Role of women in pond fish farming and fish consumption situation in a selected area of Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, aquaculture makes an important contribution to rural livelihoods for food security, nutrition security and cash income. Small-scale fisheries typically depend on men and women’s roles. The Bangladesh fisheries sector is seen as a male domain and the contribution of women is poorly recognized. This study is concerned with the contribution of rural women in different activities of pond fish farming, profitability of pond fish culture, fish consumption level of the sample households and problems and constraints in pond fish farming. For achieving these objectives, 60 women pond fish farmers were selected randomly from Muktagacha upazila of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. Primary data were collected personally from respondents through a sample survey with the help of a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. Both tabular and econometric techniques were used to analyze the collected data. The major findings indicated that a total working hour in a season (six months) was 418 of an average 12 decimal pond sizes. Men contribute 62.68% (262 hours) and women contribute 37.32% (156 hours) of the total working hours in a season. The per hector/season production, gross return, gross margin and net return were Kg.18188, Tk. 1655108, Tk.740736 and Tk. 654202, respectively. Undiscounted benefit-cost ratio was found 1.65 in the study area. Average per capita fish consumption was 69.01 gm/day, which was higher than the nation average of 44.65 gm/person/day. The main problems faced by the respondents were high feed cost, disease, high labour demand, high cost of a pond excavation, etc. This research concludes that women play a significant role in pond fish farming and achieving household nutrition security. The government and policy makers should acknowledge the women’s contribution in different farming activities and make appropriate policy for women entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh which will lead to achieve sustainable development goals

The Impact of the Translation Movement on the rise and fall of Etzali and Ash'arite Thought

زمینه و هدف: تمدن اسلامی در قرون اولیه یعنی از قرن دوم تا قرن پنجم هجری، دوران طلایی خود را گذرانده است و در همین دوره بود که اندیشه‌ها و نحله‌های فکری و علمی گسترده‌ای شکل گرفت. یکی از جریان‌های تأثیرگذار در این دوره، نهضت ترجمه بود که باعث ظهور و سقوط برخی اندیشه‌های علمی و فلسفی در عالم اسلام شده بود. مواد و روش‌ها: روش مورد استفاده در پژوهش حاضر توصیفی - تحلیلی است که با تکیه بر مطالعات نظری و تحقیقات کتابخانه‌ای انجام گرفته است. یافته‌ها: نهضت ترجمه از جهات مختلفی بر شکل‌گیری جریان‌های علمی در قرون میانی اثرگذار بوده است؛ اولاً، باعث رشد اندیشه‌های اعتزالی از راه ترجمه آثار یونانی و سریانی و امتزاج آنان در فرهنگ اسلامی شده بود؛ دوماً، وضعیتی را پدید آورد که اشاعره نیز در تقابل با اندیشه‌های اعتزالی، به روش‌های فلسفی متوسل شدند و برعلیه معتزله برخاستند. نتیجه‌گیری: آثار نهضت ترجمه حتی تا امروز نیز تداوم پیدا کرده و در قالب‌های مختلفی، اندیشه‌های فلسفی و استدلالی را در عالم اسلام گسترش داده است. علاوه بر این، عقل‌گرایی و گفتمان‌محوری افکار و آثار معتزلیان، موجد ادامه بحث و نظر در حوزه معرفت‌شناسی جهان اسلام بر اثر نهضت ترجمه است. نهضت ترجمه و نحله‌های برگرفته از آن، نواندیشی دینی را پس از وقفه‌ای طولانی، در بین ایرانیان تجدید نموده و جدالی فلسفی میان جریان‌های مختلف از جمله اشاعره و معتزله را پدید آورده است که خود بیانگر تضارب آراء در عصر زرین تمدن اسلامی است.Background and Objective: Islamic Civilization in the Early Centuries From the Second Century to the fifth Century AH, Has Passed its Golden Age, and it Was During This Period that Extensive Intellectual and Scientific Ideas and Schools of Thought Were Formed. One of the Influential Currents in This Period Was the Translation Movement, Which Caused the Emergence and Fall of Some Scientific and Philosophical Ideas in the Islamic World. Materials and Methods: The Method Used in the Present Study is Descriptive-Analytical Based on Theoretical Studies and Library Researches. Findings: The Translation Movement Has Influenced the Formation of Scientific Currents in the Middle Ages in Various Ways. First, it Promoted Etzali Ideas Through the Translation of Greek and Syriac Works and Their Fusion Into Islamic Culture. Secondly, it Created a Situation in Which the Ash'arites, in Opposition to Etzali Ideas, Resorted to Philosophical Methods and Rose up Against the Mu'tazilites. Conclusion: The Works of the Translation Movement have Continued Even to This Day and Have Spread Philosophical and Argumentative Ideas in the Islamic World in Various Forms. In Addition, the Rationalism and Discourse-Centeredness of Mu'tazilites’ Thoughts and Works Caused Further Discussions and Opinions in the Field of Epistemology of the Islamic World as a Result of the Translation Movement. The Translation Movement and Its Derivatives Have Renewed Religious Modernity Among Iranians After a Long Pause and Created a Philosophical Controversy Between Various Currents, Including the Ash'arites and the Mu'tazilites, Which itself Expresses the Conflict of Opinions in the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization.   Please cite this article as: Zarin Mehr A, Shadpour H, Nabi Salim M. The Impact of the Translation Movement on the rise and fall of Etzali and Ash'arite Thought. Med Hist J, Special Issue on the History of Islam and Iran 2020; 111-123

Comparative study between biological and chemical agents for control sheath blight disease of rice

Biological control measures are indispensable to sustain global food security, due to it being economically profitable and environmentally sound. A comparative study was conducted to know the effectiveness of biological control measures compared with contact fungicide. Trichoderma spp. based bio fungicides Bioquick and Biospark were applied as preventive measures and contact fungicide as a curative measure for controlling sheath blight disease in rice varieties BR 71 and IR 24. Biospark and Bioquick were applied before disease development while, contact fungicide was used after the initiation of sheath blight disease. At the early stage of disease development, the effect of Bioquick, Biospark, and fungicide in terms of reducing percent relative lesion height and percent tiller infection are comparable. At 14 DAI and 18 DAI, contact fungicide performed best among the three control measures based on the two parameters. The genotypes of the rice accessions used in the study also appeared to be a factor in disease development, as evidenced by higher horizontal and vertical disease severity in BR71 than in IR24. Between comparison of Bioquick and Biospark in terms of reducing percent relative lesion height, percent tiller infection, and percent disease control, appeared to be higher in Biospark in both varieties. From this study, we can conclude that farmers can use Biospark as a biofungicide to get maximum benefit considering rice yield and ecology. However, its efficacy is slightly lower than chemical fungicides for controlling sheath blight disease of rice

Tackling antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh: A scoping review of policy and practice in human, animal and environment sectors

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an emerging issue in the developing countries as well as in Bangladesh. AMR is aggravated by irrational use of antimicrobials in a largely unregulated pluralistic health system. This review presents a ‘snap shot’ of the current situation including existing policies and practices to address AMR, and the challenges and barriers associated with their implementation. Methods A systematic approach was adopted for identifying, screening, and selecting relevant literature on AMR situation in Bangladesh. We used Google Scholar, Pubmed, and Biomed Central databases for searching peer-reviewed literature in human, animal and environment sectors during January 2010-August 2019, and Google for grey materials from the institutional and journal websites. Two members of the study team independently reviewed these documents for inclusion in the analysis. We used a ‘mixed studies review’ method for synthesizing evidences from different studies. Result Of the final 47 articles, 35 were primary research, nine laboratory-based research, two review papers and one situation analysis report. Nineteen articles on human health dealt with prescribing and/or use of antimicrobials, five on self-medication, two on non-compliance of dosage, and 10 on the sensitivity and resistance patterns of antibiotics. Four papers focused on the use of antimicrobials in food animals and seven on environmental contamination. Findings reveal widespread availability of antimicrobials without prescription in the country including rise in its irrational use across sectors and consequent contamination of environment and spread of resistance. The development and transmission of AMR is deep-rooted in various supply and demand side factors. Implementation of existing policies and strategies remains a challenge due to poor awareness, inadequate resources and absence of national surveillance. Conclusion AMR is a multi-dimensional problem involving different sectors, disciplines and stakeholders requiring a One Health comprehensive approach for containment

Assessing disparities in medical students’ knowledge and attitude about monkeypox: a cross-sectional study of 27 countries across three continents

Background and aimsThe recent monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) underscores the importance of evaluating the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward emerging diseases, given their potential roles as healthcare professionals and sources of public information during outbreaks. This study aimed to assess medical students’ knowledge and attitude about Mpox and to identify factors affecting their level of knowledge and attitude in low-income and high-income countries.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 11,919 medical students from 27 countries. A newly-developed validated questionnaire was used to collect data on knowledge (14 items), attitude (12 items), and baseline criteria. The relationship between a range of factors with knowledge and attitude was studied using univariate and multivariate analyses.Results46% of the study participants were males; 10.7% were in their sixth year; 54.6% knew about smallpox; 84% received the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine; and 12.5% had training on Mpox. 55.3% had good knowledge of Mpox and 51.7% had a positive attitude towards it. Medical students in their third, fifth, or sixth year high- income countries who obtained information on Mpox from friends, research articles, social media and scientific websites were positive predictors for good knowledge. Conversely, being male or coming from high-income countries showed a negative relation with good knowledge about Mpox. Additionally, a positive attitude was directly influenced by residing in urban areas, being in the fifth year of medical education, having knowledge about smallpox and a history of receiving the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Receiving information about Mpox from social media or scientific websites and possessing good knowledge about Mpox were also predictors of a positive attitude. On the other hand, being male, employed, or receiving a training program about Mpox were inversely predicting positive attitude about Mpox.ConclusionThere were differences in knowledge and attitude towards Mpox between medical students in low and high-income countries, emphasizing the need for incorporating epidemiology of re-emerging diseases like Mpox into the medical curriculum to improve disease prevention and control

Hearing Loss in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

OBJECTIVES: Systemic lupus erythematosus has its unique complications which warrant careful examination and assessment during follow/up visits of patients. The present study was conducted to evaluate prevalence of hearing loss in patients with SLE. MATERIALS & METHODS: At present a case- control study has been performed on 45 patients with SLE in a clinic of a teaching university hospital, Qazvin city, Iran. The patients were examined and evaluated for auditory and hearing problems as well as parameters related to their disease severity and progression. The control group was selected from the same clinic. RESULTS: Five patients (11.1%) complained from hearing loss, 4 patients (8.9%) complained from otorrhea, 3 patients (6.7%) had tinnitus in research group, moreover twelve patients (26.7%) in case group and 4 patients (8.9%) in control group had sensorineural hearing loss. The difference was found to be statistically significant. No statistical significant relationship was found between severity, age of onset, and duration of the disease, and the lab tests of the patients with hearing loss. CONCLUSION: The present study implies that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus may develop sensorineural hearing loss during their course of the disease. It is recommended that audiology examination and/or audiometry become a part of routine follow/up studies of the patients

Genetic algorithm-based wavelength selection in multicomponent spectrophotometric determination by PLS: Application on sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim mixture in bovine milk

The simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) mixtures in bovine milk by spectrophotometric method is a difficult problem in analytical chemistry, due to spectral interferences. By means of multivariate calibration methods, such as partial least square (PLS) regression, it is possible to obtain a model adjusted to the concentration values of the mixtures used in the calibration range. Genetic algorithm (GA) is a suitable method for selecting wavelengths for PLS calibration of mixtures with almost identical spectra without loss of prediction capacity using the spectrophotometric method. In this study, the calibration model based on absorption spectra in the 200-400 nm range for 25 different mixtures of SMX and TMP Calibration matrices were formed form samples containing 0.25-20 and 0.3-21 μg mL-1 for SMX and TMP, at pH=10, respectively. The root mean squared error of deviation (RMSED) for SMX and TMP with PLS and genetic algorithm partial least square (GAPLS) were 0.242, 0.066 μgmL-1 and 0.074, 0.027 μg mL-1, respectively. This procedure was allowed the simultaneous determination of SMX and TMP in synthetic and real samples and good reliability of the determination was proved