PREDICTION AND MEASUREMENT OF TURBULENCE IN THE DEVELOPING REGION OF AXISYMMETRIC ISOTHERMAL FREE JETS.

Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1979 .I787. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: B, page: 4438. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1979

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

Infection and co-infection patterns of common upper respiratory tract viruses in patients with flu-like symptoms attending a fever clinic of a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: More than 200 viruses can cause respiratory tract infections. It is clinically indistinguishable to differentiate SARS-CoV-2 viral infections from other viruses that cause flu-like symptoms. This study was done to determine the infection and co-infection patterns of common respiratory tract viruses in patients with flu-like symptoms attending a fever clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 288 participants attending the Fever Clinic of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University having respiratory symptoms were enrolled in this cross-sectional study done from November 2021 to March 2022. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained for molecular detection of selected respiratory viruses by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Results: The study participants were aged 18 to 72 (mean 33.2) years. SARS-CoV-2 infection was 16.7% among the participants, while other respiratory viruses were 24.3% that included rhinovirus (14.6%) followed by adenovirus (5.6%) and parainfluenza viruses (3.5%). SARS CoV-2 and rhinovirus (29.4%), adenovirus and rhinovirus (23.5%), and rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus (17.6%) were the most common co-infections among them (n = 17). Conclusion: Nearly 17% infections were caused by SARS-CoV-2. Rhinovirus infection was the second most common of other  upper respiratory viral infections. There is also evidence of co-infections between SARS-CoV-2 and other common upper respiratory tract viruses

Conservative treatment for patients with massive prolapsed lumber intervertebral discs

Background: The natural history of Lumber hernia of nucleus pulpous is not fully known and absolute indications for surgical intervention cannot be established. Several studies have shown that the most giant discs appear to have the greatest tendency to resolve with conservative treatment. The objective of this study is to investigate whether massive prolapsed discs can be safely managed conservatively once clinical improvement has occurred.Methods: Thirty-five patients were studied by clinical assessments and serial magnetic imaging over 3 years. Patients present with intense sciatica but began to show clinical improvement despite massive disc prolapsed. Clinical assessment included the Lasegue test and neurological improvement. The Oswestry disability index was used to measure function and changes in function. Serial MRI studies allowed the measurement of volume changes of the prolapsed disc material over some time. Results: Initial follow-up at an average of 13.2 months showed that 87% had complete and sustained recovery at the initial follow-up. Only four patients required surgery. The average Oswestry disability index improved from 63% to 20%. Volumetric analysis of serial MRI scans showed an average reduction of 69% in disc size. Conclusions: A massive disc prolapsed can pursue a favourable course. If early progress is shown, the long-term prognosis is very good and even massive disc prolapses can be treated conservatively

Fatal Outbreak from Consuming Xanthium strumarium Seedlings during Time of Food Scarcity in Northeastern Bangladesh

An outbreak characterized by vomiting and rapid progression to unconsciousness and death was reported in Sylhet Distrct in northeastern Bangladesh following destructive monsoon floods in November 2007.We identified cases presenting to local hospitals and described their clinical signs and symptoms. We interviewed patients and their families to collect illness histories and generate hypotheses about exposures associated with disease. An epidemiological study was conducted in two outbreak villages to investigate risk factors for developing illness. 76 patients were identified from 9 villages; 25% (19/76) died. Common presenting symptoms included vomiting, elevated liver enzymes, and altered mental status. In-depth interviews with 33 cases revealed that 31 (94%) had consumed ghagra shak, an uncultivated plant, in the hours before illness onset. Ghagra shak was consumed as a main meal by villagers due to inaccessibility of other foods following destructive monsoon flooding and rises in global food prices. Persons who ate this plant were 34.2 times more likely (95% CI 10.2 to 115.8, p-value<0.000) than others to develop vomiting and unconsciousness during the outbreak in our multivariate model. Ghagra shak is the local name for Xanthium strumarium, or common cocklebur.The consumption of Xanthium strumarium seedlings in large quantities, due to inaccessibility of other foods, caused this outbreak. The toxic chemical in the plant, carboxyatratyloside, has been previously described and eating X. strumarium seeds and seedlings has been associated with fatalities in humans and livestock. Unless people are able to meet their nutritional requirements with safe foods, they will continue to be at risk for poor health outcomes beyond undernutrition

Microstructural study, tensile properties, and scanning electron microscopy fractography failure analysis of various agricultural residue fibers

This paper presents an approach to examine the microstructural properties and mechanical behavior of coconut husks, banana pseudo-stem, pineapple leaf, and sugarcane bagasse fibers by scanning electron microscope and mini-tensile tester, respectively. Single fiber bundles were examined by using scanning electron microscope. Tensile tests were performed at different diameters (0.15–0.55 mm) and gauge lengths (10, 15, 20, and 30 mm/min) to assess the effects of diameter and gauge length on tensile properties. It was found that fibers consisted of different types of regularly arranged cells. The tensile strength (310 MPa) and Young’s modulus (7.4 GPa) of pineapple leaf fiber bundles showed the highest value compared to the other fibers. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus decreased with the increase of diameter and gauge length of fiber bundles. Scanning electron microscopic fractography analysis showed comparatively heterogeneous ruptures associated with more participants of microfibrils for pineapple leaf and banana pseudo-stem fibers compared to coconut husk and sugarcane bagasse fibers. These fractographic observations were discussed in the light of current knowledge of the microstructure of each fiber and the corresponding mechanical properties

Does household food insecurity influence nutritional practice of children age 6 to 23 months in Bangladesh?

To examine the prevalence of household food insecurity (HHFI) among children aged between 6-23 months in Bangladesh. This paper also aims to identify the individual, household and community levels determinants of HHFI and the association between nutritional behavior and HHFI. Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS), 2011 was used for this research. A total of 2,344 children were selected for analysis. Statistical analysis and tests were guided by the nature of the variables. Finally, logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between independent variables and outcome. The overall prevalence of HHFI was 36.3% (95% CI: 33.6-39.0) among the participants (children). The prevalence of HHFI was significantly higher among children who did not receive nutritional items. In contrast, HHFI was more prevalent among children who were breastfed (37.0%) as compared to non-breastfed. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that children of illiterate mothers (adjusted OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.17-4.10), illiterate fathers (adjusted OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.41-3.66) and socio-economically poor families (adjusted OR: 11.35, 95% CI: 7.20-17.91) were more at risk of experiencing HHFI, whereas, rural children (adjusted OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.93) were more protective. In the adjusted logistic regression model, children who did not receive juice (adjusted OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.09-2.16) had experienced HHFI. The prevalence of HHFI among children is still high in Bangladesh. Therefore, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Government of Bangladesh should priorities HHFI as a major public health issue. Strong collaborations among various stakeholders are also crucial to improve the situation

Skill assessment of Saudi-KAU and C3S models in prediction of spring season rainfall over the Arabian Peninsula

A skillful prediction of precipitation has great value, particularly for regions that suffer from water stress. In this study, we assess the potential predictability and skill of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and SaudiKAU models in their simulation of precipitation over the Arabian Peninsula during spring (March–May) for the period 1993–2016. For this purpose, data from individual models as well as the multi-model ensemble (MME) is used. The prediction data for MAM precipitation initialized at Feb (Lead 1), Jan (Lead 2), and Dec (Lead 3), were obtained from the 5 C3S and Saudi-KAU coupled global climate model. The potential predictability was computed by evaluating the signal to noise ratio and the theoretical limit of correlation skill, while the prediction skill was estimated from the temporal anomaly correlation co-efficient. The results show that the Saudi-KAU, CMCC, and UKMO models have slightly higher potential predictability of about 0.25, 0.35, and 0.25 respec­ tively, as compared to other models. It is also observed that individual models as well as their MME show a high (low) potential predictability over southwestern (northern) regions of the Peninsula. Moreover, the Saudi-KAU, CMCC, and MME show a reasonably good correlation skill (0.68, 0.59, and 0.57) while the SEAS model displays lower skill (0.14) for spring precipitation. All model simulations reveal a decrease in prediction skill for longer lead times. On the other hand, the individual models and their MME successfully reproduced the Pacific (i.e. ENSO) teleconnection patterns while displaying lower skill over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The results indicate that the model biases have negative impacts on potential predictability and prediction skill over the Arabian Peninsula during the spring season

Mainstreaming Grassroots Level Adaptation and Building Climate Resilient Agriculture in SAT* Bangladesh

Global climate is likely to change further and faster over the coming decades, resulting in adverse impacts on ecosystems, peoples’ livelihood and economy. There are evidences that climate change has affected global weather patterns, disrupted climatic trends and has resulted in aggravated occurrences of climate related extreme events such as heavy rainfall, drought, flood, cyclone, storm surge, etc, claiming thousands of lives, destroying billions of dollars worth of properties and disrupting livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people