potential waste palm biomass. The specific objective of this paper is to reveal the current advancement in the pyrolysis process and its ability to replace fossil fuel with palm biomass. This study also addresses the problem relating to carbon emissions from waste palm biomass for contributing to achieving economic and environmental sustainability in Southeast Asian countries. The research methodology used for this study is reviewing the published research papers. The number of reviewed journals was 75 and published between 2010 to 2022 on research findings relating to the aims of this study. The study revealed that advancements in the pyrolysis process have significantly contributed to producing renewable energy from palm biomass. The temperature range of palm biomass pyrolysis is from 300OC to 9000 C. Energy products of this process are bio-oil, syngas, hydrogen, and bio-char. The energy output of this process is about 17.5MJ per kg of palm biomass. Combined heat and power cycle installed in series with palm biomass pyrolysis for achieving energy production efficiency up to 95%. Palm biomass pyrolysis offers a few benefits. It contributes to substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy and reducing 0.75kg CO2eq emission. The research outcomes listed in this paper would be a guideline for investors, policymakers, researchers, government agencies, and industries for making a strategic plan to implement palm biomass-based renewable energy production plants. The novelty of this study is a presentation of ways to convert waste palm biomass into renewable energy with advanced technolog

STR-931: TIMBER I-JOISTS WITH WEB OPENINGS: REINFORCEMENT, CAPACITY PREDICTION AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Timber I-joists are a popular product in light-frame wood construction in North America. The design with timber I-joists, however, has not yet achieved the same level of refinement compared to reinforced concrete or steel structures. One of the reasons is that timber I-joists have higher variability in their material properties than more homogeneous building materials. Additionally, although very commonly applied in practice, engineers and practitioners have limited knowledge and guidance for I-joists with web opening. As a result, in many cases the design of timber I-joists based on manufacturer’s specifications lead to very conservative solutions. The present research predicts the capacity of unreinforced and reinforced timber I-joists with openings from experimental results. A total of 100 unreinforced and 100 reinforced I-joists with opening were tested under four point loading. The capacity of the I-joists with opening was predicted from regression analysis. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the predicted equations using Meta-model of Optimal Prognosis (MOP) to evaluate the contribution of each parameter on the model responses. The research demonstrates that the reinforcement technique was efficient for I-joists with openings and the proposed equations were very accurate to predict the I-joists capacity

Relative sea-level change in Bangladesh during the Holocene.

The thesis aims to reconstruct the Holocene sea-level history in Bangladesh. Detailed litho-, bio-, and chrono-stratigraphic techniques have been applied to elucidate the nature of sedimentary sequences in association with the events of the Holocene marine transgressions and regressions. Samples have been collected from two separate sites, one at Panigati near Khulna and another at Matuail near Dhaka. The study shows evidence of five periods of marine transgression, each followed by a regression, during the Holocene. Each minerogenic sediment layer indicates a marine episode and these sediments were deposited under intertidal to estuarine conditions; each peat layer is in situ and indicates a retreat of the sea. It is difficult to separate the eustatic components contributing to these relative sea-level movements, although processes operating locally and regionally are clearly evident. Two separate sea-level curves, together with possible error ranges, have been proposed for Bangladesh; since the early mid-Holocene, an average relative sea-level rise of 1.07 mm. yr -1 has been estimated. The reconstructed sea-level curves show that during the early and mid-Holocene both sedimentation and subsidence rates were much lower than during the last millennium. Differential spatio-temporal progradation and coastline movements have also been evident. The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers have provided a continuous sediment supply but their convergence is only of recent origin. A possible hypothesis of two separate estuarine systems for these two rivers has been put forward

Palladate precatalysts for the formation of C-N and C-C bonds

A series of imidazolium-based palladate precatalysts has been synthesized and the catalytic activity of these air- and moisture-stable complexes evaluated as a function of the nature of the imidazolium counterion. These precatalysts can be converted under catalytic conditions to Pd-NHC species capable of enabling the Buchwald-Hartwig aryl amination and the alpha-arylation of ketones. Both reactions can be carried out efficiently under very mild operating conditions. The effectiveness of the protocol was tested on functionality-laden substrates

Comparative economic analysis of pond fish production in Mymensingh and Jessore Districts, Bangladesh

The study was conducted to determine the cost, return and relative profitability of pond fish production of Mymensingh and Jessore districts. A total of 75 ponds were selected on the basis of purposive random sampling technique from 7 villages under 2 Upazila (Trishal and Gouripur) of Mymensingh districts and 8 villages under 4 Upazila (Monimmpur, Jhikorgacha, Chowgacha and Sadar) of Jessore district. It was found that per hectare per year gross cost of pond fish production in Mymensingh and Jessore were Tk 333457.75 and Tk 54327.74, while gross return were Tk 434131.16 and Tk. 96640.00 and net return were Tk 100673.41 and Tk. 42312.26, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that the pond fish production in Jessore district was more profitable than that of Mymensingh district. Cobb-Douglas production function was applied to realize the specific effect of the factors on pond fish production. Out of six variables included in the function three variables had positive impact on return from pond fish production, in Mymensingh district but five variables had positive impact on return from pond fish production in Jessore distric

Factors associated with the prevalence of diseases in the scalp: a prospective study in Mugdha Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background: The scalp skin is distinct from other areas of the body due to its unique characteristics, including the density of hair follicles and the high rate of sebum production. So of creating a dark, warm, and moist environment and various types of diseases in the scalp are usually occur. Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Dermatology in Mugdha Medical College and Hospital during January, 2023 to June, 2023. A total of 60 clinically diagnosed scalp diseases patients were enrolled in this study. The collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version-23.0. The ethical clearance of this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Mugdha Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results: A total of 60 clinically diagnosed scalp diseased OPD patients aged 1 to 60 years were enrolled in this study. Among the patients, 30 (50%) were male and 30 (50%) were female. According to multinomial logistic regression, the major factors contributed to exposing the diseases on scalp were age, sex, educational level, occupation, socio-economic condition, family history and behaviour (OR>1 or OR<1). Conclusions: This study prevailed, Age, sex, behaviour, family history, occupation, education level, socio-economic condition, hygiene, associated systemic diseases, hair grooming are the factors associated with the prevalence of diseases on the scalp of humans

Status of vitamin D and disease pattern among sedentary adults 18-60 years attending a selected institution in Dhaka city

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a global health concern affecting individuals across all the age groups in both the genders. It is an essential element that is essential for the production, regulation and absorption of calcium and phosphorus by the human body, as well as for the proper maintenance of teeth and bones and to make your immune system work. Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin; it falls under the pro-hormone category. Because the human body is perfectly capable of producing vitamin D on its own when exposed to sunlight, and vitamins are the type of nutrients that the body cannot or cannot produce automatically, that we consume through dietary supplements. Methods: It was a cross sectional study the sample size was 369. Vitamin D level of all the participants was estimated by using an ADVIA Centaur XPT stem designed to perform continuous operations immunoassay methods. The data were processed to undergo statistical analysis using SPSS 23 windows program. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel were used to represent the tabular, charts and graphical icon. Results: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency exhibited a medical condition increment in both the males and females. This study had clear association was observed using bivariate analysis for any of the three chronic conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and osteomalacia where (p=0.021), (p=0.039) and (p=0.000) explored in the current study with severe deficiency status. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency was prevalent even in apparently healthy young individuals; this study is suggestive of a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among young adults, females, Bangladeshi nationality and those with higher BMI

In vivo detection of cortical optical changes associated with seizure activity with optical coherence tomography.

The most common technology for seizure detection is with electroencephalography (EEG), which has low spatial resolution and minimal depth discrimination. Optical techniques using near-infrared (NIR) light have been used to improve upon EEG technology and previous research has suggested that optical changes, specifically changes in near-infrared optical scattering, may precede EEG seizure onset in in vivo models. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high resolution, minimally invasive imaging technique, which can produce depth resolved cross-sectional images. In this study, OCT was used to detect changes in optical properties of cortical tissue in vivo in mice before and during the induction of generalized seizure activity. We demonstrated that a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in backscattered intensity during seizure progression can be detected before the onset of observable manifestations of generalized (stage-5) seizures. These results indicate the feasibility of minimally-invasive optical detection of seizures with OCT