Comparative Performance of Some Insecticides and Botanicals against Chilli Fruit Borer (Helicoverpa armigera)

: The study was carried out in the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from February to June 2007 to determine the comparative efficacy of some chemical insecticides and botanicals against chilli fruit borer. The experiment comprised with twelve treatments and among them first six (T1-T6) were the application of insecticide and others (T7-T11) were botanicals. Treatments were T1: Sumicidin @ 6.0 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T2: Malathion @ 6.0 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T3: Ripcord @ 3.0 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T4: Marshal @ 6.0 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T5: Diazinon @ 6.0 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T6: Suntaf @ 2.5 ml/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T7: Allamanda leaf extract @ 0.5 kg/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T8: Neem leaf extract @ 0.5 kg/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T9: Garlic clove extract @ 0.5 kg/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T10: Ginger rhizome extract @ 0.5 kg/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T11: Onion bulb extract @ 0.5 kg/2 litre of water at 7 days interval; T12: Untreated control. In total cropping season the lowest percentage of fruit infestation by number (5.72%) was recorded from the treatment T4 which was statistically similar (6.22%) with the treatment T8 and the highest (24.90%) was recorded from untreated control treatment which was closely followed (17.39%) by the treatment T5 and T11 (16.48%) and T10 (15.37%) respectively. Fruit infestation reduction over control by number estimated as the highest value (77.03%) was recorded from the treatment T4, while the lowest (30.16%) was recorded from T5 treatment. Fruit infestation reduction over control by weight was estimated and the highest value was (63.35%), recorded from the treatment T4, while the lowest (22.84%) reduction of fruit infestation over control was from the treatment T5. Highest weight of fruit yield (30.60 t/ha) was recorded from the treatment T4 and the lowest yield (24.48 t/ha) of fruit was recorded from untreated control treatment. Among different treatments as whole botanicals (T7-T11) were more effective than those of the chemicals insecticides (T1-T6)

Comparable Efficacy of Some IPM Packages on the Suppression of Pod Borer (Euchrysops cnejus) in Yard Long Bean

A study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of some IPM tools for the suppression of pod borer (Euchrysops cnejus) attacking yard long bean. The experiment was conducted at She-e-Bangla agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Dhaka, during March to September 2007 & comprised of nine treatments. Those were T1: Mechanical control   (hand picking of larvae) at 7 days interval; T2: Neem oil @ 5ml/ L of water at 7 days interval; T3 : Neem oil @ 5 ml /L of water + Mechanical control at 7 days interval; T4 : Suntap 50 SP@ 3 g /L of  water at7 days interval; T5 : suntap 50 SP @ 3 g /L of water +Mechanical control at 7days interval; T6 : Shobicron 425 EC @ 2 ml / L of water at 7 days inrterval ; T7: Shobicron 425 EC @ 2 ml /L of water +Mechanical control at 7 days interval; T8: Neem seed kernel @ 10 g /L of water + Mechanical control at 7 days interval & T9: Untreated control. Data recorded on infestation level, yield contributing characters & yield of yard long bean revealed that performance of treatment T3 (Neem oil @ 5 ml /L of water + Mechanical control at 7 days interval) was superior throughout the season as compared to others; the lowest performance in the control treatment (T9). The highest healthy pods by number (59.80) & by weight (993.87 g), similarly the lowest infestation per plant by number (7.06 %) & by weight (72.62 g) was recorded in T3 treatment. The highest healthy pod length (54.20 cm) the height length of edible portion (48.64 cm) of partially infested pod, the highest yield (22.15 ton /ha) was recorded in the T3 treatment; while the lowest healthy pod length (44.60 cm), lowest edible portion (30.11cm) of partially infested pod and the lowest yield (14.74 ton / ha) was recorded in the control treatment (T9). The highest benefit cost ratio (3.53) was recorded in the T3 treatment while the lowest benefit cost ratio (1.23) in T8 treatment

The development of a flood damage assessment tool for urban areas

The Collaborative Research on Flood Resilience in Urban Areas (CORFU) project is funded by the European Commission to investigate the impact of flooding in cities and to develop strategies to enhance flood resilience. The project explores the impact of key drivers including urbanisation, socio-economic trends and climate change in eight European and Asian cities. The development of resilience strategies relies on a comprehensive assessment of flood impacts. These impacts can be categorised as tangible (those that can be measured in monetary terms) or intangible (such as health impacts that can be difficult to quantify. Flood hazard information (depth, extent, velocity, etc.) for different scenarios, obtained from hydraulic models, along with data on land use or cover, building features, infrastructure, and demographics are applied to determine these impacts. The nature and scale of the damage, the availability of required information, and the characteristics of case studies are taken into account to develop a generic and flexible flood damage assessment model that can be broadly applied to European and Asian cities. In this paper, Dhaka city is adopted to demonstrate the direct tangible damage assessment tool

Robusna procedura za umetanje vodenog žiga u sliku zasnovana na Hermitovoj projekcijskoj metodi

A procedure for combined image watermarking and compression, based on the Hermite projection method is proposed. The Hermite coefficients obtained by using the Hermite expansion are used for watermark embedding. The image can be efficiently reconstructed by using a set of Hermite coefficients that is quite smaller than the number of original ones. Hence, the watermark embedding is actually done in the compressed domain, while maintaining still high image quality (measured by high PSNR). The efficiency of the proposed procedure is proven experimentally, showing high robustness even for very strong standard attacks. Moreover, the method is robust not only to the standard attacks, but to the geometrical attacks, as well. The proposed approach can be suitable for different copyright and ownership protection purposes, especially in real-applications that require image compression, such as multimedia and Internet applications, remote sensing and satellite imaging.U radu je predložena procedura za umetanje vodenog žiga u sliku i kompresiju slike zasnovana na Hermitovoj projekcijskoj metodi. Odgovarajući koeficijenti, dobiveni kao rezultat primjene razvoja slike u red Hermitovih funkcija, korišteni su za umetanje vodenog žiga watermark). S obzirom na to da se slika može efikasno rekonstruirati korištenjem znatno manjeg broja Hermitovih koeficijenata u odnosu na broj originalnih koeficijenata slike, umetanje vodenog žiga zapravo je provedeno u domeni kompresije, uz očuvanje visoke kvalitete slike (velika vrijednost PSNR). Učinkovitost predložene procedure ispitana je eksperimentalno i pokazuje značajnu otpornost na uobičajene napade. Osim uobičajenih, procedura pokazuje robusnost i na geometrijske napade. Predloženi pristup može biti korišten u različitim aplikacijama za zaštitu autorskih prava, naročito u aplikacijama koje ujedno zahtijevaju i kompresiju slike, kao što su multimedijske i internetske aplikacije, daljinsko očitavanje podataka i satelitska snimanja

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Accurate assessments of current and future fertility—including overall trends and changing population age structures across countries and regions—are essential to help plan for the profound social, economic, environmental, and geopolitical challenges that these changes will bring. Estimates and projections of fertility are necessary to inform policies involving resource and health-care needs, labour supply, education, gender equality, and family planning and support. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 produced up-to-date and comprehensive demographic assessments of key fertility indicators at global, regional, and national levels from 1950 to 2021 and forecast fertility metrics to 2100 based on a reference scenario and key policy-dependent alternative scenarios. Methods: To estimate fertility indicators from 1950 to 2021, mixed-effects regression models and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression were used to synthesise data from 8709 country-years of vital and sample registrations, 1455 surveys and censuses, and 150 other sources, and to generate age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) for 5-year age groups from age 10 years to 54 years. ASFRs were summed across age groups to produce estimates of total fertility rate (TFR). Livebirths were calculated by multiplying ASFR and age-specific female population, then summing across ages 10–54 years. To forecast future fertility up to 2100, our Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasting model was based on projections of completed cohort fertility at age 50 years (CCF50; the average number of children born over time to females from a specified birth cohort), which yields more stable and accurate measures of fertility than directly modelling TFR. CCF50 was modelled using an ensemble approach in which three sub-models (with two, three, and four covariates variously consisting of female educational attainment, contraceptive met need, population density in habitable areas, and under-5 mortality) were given equal weights, and analyses were conducted utilising the MR-BRT (meta-regression—Bayesian, regularised, trimmed) tool. To capture time-series trends in CCF50 not explained by these covariates, we used a first-order autoregressive model on the residual term. CCF50 as a proportion of each 5-year ASFR was predicted using a linear mixed-effects model with fixed-effects covariates (female educational attainment and contraceptive met need) and random intercepts for geographical regions. Projected TFRs were then computed for each calendar year as the sum of single-year ASFRs across age groups. The reference forecast is our estimate of the most likely fertility future given the model, past fertility, forecasts of covariates, and historical relationships between covariates and fertility. We additionally produced forecasts for multiple alternative scenarios in each location: the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for education is achieved by 2030; the contraceptive met need SDG is achieved by 2030; pro-natal policies are enacted to create supportive environments for those who give birth; and the previous three scenarios combined. Uncertainty from past data inputs and model estimation was propagated throughout analyses by taking 1000 draws for past and present fertility estimates and 500 draws for future forecasts from the estimated distribution for each metric, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) given as the 2·5 and 97·5 percentiles of the draws. To evaluate the forecasting performance of our model and others, we computed skill values—a metric assessing gain in forecasting accuracy—by comparing predicted versus observed ASFRs from the past 15 years (2007–21). A positive skill metric indicates that the model being evaluated performs better than the baseline model (here, a simplified model holding 2007 values constant in the future), and a negative metric indicates that the evaluated model performs worse than baseline. Findings: During the period from 1950 to 2021, global TFR more than halved, from 4·84 (95% UI 4·63–5·06) to 2·23 (2·09–2·38). Global annual livebirths peaked in 2016 at 142 million (95% UI 137–147), declining to 129 million (121–138) in 2021. Fertility rates declined in all countries and territories since 1950, with TFR remaining above 2·1—canonically considered replacement-level fertility—in 94 (46·1%) countries and territories in 2021. This included 44 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which was the super-region with the largest share of livebirths in 2021 (29·2% [28·7–29·6]). 47 countries and territories in which lowest estimated fertility between 1950 and 2021 was below replacement experienced one or more subsequent years with higher fertility; only three of these locations rebounded above replacement levels. Future fertility rates were projected to continue to decline worldwide, reaching a global TFR of 1·83 (1·59–2·08) in 2050 and 1·59 (1·25–1·96) in 2100 under the reference scenario. The number of countries and territories with fertility rates remaining above replacement was forecast to be 49 (24·0%) in 2050 and only six (2·9%) in 2100, with three of these six countries included in the 2021 World Bank-defined low-income group, all located in the GBD super-region of sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of livebirths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa was forecast to increase to more than half of the world's livebirths in 2100, to 41·3% (39·6–43·1) in 2050 and 54·3% (47·1–59·5) in 2100. The share of livebirths was projected to decline between 2021 and 2100 in most of the six other super-regions—decreasing, for example, in south Asia from 24·8% (23·7–25·8) in 2021 to 16·7% (14·3–19·1) in 2050 and 7·1% (4·4–10·1) in 2100—but was forecast to increase modestly in the north Africa and Middle East and high-income super-regions. Forecast estimates for the alternative combined scenario suggest that meeting SDG targets for education and contraceptive met need, as well as implementing pro-natal policies, would result in global TFRs of 1·65 (1·40–1·92) in 2050 and 1·62 (1·35–1·95) in 2100. The forecasting skill metric values for the IHME model were positive across all age groups, indicating that the model is better than the constant prediction. Interpretation: Fertility is declining globally, with rates in more than half of all countries and territories in 2021 below replacement level. Trends since 2000 show considerable heterogeneity in the steepness of declines, and only a small number of countries experienced even a slight fertility rebound after their lowest observed rate, with none reaching replacement level. Additionally, the distribution of livebirths across the globe is shifting, with a greater proportion occurring in the lowest-income countries. Future fertility rates will continue to decline worldwide and will remain low even under successful implementation of pro-natal policies. These changes will have far-reaching economic and societal consequences due to ageing populations and declining workforces in higher-income countries, combined with an increasing share of livebirths among the already poorest regions of the world. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

MARKETED SURPLUS OF PADDY AT THE FARM LEVEL IN BANGLADESH: AN ANALYSIS BY CAUSAL VARIABLES OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

Two basic factors-paddy production and rice consumption-determining marketed surplus of paddy were analysed in terms of their causal variables using data collected from three categories of farmers randomly selected from different parts of Bangladesh. The causal variables considered were paddy area and yield as determinants of paddy production; farm size and intensity of paddy cultivation as determinants of paddy area; resource endowment, tenurial status and HYV technology as determinants of paddy yield; family size measured in adult male equivalent unit as determinant of rice consumption. Land being limited in the country, yield expansion measures are particularly suggested for increasing production and marketed surplus of paddy. Family planning measures are also expected to contribute to the increase in marketed surplus

Characteristics of multi drug resistant tuberculosis cases at a selected tertiary level hospital

Background: This study was carried out to determine the characteristics of MDR-TB cases under treatment at National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH), Mohakhali, Dhaka. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study among 442 diagnosed MDR-TB patients admitted in NIDCH of which 303 MDR-TB patients were included as respondents. The respondents were selected purposively and they were interviewed with duly pre-tested research instruments. Results: Among the study populations (303), all were resistant to H & R and 149 (57.7%) consumed standard drugs regimen contained H, R, E & S. In addition the factors related to develop MDR-TB mostly as non-compliance, overcrowding and exposure to MDR-TB were 190 (73.7%), 261 (86.1%) and 81 (26,7%) respectively. In this study, time interval between completed anti-TB treatment and diagnosis of MDR-TB found 01 to 06 years among 55.4% respondents. Moreover tools used for diagnosis of MDR-TB were found in 258 (85.1%) as smear for AFB, Gene expert tests and Culture. Age group 16 to 30 yrs 184 (60.7%), income group 10001 to 20000 taka per month 143 (47.2%), educational qualification class VI-X 72 (23.8%) and urban population 180 (59.4%) were affected more. The association between type of house, crowding status and occurrence of MDR-TB were found statistically significant (p<0.05) but source of drugs, compliance of treatment, availability of drugs and occurrence of MDR-TB shown statistically highly significant, (p<.001). Correlation with age, family income and time gap of diagnosis MDR-TB was statistically significant (p<0.05). Principal. Conclusion: Study findings demands establishment of standard diagnostics procedures/laboratories at all secondary and tertiary care hospitals and TB clinics in the country in support of uniformity of intervention therapy