Effect of integrated approach of plant nutrients on yield and yield attributes of different crops in wheat-sesame-T. Aman cropping pattern

The experiment was carried out at FSRD site, Pushpopara, Pabna, during November, 2010 to December, 2011 to observe the comparative performance of integrated plant nutrients management (IPNS) system through the use of organic (cowdung, cowdung slurry) manure and inorganic fertilizer on wheat, sesame and T. Aman crops under wheat-sesame-T. Aman cropping pattern. The experiment was consisted with four treatments viz. T1: Soil test based inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal, T2: Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + IPNS basis inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal, T3: Cowdung slurry @ 5 t ha-1 + IPNS basis inorganic fertilizer dose for high yield goal and T4: Fertilizer dose usually practiced by the farmers. In case of wheat, the highest grain yield (3.80 t ha-1) was obtained from bio-slurry treated plot that means T3 treatment followed by T2 and the lowest (3.31 t ha-1) from T4. Higher seed yield (1.31 t ha-1) of sesame was obtained from T3 that was statistically identical to T2 and T1 and the lower (1.01 t ha-1) from T4. For T. Aman rice, the highest grain yield (4.89 t ha-1) was obtained from T3 which was statistically indistinguishable from T1 where as the lowest grain yield (4.1 t ha-1) was recorded from T4. Considering the whole pattern, it is observed that the highest gross return (271100 Tk ha-1) was obtained from T3 followed by T2 and the lowest (225650 Tk ha-1) from T1 treatment. Total variable cost was recorded as the highest (100368 Tk ha-1) in T2 followed by T3 and the lowest (86775 Tk ha-1) in T4 treatment. The highest marginal value of product (45450 Tk ha-1) was recorded in T3 followed by T2 where as the minimum (28710 Tk ha-1) was found in T1 over the T4 treatment. Marginal variable cost was observed as the highest (13593 Tk ha-1) in T2 treatment followed by T3 and the minimum (8899 Tk ha-1) was recorded in T1 treatment. The highest MBCR (4.15) was recorded from T3 followed by T2 and the minimum (2.31) from T2 treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i2.17847 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (2): 66-71, December, 201

Marker-assisted Backcrossing for Identification of Salt Tolerant Rice Lines

SSR or microsatellite markers are proved to be ideal for making genetic maps, assisting selection and studying genetic diversity in germplasm. SSR markers are playing important role to identify gene for salt tolerance that can be helpful for plant breeders to develop new cultivars. The experiment was conducted during the period from July 2009 to November 2010 in the experimental field and Biotechnology Laboratory of Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh to identify salt tolerant rice line of BC1F1 progenies of Binadhan-5 x FL-478 using SSR markers. Salt tolerant genotype, FL-478 was crossed with high yielding variety, Binadhan-5. Randomly selected 40 BC1F1 progenies along with their two parents (Binadhan-5, FL-478 and F1) were genotyped with microsatellite or SSR markers for identification of salt tolerant rice lines. Parental polymorphism survey was assayed by 10 SSR markers and three polymorphic SSR markers viz., RM 336, RM 510, and RM 585 were selected to evaluate BC1F1 rice lines for salt tolerance. In respect of Primer RM 336, 11 lines were found as salt tolerant and 25 lines were heterozygous and 3 lines were susceptible. Primer RM 510 identified two tolerant, 14 heterozygous and 22 susceptible lines. And primer RM 585 identified 4 lines as tolerant and 35 lines as susceptible. Thus, these markers could be efficiently used in tagging salt tolerant genes, in marker-assisted selection and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. The selected BC1F1 could be used for developing BC2F1 and BC2F2 and mapping genes for salinity tolerance. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v2i2.14008 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 2 (2): 1-8, December, 201

Use of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin in Renal Anemia in Children

Erythropoietin is a hormone highly effective as like as natural erythropoietin to maintain target hemoglobin and hematocrit level in renal anemia. Its advantage over blood transfusion has been proved by improving the quality of life and decreasing morbidity and mortality in ESRD patients. Effectiveness of r-erythropoietin depends on absences of infection, inflammation and vitamin deficiency and iron status. Iron supplementation is needed before r-erythropoietin administration and sub-cutaneous rout is better in renal anemia because of slow and sustained releases of r-erythropoietin from the site of administration. Target hemoglobin level is 11-12.5 gm/dl and hematocrit is 33% which can be achieved by this hormone therapy. Key words- Recombinant erythropoietin, renal anemia, end stage renal disease.DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i1.3713 BSMMU J 2009; 2(1): 50-53 &nbsp

Effect of salt stress on germination and early seedling growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The response of twelve rice varieties against six salinity levels (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 dS m-1) were studied at germination and early seedling stages. Data were analyzed using SAS and means were separated by LSD for final germination percentage (FGP), speed of germination (SG), germinationenergy percentage (GE%), plumule and radical length and plumule and radical dry weight. Based on dry matter yield reduction, rice varieties were classified as tolerant (T), moderately tolerant (MT), moderately susceptible (MS) or susceptible (S). Germination was completely arrested at 20 dS m-1 salt concentration. Salinity decreased FGP, SG, GE % and led to reduction in shoot and root length and dry weight in all varieties and the magnitude of reduction increased with increasing salinity stress. Ricevarieties MR211, IR20, BR40 and MR232 showed greater salt tolerance during germination (germinated at 12 dS m-1 salinity). However, MR211, MR232 and IR20 performed better based on dry matter yield reduction. The result suggested that MR211, MR232 and IR20 might be used for further study of salinity effect on growth processes and physiological consequences at advanced stage of growth, since salt tolerance of a crop at germination and early seedling stage may not correspond to that at advanced stage

Evaluation of Rice Germplasm under Salt Stress at the Seedling Stage through SSR Markers

Twenty eight rice germplasms were used for identification of salt tolerant rice genotypes at the seedling stage at the experimental farm and Biotechnology laboratory of the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh during February 2009 to October 2009. Phenotyping for salinity screening of the rice genotypes was done using salinized (EC level 12 dS m-1) nutrient solution in hydroponic system. Genotypes were evaluated for salinity tolerance on 1-9 scale based on seedling growth parameters following modified Standard Evaluation Scoring (SES) of IRRI. Phenotypically, on the basis of SES and % total dry matter (TDM) reduction of the genotypes viz. PBSAL-614, PBSAL-613, PBSAL-730, Horkuch, S-478/3 Pokkali and PBSAL (STL)-15 were found to be salt tolerant; on the other hand Iratom-24, S-653/32, S-612/32, S-604/32, S-633/32, Charnock (DA6), BINA Dhan-6 and S-608/32 were identified as salt susceptible. For genotyping, ten SSR markers were used for polymorphism, where 3 primers (RM127, RM443 and RM140) were selected for evaluation of salt tolerance. In respect of Primer RM127, 7 lines were found salt tolerant and 11 lines were moderately tolerant and 10 lines were susceptible. Nine tolerant, 9 moderately tolerant and 10 susceptible lines were found when the primer RM140 was used and primer RM443 identified 8 lines as tolerant, 9 lines as moderately tolerant and 11 lines as susceptible. Thus, the salt tolerant lines can be used in further evaluation for salinity tolerance and the SSR markers used in this study are proving valuable for identifying salt tolerant genes in marker assisted breeding. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 3 (1): 52-59, June, 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v3i1.1609

Spatial and temporal dynamics of multidimensional well-being, livelihoods and ecosystem services in coastal Bangladesh.

Published onlineJournal ArticlePopulations in resource dependent economies gain well-being from the natural environment, in highly spatially and temporally variable patterns. To collect information on this, we designed and implemented a 1586-household quantitative survey in the southwest coastal zone of Bangladesh. Data were collected on material, subjective and health dimensions of well-being in the context of natural resource use, particularly agriculture, aquaculture, mangroves and fisheries. The questionnaire included questions on factors that mediate poverty outcomes: mobility and remittances; loans and micro-credit; environmental perceptions; shocks; and women's empowerment. The data are stratified by social-ecological system to take into account spatial dynamics and the survey was repeated with the same respondents three times within a year to incorporate seasonal dynamics. The dataset includes blood pressure measurements and height and weight of men, women and children. In addition, the household listing includes basic data on livelihoods and income for approximately 10,000 households. The dataset facilitates interdisciplinary research on spatial and temporal dynamics of well-being in the context of natural resource dependence in low income countries.The authors gratefully acknowledge the residents of Khulna and Barisal who gave up many hours of their time to be interviewed on multiple occasions. We are indebted to their generosity and patience. In addition we would like to acknowledge the important contribution of Tauhida Nasrin and colleagues at Associates for Community and Population Research and the team of enumerators who ensured the smooth implementation of the survey; Masfiqus Salehin and Rezaur Rahman at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Munir Ahmed at Technological Assistance for Rural Advancement and Hamidul Huq at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh for their assistance in defining the social-ecological systems; Mahin Al Nahian for his assistance in implementing the survey; Rakin Muhtadee Shihab for completing the final translation of the questionnaire to Bengali; Munir Ahmed, Abir Ahammad Talukdar and Ali Mohammad Rezaie for assistance with qualitative fieldwork and pretesting; Abul Kashem Mohammad Hasan at the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services and Muhammad Zahirul Haq at icddr,b for the GIS work. The survey was part of the project Assessing Health, Livelihoods, Ecosystem Services And Poverty Alleviation In Populous Deltas (Espa Deltas; Grant No. NE/J000892/1), part of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme. The ESPA programme is funded by the Department for International Development, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council. Helen Adams had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis

Multi-dimensional well-being associated with economic dependence on ecosystem services in deltaic social-ecological systems of Bangladesh

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordWhile the benefits humans gain from ecosystem functions and processes are critical in natural resource-dependent societies with persistent poverty, ecosystem services as a pathway out of poverty remain an elusive goal, contingent on the ecosystem and mediated by social processes. Here, we investigate three emerging dimensions of the ecosystem service-poverty relationship: economic contribution of provisioning ecosystem services to the household livelihood mix, social-ecological systems producing different bundles of ecosystem services and material wealth versus reported life satisfaction. We analyse these relationships in Bangladesh, using data from a bespoke 1586-household survey, stratified by seven social-ecological systems in the delta coastal region. We create poverty lines to ensure comparability with traditional poverty measures that overlook environmental factors and subjective measurements of well-being. We find that any contribution of ecosystem service-based income to the livelihood mix decreases the likelihood of the incidence of poverty, and of individuals reporting dissatisfaction. We find no relationship between the incidence of material poverty and the specific social-ecological systems, from agriculture to fishery-dominated systems. However, the probability of the household head being dissatisfied was significantly associated with social-ecological system. Individuals living in areas dominated by export-oriented shrimp aquaculture reported lower levels of life satisfaction as an element of their perceived well-being. These results highlight the need for social policy on poverty that accounts for the diversity of outcomes across social-ecological systems, including subjective as well as material dimensions of well-being. National poverty reduction that degrades ecosystem services can have negative implications for the subjective well-being of local populations.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Department for International Developmen

Fusion Techniques in Biomedical Information Retrieval

For difficult cases clinicians usually use their experience and also the information found in textbooks to determine a diagnosis. Computer tools can help them supply the relevant information now that much medical knowledge is available in digital form. A biomedical search system such as developed in the Khresmoi project (that this chapter partially reuses) has the goal to fulfil information needs of physicians. This chapter concentrates on information needs for medical cases that contain a large variety of data, from free text, structured data to images. Fusion techniques will be compared to combine the various information sources to supply cases similar to an example case given. This can supply physicians with answers to problems similar to the one they are analyzing and can help in diagnosis and treatment planning

An analysis of climate change and health hazards: results from an international study

Purpose: The interconnections between climate change and health are well studied. However, there is a perceived need for studies that examine how responses to health hazards (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, ozone layer effects, allergens, mental health and vector-borne diseases) may assist in reducing their impacts. The purpose of this paper is to review the evidence on health responses to climate hazards and list some measures to address them. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed literature review, bibliometric analysis and an original online survey were undertaken on 140 participants from 55 countries spread across all geographical regions. Findings: The bibliometric analysis identified that most climate-related health hazards are associated with extreme weather events. However, only one-third of the investigated papers specifically analysed the connections between climate change and health hazards, revealing a thematic gap. Also, although Africa is highly affected by climate change, only 5% of the assessed studies focused on this continent. Many respondents to the survey indicated “heat distress” as a significant vulnerability. The survey also identified social determinants relevant to climate-induced health vulnerabilities, such as socioeconomic and environmental factors, infrastructure and pre-existing health conditions. Most respondents agree that policies and regulations are the most effective adaptation tools to address the public health hazards triggered by climate change. This paper presents some suggestions for optimising public health responses to health hazards associated with climate change, such as the inclusion of climate-related components in public health policies, setting up monitoring systems to assess the extent to which specific climate events may pose a health threat, establishing plans to cope with the health implications of heatwaves, increased measures to protect vulnerable groups and education and awareness-raising initiatives to reduce the overall vulnerability of the population to climate-related health hazards. These measures may assist the ongoing global efforts to understand better – and cope with – the impacts of climate change on health. Originality/value: The combination of a literature review, bibliometric analysis and an original world survey identified and presented a wide range of responses

Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Factors and Genetic Diversity of Escherichia coli Isolates from Household Water Supply in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background: Unsafe water supplies continue to raise public health concerns, especially in urban areas in low resource countries. To understand the extent of public health risk attributed to supply water in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, Escherichia coli isolated from tap water samples collected from different locations of the city were characterized for their antibiotic resistance, pathogenic properties and genetic diversity. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 233 E. coli isolates obtained from 175 tap water samples were analysed for susceptibility to 16 different antibiotics and for the presence of genes associated with virulence and antibiotic resistance. Nearly 36% (n = 84) of the isolates were multi-drug(≥3 classes of antibiotics) resistant (MDR) and 26% (n = 22) of these were positive for extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). Of the 22 ESBL-producers, 20 were positive for blaCTX-M-15, 7 for blaOXA-1-group(all had blaOXA-47) and 2 for blaCMY-2. Quinolone resistance genes, qnrS and qnrB were detected in 6 and 2 isolates, respectively. Around 7% (n = 16) of the isolates carried virulence gene(s) characteristic of pathogenic E. coli; 11 of these contained lt and/or st and thus belonged to enterotoxigenic E. coli and 5 contained bfp and eae and thus belonged to enteropathogenic E. coli. All MDR isolates carried multiple plasmids (2 to 8) of varying sizes ranging from 1.2 to >120 MDa. Ampicillin and ceftriaxone resistance were co-transferred in conjugative plasmids of 70 to 100 MDa in size, while ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline resistance were co-transferred in conjugative plasmids of 50 to 90 MDa. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed diverse genetic fingerprints of pathogenic isolates. Significance: Multi-drug resistant E. coli are wide spread in public water supply in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Transmission of resistant bacteria and plasmids through supply water pose serious threats to public health in urban areas