Shallow Water Hydrodynamic Investigation Of Local Scour Over Smooth And Rough Sediment Beds

Over the recent years, a number of studies in nearshore sediment transport have been researched but a greater understanding of soil-hydrodynamic interaction has still paramount importance. A series of 2D small-scale physical experiments were performed at the University of East London (UEL) hydraulics laboratory to investigate the influence of flow and sediment properties on soil scour. Measured sediment and flow data were used to develop a simple empirical relationship for scour rate of each crescent zone with the help of dimensional analysis and best-fit technique under smooth bed condition. The proposed paper discusses the extended investigation on soil-hydrodynamic behaviour by increasing the mobile bed roughness to greater values used in earlier experiments by the authors to better understand sediment particle sorting mechanism and their spreading characteristics during scour. Eventually, the proposed experimental work will lead to the comparison, calibration and development of predictive curves of scour rate for different soils of each developing crescent zones

Pathways to antibiotics in Bangladesh: a qualitative study investigating how and when households access medicine including antibiotics for humans or animals when they are ill

Background To understand how to reduce antibiotic use, greater knowledge is needed about the complexities of access in countries with loose regulation or enforcement. This study aimed to explore how households in Bangladesh were accessing antimicrobials for themselves and their domestic animals. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 48 households in one urban and one rural area. Households were purposively sampled from two lower income strata, prioritising those with under 5-year olds, older adults, household animals and minority groups. Households where someone was currently ill with a suspected infection (13 households) were invited for a follow-up interview. Framework analysis was used to explore access to healthcare and medicines. Findings People accessed medicines for themselves through five pathways: drugs shops, private clinics, government/charitable hospitals, community/family planning clinics, and specialised/private hospitals. Drug shops provided direct access to medicines for common, less serious and acute illnesses. For persistent or serious illnesses, the healthcare pathway may include contacts with several of these settings, but often relied on medicines provided by drug shops. In the 13 households with an unwell family member, most received at least one course of antibiotics for this illness. Multiple and incomplete dosing were common even when prescribed by a qualified doctor. Antibiotics were identified by their high cost compared to other medicines. Cost was a reported barrier to purchasing full courses of antibiotics. Few households in the urban area kept household animals. In this rural area, government animal health workers provided most care for large household animals (cows), but drug shops were also important. Conclusions In Bangladesh, unregulated drug shops provide an essential route to medicines including those prescribed in the formal sector. Wherever licensed suppliers are scarce and expensive, regulations which prohibit this supply risk removing access entirely for many people

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Materi Berbagai Peristiwa Alam Di Kelas V SDN Pakanangi Melalui Model Pembelajaran Quantum Teaching

Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK) ini dilaksanakan di kelas V SDN Pakanangi dengan jumlah siswa sebanyak 21 orang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar IPA pada materi berbagai peristiwa alamdi kelas V SDN Pakanangi melalui model pembelajaran quantum teaching, yang dilaksanakan dalam 2 siklus. Data yang diambil dari penelitian ini adalah data kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Data kualitatif diperoleh dari hasil observasi aktivitas siswa dan aktivitas guru pada saat proses belajar mengajar berlangsung. Sedangkan data kuantitatif diperoleh dari hasil belajar siswa pada setiap akhir tindakan. Hasil analisis data kualitatif dari lembar observasi siswa pada siklus I menyatakan kurang dan siklus II sangat baik serta hasil observasi aktivitas guru pada siklus I menyatakan baik dan siklus II sangat baik. Selanjutnya hasil analisa data kuantitatif hasil tes tindakan siklus I diperoleh siswa yang tuntas 12 orang dari 21 orang siswa dengan persentase daya serap klasikal sebesar 60,31% dan ketuntasan belajar klasikal sebesar 57,14%. Pada siklus II hasil tes akhir tindakan mengalami peningkatan, siswa yang tuntas menjadi 18 orang dari 21 orang siswa dengan persentase daya serap klasikal sebesar 86,35% dan ketuntasan belajar klasikal sebesar 85,71%. Dari hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa hasil yang diperoleh dari siklus I dan II baik hasil observasi aktivitas siswa dan aktivitas guru maupun hasil tes akhir tindakan mengalami peningkatan

Pengaruh Sistem Informasi Manajemen Dan Lingkungan Kerja Terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Pada RSUD Dr. M.M Dunda Limboto Kabupaten Gorontalo

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui 1) seberapa besar pengaruh system informasi manajemen terhadap kinerja pegawai. 2) seberapa besar pengaruh lingkungan kerja terhadap kinerja pegawai. 3) seberapa besar pengaruh system informasi manajemen dan lingkungan kerja terhadap kinerja pegawai. Populasi dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 138 pegawai. Tehnik pengambilan sampel menggunakan purposive sampling yaitu sebanyak 58 responden. Uji analisis regresi linear berganda. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian uji t (parsial) menunjukkan bahwa variabel 1) system informasi manajemen berpengaruh positif terhadap kinerja pegawai ditunjukkan dengan nilai t-hitung 3,547 t-tabel 2,0040. 2) lingkungan kerja berpengaruh positif terhadap kinerja pegawai ditunjukkan dengan nilai t-hitung 2,436 t-tabel 2,0040. 3) system informasi manajemen dan lingkungan kerja secara simultan mempengaruhi kinerja pegawai ditunjukkan dengan nilai Fhitung 8,999 Ftabel 3,1649 dengan taraf signifikansi 0,05. Berdasarkan perhitungan koefisien determinasi menunjukkan R2 sebesar 24,7% dikategorikan rendah, dapat disimpulkan bahwa system informasi manajemen dan lingkungan kerja secara simultan berpengaruh terhadap kinerja pegawai sedangkan 75,3% dipengaruhi oleh variabel lain yang tidak diteliti dalam penelitian ini seperti motivasi, dan pengambilan keputusan

Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases among Geriatric population in Block Hazratbal, District Srinagar

Elderly population aged 60 years and above in the world will reach 1.2 billion by the year 2025, the majority of whom will be in developing countries.Major health problems which are faced in this age group are hypertension, coronary artery disease, strokes, diabetes mellitus, obesity, cancers, cataracts, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive airway disease, benign hyperplasia of prostate, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, senile Dementia and depression. Globally, the burden of non-communicable diseases, which also bear the greatest morbidity and mortality, is rising in developing countries. Demographic and epidemiological transitions taking place in the developing countries of Asia is shifting the disease burden from communicable towards non-communicable disease. India’s poor are at heightened risk of acquiring NCDs owing to high rate of smoking, tobacco use and high salt intake. So this paper analyses the links between sociodemographic correlates and non-communicable diseases in block Hazratbal, district Srinagar. Objectives:1.To estimate the prevalence of NCDs among study population.2.To find out the socio-demographic correlates of NCDs in the study population. Study design: A Community Based, Cross sectional study. Study population: Elderly (?60 years) persons residing in selected geographical area. Results:In this study, majority of the elderly study population were suffering from Hypertension/Ischemic/Other heart diseases (52.2%) followed by COPD (11.4%), Arthritis/other Musculoskeletal problems (10.6%), Diabetes mellitus (10.4%). Gastritis (9.8%), Hypothyroidism (9.6%), Benign prostrate hypertrophy (9.4%). The main reason for high prevalence of Hypertension/Ischemic heart disease could be that we take lots of salty products in our daily diet. Other causes could be living in a conflict area or genetic susceptibility. Most of elderly study subjects 446(89.9%) were on drugs for their chronic diseases

What contributes to inappropriate antibiotic dispensing among qualified and unqualified healthcare providers in Bangladesh? A qualitative study

Background Over-prescribing and inappropriate use of antibiotics contributes to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Few studies in low and middle-income settings have employed qualitative approaches to examine the drivers of antibiotic sale and dispensing across the full range of healthcare providers (HCPs). We aimed to explore understandings of the use and functions of antibiotics; awareness of AMR and perceived patient or customer demand and adherence among HCPs for human and animal medicine in Bangladesh. Methods We used an ethnographic approach to conduct face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 46 community HCPs in one urban and one rural area (Gazipur and Mirzapur districts respectively). We purposefully selected participants from four categories of provider in human and veterinary medicine: qualified; semi-qualified; auxiliary and unqualified. Using a grounded theory approach, thematic analysis was conducted using a framework method. Results Antibiotics were considered a medicine of power that gives quick results and works against almost all diseases, including viruses. The price of antibiotics was equated with power such that expensive antibiotics were considered the most powerful medicines. Antibiotics were also seen as preventative medicines. While some providers were well informed about antibiotic resistance and its causes, others were completely unaware. Many providers mistook antibiotic resistance as the side effects of antibiotics, both in human and animal medicine. Despite varied knowledge, providers showed concern about antibiotic resistance but responsibility for inappropriate antibiotic use was shifted to the patients and clients including owners of livestock and animals. Conclusions Misconceptions and misinformation led to a wide range of inappropriate uses of antibiotics across the different categories of human and animal healthcare providers. Low awareness of antibiotic action and antibiotic resistance were apparent among healthcare providers, particularly those with little or no training and those in rural areas. Specific and targeted interventions to address AMR in Bangladesh should include educational messages on the rational use of antibiotics and how they work, targeting all types of healthcare providers. While tailored training for providers may increase understanding of antibiotic action and improve practices, more far-reaching structural changes are required to influence and increase responsibility for optimising antibiotic dispensing among all HCPs

Salsa20 based lightweight security scheme for smart meter communication in smart grid

The traditional power gird is altering dramatically to a smart power grid with the escalating development of information and communication technology (ICT). Among thousands of electronic devices connected to the grid through communication network, smart meter (SM) is the core networking device. The consolidation of ICT to the electronic devices centered on SM open loophole for the adversaries to launch cyber-attack. Therefore, for protecting the network from the adversaries it is required to design lightweight security mechanism for SM, as conventional cryptography schemes poses extensive computational cost, processing delay and overhead which is not suitable to be used in SM. In this paper, we have proposed a security mechanism consolidating elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and Salsa20 stream cipher algorithm to ensure security of the network as well as addressing the problem of energy efficiency and lightweight security solution. We have numerically analyzed the performance of our proposed scheme in case of energy efficiency and processing time which reveals that the suggested mechanism is suitable to be used in SM as it consumes less power and requires less processing time to encrypt or decrypt

Motivating antibiotic stewardship in Bangladesh:identifying audiences and target behaviours using the behaviour change wheel

BACKGROUND: South Asia is a hotspot for antimicrobial resistance due largely to over-the-counter antibiotic sales for humans and animals and from a lack of policy compliance among healthcare providers. Additionally, there is high population density and high infectious disease burden. This paper describes the development of social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) to increase the appropriate use of antibiotics.METHODS: We used formative research to explore contextual drivers of antibiotic sales, purchase, consumption/use and promotion among four groups: 1) households, 2) drug shop staff, 3) registered physicians and 4) pharmaceutical companies/medical sales representatives. We used formative research findings and an intervention design workshop with stakeholders to select target behaviours, prioritise audiences and develop SBCC messages, in consultation with a creative agency, and through pilots and feedback. The behaviour change wheel was used to summarise findings.RESULTS: Workshop participants identified behaviours considered amenable to change for all four groups. Household members and drug shop staff were prioritised as target audiences, both of which could be reached at drug shops. Among household members, there were two behaviours to change: suboptimal health seeking and ceasing antibiotic courses early. Thus, SBCC target behaviours included: seek registered physician consultations; ask whether the medicine provided is an antibiotic; ask for instructions on use and timing. Among drug shop staff, important antibiotic dispensing practices needed to change. SBCC target behaviours included: asking customers for prescriptions, referring them to registered physicians and increasing customer awareness by instructing that they were receiving antibiotics to take as a full course.CONCLUSIONS: We prioritised drug shops for intervention delivery to all drug shop staff and their customers to improve antibiotic stewardship. Knowledge deficits among these groups were notable and considered amenable to change using a SBCC intervention addressing improved health seeking behaviours, improved health literacy on antibiotic use, and provision of information on policy governing shops. Further intervention refinement should consider using participatory methods and address the impact on profit and livelihoods for drug shop staff for optimal compliance.</p

Susceptibility of microorganism to selected medicinal plants in Bangladesh

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo analyze in-vitro antimicrobial activities of some ethno-pharmacologically significant medicinal plants (methanol extract) against the pathogenic microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans).MethodsThe disc diffusion method was applied for antibacterial test and the poisoned food technique was applied for antifungal test.ResultsThe methanol extract of Terminalia chebula (bark), Phyllanthus acidus (fruits), Sarcochlamys pulcherrima (leaves) and Abelmoschus esculentus (fruits) had significant in vitro antibacterial activity angainst the entire test samples in comparison to standard drug ciprofloxacin. Most of the plant extracts showed low activity against Gram negative bacteria while potential activity against Gram positive bacteria. The antifungal activities of methanol extracts of these plants and standard drug griseofulvin were determined against two pathogenic fungi, and Polygonum lapathifolium (leaves) and Cinnamomum tamala (leaves) showed maximum activity, while Erioglossum rubiginosum (leaves) showed no antifungal activity.ConclusionsFurther chemical and pharmacological investigations are required to identify and isolate chemical constituents responsible for these potential bioactivities and thus to determine their full spectrum of efficacy