Problems and Prospects of Silk Industry in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is an underdeveloped and agro-based country. Silk industry is one of the important sectors of our national economy. It has a long and glorious past history but the growth and market share is not satisfactory of this industry to the national and global context. Thus it is an urgent need to mark the existing problem and future expectations of silk industry in Bangladesh. In our study we find out some problems of silk industry in Bangladesh like old technology, poor advertising, limited showroom, shortage of raw materials, inadequate capital, insufficient governmental facilities etc. We also find out some prospects of this industry like growth of sales and market share, low cost of labor, increasing demand, good geographical location, employment opportunity etc. So, it is essential to make effective plan and proper execution of that plan to get back the glorious position of our silk industry as well as to help the economical development of our country. Keywords: Silk, Mulberry, Industry Growth, Market Share, Technology, Quality Control

Mapping Ecotourism Potential in Bangladesh: The Integration of an Analytical Hierarchy Algorithm and Geospatial Data

The significance of ecotourism has been increasing due to its potential for biodiversity preservation, economic advancement, and the promotion of sustainability awareness. In this research, geospatial analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to identify feasible ecotourism sites in Bangladesh. The study applied Geographical Information System–Remote Sensing (GIS-RS) parameters and weighted overlay techniques for selected ecotourism characteristics, such as natural attractiveness, topographic features, accessibility, proximity to facilities, and community characteristics. The study found that a significant proportion (around 44%) of Bangladesh’s land exhibits high potential for ecotourism. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Rangamati are particularly favorable ecotourism locations. However, some difficulties emerge in regions that are not easily reachable, such as mangrove forests, and in densely inhabited localities like Dhaka. The research also identified the ecological costs linked with ecotourism, such as the exhaustion of resources, the fragmentation of habitats, contamination, and the disruption of wildlife. The primary recommendations to address the adverse effects include educating the local populace, enforcing regulatory measures, implementing efficient waste management systems, enforcing a stringent code of conduct, providing economic incentives to the local communities, and addressing the issue of food security. The cartographically delineated potential zones have the potential to function as a navigational instrument for global travelers and facilitate the decision-making process of policymakers in the realm of sustainable land resource management in Bangladesh. This study enhances the understanding of the potential of ecotourism and offers valuable insights for advancing responsible and sustainable tourism practices within the nation

Validated Molecular Marker for Downy Mildew Disease Resistance Breeding of Sunflower: A Short Review

The oomycete pathogen Plasmopara halstedii responsible for sunflower downy mildew (DM), that is a significant and important disease that greatly affects the economy. As of now, there is no non-race-specific resistance for this disease and breeders are depended on race-specific resistance to control DM disease. On the other hand, using conventional breeding procedure introgression of the DM resistance genes is a long-term task due to the highly virulent and aggressive nature of the P. halstedii pathogen. Molecular markers that can be applied at the seedling stage, offers rapid response for selection with higher precision as well as a lower cost. There are currently 36 downy mildew resistance genes (R genes), designated as Pl (Pl1-Pl36, Plhra, and PlArg, in sunflowers, each with a unique linkage group (LGs). The availability of DM resistance genomic data of sunflower, related to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) based markers with mine allelic diversity maximize the opportunity of utilizing Marker assisted selection (MAS) techniques for downy mildew resistance breeding. This review highlights the available genetic marker and their utilization at MAS techniques for enhancing downy mildew disease resistant breeding program of sunflowers

Identification of density and breeding places of Aedes mosquito and prevalence of dengue in Rajshahi city corporation of Bangladesh

Background: There are various varieties of habitats that have specific characteristics of water for the breeding of mosquito. A house-to-house cross-sectional entomological survey used to be carried out at per domestic area to become aware of larval breeding sites. Aedes aeygypti used to be primary vector and Aedes albopictus used to be predominant species in container-breeding habitats. Most breeding habitats have been category into excessive stage of larval density. Turbidity, pH, TOC, magnesium, calcium and sodium is amongst the characteristics that indicates a significant difference with larval density and species composition respectively. This study personal based entomological research and funding carried out by corresponding author. Students of zoology department of Rajshahi university involved in this research. Students were working as a research assistant for this study. Aim of this study was to assess determination of prevalence, density and breeding place of Aedes mosquito in Rajshahi city corporation. Methods: This observational study carried out 30 wards in Rajshahi city corporation areas have been surveyed in department of communicable diseases control, director general of health services, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Duration of study 3 years. Total 3 surveys were conducted in each year; pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon total 9 surveys conducted by this 3 years survey period. Data entered in MS excel and statistical analysis done by SPSS trial version. Results: This study shows that according to breeding area of 2020-2022. Here, total surveyed household were 8100. Total positive Wet container were 474 and positive place were 473 in these three years survey. Conclusions: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are properly established inside urban places. Meteorological variables additionally affected mosquito populations. Characteristics of mosquito breeding area can affect larval density and give impact quality of life

Softened magnetic excitations in the s = 3/2 distorted triangular antiferromagnet alpha-CaCr2O4

The spin dynamics and magnetic excitations of the slightly distorted triangular s = 3/2 system alpha-CaCr2O4 are investigated by means of Raman spectroscopy and electron spin resonance (ESR) to elucidate its peculiar magnetic properties. Two-magnon excitations in circular RL symmetry show a multi-maximum structure with a dominant spectral weight at low energies. The temperature dependence of the ESR linewidth is described by a critical broadening DeltaHpp(T) ~ (T - T_N)^{-p} with the exponent p = 0.30(3) - 0.38(5) for temperatures above T_N = 42.6 K. The exponent is much smaller than that of other s = 3/2 triangular lattices. This is ascribed to soft roton-like modes, indicative of the instability of a helical 120{\deg} phase. As an origin we discuss a complex spin topology formed by four inequivalent nearest neighbor and sizable next-nearest neighbor interactions.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

An Integrated Multidisciplinary Nanoscience Concentration Certificate Program for STEM Education

Integration of nanoscience and nanotechnology curricula into the College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology (CSMT) at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) is reported. The rationale for the established multidisciplinary Nanoscience Concentration Certificate Program (NCCP) is to: (i) develop nanotechnology-relevant courses within a comprehensive Science, Engineering and Technology curriculum, and, to offer students an opportunity to graduate with a certificate in nanoscience and nanotechnology; (ii) to contribute to students\u27 success in achieving student outcomes across all college\u27s majors, and, improve the breath, depth and quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates\u27 education; (iii) through NCCP, recruit certificate- and associate-degree seeking students into four year programs in engineering and physical sciences. A long-term goal is to develop an ABET accredited bachelor program in nanoscience. This program is expected to reach out to a large group of undergraduate students in a coordinated manner, enhance students\u27 knowledge and skills, as well as facilitate efforts of individual faculty members in STEM education. The UTB NCCP is supported by the NSF NUE program, under which we are developing and offering seven upper-level interdisciplinary undergraduate courses. These courses and program are assessed and evaluated

Transmission of risks between energy and agricultural commodities: Frequency time-varying VAR, asymmetry and portfolio management

This paper examines energy and agricultural commodities' short-run and long-run connectedness by using the Time-varying parameter vector autoregressions (TVP-VAR). It applies the frequency version of the TVP-VAR model, which is a modified version of the dynamic TVP-VAR model. The frequency decomposition definition also decomposes into short-run and long-run connectedness. We further the analysis by investigating the effect of asymmetry in returns on connectedness. It also examines how portfolio management strategies would lead to a maximization of profits with minimal risks. Empirical evidence indicates that only 32.52% and 31.38% of connectedness in oil and gas, respectively, are transmitted to agricultural commodities, which suggests their weak tendencies in influencing agricultural commodities; the total connectedness index hovers around 40-60% in the 2018-2019 period; however, it dropped below 40% in 2020-2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to disintegrate the connectedness between energy and agricultural commodities but increased further during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine saga. The findings also indicate that corn, wheat, and flour are net transmitters of risks to oil and natural gas in the long and short-run, and wheat-flour pairwise connectedness is the strongest in the connectedness. Asymmetry is also pronounced in the network of connectedness. Portfolio analyses indicate that investors require a low proportion of energy in a portfolio of energy-agricultural commodities to achieve an optimum profit. The findings will offer exciting insights into the connectedness of agricultural and energy commodities, particularly during periods of high price uncertainty

Validated molecular marker for downy mildew disease resistance breeding of sunflower: A short review

The oomycete pathogen Plasmopara halstedii responsible for sunflower downy mildew (DM), that is a significant and important disease that greatly affects the economy. As of now, there is no non-race-specific resistance for this disease and breeders are depended on race-specific resistance to control DM disease. On the other hand, using conventional breeding procedure introgression of the DM resistance genes is a long-term task due to the highly virulent and aggressive nature of the P. halstedii pathogen. Molecular markers that can be applied at the seedling stage, offers rapid response for selection with higher precision as well as a lower cost. There are currently 36 downy mildew resistance genes (R genes), designated as Pl (Pl1-Pl36, Plhra, and PlArg, in sunflowers, each with a unique linkage group (LGs). The availability of DM resistance genomic data of sunflower, related to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) based markers with mine allelic diversity maximize the opportunity of utilizing Marker assisted selection (MAS) techniques for downy mildew resistance breeding. This review highlights the available genetic marker and their utilization at MAS techniques for enhancing downy mildew disease resistant breeding program of sunflowers

Smart and multifunctional fiber‐reinforced composites of 2D heterostructure‐based textiles

Smart and multifunctional fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites with energy storage, sensing, and heating capabilities have gained significant interest for automotive, civil, and aerospace applications. However, achieving smart and multifunctional capabilities in an FRP composite while maintaining desired mechanical properties remains challenging. Here, a novel approach for layer‐by‐layer (LBL) deposition of 2D material (graphene and molybdenum disulfide, MoS2)‐based heterostructure onto glass fiber fabric using a highly scalable manufacturing technique at a remarkable speed of ≈150 m min−1 is reported. This process enables the creation of smart textiles with integrated energy storage, sensing, and heating functionalities. This methodology combines gel‐based electrolyte with a vacuum resin infusion technique, resulting in an efficient and stable smart FRP composite with an areal capacitance of up to ≈182 µF cm−2 at 10 mV s−1. The composite exhibits exceptional cyclic stability, maintaining ≈90% capacitance after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the smart composite demonstrates joule heating, reaching from ∼24 to ∼27 °C within 120 s at 25 V.. Additionally, the smart composite displays strain sensitivity by altering electrical resistance with longitudinal strain, enabling structural health monitoring. These findings highlight the potential of smart composites for multifunctional applications and provide an important step toward realizing their actual real‐world applications

Experimental observation of Bethe strings

Almost a century ago, string states-complex bound states of magnetic excitations-were predicted to exist in one-dimensional quantum magnets(1). However, despite many theoretical studies(2-11), the experimental realization and identification of string states in a condensed-matter system have yet to be achieved. Here we use high-resolution terahertz spectroscopy to resolve string states in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising chain SrCo2V2O8 in strong longitudinal magnetic fields. In the field-induced quantum-critical regime, we identify strings and fractional magnetic excitations that are accurately described by the Bethe ansatz(1,3,4). Close to quantum criticality, the string excitations govern the quantum spin dynamics, whereas the fractional excitations, which are dominant at low energies, reflect the antiferromagnetic quantum fluctuations. Today, Bethe's result(1) is important not only in the field of quantum magnetism but also more broadly, including in the study of cold atoms and in string theory; hence, we anticipate that our work will shed light on the study of complex many-body systems in general