Digitized Engineering Notebook

Digitized Engineering Notebook is a web application that allows students to record their work as they go through the process of their robotics competition. This notebook will portray the same qualities as the current engineering notebook. This digital version of an engineering notebook gives students a platform where they can upload data such as images, texts, videos to a database. Digitized engineering notebook will allow multiple users to log into the system, and work on same project at the same time. This web application will be developed in an open source environment called XAMPP. It will include multiple users. This Notebook can be categorized into queries which can be converted into PDF. The web application will have login credentials for every user and will also allow name-wise search of any user so their progress can be tracked. The functionalities of this Notebook will include a front page with menu, options to create new projects, addition of new members to the project, table of contents, etc., This web application will also contain a calendar so students can mark events. It will have a discussion board where students can interact with each other. The main goal of this web application is to inspire students to learn STEM engineering process. This Digitized Notebook will encourage knowledge sharing. The contents of the Notebook will be easy to query and share. It will allow students to work as a team remotely. This web application will be kids friendly and will allow students from K-12 to use it

Enhancing the quality of service for real time traffic over optical burst switching (OBS) networks with ensuring the fairness for other traffics

Optical burst switching (OBS) networks have been attracting much consideration as a promising approach to build the next generation optical Internet. A solution for enhancing the Quality of Service (QoS) for high priority real time traffic over OBS with the fairness among the traffic types is absent in current OBS ’ QoS schemes. In this paper we present a novel Real Time Quality of Service with Fairness Ratio (RT-QoSFR) scheme that can adapt the burst assembly parameters according to the traffic QoS needs in order to enhance the real time traffic QoS requirements and to ensure the fairness for other traffic. The results show that RT-QoSFR scheme is able to fulfill the real time traffic requirements (end to end delay, and loss rate) ensuring the fairness for other traffics under various conditions such as the type of real time traffic and traffic load. RT-QoSFR can guarantee that the delay of the real time traffic packets does not exceed the maximum packets transfer delay value. Fur- thermore, it can reduce the real time traffic packets loss, at the same time guarantee the fair- ness for non real time traffic packets by determining the ratio of real time traffic inside the burst to be 50 – 60%, 30 – 40%, and 10 – 20% for high, normal, and low traffic loads respectively

The impact of ICT, green finance, and CSR on sustainable financial performance: moderating role of perceived organizational support

Recently, the financial performance of the steel industry has faced several challenges due to a lack of focus on corporate social responsibilities (CSR), green finance, and information communication technology (ICT). Hence, this study investigates the impact of CSR, green finance, and ICT on the financial performance of the steel industry in China. The present research also investigates the moderating role of organizational support among CSR and firm performance and ICT and firm performance. We applied structural equation modeling to analyze the primary data of 290 employees collected from the employees of the steel industry in China. The findings indicated that CSR, green finance, and ICT have a positive and significant impact on the financial performance of this industry. The results also showed that organizational support significantly and positively moderates the interaction between CSR, ICT, and financial performance. These findings suggest that Chinese steel industries should adopt CSR practices and implement an ICT adoption strategy for better financial performance

Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency on COVID-19 Status: A Systematic Review

One major micronutrient studied for its possible protective effect against the COVID-19 disease is vitamin D. This systematic review sought to identify and synthesize available evidence to aid the understanding of the possible effect of vitamin D deficiency on COVID-19 status and health outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Three databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar) were systematically used to obtain English language journal articles published between 1 December 2019 and 3 November 2020. The search consisted of the terms (“Vitamin D,” OR “25-Hydroxyvitamin D,” OR “Low vitamin D.”) AND (“COVID-19” OR “2019-nCoV” OR “Coronavirus” OR “SARS-CoV-2”) AND (“disease severity” OR “IMV” OR “ICU admission” OR “mortality” OR “hospitalization” OR “infection”). We followed the recommended PRISMA guidelines in executing this study. After going through the screening of the articles, eleven articles were included in the review. All the included studies reported a positive association between vitamin D sufficiency and improved COVID-19 disease outcomes. On the other hand, vitamin D deficiency was associated with poor COVID-19 disease outcomes. Specifically, two studies found that vitamin D-deficient patients were more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to vitamin D-sufficient patients. Three studies showed that vitamin D-deficient people were more likely to develop severe COVID-19 disease compared to vitamin D-sufficient people. Furthermore, six studies found that vitamin D-deficient people were more likely to be COVID-19 infected compared to vitamin D-sufficient people. Findings from these studies suggest that vitamin D may serve as a mitigating effect for COVID-19 infection, severity, and mortality. The current evidence supports the recommendations for people to eat foods rich in vitamin D such as fish, red meat, liver, and egg yolks. The evidence also supports the provision of vitamin D supplements to individuals with COVID-19 disease and those at risk of COVID-19 infection in order to boost their immunity and improve health outcomes.</jats:p

Heavy metal contamination in retailed food in Bangladesh: a dietary public health risk assessment

IntroductionContamination with heavy and toxic metals along the food value chain is a public health concern in Bangladesh. MethodsIn this study, 608 fish and chicken samples from traditional and modern retail outlets in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas were collected and analyzed for chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) contamination, using atomic absorption spectrometry method. The daily intake, target hazard quotient and the target carcinogenic risk (for lead only) as a result of fish and chicken consumption was calculated based on mean results, and by Monte Carlo simulation in @Risk with 100,000 iterations (quantitative risk assessment). ResultsCr and Cd were detected in 80-86% of both chicken meat and fish samples, while Pb positivity found in chicken meat and fish was 54.9 and 23.3%, respectively. The mean concentration (+/- SD) of Cr, Cd, and Pb in chicken meat were 0.66 +/- 0.93, 0.02 +/- 0.03, and 0.09 +/- 0.10 mg/kg, respectively; and in fish were 0.49 +/- 0.62, 0.02 +/- 0.03, and 0.06 +/- 0.09 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated daily intakes of Cr, Cd, and Pb from chicken and fish were lower than the maximum tolerable daily intake in all studied areas. In addition, the target carcinogenic risk for Pb in chicken was lower than the negligible range, which indicated the risk of cancer due to exposure to Pb through chicken meat and fish consumption was very low. DiscussionThe present study concludes that consumption of chicken meat and fish in Bangladesh, currently at very low levels, is unlikely to constitute a major health risk for humans in respect to these metals. However, continuous market surveillance for heavy metals in food stuff is recommended, especially since consumers may increase their meat intake

Microbial Contamination and Antibiotic Resistance in Marketed Food in Bangladesh: Current Situation and Possible Improvements

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health problem worldwide. Bangladesh, like its neighboring countries, faces many public health challenges, including access to safe food, inadequate food surveillance, as well as increasing AMR. This study investigated bacterial contamination and the AMR profile of pathogens in marketed food in Bangladesh and explored barriers to reducing AMR in the country. We collected 366 tomatoes, 359 chicken and 249 fish samples from 732 vendors in traditional markets in urban, peri-urban and rural areas in Bangladesh, as well as from 121 modern retails in Dhaka capital to analyse Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli in fish, Salmonella in chicken, and Salmonella and E. coli in tomatoes. Antibiotic susceptibility against 11 antibiotics was tested using a disc diffusion test and interpreted by an automated zone inhibition reader. In addition, a qualitative study using key informant interviews was conducted to explore antimicrobial use and AMR reduction potential in Bangladesh. We found E. coli in 14.21% of tomatoes and 26.91% of fish samples, while 7.38% of tomatoes and 17.27% of chicken were positive for Salmonella, and 44.98% of fish were positive for Vibrio cholerae. In total 231/319 (72.4%) of all pathogens isolated were multidrug-resistant (MDR) (resistant to three or more antibiotic groups). Qualitative interviews revealed an inadequate surveillance system for antibiotic use and AMR in Bangladesh, especially in the agriculture sector. To be able to fully understand the human health risks from bacterial hazards in the food and the AMR situation in Bangladesh, a nationwide study with a one health approach should be conducted, within all sectors, including AMR testing as well as assessment of the antimicrobial use and its drivers

Multidrug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella of public health significance recovered from migratory birds in Bangladesh

Non-typhoidal Salmonella provides an exemplar for the One Health approach as it encompasses public and animal health, food safety, and environmental considerations. The contribution of environmental aspects is currently less well-defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the carriage occurrence of non-typhoidal Salmonella in migratory birds in Bangladesh and assess the potential significance to public and animal health. Cloacal swabs (N = 453) were collected in the years 2018-2020 from Tanguar and Hakaluki Haors, important wetland ecosystems in Northeastern Bangladesh. The prevalence of Salmonella was 13.5% (61 positive swabs). Classical serotyping identified six serovars: Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars Perth, Kentucky, Albany, Infantis, Weltevreden, and Brancaster. Resistance towards 14 antimicrobials was assessed by broth microdilution minimum inhibitory concentration determination and the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genotype established by whole-genome sequencing. S. Perth and S. Weltevreden isolates were susceptible and harbored no acquired AMR genes. Isolates from the remaining serovars were multidrug resistant, commonly possessing resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and ciprofloxacin. Salmonella resistant to ciprofloxacin meets WHO criteria for priority pathogens. There was excellent concordance between resistance phenotype and the presence of corresponding AMR genes, many of which reside on Salmonella Genomic Islands. High-level ciprofloxacin resistance correlated with the presence of mutations in the chromosomal gyrB and/or parC genes. The S. Kentucky isolates were ST198, a widely distributed multidrug-resistant lineage reported in humans and animals, and constituting an ongoing risk to public health worldwide. We have demonstrated that multidrug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella of public health significance can be recovered from migratory birds. A potential for risk can manifest through direct interaction, transmission to food-producing livestock on farms, and dissemination via the long range migratory movements of birds. Risks can be mitigated by measures including continued surveillance and implementation of good farm biosecurity practices

Hydrogen peroxide-activatable antioxidant prodrug as a targeted therapeutic agent for ischemia-reperfusion injury

Overproduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) causes oxidative stress and is the main culprit in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Suppression of oxidative stress is therefore critical in the treatment of I/R injury. Here, we report H2O2-activatable antioxidant prodrug (BRAP) that is capable of specifically targeting the site of oxidative stress and exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. BRAP with a self-immolative boronic ester protecting group was designed to scavenge H2O2 and release HBA (p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol) with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. BRAP exerted potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and H2O2-stimulated cells by suppressing the generation of ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In mouse models of hepatic I/R and cardiac I/R, BRAP exerted potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities due to the synergistic effects of H2O2-scavenging boronic esters and therapeutic HBA. In addition, administration of high doses of BRAP daily for 7 days showed no renal or hepatic function abnormalities. Therefore BRAP has tremendous therapeutic potential as H2O2-activatable antioxidant prodrug for the treatment of I/R injuries