Purpose - This paper aims to investigate users' individual differences such as gender and status in service quality assessment of Independent University, Bangladesh Library (IUBL), a top-ranking private university library in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted among IUBL users using modified version of SERVQUAL instrument. User responses for minimum, expected, and perceived services were calculated by gender and status. The gap scores between perceived and minimum services (adequacy gap) and perceived and expected services (superiority gap) by different groups were computed. Finally, the gap scores of gender and status groups were compared statistically using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Findings - The results showed overall IUBL met minimum service e...

The low social status of women and the preference for sons determine a high rate of sex-selective abortion or, more specifically, female feticide, in South Asian countries. Although each of them, irrespective of its abortion policy, strictly condemns sex-selective abortion, data suggest high rates of such procedures in India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh. This paper reviews the current situation of sex-selective abortion, the laws related to it and the factors contributing to its occurrence within these countries. Based on this review, it is concluded that sex selective abortion is a public health issue as it contributes to high maternal mortality. Abortion policies of South Asian countries vary greatly and this influences the frequency of reporting of cases. Several socio-economic factors ...

A series of pot and field experiments with flooded rice were carried out on contrasting soil types of Bangladesh to study the zinc status of soils, evaluate chemical methods for extracting zinc from soils in terms of ability to identify zinc deficiency, e...

This article examines current legal and regulatory issues of Islamic banking in Bangladesh. The most important issue in this context is the lack of a well-defined regulatory and supervisory framework for Islamic banks for their effective functioning in line with the tenets of Shariah. Other major issues come from the absence of an interbank Islamic money market, following the same policy and guidelines for Islamic and conventional banking by the Bangladesh Bank, presence of a discriminatory legal reserve requirement for Islamic and conventional banking, prevalence of a restrictive environment in the capital market, and the lack of legal support and protection of Bangladesh Bank to avoid the associated risks of Islamic banks. For this purpose, it is suggested that Islamic banks in Banglades...

Abstract in spanish OBJETIVO: Evaluar la prevalencia, el tratamiento y el control de la hipertensión, así como el conocimiento de este problema, entre las personas de edad en Bangladesh y la India. MÉTODOS: Se seleccionó una muestra comunitaria de 1203 personas de edad avanzada (entre ellas 670 mujeres; edad media: 70 años) empleando una técnica de muestreo por conglomerados polietápico de dos sitios en Bangladesh y tres sitios en la India. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia general de hipert (more) ensión (criterios OMS/Sociedad Internacional de la Hipertensión) era del 65% (intervalo de confianza del 95% = 62%-67%). La prevalencia era mayor en los entornos urbanos que en las zonas rurales, pero no difirió significativamente entre los sexos. Los análisis de regresión logística múltiple revelaron que la prevalencia de hipertensión estaba correlacionada marcadamente con un mayor índice de masa corporal, con un mayor nivel de instrucción y con la prevalencia de diabetes mellitus. La actividad física, la residencia en zonas rurales y la condición de fumador a la sazón eran factores inversamente relacionados con la prevalencia de hipertensión. Entre las personas estudiadas que tenían hipertensión, el 45% sabían que la padecían y el 40% estaban tomando medicación antihipertensiva, pero sólo un 10% había alcanzado los niveles estipulados en los criterios del Sexto Comité Nacional Mixto de los EE.UU. sobre la Detección, la Evaluación y el Tratamiento de la Hipertensión. El hecho de haber visitado a un médico durante el año precedente, la posesión de un nivel de instrucción alto y la condición de mujer resultaron ser factores notablemente correlacionados con el conocimiento de la propia hipertensión. CONCLUSIÓN: Nuestros resultados subrayan la necesidad de aplicar regímenes terapéuticos eficaces y de bajo costo basados en los niveles absolutos de riesgo cardiovascular teniendo en cuenta el contexto económico. Desde una perspectiva de salud pública, la única manera de abordar de forma sostenible la alta prevalencia de hipertensión en el subcontinente indio es una estrategia orientada a reducir la presión arterial promedio en la población. Abstract in english OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among elderly individuals in Bangladesh and India. METHOD: A community-based sample of 1203 elderly individuals (670 women; mean age, 70 years) was selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique from two sites in Bangladesh and three sites in India. FINDINGS: The overall prevalence of hypertension (WHO-International Society for Hypertension criteria) was 65% (95% confidence int (more) erval = 62-67%). The prevalence was higher in urban than rural areas, but did not differ significantly between the sexes. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified a higher body mass index, higher education status and prevalent diabetes mellitus as important correlates of the prevalence of hypertension. Physical activity, rural residence, and current smoking were inversely related to the prevalence of hypertension. Among study subjects who had hypertension, 45% were aware of their condition, 40% were taking anti-hypertensive medications, but only 10% achieved the level established by the US Sixth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of Hypertension (JNC VI)/WHO criteria. A visit to a physician in the previous year, higher educational attainment and being female emerged as important correlates of hypertension awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the need to implement effective and low cost management regimens based on absolute levels of cardiovascular risk appropriate for the economic context. From a public health perspective, the only sustainable approach to the high prevalence of hypertension in the Indian subcontinent is through a strategy to reduce the average blood pressure in the population.

Bangladesh, it is by now well-known, is at the receiving end, in the literal sense of the term, of the global climate change and its potential impacts. She contributes very little to the current global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Emission Inventory under the present umbrella project, Bangladesh Climate Change Study (BCCS), has found that her annual emission of carbon has been only 3.99 mn metric tons per year. An earlier study arrived at exactly the same figure. The figures for estimated release of methane is far less firm. The estimated methane emission in 1990 could be anywhere between 1 million and 6 million metric tons. In any case the total emission is unlikely to be more than one-half of one percent of the global total. On the other hand, however, she faces specter of widespread and more frequent floods, more frequent droughts, cyclones and above all sea-level rise (SLR) which may inundate a substantial part of the country all of these bringing in immeasurable misery and destitution and loss of income, employment and growth. One would expect that in such a situation, Bangladesh`s basic concern should be to prepare an appropriate adaptation strategy. This is already a major policy concern of the Government. There is, however, an increasing realization that Bangladesh should as well emphasize an appropriate mitigation strategy (MS). There may be at least three reasons why this should be so. The first is that she is a signatory of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The second is that in the medium, if not short term she expects major growth due to a developing economy. Third is that Bangladesh depends primarily on fossil fuel imports for energy, and will become a larger source with further development.

Study design:Observational study.Setting:Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), Dhaka, Bangladesh.Methods:This observational study was conducted on 84 patients of Cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) due to fall while carrying heavy load on head. They were admitted at the CRP, Dhaka, Bangladesh between January1999 and December 2001. Relevant personal information, neurological status, types of bony injuries and x-ray findings were noted down in pre-structured questionnaire. In addition, each subject was interviewed to find out the cause of accidental fall while carrying heavy load on head.Results:Age of the studied subjects ranged between10 to 50 years. All were male of whom 79 (94%) subjects were farmers and/or low cost daily laborers. In all, 72% percent of the subjects were ...

...Status: The technology is currently...Collaborative Research Opportunity...collaborative research to further...information. Diagnostic and Prognostic...Status: The technology is currently...Collaborative Research...

We explore the determinants of domestic violence in two rural areas of Bangladesh. We found increased education, higher socioeconomic status, non-Muslim religion, and extended family residence to be associated with lower risks of violence. The effects of women's status on violence was found to be highly context-specific. In the more culturally conservative area, higher individual-level women's autonomy and short-term membership in savings and credit groups were both associated with significantly elevated risks of violence, and community-level variables were unrelated to violence. In the less culturally conservative area, in contrast, individual-level women's status indicators were unrelated to the risk of violence, and community-level measures of women's status were associated with significantly lower risks of violence, presumably by reinforcing nascent normative changes in gender relations. PMID:12846132

Arsenic (bio)geochemistry is of intense current interest because the speciation, mobility, and natural chemical processes involving arsenic compounds are intimately related to its bioavailability and a myriad of negative health effects related to arsenic exposure. Arsenic contamination in the environment is wide-spread due to the historical use of arsenic-bearing chemicals in agriculture and industry as well as the occurrence of natural and anthropogenic arsenic-rich waters in such regions as Bangladesh, South America, and the western United States [1–5].

The symposium consisted of 16 sessions with 58 submitted papers. Major fields were: (1) status and future plan of research and testing reactors, (2) operating experiences, (3) design and modification of the facility, and reactor fuels, (4) irradiation studies, (5) irradiation facilities, (6) reactor characteristics and instrumentation, and (7) neutron beam utilization. Panel discussion on the 'New Trends on Application of Research and Test Reactors' was also held at the last of the symposium. About 180 people participated from China, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Belgium, France, USA, Japan and IAEA. The 58 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

Papers from national seminars in five countries documenting the literacy practices that have developed through time include: "Preface" (Medel-Anonuevo); "Introduction"; "Illiteracy Eradication in Vietnam; Past Achievements and Orientation for Development in the New Stage" (Mac); "Brief Situationer of Women's Literacy in Bangladesh" (Huq); "Bangladesh Government Literacy Initiative: The Integrated Nonformal Education Program (INFEP)" (Rahman); "Brief Situationer of Women's Literacy in India" (Dighe); "Literacy Policies and Programs for Women in the Philippines"; "History of Literacy Efforts and Current Policies on Women's Literacy" (Sese); "Engendering Adult Literacy" (Clarke); "Educational Strategies for Women--A Case Study of Mahila Samakhya, Banda" (Samakhya); "The Literacy Program of Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB)" (Khandakar); "Models of Literacy Program in Nepal"; "Linking Total Literacy to Universal Elementary Education" (Rampal); "Two Views on Literacy Strategies in India" (Priyam, Sundaraman); "Innovations in Literacy Practice in Nepal"; "Case Study of Bihar Mahila Samakhya" (Sujita); "Some Notes on Non-formal Education for Women in Thailand" (Leesuwan); "German Government Organization for Technical Cooperation/Basic Education for Afghan Refugees--Female Literacy" (Adam); "The Education Forum's Literacy-Numeracy Program" (Sipin); "Some Tips in Doing Literacy Work" (Doronila); "Maori Development Committee of the Adult Reading and Learning Assistance" (Grey); "Korean Research Institute for Women's Life" (Chan); "The Literacy Circle" (Sundaraman); "Development of Methods and Instructional Materials for Women in Bangladesh" (Kabeer); "On Language and Indigenous Knowledge"(Doronila); "Language and Representation" (Rampal); "Development of Literacy Learning Materials for Women" (Thong); "Choice of Words for Literacy Curriculum and Materials"; "Analysis of Total Literacy Campaign Primers" (Patel); "Incorporating Health Education in Literacy Efforts" (Sundaraman); "The Content of Functional Knowledge in Literacy Programs for Women in Vietnam" (Thai, Bui); "Impact of Literacy on Women in India" (Dighe); "Concerns on Literacy Practices in Bangladesh"; "Theory and Practice of Women's Literacy in Bangladesh: Problems and Issues" (Latif); "Women's Empowerment Strategies in Post-Literacy Campaigns--Some Experiences from Tamil Nadu" (Sudha); "Problems of Literacy Programs in Nepal"; "Summary of the Main Points Raised in the National and Regional Seminars"; "The Challenges Ahead" (Ramdas); and "Summary of the Main Issues Discussed in the Second Day of the Regional Seminar" (Doronila). (MN)

Limited resources, invested for the development of transport facilities, such as infrastructure and vehicles, coupled with the rapid rise in transport demand, existence of a huge number of non-motorized vehicles on roads, lack of application of adequate and proper traffic management schemes are producing severe transport problems in almost all the urban areas of Bangladesh. Worsening situation of traffic congestion in the streets and sufferings of the inhabitants from vehicle emissions demand extensive research in this field. However, no detailed study concerning traffic congestion and pollution problems for urban areas of Bangladesh has yet been done. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to examine the present state of the problem. This research is a preliminary evaluation of the current situation of traffic pollution problem in Bangladesh. The daily total emissions of NO{sub x}, HC, CO, PM, and SO{sub x} are estimated using the daily fuel consumption and total traffic flows in Dhaka city. Estimated daily emissions are 42, 39, 314, 14, and 42 t/d for NO{sub x}, HC, CO, PM, and SO{sub x}, respectively. The emissions estimated using two different methods revealed good correlation. Daily average concentration of NO{sub x} (NO{sub 2}, NO) were measured at 30 street locations in Dhaka city during September and November, 1996. The results showed extremely high concentrations of NO{sub 2} and NO in these locations.

While the current reform efforts in Bangladesh require a substantive change in how science is taught, an equally substantive change is needed in the culture of professional practice. This study will, therefore, investigate how science teachers' learning in a professional learning community (PLC) influences the ways in which participant teachers learn about, and develop their practice. In so doing, teachers also work towards forming a professional learning community within and across schools. This study presents research from participating teachers' post teaching discussions and subsequent workshop discussions that together comprised their PLC. Data have been drawn from 14 voluntary participant science teachers who were formed into seven peer pairs, from seven schools in Bangladesh. Each pair of teachers was located at the same school. The results indicate that the post teaching discussions and professional workshops offered participating teachers opportunities to discuss their problems regarding resources, content knowledge, pedagogy and the learning environment in the classroom. The findings of this study ultimately carry implications for science teachers' practice and professional learning in secondary schools in Bangladesh, as well as for pre and in-service education for secondary science teachers. (Contains 1 figure.)

Arsenic in drinking water is a major public health problem threatening the lives of over 140 million people worldwide. In Bangladesh alone, up to 57 million people drink arsenic-laden water from shallow wells. ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation(ECAR) overcomes many of the obstacles that plague current technologies and can be used affordably and on a small-scale, allowing for rapid dissemination into Bangladesh to address this arsenic crisis. In this work, ECAR was shown to effectively reduce 550 - 580 mu g=L arsenic (including both As[III]and As[V]in a 1:1 ratio) to below the WHO recommended maximum limit of 10 mu g=L in synthetic Bangladesh groundwater containing relevant concentrations of competitive ions such as phosphate, silicate, and bicarbonate. Arsenic removal capacity was found to be approximately constant within certain ranges of current density, but was found to change substantially between ranges. In order of decreasing arsenic removal capacity, the pattern was: 0.02 mA=cm2> 0.07 mA=cm2> 0.30 - 1.1 mA=cm2> 5.0 - 100 mA=cm2. Current processing time was found to effect arsenic removal capacity independent of either charge density or current density. Electrode polarization studies showed no passivation of the electrode in the tested range (up to current density 10 mA=cm2) and ruled out oxygen evolution as the cause of decreasing removal capacity with current density. Simple settling and decantation required approximately 3 days to achieve arsenic removal comparable to filtration with a 0.1 mu m membrane. X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) showed that (1) there is no significant difference in the arsenic removal mechanism of ECAR during operation at different current densities and (2) the arsenic removal mechanism in ECAR is consistent with arsenate adsorption onto a homogenous Fe(III)oxyhydroxide similar in structure to 2-line ferrihydrite. ECAR effectively reduced high arsenic concentrations (100 - 500 mu g=L) in real Bangladesh tube well water collected from three regions to below the WHO limit of 10 mu g=L. Prototype fabrication and field testing are currently underway.

Distance education has emerged out of social compulsion, the dynamics of change and new cultures. It was the failure of traditional systems to be able to meet the demand in countries, where the resources available for tertiary education are limited, which basically gave birth to the new trend of education known as open and distance education. This new and innovative system of education has received a high level of acceptance in different countries as it offers flexible educational opportunities for continuing education to a large segment of their population. The increasing number of older adult learners with varying lifestyles in the population, increasing competitiveness of getting places in tertiary institutions, higher cost of education and a shortage of teachers are the main factors for increasing the popularity of distance education (Duncan, "et al.," 2003). Bangladesh has also taken the opportunity to provide a uniform and mass oriented universal system of education through open and distance education establishing Bangladesh Open University (BOU) in 1992. Objectives of the Study: The main objectives of this study are: (1) to assess the overall status of BOU in comparison with the open universities of two neighboring South Asian countries considering the following aspects: (a) Administrative structural functions; (b) Courses and instructional strategies; (c) Learning opportunities, and (d) Library, laboratory and counselling facilities; (2) to explore the potential of improvement for BOU to enable it to meet the challenges of the country's educational needs in the next millennium. (Contains 1 figure and 8 tables.)

Greenbelts are effective tools for mitigation of traffic induced air and noise pollution. In this study, the potential role of greenbelts along the roadside for the reduction of air pollution and noise levels has been assessed by using seasonally monitored data in a megacity of Bangladesh. Correlation analysis was performed between the vegetation status, measured by canopy density and shelterbelt porosity, and the total suspended particles (TSP) removal percentage. Further, the reduction of noise level was also analyzed. The results showed that the greenbelts greatly contributed to reduce TSP pollution and it was as much as 65%. Noise level reduction was also achieved up to 17dB when compared to the open area. Moreover, TSP removal percentage was correlated to the crown density. Area havin...

This article explores whether payment issues or presence of dowry demand in marriage reflecting patriarchal attitude of marital family underlies the positive relationship between dowry and wife abuse using a sample of reproductive-age women (N = 2,702) from a population-based survey conducted in urban and rural Bangladesh in 2001. Regression results show that absence of dowry demand in marriage lowered the likelihood of physical wife abuse in the rural site and its frequency and severity in both sites compared with marriages where dowry was demanded and fully paid. The results suggest that in general, dowry demand predicts the extent, frequency, and severity of physical wife abuse regardless of the status of dowry payment. No payment of dowry increased the likelihood of abuse, its frequency, and severity in households demanding dowry. The direction of association between partial payment of dowry and violence, however, was different in different sites, calling for further research. (Contains 3 tables.)

Summary Background Childhood-cancer survival is dismal in most low-income countries, but initiatives for treating paediatric cancer have substantially improved care in some of these countries. The My Child Matters programme was launched to fund projects aimed at controlling paediatric cancer in low-income and mid-income countries. We aimed to assess baseline status of paediatric cancer care in ten countries that were receiving support (Bangladesh, Egypt, Honduras, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam). Methods Between Sept 5, 2005, and May 26, 2006, qualitative face-to-face interviews with clinicians, hospital managers, health officials, and other health-care professionals were done by a multidisciplinary public-health research company as a field sur...

Abstract in spanish La contaminación del agua freática con arsénico en Bangladesh es, hasta la fecha, el mayor caso de envenenamiento de una población registrado en la historia: millones de personas han estado expuestas al arsénico. En este trabajo se describe el descubrimiento en Bangladesh de la contaminación del agua de bebida con arsénico y se recomiendan estrategias para la intervención. A principios de los años setenta se instalaron pozos entubados para abastecer de «agu (more) a pura» y prevenir la morbilidad y mortalidad debidas a las enfermedades gastrointestinales. No se analizó la posible contaminación con arsénico del agua de los millones de pozos entubados que se instalaron porque a la sazón no se tenía conciencia de ese problema. En un estudio realizado en 1998 por el British Geological Survey en 41 distritos se tomaron 2022 muestras de agua; se comprobó que en el 35% de ellas las concentraciones de arsénico superaban los 50 µg/l (valor máximo autorizado en Bangladesh) y en un 8,4% se superaban los 300 µg/l. Sobre la base de la densidad de población de 1998, el British Geological Survey estimó que el número de personas expuestas en Bangladesh a concentraciones de arsénico superiores a los 50 µg/l era de unos 21 millones. Esa cifra prácticamente se duplicaría si se adoptara la concentración máxima de 10 µg/l recomendada por la OMS. Los efectos en la salud de ingerir agua contaminada con arsénico se manifiestan lentamente. Por esa razón, es importante identificar la cifra de personas que en el futuro enfermarán como consecuencia de una exposición pasada y persistente al arsénico, además de la cifra de pacientes que ya han enfermado por esa causa. El periodo de latencia de las lesiones cutáneas provocadas por el arsénico (es decir, el tiempo transcurrido desde la primera exposición hasta la manifestación de la enfermedad), en particular de las queratosis, es por regla general de unos 10 años. El periodo de latencia de los cánceres de la piel e internos es de más de 20 años a partir del momento de la exposición. Los estudios realizados en otros países en los que la población ha estado expuesta largo tiempo a aguas freáticas contaminadas con arsénico indican que una de cada 10 personas que toman agua con 500 µg/l de arsénico pueden acabar muriendo de cánceres causados por el arsénico, en particular de cánceres de pulmón, vejiga y piel. Para responder a esta emergencia de salud pública habría que facilitar una rápida asignación de fondos y la expansión inmediata de las intervenciones actuales. Aunque la exposición al arsénico puede mitigarse de forma relativamente sencilla sin más que suministrar agua exenta de arsénico, la situación en Bangladesh se ve complicada por la debilidad de la economía y por su gran dependencia de la ayuda externa para resolver los problemas de salud pública. Las importantes dificultades que obstaculizan las comunicaciones y el transporte dentro de Bangladesh entorpecen también los programas comunitarios de intervención y educación. No obstante, a diferencia de enfermedades como el paludismo, el cólera o la tuberculosis, que requieren respuestas de salud pública más complejas, la respuesta a la contaminación de los pozos de agua entubados es muy simple: suministrar agua sin arsénico. El arsénico se elimina rápidamente por la orina y, en los casos precoces o leves, no se precisa tratamiento específico. La educación y la participación comunitarias son esenciales para asegurar que las intervenciones tengan éxito, y deben ir acompañadas de un seguimiento que confirme el final de la exposición. Se desconoce la magnitud exacta del problema, pero no por ello es menos necesaria una respuesta de emergencia. La envergadura se podrá determinar en el transcurso de la respuesta. La salud de la población está en riesgo: el socorro no puede esperar a que se realicen más estudios. El descubrimiento de que existen aguas freáticas contaminadas con arsénico en la Argentina, Chile, China, los Estados Unidos de América, la India, México, la República de China (Taiwán), Tailandia y, ahora, Bangladesh evidencia que se trata de un problema mundial. Habría que analizar la presencia de arsénico en todas las aguas subterráneas del mundo que se utilizan para el consumo. Abstract in english The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is the largest poisoning of a population in history, with millions of people exposed. This paper describes the history of the discovery of arsenic in drinking-water in Bangladesh and recommends intervention strategies. Tube-wells were installed to provide ??pure water?? to prevent morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal disease. The water from the millions of tube-wells that were installed was not tested (more) for arsenic contamination. Studies in other countries where the population has had long-term exposure to arsenic in groundwater indicate that 1 in 10 people who drink water containing 500 µg of arsenic per litre may ultimately die from cancers caused by arsenic, including lung, bladder and skin cancers. The rapid allocation of funding and prompt expansion of current interventions to address this contamination should be facilitated. The fundamental intervention is the identification and provision of arsenic-free drinking water. Arsenic is rapidly excreted in urine, and for early or mild cases, no specific treatment is required. Community education and participation are essential to ensure that interventions are successful; these should be coupled with follow-up monitoring to confirm that exposure has ended. Taken together with the discovery of arsenic in groundwater in other countries, the experience in Bangladesh shows that groundwater sources throughout the world that are used for drinking-water should be tested for arsenic.

The 26 December 2004 earthquake off Sumatra coast focused world attention on the Sunda arc subduction zone. Bangladesh is along the strike of and within a rupture -distance from that enormous M-9.3 earthquake. This country is situated where the India- Sunda subduction zone rises from oceanic depths to subaerial exposure as a result of incipient continent collision where the trench meets the huge sediment accumulation of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD).The Archaean segment between Andaman-Nicobar Island and Bangladesh had been ruptured in the past that have also ruptured the Bangladesh segment. This segment is still active but whether it breaks in great earthquakes in unknown and is a question with complicated hypotheses. Because of huge thickness of sediment comes to Bengal Basin and enters into the subduction zone, this is one of the rare "oceanic" subduction zones where even the deformation front, which is usually along the deep trench, is exposed on land. There have been several active folds, warped reference surfaces and seismicity along the foldbelt for current shortening as high as 1-2 cm/year along Myanmar segment. The range of proposed scenarios for the tectonics of the Myanmar Arc will remain very wide unless new data become available. Among the critical missing data sets are geodetic velocities, crustal structure, active fault kinematics, detailed stratigraphy and precise dating of strata and structures. The GBD traversed by an active plate boundary, yet analyzing how active and whether the motion is aseismic or is taken up by rare earthquakes. From the seismic data, precise modeling of the structural and geodetic foundations for understanding this subaerial subduction zone and accretionary prism have been on the process of better understanding. The modeling will add insight into the mechanical properties of the low-slope overpressured accretionary prism, and possible distributions of locked and creeping active fault segments.

More than 256 major global river basins, which cover about 45% of the continental land surface, are shared among two or more countries. The flow of such a large part of the global runoff across international boundaries has led to tension in many cases between upstream and downstream riparian countries. Among many examples, this is the case of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra Rivers, which cross the boundary between India and Bangladesh. Hydrological data (river discharge, reservoir storage) are viewed as sensitive by India (the upstream country) and are therefore not shared with Bangladesh, which can only monitor river discharge and water depth at the international border crossing. These measurements only allow forecasting of floods in the interior and southern portions of the country two to three days in advance. These forecasts are not long enough either for agricultural water management purposes (for which knowledge of upstream reservoir storage is essential) or for disaster preparedness purposes. Satellite observations of river spatial extent, surface slope, reservoir area and surface elevation have the potential to make tremendous changes in management of water within the basins. In this study, we examine the use of currently available satellite measurements (in India) and in-situ measurements in Bangladesh to increase forecast lead time in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers. Using nadir altimeters, we find that it is possible to forecast the discharge of the Ganges River at the Bangladesh border with lead time 3 days and mean absolute error of around 25%. On the Ganges River, 2-day forecasts are possible with a mean absolute error of around 20%. When combined with optical/infra-red MODIS images, it is possible to map water elevations along the river and its floodplain upstream of the boundary, and to compute water storage. However, the high frequency of clouds in this region results in relatively large errors in the water mask. Due to the nadir altimeter temporal repeat (10 days for current satellites) and to gaps in the water mask, water volume estimates are meaningful only at the monthly scale. Furthermore, this information is limited to channels with wider than 250-500 m. The future Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which is intended to be launched in 2020, will provide global maps of water elevations, with a spatial resolution of 100 m and errors on the water elevation equal to or below 10 cm. The SWOT Ka band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), will not be affected by cloud cover (aside from infrequent heavy rain); therefore, estimation of the water volume change on the Ganges and on the Brahmaputra upstream to the Bangladesh provided by SWOT should be much more accurate in space and time than can currently be achieved. We discuss the implications of future SWOT observations in the context of our preliminary work on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Rivers using current generation satellite data.

This paper documents the experience of incentive-based reforms in the secondary Islamic/madrasa education sector in Bangladesh within the context of the broader debate over modernization of religious school systems in South Asia. Key features of the reform are changes of the curriculum and policy regarding admission of female students. In return to formal registration and curriculum modernization, madrasas receive financial aid from the government towards teacher salary. Using a cross-sectional census data-set (containing current and retrospective information) on formal secondary schools and madrasas, we first point out that a significant fraction of the existing post-primary registered madrasas today comprises of "converts"; that is, formerly all-male, unregistered religious schools that previously offered traditional, religious education. Furthermore, these madrasas have embraced female students in recent years following the introduction of yet another incentive scheme, namely a conditional cash transfer scheme for secondary girls. Drawing upon school enrolment data aggregated at the region level, we show that regions that had more (modernized) madrasas were more likely to achieve gender parity in secondary enrolment during 1999-2003, holding the number of secular secondary schools constant. This finding highlights the previously undocumented role played by religious schools in removing gender disparity in rural Bangladesh. (Contains 25 notes, 7 tables and 2 figures.)

Background: Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with skin lesions. However, it is not known whether reducing arsenic exposure will improve skin lesions. Objectives: To evaluate the association between reduced arsenic exposures and skin lesion recovery over time. Methods: A follow-up study of 550 individuals was conducted in 2009-2011 on a baseline population of skin lesion cases (N=900) previously enrolled in Bangladesh in 2001-2003. Arsenic in drinking water and toenails, and skin lesion status and severity were ascertained at baseline and follow-up. Logistic regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to evaluate the association between log10-transformed arsenic exposure and skin lesion persistence and severity. Results: Water arsenic concentrations decreased in this population by 41% overall, and 65 individuals who had skin lesions at baseline had no identifiable lesions at follow-up. Every log10 decrease in water and toenail arsenic was associated with 22% (odds ratio (OR) = 1.22; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.78) and 4.5 times (OR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.94, 11.1) relative increase in skin lesion recovery in adjusted models, respectively. Additionally, lower baseline arsenic levels were significantly associated with increased odds of recovery. A log10 decrease in toenail arsenic from baseline to follow-up was also significantly associated with reduced skin lesion severity in cases over time (mean score change = -5.22 units; 95% CI: -8.61, -1.82). Conclusions: Reducing arsenic exposure increased the odds that individual with skin lesions would recover or show less severe lesions within ten years. Reducing arsenic exposure must remain a public health priority in Bangladesh and in other regions affected by arsenic contaminated water. PMID:23060367

This paper presents production of biodiesel (BD) from non-edible renewable karanja (Pongamia Pinnata) oil, determination of BD properties and influence of BD on engine performance and emissions. Bangladesh imports 2.4?million metric ton (MT) DF each year [M.N. Nabi, M.S. Akhter, K.M.F. Islam, Prospect of biodiesel production from jatropha curcas, a promising non edible oil seed in Bangladesh, International Conference on Mechanical Engineering (ICME, Dhaka, Bangladesh) Proceedings 2007, paper no. ICME07-TH-06. [1

Apr 7, 2010 ... NASA Contributions for Improved Water Management to Developing Countries ... development, biodiversity conservation and climate change. .... in the Himalayan region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, ...

There is an increasing need for strategic global assessments of flood risks in current and future conditions. In this paper, we propose a framework for global flood risk assessment for river floods, which can be applied in current conditions, as well as in future conditions due to climate and socio-economic changes. The framework's goal is to establish flood hazard and impact estimates at a high enough resolution to allow for their combination into a risk estimate. The framework estimates hazard at high resolution (~1 km2) using global forcing datasets of the current (or in scenario mode, future) climate, a global hydrological model, a global flood routing model, and importantly, a flood extent downscaling routine. The second component of the framework combines hazard with flood impact models at the same resolution (e.g. damage, affected GDP, and affected population) to establish indicators for flood risk (e.g. annual expected damage, affected GDP, and affected population). The framework has been applied using the global hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB, which includes an optional global flood routing model DynRout, combined with scenarios from the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE). We performed downscaling of the hazard probability distributions to 1 km2 resolution with a new downscaling algorithm, applied on Bangladesh as a first case-study application area. We demonstrate the risk assessment approach in Bangladesh based on GDP per capita data, population, and land use maps for 2010 and 2050. Validation of the hazard and damage estimates has been performed using the Dartmouth Flood Observatory database and damage estimates from the EM-DAT database and World Bank sources. We discuss and show sensitivities of the estimated risks with regard to the use of different climate input sets, decisions made in the downscaling algorithm, and different approaches to establish impact models.

Objectives Chronic inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure currently affects tens of millions of people worldwide. To accurately determine the proportion of urinary arsenic metabolites in residents continuously exposed to iAs, we performed arsenic speciation analysis of the urine of these individuals and determined whether a correlation exists between the concentration of iAs in drinking water and the urinary arsenic species content. Methods The subjects were 165 married couples who had lived in the Pabna District in Bangladesh for more than 5?years. Arsenic species were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results The median iAs concentration in drinking water was 55??gAs/L (range <0.5?332??gAs/L). Speciation analysis revealed th...

This annotated list of resources for teachers is the product of several educators' efforts to promulgate the recent work being done in Britain in multicultural/multiethnic education, world studies, development studies and intercultural perspectives. An introduction cites appropriate texts for discussing race relations in the classroom. Section I, Multiethnic Education and Anti-Racist Teaching: Current Theories and Practice, describes 14 texts, ranging from an account of migrant labor in Europe to a book on print and prejudice. Section II, Curriculum Approaches in Multiethnic Teaching, describes 18 titles including a handbook on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, a resource book on multiethnic education, and a book on supporting children's bilingualism. Section III, Curriculum Materials for Schools: World Studies, introduces 14 titles, among them books on religion in the multi-faith school, black settlers in Britain, and pop, rock and ethnic music in school. (RDN)

This paper documents the experience of incentive-based reforms in the secondary Islamic/madrasa education sector in Bangladesh within the context of the broader debate over modernization of religious school systems in South Asia. Key features of the reform are changes of the curriculum and policy regarding admission of female students. In return to formal registration and curriculum modernization, madrasas receive financial aid from the government towards teacher salary. Using a cross-sectional census data-set (containing current and retrospective information) on formal secondary schools and madrasas, we first point out that a significant fraction of the existing post-primary registered madrasas today comprises of 'converts'; that is, formerly all-male, unregistered religious schools that ...

Newborn cord care practices may directly contribute to infections, which account for a large proportion of the four million annual global neonatal deaths. This formative research study assessed current umbilical and skin care knowledge and practices for neonates in Sylhet District, Bangladesh, in preparation for a cluster-randomized trial of the impact of topical chlorhexidine cord cleansing on neonatal mortality and omphalitis. Unstructured interviews (n=60), structured observations (n=20), rating and ranking exercises (n=40) and household surveys (n=400) were conducted to elicit specific behaviors regarding newborn cord and skin care practices. These included hand-washing, skin and cord care at the time of birth, persons engaged in cord care, cord cutting practices, topical applications ...

This workshop focuses on kernels for iterative software packages. Specifically, the three speakers discuss various aspects of sparse BLAS kernels. Their topics are: `Current status of user lever sparse BLAS`; Current status of the sparse BLAS toolkit`; and `Adding matrix-matrix and matrix-matrix-matrix multiply to the sparse BLAS toolkit`.

The number of outbreaks of HPAI-H5N1 reported by Bangladesh from 2007 through 2011 placed the country among the highest reported numbers worldwide. However, so far, the understanding of the epidemic progression, direction, intensity, persistence and risk variation of HPAI-H5N1 outbreaks over space and time in Bangladesh remains limited.

Although burn disaster is not a frequent event, with urbanisation and industrialisation, burn disaster is becoming an emerging problem in Bangladesh. On 3 June 2010, a fire disaster killed 124 people in Neemtali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. This paper narrates the management of burn patients of this disaster...

The document is developed as part of the Development, Energy and Climate project in order to facilitate methodological consistency and the use of common assumptions in national case studies in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Senegal and South Africa that are conducted as part of the project. In addition to this document the project and country studies are also based on in depth thematic work in three areas namely; 1) Development pathways and climate change; 2) Assessment of Policy Instruments in the Context of Current Market Structure, Institutional Capacities and Risks in Developing Countries; 3) Climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in the energy sector with a special emphasis given to linkages between adaptation and mitigation policies. The Development, Energy, and Climate project will identify promising energy policy options in the participating countries that are consistent with their national sustainable development objectives. The project teams from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Senegal will examine how energy sector policies can be evaluated using specific sustainable development indicators and existing analytical approaches and tools relevant to the countries. The country studies will address energy sector issues, adaptation policies, and alternative scenarios for technology penetration processes. The policy options and the sustainable development impacts of implementing these will be discussed in national stakeholder dialogues with broad participation of government, private sector and NGOs. Cross-country interactions about conceptual and common methodological issues will be covered in three thematic papers. The project will produce a synthesis of the country case studies as an input to various international processes in order to build support for approaches that integrate sustainable development, energy and climate policies. (au)

Marine sediments offshore Bangladesh are mainly supplied by the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system and are accumulated on the shelf of Bangladesh. The average sediment discharge of the world's biggest river system is estimated to be 0.8-1 billion tons per year. The shallow shelf is cut by a steep and up to 1000 m deep anaerobic canyon, called the "Swatch of No Ground", which acts as a sediment trap. An extremely high annual sedimentation flux of 20-45 cm was determined for the last 50 years by 137Cs and 210Pb measurements. In order to investigate the sediment transport in the Bay of Bengal a marine sediment core was taken from the mid-part of the Swatch of No Ground (21°18N/89°34E) and analyzed for element composition and grain-size distributions. Results show a sequence of graded fine-sand-silt-clay layers. These sequences can be directly related to the historical record of tropical storms, which move across the northern Bay of Bengal during pre- and post-monsoon flood peak and mobilize huge amounts of the shallow marine and coastal sediments into turbid hyperpycnal water masses. Due to the anti-clockwise rotation of the cyclones and their northward path the main transport direction is westward. The coarse grained sediment, remobilized by storm waves, is supported by cyclone-induced currents toward the canyon while the fine grained fraction follows afterward supported by the storm swell plus the semi-diurnal tidal component. Despite the high riverine input the amount of sediment mobilized during normal weather conditions is minimal compared to the sediment mobilized by the cyclonic high-energy input. Similar cyclone-induced sediment transport probably also governs erosion and deposition in most tropical shelf areas affected by the monsoon regime.

Electrocoagulation (EC) using iron electrodes is a promising arsenic removal strategy for Bangladesh groundwater drinking supplies. EC is based on the rapid in situ dissolution of a sacrificial Fe(0) anode to generate iron precipitates with a high arsenic sorption affinity. We used X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to investigate the local coordination environment (Fe and As in EC precipitates generated in synthetic Bangladesh groundwater (SBGW). Fe and As K-edge EXAFS spectra were found to be similar between samples regardless of the large range of current density (0.02, 1.1, 5.0, 100 mA/cm(2)) used to generate samples. Shell-by-shell fits of the Fe K-edge EXAFS spectra indicated that EC precipitates consist of primarily edge-sharing FeO(6) octahedra. The absence of corner-sharing FeO(6) octahedra implies that EC precipitates resemble nanoscale clusters (polymers) of edge-sharing octahedra that efficiently bind arsenic. Shell-by-shell fits of As K-edge EXAFS spectra show that arsenic, initially present as a mixture of As(III) and As(V), forms primarily binuclear, corner-sharing As(V) surface complexes on EC precipitates. This specific coordination geometry prevents the formation of FeO(6) corner-sharing linkages. Phosphate and silicate, abundant in SBGW, likely influence the structure of EC precipitates in a similar way by preventing FeO(6) corner-sharing linkages. This study provides a better understanding of the structure, reactivity, and colloidal stability of EC precipitates and the behavior of arsenic during EC. The results also offer useful constraints for predicting arsenic remobilization during the long-term disposal of EC sludge. PMID:22132945

Malaria transmission in many part of the world specifically in Bangladesh and southern African countries is unstable and epidemic. An estimate of over a million cases is reported annually. Malaria is heterogeneous, potentially due to variations in ecological settings, socio-economic status, land cover, and agricultural practices. Malaria control only relies on treatment and supply of bed networks. Drug resistance to these diseases is widespread. Vector control is minimal. Malaria control in those countries faces many formidable challenges such as inadequate accessibility to effective treatment, lack of trained manpower, inaccessibility of endemic areas, poverty, lack of education, poor health infrastructure and low health budgets. Health facilities for malaria management are limited, surveillance is inadequate, and vector control is insufficient. Control can only be successful if the right methods are used at the right time in the right place. This paper aims to improve malaria control by developing malaria risk maps and risk models using satellite remote sensing data by identifying, assessing, and mapping determinants of malaria associated with environmental, socio-economic, malaria control, and agricultural factors.

Background/objectives:To examine the bacteriological quality of complementary foods (CF) and to correlate the results with diarrhoeal morbidity and nutritional status of Bangladeshi children aged 6-24 months.Subjects/methods:A total of 212 CF samples were tested, of which 72 were collected immediately before the first time of feeding (?1?h of food preparation) and 140 were collected at second/third time of feeding from 140 households located in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. Anthropometry, food frequency data and demographic information of the children were collected.Results:Of the first time feeding samples, 3% from each of urban and rural areas were found to be contaminated with faecal coliforms (FC) at ?100?CFU/g. E. coli was isolated from 11% and 6% of samples, and B. cereus from 8% and 6% of samples from urban and rural areas, respectively. In contrast, 33% of the second/third time feeding samples from urban areas and 19% from rural areas were contaminated with FC at ?100?CFU/g (Pfood preparation practices. Consumption of contaminated CF appeared to be associated with a higher frequency of diarrhoea and malnutrition in children. PMID:22805495

This study used data from the Bangladesh Adolescents Survey 2005 to identify socioeconomic and urban-rural determinants of knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS transmission. A cluster sampling of 11 986 adolescents was conducted from April to August 2005. Data were analyzed using SPSS applying principle component analysis, multivariate logistic regression analysis, and prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Overall knowledge of transmission of STIs was poor (4.5%), showing urban adolescents having twice the knowledge of rural adolescents (PR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.6-2.2). HIV/AIDS knowledge level was high (68%), with a 40% higher knowledge among urban adolescents (PR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.3-1.4). Probability of knowledge of STIs and HIV/AIDS transmission was lowest in 12- to 14-year-old uneducated female household workers of the poorest socioeconomic status in rural settings (0.0002 and 0.064, respectively). The urban-rural factor was more important than the socioeconomic factor. Health promotion and education programs can play an important role in improving the sexual reproductive health knowledge situation. PMID:21980146

BACKGROUND: Dietary pattern analysis is emerging as a practical, effective tool for relating comprehensive dietary intake to risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. However, no studies have applied this technique to a population outside of the developed world. METHODS: We conducted prospective cohort analyses in 11,116 participants enrolled in the Health Effects of Arsenic Study in Araihazar, Bangladesh, measuring deaths attributable to disease of circulatory system, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Participants were enrolled in 2000 and followed up for an average of 6.6years. Dietary information was obtained through a previously validated food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. RESULTS: Principal component analysis based on our comprehensive, 39 item FFQ yielded 3 dietary patterns: (i) a "balanced" pattern, comprised of steamed rice, red meat, fish, fruit and vegetables; (ii) an "animal protein" diet, which was more heavily weighted towards eggs, milk, red meat, poultry, bread, and vegetables; and (iii) a "gourd and root vegetable" diet that heavily relied on a variety of gourds, radishes, pumpkin, sweet potato, and spinach. We observed a positive association between increasing adherence to the animal protein diet and risk of death from both disease of the circulatory system and heart disease; the hazard ratios were 1.13 (95% CI, 1.00-1.28, p=0.05) and 1.17 (95% CI, 0.99-1.38, p=0.07), respectively, in relation to one standard deviation increase in the factor scores for the animal protein diet pattern, after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, and energy intake. The positive association was more significant among ever smokers; the hazard ratios (95% CI) for deaths from disease of the circulatory system and heart disease were 1.17 (1.02-1.34) and 1.20 (1.00-1.45), respectively, in relation to one standard deviation increase in the factor scores for the animal protein diet pattern. CONCLUSIONS: An animal protein-rich diet in rural Bangladesh may increase risk of heart disease mortality, especially among smokers. This emphasizes the need to further explore and address the impact of dietary patterns on cardiovascular disease in populations undergoing epidemiologic transition. PMID:22560940

The water hyacinth project was initially proposed at the Regional Workshop on Rural Technology held at Dacca in January 1978. In November 1978, national coordinators met at New Delhi and outlined the project in detail as reported in CSC(79)RT-4. The meeting was attended by delegates from Bangladesh, Egypt, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Commonwealth Science Council and the United Nations Environment Programme. Following this a proposal was submitted to UNEP seeking funding support to meet the external cost component of the project. This support was subsequently granted. The project aims to achieve an integrated approach towards managing water hyacinth. The underlying intention was that management would cover both eradication of the plant as well as making productive use of it when possible. Productive uses envisaged include biogas synthesis, production of papers and boards and as a source of proteins. Another interesting possibility is the use of the plant to control industrial as well as domestic water pollution . All these were detailed in a three and a half year time plan. The project had its first review meeting in June 1979 in Papua New Guinea. The major intention of this meeting was to examine status reports from each country in an attempt to quantify the problem caused by water hyacinth and assess the work plan in relation to this. The report of this meeting has been published as CSC(79)RT-5. At this meeting Papua New Guinea decided to withdraw from this project as water hyacinth was not regarded as a severe problem. The use of dugong as a control agent was not recommended by Papua New Guinea. In April 1980 an interim review meeting attended by the Regional Coordinator and representatives of UNEP and CSC was held in London where, based on the progress made in the participating countries, activities and time schedules were refined and sharpened (CSC (80)RT-16). It look some time to resolve the external funding question . It was therefore decided that January 1980 should be regarded as the formal date of launching for the project. Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are actively participating in the project at the present time with India providing overall technical coordination. This report summarizes progress as at 31 December 1980, it is based on reports received from national project coordinators. Information and results emerging from the different participating countries are very encouraging and they strengthen the hope that technically, environmentally and economically feasible solutions can be found for managing water hyacinth. A review of progress in each of the participating countries follows.

The allelopathic potential of 102 Bangladesh rice cultivars (60 traditional and 42 high yielding) against four test plant species, cress (Lepidium sativum L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv) and Echinochloa colonum (L.) Link was determined for shoot and root growth. In the two-way analysis of variance, the effect of rice cultivar, test plant species and their interactions were significant (PE. colonum. The present research suggests that BR17 is the most allelopathic among 102 Bangladesh rice cultivars and may be one of the candidates for research on Bangladesh rice allelopathy for isolation and identification of allelochemicals.   

The United Status VME for Physics (VME-P) Committee and the European ESONE/CERN VME Steering Committee (VSC) are working together with the commercial sector on extending the VME standard. This paper reports on the current status and directions of this standards effort. (author)

A control system that controls regeneration of a particulate filter is provided. The system generally includes a propagation module that estimates a propagation status of combustion of particulate matter in the particulate filter. A regeneration module controls current to the particulate filter to re-initiate regeneration based on the propagation status.

Ocular fundus imaging plays a key role in monitoring the health status of the human eye. Currently, a large number of imaging modalities allow the assessment and/or quantification of ocular changes from a healthy status. This review focuses on the main digital fundus imaging modality, color fundus p...

A brief, vivid portrait of the human rights conditions for women in Asia was presented: "kapit sa patalim" or utter despair, urban migration, export processing zones, tourism and prostitution, political repression, and military sexual slavery. Advocates of women's human rights for Asian women must contend with patriarchal and male-dominated systems that oppress and exploit women to a much greater extent than men. Liberation from these systems and the domination and exploitation by wealthier nations must be a goal of a new economic world order. Unjust and repressive structures must be destroyed, and equitable distribution of wealth and democracy and popular initiatives promoted. The status of women must be raised to coequal status with men. The most important objective of human rights advocates should be the empowerment of women at the individual, community, national, regional, and international level. The Asian Women's Human Rights Council was established as an addition to 3 already operating regional commissions of women's organizations. The aim was not just to describe women as victims, but to pressure development activity to account for women's human rights. Sex tribunals have been scheduled between 1993 and 1994 to address the following issues: 1) sex trafficking (Japan, May 1993); 2) violence against women (Pakistan, December 1993); 3) militarism, environment, and violence against women (Korea, March 1994); 4) crimes of development against women in Asia (India); 5) religion and violence against women (Malaysia, 1994); and 6) indigenous women (December 1994). Women were victims when Filipino domestic workers were stranded and raped in Iraq during the chaos of war, when girls from landless peasant families migrated near Clark Air Force Base to earn a living as prostitutes for US servicemen, when women were forced to work 36-hour shifts in foreign-owned garment factories in Bataan, when women migrated for work, and when women were abused and battered in Bangladesh and India. Many other examples of abuse were indicated in the discussion. PMID:12345217

We discuss the current status of the DSSV global analysis of helicity-dependent parton densities. A comparison with recent semi-inclusive DIS data from COMPASS is presented, and constraints on the polarized strangeness density are examined in some detail.

This letter report describes the current status of the core flow through apparatus and describes the protocol and test matrix to be followed during the initial experimental stage of radionuclide transport studies in the Integrated Testing task.

The Casimir effect results from the optomechanical coupling between field fluctuations and mirrors in quantum vacuum. This contribution to the 20th International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy (ICOLS 2011) discusses the current status in the comparison between theory and experiments.

We review current status and perspectives of nanolithography via atom optics and its application in production of nanophotonics and nanoplasmonics elements: gold optical nano antennas, plasmonic wave guides, nanostructures formed by organic molecules.

This paper summarizes the current status of the treatment of human reliability in fire risk analyses for nuclear power plants and identifies areas that need to be addressed. A new approach is suggested to improve the modeling.

The current status of basic research on the high temperature cuprate superconductors and prospects for technological applications of these materials is discussed. Recent developments concerning other novel superconductors are also briefly described.

This document contains the current status of new knowledge created and used as part of the ETICS activities. This is an on-going document that will be updated according with changes in actions and results.

Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) is designed and developed to globally monitor the Greenhouse gases distribution from space. This paper presents the program overview and current status of GOSAT.   

An overview, together with some practical advice, is presented of the current status of the automation of macromolecular crystallography (MX) data collection, with a focus on MX beamlines at Diamond Light Source, UK. PMID:21763424

The development and fabrication of reliable high temperature-high strength silicon nitride rotors is discussed. The current status of rotor net-shape forming capability, achievable mechanical properties, NDE development/implementation, and statistical process control results are presented.

This document summarises the current research programs at the Herman Research Laboratory. The objectives and scope of the work are given for each project and progress during the year January/December 1983 is presented in the status reports.

This presentation describes the current status of the DOE's Energy Storage R and D program, including modeling and design tools and the Computer-Aided Engineering for Automotive Batteries (CAEBAT) program.

After a brief comparison of circulating fluidized bed boilers with pulverized coal-fired boilers, the current status of the 125 MWe Emile Huchet plant (near Carling) and the 250 MWe Provence plant (near Gardanne) are described. 4 figs.

This report briefly describes seven publications produced in 1991--1992 under the auspices of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. In addition current status of additional publications in preparation are outlined.

... Artery Disease, Teriparatide Speeds Up Healing Process of Fractures, PTSD Influenced by Current Health Status VIDEO: If ... which is often localized to the chest. A bone marrow biopsy might be performed as well. Are ...

A fast extraction facility which provides a pulsed proton beam for muon and antiproton physics programs at J-PARC was proposed. An overview of the facility and current status toward its construction is presented.

We briefly review the current status and future prospects for supersymmetry searches at colliders, and discuss strategies by which further information about sparticle properties may be obtained at the LHC.

The current status of cosmological observations is presented; and the light curves and radiation spectra from supernova SN1987A are used in comparison between expected and observed universal nucleosynthesis and star evolution data./aip/.

This paper describes the current status of wind energy technology, the potential for future wind energy development and the science and engineering challenges that must be overcome for the technology to meet its potential.

Provided is a brief overview of the current status of the field of deterministic ''chaos'', stressing its interrelations and applications to other fields and suggesting a number of important open problems for future study.

The purpose of the thesis has been to rethink Pynchon's novella The Crying of Lot 49 from 1966; to transform it from its current status as postmodernist novel into a postmodern adaptation of the old well known fairy tale Rapunzel.

This report summarizes the activities of the trip which consisted of attendance at the Advanced Research Workshop (ARW). The workshop consisted of invited papers on the current status of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) safety standards throughout the world...

In addition to the currently planned IDl simulator program a free flight vehicle with LEM lunar ...... quency response and channel allocation regarding on/off status information, commutation rates and ... Dead Zone '3utputs. Limiter Zone OutpLits ...

Three stocks of silver hake, Merluccius bilinearis, are presently defined for management purposes off the northeastern coast of the United States. The historical development and current status of the fishery is reviewed. Total international landings from ...

This presentation describes the current status of the DOE's Energy Storage R and D program, including modeling and design tools and the Computer-Aided Engineering for Automotive Batteries (CAEBAT) program.

We briefly summarize the current status of perturbative calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy in the \\bar{B}\\to X_s\\gamma decay rate as well as that of non-perturbative power-corrections.

inauguration and presidential tea break and group photograph genetically anchored sequence of rice genome, gene discovery and functional anal c. k. ramachandran, calicut medical college, calicut herbal and ayurvedic products: current status and reverse pharmacology tradition to transformation: ayurveda, sci ...

HypothesisRace and insurance status are independent predictors of the choice between total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) of the shoulder joint. BackgroundCurrent literature shows that ethnic and socioeconomic status may influence access to health care. However, no study has demonstrated whether insurance status and race are independent predictors that patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis will undergo TSA. Materials and methodsPatients with primary International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification, procedure codes for TSA and HA were selected from the 1988 to 2007 United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Primary predictors were race (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, other) and insurance status (private, Medicare, Medicaid, oth...

The COBRA experiment aims to use a large array of CdZnTe semiconductor detectors to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The COBRA collaboration are currently operating a small proto-type array of crystals in a low-background environment. This paper presents the current status of the experiment, results from current and previous proto-types and future prospects for COBRA.

This project focuses on the application themes of climate and water resources, ... and 2) to provide projections of climate change impacts on water resources. ... hazards in the Himalayan region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India ...

As part of its growth strategy, Bangladesh instituted a trade liberalization process in the early 1990s which gained momentum in later years. Trade grew from 24.4 to 45% of GDP between 1980???81 and 2007???08, an indicator of increased liberalization as well as the growing importance of the external sector in Bangladesh. Apart from its unilateral liberalization, Bangladesh participates in three different regional trade agreements (RTAs): the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Free Trade Area (BIMSTEC FTA). In addition, Bangladesh signed preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with the member countries of the Developing 8 (D8). Because of the growing importance o...

Researchers have invented a material called ARUBA -- Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash -- that effectively and affordably removes arsenic from Bangladesh groundwater. Through analysis of studies across a range of disciplines, observations, and informal interviews conducted over three trips to Bangladesh, we have applied mechanical engineering design methodology to develop eight key design strategies, which were used in the development of a low-cost, community-scale water treatment system that uses ARUBA to removearsenic from drinking water. We have constructed, tested, and analysed a scale version of the system. Experiments have shown that the system is capable of reducing high levels of arsenic (nearly 600 ppb) to below the Bangladesh standard of 50 ppb, while remaining affordable to people living on less than US$2/day. The system could be sustainably implemented as a public-private partnership in rural Bangladesh.

Four different data sources have been compared with respect to observations of the annual water storage variations in the region of Bangladesh. Data from satellite altimeters and river gauges estimates the variation in surface water storage in the major rivers of Bangladesh. The GRACE satellites measure the integrated mass change and hence the terrestrial soil moisture variations, which can also be estimated by a hydrological model (GLDAS). These types of observations enable the derivation of the integrated water storage in the entire region of Bangladesh. For all data types, the annual signal has been estimated from a common dataset spanning the period 2003 and 2004. All four different data observe that water storage in Bangladesh is largely dominated by an annual signal with a phase peaking in early September. The annual variations in river level peaks roughly two weeks earlier than terrestrial soil moisture observations by GRACE observations and GLDAS model output.

By allowing gas exports to be hijacked by partisan politics, Bangladesh not only failed to adopt a professional approach to a sensitive issue but also enabled India to look for attractive alternative markets. (author)

Delimitation of the squatter area boundaries, determina- tion of squatter structure ...... examined. Topics considered include maritime weather and hazard forecasting ...... benefit of developing countries - A case study in Bangladesh. A. Hossain.

... maintained field studies in India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Russia, Vietnam, China, and elsewhere. He is fluent ... more western life style? Dr. Glass: The good news is that—with the terrible exception of the ...

... occur in the Indian subcontinent (India, Bangladesh, and Nepal), Sudan, Ethiopia, and Brazil; none of the affected ... with sand flies (see the Protection against Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Other Insects and Arthropods section in Chapter ...

This paper investigates the development of corporate governance regulations in emerging economies, using the case of Bangladesh. In particular, the paper considers three issues: What type of corporate governance model may be suitable for an emerging economy such as Bangladesh? What type of model has Bangladesh adopted in reality? and What has prompted such adoption? By analysing the corporate environment and corporate governance regulations, the paper finds that, like many other developing nations, Bangladesh has also adopted the Anglo-American shareholder model of corporate governance. Analysis of behaviours of principal actors in the Bangladeshi corporate governance scenario, using new institutionalism as a theoretical foundation, then reveals that such adoption may be prompted by exposu...

The coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal along the Ganges-Brahmaputra (GB) delta are low-lying and highly vulnerable to natural disasters, such as flooding and cyclones. The modern GB delta was formed within the large Bengal basin during the last 11,000 years, and it extends offshore in the Bay of Bengal. The coastal areas of this delta harbor the world’s largest continuous patch of mangrove forests, the Sundarbans, covering approximately one million hectares, ~60% of which is in Bangladesh and the rest is in India. Studies have shown that the GB delta is still undergoing accretion at a rate of up to 1.1 cm per year. But remote sensing studies have also indicated that the shoreline and shallow offshore areas of the western delta front are currently in a net erosional state at a rate of about 1.9 square km per year, with a coastline retreat of as much as 3-4 km since 1792. Other studies have quantified the land loss at 38 square km in since 1973. But no study to date has reported the details of spatiotemporal patterns of land loss along the Sundarbans coastline, or their drivers. Under global climate change and the related sea level rise, proper understanding of how the coastlines are changing and the drivers of those changes would be essential to mitigate the impacts on the coastal mangrove forests. In this study we used a time series of Landsat MSS and TM images from 1973 to 2010 to systematically explore the spatiotemporal distributions and trends of land loss along the Sundarbans coastline of Bangladesh and India. We also used data from a host of published studies on Bay of Bengal surface currents, cyclone tracks, sea level rise, monsoonal rainfalls, sediment flow, land subsidence and anthropogenic factors to deduct probable cause-effect relationships of the trends in coastal land loss. Finally we estimated the carbon loss of the mangrove forests due to the shoreline retreat, and using IPCC scenarios we predicted the future carbon implications of these mangrove ecosystems under global climate change.

Movement is an integral part of human existence. While talking about transborder migration from Bangladesh to India, we are, however, aware that this is a controversial subject. The partition of Bengal in 1947 was the cruelest partition in the history of the world and caused forced illegal migration from erstwhile East Pakistan. It is estimated that there are about 15 million Bangladeshi nationals living in India illegally. West Bengal has a border running 2,216 km along Bangladesh. The present study highlights push-pull factors of illegal Bangladeshi migration based on perceptions of respondents obtained from a qualitative survey done on the basis of purposive sampling in Kolkata and 24 parganas and two districts of West Bengal (WB), an Indian State. The economic push factors that motivate people to leave Bangladesh are instability and economic depression, poverty, lack of employment opportunity, struggle for livelihood, forced grabbing of landed property from minority group, and lack of industrialization in Bangladesh. About 56% of the respondents expressed that lack of industrialisation/lack of employment/economic insecurity would be the probable cause of this migration. Among the demographic factors, population explosion in Bangladesh and lowest human development index may be the most important cause of illegal migration from Bangladesh to West Bengal. Hindu minority group faced problems in connection with matrimonial alliances. Educational curricula, which were framed according to Islamic preaching and curtailment of facilities enjoyed by Hindu minority group, were responsible factor for illegal migration of Hindu minority population. Another cause is social insecurity. Political instability, fear of riots and terrorism in Bangladesh, inhuman attitude and activities of the political leaders, absence of democratic rights, Muslim domination, religious instigation by political leaders, insecurity feeling of Hindus, are the major crucial issues that require to be mentioned as political push factors. About 59% of the respondents are of the opinion that religious fundamentalists/insecurity of the minority group/discriminating law and order against Hindus may be the factors that motivated migration from Bangladesh to West Bengal. In terms of "ethnic cleansing", one can witness elimination of groups of minorities by dominant ethnic group, curbing their rights controlling their influence in a state's system. Double standards are observed in punishing criminals. Police officials do not record complaints from minority community. According to 85% of the respondent economic opportunity in terms of job opportunity, economic security prevailing in West Bengal worked as pull factors for migrants to West Bengal. Geographic proximity of Bangladesh and West Bengal, the linguistics and cultural similarities, same food habit, homo-ethnic climate, belief of getting shelter, cordiality, fellow-feeling, acceptance power of people of West Bengal have contributed to the movements of population from Bangladesh to West Bengal. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background Breast and Cervical cancer are the two most common cancers among women in developing countries. Regular screening is the most effective way of ensuring that these cancers are detected at early stages; however few studies have assessed factors that predict cancer screening in developing countries. Purpose To assess the influence of household socio-economic status (SES), healthcare access and country level characteristics on breast and cervical cancer screening among women in developing countries. Methods Women ages 18–69 years (cervical cancer screening) and 40–69 years (breast cancer screening) from 15 developing countries who participated in the 2003 World Health Survey provided data for this study. Household SES and healthcare access was assessed based on self-reported survey responses. SAS survey procedures (SAS, Version 9.2) were used to assess determinants of breast and cervical cancer screening in separate models. Results 4.1% of women ages 18–69 years had received cervical cancer screening in the past three years, while only 2.2% of women ages 40–69 years had received breast cancer screening in the past 5 years in developing countries. Cancer screening rates varied by country; cervical cancer screening ranged from 1.1% in Bangladesh to 57.6% in Congo and breast cancer screening ranged from 0% in Mali to 26% in Congo. Significant determinants of cancer screening were household SES, rural residence, country health expenditure (as a percent of GDP) as well as healthcare access. Discussion A lot more needs to be done to improve screening rates for breast and cervical cancer in developing countries, such as increasing health expenditure (especially in rural areas), applying the increased funds towards the provision of more, better educated health providers as well as improved infrastructure. PMID:16527978

Two species of the genus Solanum viz. S. nigrum and S. villosum found in Bangladesh were cytogenetically investigated to confirm their taxonomic status. S. nigrum and S. villosum were found to possess 2n=24 and 2n=48 chromosomes, respectively. The centromeric formula 22m+2sm was found in S. nigrum and 48m in S. villosum. No gradual decrease of chromosomal length was observed in both the species indicated their karyotypes as primitive type. The individual chromosomal length ranged from 1.66 to 2.34 ?m in S. nigrum and 1.66 to 2.66 ?m in S. villosum. The total chromatin length in S. villosum (97.8 ?m) was almost double to that of S. nigrum (48.94 ?m). The range of relative length of chromosomes was similar in these two species. Solanum nigrum and S. villosum possessed 18 and 17 CMA positive bands, respectively. Most of the CMA-bands were present at the terminal region in both the species. The percentage of CMA banded region in S. villosum (35.43) was almost double to that of S. nigrum (18.69). A pair of DAPI positive bands was found on both the end of all the chromosomes in these 2 species. Each band was 0.5 ?m in length. The karyotype of S. nigrum studied here indicated that the specimen was not actually S. nigrum rather it has much simillarities with S. americanum. Solanum villosum showed regular bivalent formation at metaphase-I and segregation at anaphase-I. The overall karyotypic features suggested S. villosum as an ancient auto-tetraploid of S. americanum which in course of time has started regular meiosis.   

A five-year Coordinated Research Project (CRP) entitled 'Integrated approach for improving small scale market oriented dairy systems' is currently being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency, through their Joint Programme on 'Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture'. The objectives are to (a) identify and prioritize the constraints and opportunities in the selected dairy farms; (b) determine the most important limiting factors; (c) develop intervention strategies; (c) assess the economic impact of the interventions; (d) develop methodologies for recording and demonstrating the economic impact; and (e) promote the adoption and dissemination of proven strategies and methodologies. Fifteen institutes in developing as well as developed countries are participating in the project, through ten research contracts (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia and Venezuela), one technical contract (Peru) and four research agreements (Malaysia, U.K., U.S.A. and Uruguay). The initial phase of the project, which focused on the conduct of Participatory Rural Appraisals and Economic Opportunity Surveys in the countries of the research contract holders, has now been completed. This paper describes the background to the CRP approach and the procedures used for developing, initiating and implementing this project. PMID:18265863

This article seeks to draw possible lessons for adaptation programmes in Bangladesh by examining whether cyclone preparedness and relief interventions are subject to corrupt practices. Based on a random sample survey of 278 households, three focus-group discussions and seven key-informant interviews, the article investigates the nature and extent of corruption in pre- and post-disaster interventions in Khulna before and after Cyclone Aila in May 2009. Ninety nine percent of households reported losses from corrupt practices. Post-disaster interventions (such as food aid and public works schemes) suffered from greater levels, and worse types, of corruption than pre-disaster interventions (such as cyclone warning systems and disaster-preparedness training). Using an asset index created using principal component analysis, the article assesses how corruption affected wealth quartiles. Ultra-poor households were affected more by corruption in pre-disaster interventions, the wealthiest quartile more in certain post-disaster interventions, in particular public works and non-governmental interventions. These findings may hold lessons for attempts to increase resilience as current adaptation measures mirror some cyclone preparedness and relief efforts.

Founded in 1961, the Academy for Educational Development (AED) is an independent, nonprofit, charitable organization that operates development programs in the United States and throughout the world. This directory presents an overview of AED endeavors in Asia. AED's work in Asia has centered on institution-building, taking advantage of its advanced state of development to foster innovation and greater effectiveness of its institutions. During the 1980s and 1990s a series of investments in communication technology resulted in cost-effective measures for supporting development activities for the world's largest continent. Current efforts include providing support for higher education planning, strengthening civil society, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. The expansion of primary education, especially girls' education; feasibility planning for a new women's university in Bangladesh; and a continual emphasis on maternal and child health have made women in Asia a central focus of AED work across sectors. This directory reports on multicountry projects as well as projects specific to 22 Asian countries.

Arsenic is a highly toxic element and its presence in food composites is a matter of concern to the well being of both humans and animals. Arsenic-contaminated groundwater is often used in Bangladesh and West Bengal (India) to irrigate crops used for food and animal consumption, which could potentially lead to arsenic entering the human food chain. In this study, we used graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy to determine the total arsenic concentrations in a range of foodstuffs, including vegetables, rice and fish, imported into the United Kingdom from Bangladesh. The mean and range of the total arsenic concentration in all the vegetables imported from Bangladesh were 54.5 and 5-540 {mu}g/kg, respectively. The highest arsenic values found were for the skin of Arum tuber, 540 {mu}g/kg, followed by Arum Stem, 168 {mu}g/kg, and Amaranthus, 160 {mu}g/kg. Among the other samples, freshwater fish contained total arsenic levels between 97 and 1318 {mu}g/kg. The arsenic content of the vegetables from the UK was approximately 2- to 3-fold lower than those observed for the vegetables imported from Bangladesh. The levels of arsenic found in vegetables imported from Bangladesh in this study, in some cases, are similar to those previously recorded for vegetables grown in arsenic-affected areas of West Bengal, India, although lower than the levels reported in studies from Bangladesh. While the total arsenic content detected in our study in vegetables, imported from Bangladesh, is far less than the recommended maximum permitted level of arsenic, it does provide an additional source of arsenic in the diet. This raises the possibility that the level of arsenic intake by certain sectors of the UK population may be significantly higher then the general population and requires further investigations.

Objective:To describe associations between hydration status and dietary behaviour in children, as current research indicates that hydration status is influenced by nutrition vice versa, hydration status may influence dietary behaviour.Design:Cross-sectional analyses of data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study, (DONALD) using 24-h urine samples to determine the hydration status and 3-day weighed food records to describe the dietary profile of the children.Setting:Secondary analyses of data from an observational study.Subjects:A group of 4–11 year old children living in Dortmund, Germany; N=717.Methods:Hydration status was determined by calculating the ‘free water reserve’, using analyses of the 24-h urine samples. Nutrient intake ...

The paper introduces the distribution of coalbed methane resources in China and the current status of Chinese coalbed methane development, discusses the evaluation criteria for the selection of development targets, and shows that the coal fields of Huainan, Huaibei and Hedong are the major target areas for the current development of coalbed methane in China.

This paper attempts to review the current decision making process for determining when boiler plant within the power industry is chemically cleaned. Following a brief review of the need to chemically clean and the historical criteria used, the article will comment on the current status of Australian Power Generation Utilities and the effect of the emerging competitive electricity market.

The current status of reactor irradiation experiments is presented in tables summarizing the experimental objectives, conditions, and schedule. Currently, the program has one irradiation experiment in reactor and five experiments in the design or construction stages. Postirradiation examination and testing is in progress on ten experiments.

In this study, we examine the performances of current stock assessment methods with respect to their ability to (i) provide estimates of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), FMSY, and BMSY and (ii) assess stock status and exploitation level relative to MSY targets. The robustness of the current Internat...

The current status of reactor irradiation experiments is presented in tables summarizing the experimental objectives, conditions, and schedule. Currently, the program has four irradiation experiments in reactor, and five experiments in the design or construction stages. Postirradiation examination and testing is in progress on ten experiments.

This report reviews the status of the US biomass power industry. The topics of the report include current fuels and the problems associated with procuring, transporting, preparing and burning them, competition from natural gas projects because of the current depressed natural gas prices, need for incentives for biomass fueled projects, economics, market potential and expansion of US firms overseas.

Reviews the current status of abortion laws pertaining to adolescents worldwide, examining questions raised by parental consent laws in the United States and by the relevant psychological research (risk of harm from abortion, informed consent, consequences of parental involvement in the abortion decision, and current debate). Discusses issues facing adolescents who seek abortions in the United States and internationally. (SM)

OSIRIS is the optical Day One instrument, and so far the only Spanish instrument, currently operating at the GTC. Building and testing an instrument for a 8-10m-class telescope with non-previous commissioning in turn, has represented a truly unique experience. In this contribution, the current status, the last commissioning results and some future prospects are given.

OPINION STATEMENT: Status epilepticus is characterized by a prolonged, self-sustaining seizure or repeated seizures without return to baseline. The clinical manifestations of status epilepticus in children and adults range from overt generalized convulsions to more subtle behavioral manifestations, including unresponsiveness in the setting of the intensive care unit. Status epilepticus is the most common neurologic emergency of childhood. A large proportion of these episodes are the result of a prolonged febrile seizure or an acute symptomatic etiology. Fortunately, status epilepticus occurs without consequence for many children, but for others, it is correlated with long-term neurologic dysfunction or death. Treatment of status epilepticus should commence promptly upon its recognition, using predefined treatment protocols. The goal of treatment is the rapid termination of the seizure, to minimize the acute and chronic effects of this emergency and to allow for the prompt assessment and management of the underlying precipitant. Currently, the drug class of first choice in the in-hospital and out-of-hospital treatment of status epilepticus is the benzodiazepines, which may need to be quickly followed by a next-line agent, as the efficacy of the benzodiazepines is negatively correlated with seizure duration. Traditionally, these next-line agents have included phenobarbital and phenytoin, but emerging evidence supports the use of intravenous formulations of other antiepileptic drugs. If the first two agents fail, high-dose intravenous midazolam or anesthetic therapy should be rapidly initiated. This paper reviews the current treatment options and strategies for pediatric patients with status epilepticus. PMID:21956209

This report summarizes the status of mapping projects supported by NASA grant NNX07AP42G, through the Planetary Geology and Geophysics (PGG) program. The PGG grant is focused on 1:2M-scale mapping of portions of the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) on Mars. Also described below is the current status of two Venus geologic maps, generated under an earlier PGG mapping grant.

Medical stem cell research is currently the cause of much moral controversy. Those who would confer the same moral status to embryos as we do to humans consider that harvesting such embryonic cells entails sacrificing embryos. In this paper, the author analyses critically the arguments given for such a perspective. Finally, a theory of moral status is outlined that coherently and plausibly supports the use of embryonic stem cells in therapeutic research.

Three surveys from the College and University Library Division (CULD) of the Arkansas Library Association (ArLA) from the past six years representing forty-four academic institutions were studied to determine the number of students per librarian on campus, salary, faculty status, contract-length, and maternity/paternity leave for librarians. Academic librarians and administrators around the country can use this information to challenge or change their current status, privileges, and rights. (Contains 5 figures.)

We present the current status of the apeNEXT project. Aim of this project is the development of the next generation of APE machines which will provide multi-teraflop computing power. Like previous machines, apeNEXT is based on a custom designed processor, which is specifically optimized for simulating QCD. We discuss the machine design, report on benchmarks, and give an overview on the status of the software development.

Using choice experiment data for economic valuation we analyse how disbelief in survey information could affect the retrieved welfare estimates. We distinguish between two types of survey information to the respondents. The first type of information concerns the current environmental status of a water body. This information is provided prior to the valuation questions and the corresponding beliefs in the provided information are also elicited before valuation. The second type of information concerns the proposed improvements in the environmental status of the water body. We find that average welfare measures differ considerably according to whether respondents who disagree with the status quo levels and find proposed scenarios unlikely are included or not.

Thirty-three abstracts and short papers are presented which describe the current status of research, development, and demonstration of concentrator solar cell technology. Solar concentrators discussed include the parabolic trough, linear focus Fresnel lens, point focus Fresnel lens, and the parabolic dish. Solar cells studied include silicon, GaAs, and AlGaAs. Research on multiple junction cells, combined photovoltaic/thermal collectors, back contact solar cells, and beam splitter modules is described. Concentrator solar cell demonstration programs are reported. Contractor status summaries are given for 33 US DOE concentrator solar cell contracts; a description of the project, project status, and key results to date is included. (WHK)

In this quarterly technical progress report, UTSI reports on the status of a multi-task contract to develop the technology for the steam bottoming portion of a MHD Steam Combined Cycle Power Plant. The report describes the facility maintenance and environmental work completed, status of completing technical reports and certain key administrative actions occurring during the quarter. In view of current year budget reductions and program reductions to closeout the MHD program, downsizing of the UTSI work force took place. No further testing has occurred or is scheduled, and the planned effort for this period was to maintain the DOE CFFF facility in a standby status and to complete test reports.

Although transboundary river flow accounts for more than 40% of global surface flow across 145 nations (many of them water-stressed and conflict-prone), most of this flow is difficult to monitor in developing nations at operational timescales. For Bangladesh, this situation is particularly acute because it comprises only 7% of the entire Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin and is located at the downstream end of the basin. Thus more than 90% of the water is generated in upstream nations and yet this information is hard to obtain in Bangladesh due to lack of transboundary instrumentation or international treaties. This work therefore investigates the value of satellite radar altimetry in detecting the water level changes for large rivers in the Bangladesh Delta. It is founded on the hypothesis that a satellite altimeter can detect water level to the same accuracy for both inside and outside of Bangladesh. First, the river hydraulic model called HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center, River Analysis System) is set up and calibrated over Bangladesh using a comprehensive database on in-situ river bathymetry and observed water level records. Next, the calibrated HEC-RAS model is provided boundary flow conditions upstream and downstream of the model domain. At the upstream end where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghan enter Bangladesh, high resolution flow data modeled from a well calibrated hydrologic model called MIKE BASIN is provided as input. The observed tidal flow records of the Meghna estuary near the Bay of Bengal are used as the downstream boundary conditions. HEC-RAS is then used to simulate daily water level data for the period of 2003-2005 for major rivers of Bangladesh. These water level simulations are directly compared with altimeter estimates of water level from the ENVISAT mission. Accuracy of ENVISAT data is characterized as a function of season, flow regime and river type. The important question that this study aims to answer is, “To what extent can Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission capture the water level dynamics of large rivers in Bangladesh Delta?” Location of matched Envisat intersections over Bangladesh with model river network (water stage data of these locations are available for the period of 2003-05)

Bangladesh is richly endowed with solar energy. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system seems to be an appropriate form of renewable energy despite the monsoon type of climate in Bangladesh. The most attractive use of solar home system (SHS) in Bangladesh is the lighting system. People in rural Bangladesh predominantly use kerosene oil based lamps for illuminating their homes at night. Dry cell batteries are used for radio and gradually car batteries are becoming popular for running TV near grid areas where the charging facilities are available. The cost of kerosene and charging cost of battery are quite high and solar home system can compete with them in this particular field. Six cases were analyzed to find out the economic sustainability of the solar home systems at selected villages in Gazipur district, Bangladesh during October 2004-December 2004 and also questionnaire survey method was followed to collect data. This study reveals that the solar home system is financially attractive for small rural business and household lighting with entertainment. Only for household lighting purpose the system is not financially and economically viable without considering social benefits. (author)

Two separate field experiments were carried out in two different agro-ecological zones in Bangladesh. The experimental sites selected were the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) farm in Mymensingh and a farmers' field in Madhupur. The objective was to investigate the response of super granules of urea (USG), Urea-DAP and NPK on HYV rice crops. Soil types under investigation at both the BAU farm site and at the Madhupur farmers' field were silt-loam in texture and poor in nutrient status. The soil reaction was mildly acidic (pH 6.8) at the BAU farm, while it was strongly acidic at the Madhupur farmers' field (pH 5.5). Fertilizer treatments used in the experiments were (1) Control (without any fertilizer), (2) Urea (70 kg N ha-1 from urea), (3) USG (52 kg N ha-1 from USG super granule), (4) Urea-DAP SG (52 kg N and 20 kg P2O5 ha-1 from Urea-DAP super granule) and (5) NPK SG (52 kg N, 20 kg P2O5 and 20 kg K2O ha-1 from NPK super granule). In treatments 2-3, P, K, S and Zn fertilizers were applied as basal @ 40 kg P2O5, 40 kg K2O, 20 kg S and 3 kg Zn ha-1 respectively. In treatment 4, K was applied as basal @ 40 kg K2O ha-1 along with S and Zn as in treatments 2-3, while in the case of treatment 5, S and Zn were applied as basal as in treatments 2-3. USG, Urea-DAP, and NPK super granules were point placed after 7 days of transplanting at a depth of 7 centimeter between every fourth rice mound. Each treatment was replicated four times in a completely randomized block design. Test crops used were HYV rice, BR-30 at the BAU farm and BR-11 at the Madhupur farmers' field. The experiments were conducted during the wet season (July-November) of 2001. Point placement of USG, Urea-DAP and NPK super granules greatly increased the grain yields of rice. The highest increase in grain yield was recorded in NPK super granule followed by Urea-DAP and USG point placemen at both of the experiment site. The maximum grain yield at the BAU farm recorded was 6.23 t ha-1, while at the Madhupur farmers' field it was 5.73 t ha-1 using the NPK super granule point placement. The minimum yields of rice grain were obtained in the control treatment at both the BAU (3.41 t ha-1) and Madhupur farmers' field (3.22 t ha-1). Point placement of USG and multi-nutrient fertilizers in super granules both NP and NPK appeared to be highly promising for application on wetland rice.   

This article explores the drivers, benefits, and challenges to climate change adaptation in Bangladesh. It specifically investigates the ?Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change through Coastal Afforestation Program,? a 5-year $5 million adaptation scheme being funded and implemented in part by the Government of Bangladesh, United Nations Development Program, and Global Environment Facility. The article explores how the CBACC-CA builds various types of adaptive capacity in Bangladesh and the extent its design and implementation offers lessons for other adaptation programs around the world. The first part of the study begins by describing its research methods consisting of research interviews, site visits, and a literature review. It then summarizes six primary sectors vulnerable to cl...

Summary Since the first outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian inafluenza (HPAI) in Bangladesh in February 2007, a total of 519 disease events have been reported till 22 October 2011. Partial HA gene sequences of 11 selected H5N1 HPAI isolates of 2007 to 2011 were determined and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. The study revealed a recent introduction of clade 2.3.2 and 2.3.4 viruses into Bangladesh in 2011 in addition to clade 2.2 viruses that had been in circulation since 2007. Clade 2.3.2 virus isolates from Bangladesh are phylogenetically related to the newly designated clade 2.3.2.1 viruses, reported recently from Asia and Eastern Europe.

Quantitative evaluations of the impact of groundwater abstraction on recharge are rare. Over a period (1975???2007) during which groundwater abstraction increased dramatically in the Bengal Basin, changes in net groundwater recharge in Bangladesh are assessed using the water-table fluctuation method. Mean annual groundwater recharge is shown to be higher (300???600 mm) in northwestern and southwestern areas of Bangladesh than in southeastern and northeastern regions (<100 mm) where rainfall and potential recharge are greater. Net recharge in many parts of Bangladesh has increased substantially (5???15 mm/year between 1985 and 2007) in response to increased groundwater abstraction for irrigation and urban water supplies. In contrast, net recharge has slightly decreased (???0.5 to ???1 m...

A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh to study the effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains on two varieties of soybean viz. Sohag and Bangladesh Soybean-4. The treatments were non inoculated control, seed inoculation with either Bradyrhizobium japonucum strains TAL102, TAL1906 or the mixed culture of strains TAL102 and TAL1906, Nitrogen amount of 25 or 50 kg/ha. Bradyrhizobium inoculation had a significant positive effect on nodulation, nitrogenase activity, growth, dry matter production, N content in shoot, N uptake by shoot, yield attributes, protein content in seed and seed and stover yields of soybean. The highest seed yield of 2511 kg/ha was obtained in Bangladesh Soybean-4 inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain TAL102. Treatments consisting of chemical nitrogen fertilizer did not perform well compared to those employing the Bradyrhizobium inoculant.   

Kutubdia is an island in the southern coast of Bangladesh where mainland grid electricity is not present or would not feasible in near future. Presently, electricity is generated using a diesel generator by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for a limited time and location. Due to its remote location, the fuel cost in Kutubdia is very expensive. In the present study one-year recorded wind by Bangladesh Centre of Advanced Studies (BCAS) location and other three potential locations for hybrid system analysis is discussed. The system configuration of the hybrid is achieved based on a theoretical domestic load at the island. The sizing of the hybrid power systems is discussed with 0% and 5% annual capacity of shortage. This feasibility study indicates that wind–PV–diesel...

Although Phlebotomus argentipes as the only known vector of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is zoophilic in nature, VL is considered to be anthroponotic in the Indian subcontinent. Peripheral blood samples from 85 stray dogs were examined for any molecular evidence of Leishmania infection in VL endemic areas of Bangladesh. Parasite DNA was detected in a blood sample from 1 of 85 (1.2%) stray dogs using ITS1-PCR, and PCR sequencing of the rRNA-ITS and cytochrome b gene confirmed that the parasitic DNA was Leishmania donovani. The results support the assumption that dogs are a probable animal reservoir for the Leishmania parasite in Bangladesh. It will be important to investigate the possible epidemiological role of dogs in domestic foci of VL endemic areas in Bangladesh.   

Bangladesh is an energy starving country. The country will be on one of the fast growing power markets with its population and growing energy demand per person, its fast growing urbanization, and its socio-economic development. At present the potential demand of power is 5569MW and the supply is below 4000MW. The country is dependent on the imported petroleum that is big burden on the economy. The per capita emission is only 0.2667tonneperperson still much below the world leading countries (19.8tonneperperson for USA). However, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable to climate change effect in the world. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solution for clean and sustainable energy development in Bangladesh. Biomass is the do...

One of the major functions of telemedicine is the prompt delivery of modern healthcare to the remotest areas with reduced cost and efficient use of communication resources. The establishment of a well organized telemedicine system is therefore exigent for the developing countries like Bangladesh where there are extreme paucities of efficient healthcare professionals and equipments, specifically in the rural areas. In this paper a novel, hierarchical and semi-centralized telemedicine network architecture has been proposed holisti-cally focusing on the rural underdeveloped areas of Bangladesh. The model utilizes the existing fiber optic backbone and wireless telecommunication infrastructures to connect the remote healthcare centers with the urban special-ized hospitals. The proposed network is of low cost, flexible and faster as well as more concrete than the existing healthcare organogram of Bangladesh. Finally, some features and services associated with the model have also been proposed which are pragmatic and easily implementable.

The current status of renal diagnostic nuclear medicine is explained in a concise but nevertheless comprehensive survey, explaining the advances made and comparing former and current status with regard to radiopharmacy, techniques, and indications. The important advances achieved, such as gamma-camera, computerized renography, production of new radiopharmaceuticals (perfusion, parenchyma and inflammatory process markers) have induced a change in diagnostic nuclear medicine for kidney studies that requires a re-orientation among experts, and the book in hand is intended to furnish the necessary information. With 19 figs., 4 tabs.

The electrochemical reaction of glucose on a thin gold film electrode was investigated using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method. A cyclic voltammogram of glucose on a thin gold film electrode showed anodic current in both anodic and cathodic scans. The potential dependence of the refractive index change was simultaneously measured by SPR and showed that the change in the gold electrode surface status switched the catalytic reaction. In addition, a potential step experiment revealed that the SPR signal showed the underlying electrode status whereas the electrode current showed the overall catalytic oxidation of glucose.   

Radar data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) are employed as a preliminary analysis. This is a first research work to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall over the country for 135 consecutive days, from 16 April to 30 August 2000. Radar data are sampled in 10 km grid boxes to obtain daily rainfall over the country. Rain gauge data at 33 locations are utilized to check the radar results. The distributions of rainfall obtained by both the radar and the rain gauges are similarin pattern, but the time of the maximum rainfall determined by the radar is a few hours earlier than that determined by the rain gauges. The distribution of rainfall over the whole radar domain suggests that 21 to 09 local standard time (LST) is the most likely time for rainfall to occur in Bangladesh, while 06 LST is the most likely time for maximum rainfall to occur over the entire country. It is mentioned that no data are available between 03-06 LST. The occurrence of 21 to 09 LST rainfall is possibly linked to the local effects such as complex terrain and sea and land breeze circulations. The morning maximum rainfall at 06 LST in Bangladesh is different from that of the Indian subcontinent or of the mountain area where, generally, maximum rainfall occurs in the afternoon. The northern border of Bangladesh, close to the Shillong hill of India, is the region with the highest rainfall, while the second highest volume of rainfall occurs on the eastern border. In order to observe the characteristics of large-scale cloud activity, analyses of the Japanese GMS-5 hourly infrared data, within a larger domain of 80°-100°E and 10-30°N were conducted. The cloud activities in and around Bangladesh were obtained in 10 by 10 grid boxes. The northwestern part of Bangladesh was largely affected by pre-monsoon clouds, while the whole country was affected by the peak monsoon activities.   

This Format and Content Guide was followed in preparing the WIPP Compliance Status Report submitted in March 1994 and will be used for the compliance documents scheduled for submittal in the Spring of 1995. The Compliance Status Report was issued to stakeholders in March 1994 and describes the status of associated activities on compliance with the requirements in Title 40 CFR 268.6 and Title 40 CFR 191. The Compliance Status Report focuses on (1) the information required for a demonstration of compliance, (2) preliminary results, (3) the areas of the WIPP program that are either not currently mature enough, or do not provide adequate margin for a demonstration of compliance, and (4) the areas of the WIPP program that will be focused upon to provide the remaining necessary information for use in the 1995 compliance demonstration reports. The Compliance Status Report is not intended to constitute a statement of compliance or a demonstration of compliance. It is intended to report the status of progress made to date in project efforts to achieve the required level of data/information necessary for the required compliance demonstrations. Comments on the Compliance Status Report from stakeholders will likely result in a modified Format and Content Guide, as will the promulgation of the EPA`s Compliance Criteria for WIPP (40 CFR 194).

We present an energy-flow model for rural family farming systems (RFFS) in LDCs such as Bangladesh. This model incorporates farming components acting as sources or sinks of energy flows in providing edible, saleable and inflammable output for sustaining the rural physical quality of life (PQL). Based on this model, the quantitative input-output structure for different energetics, as well as energy flows for the farming systems of a traditional village in Bangladesh, are presented. This system is evaluated in terms of energy-dependent indicators. (Author)

The CSC Project on Management of Water Hyacinth in Bangladesh was started in only April 1981. The present report from Bangladesh is based on the interim progress reports, submitted by the project coordinators of the organizations concerned, for the work during the short intervening period to 4th June 1981. It is obvious that the report deals mainly with the preliminary preparations and observations on the various aspects of the investigations. The research components assigned to various organisations in Bangladesh are: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology; - Growth rate and biogas production; Housing and Building Research Institute; - Paper and board, and biogas; Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Protein, enzymes and ammoacids; Dacca University - Pollution removal and studies of biomass production. Bangladesh is a flat deltaic plain formed from old and new alluvium. The areas of old alluvium are located above the general level, while the vast areas of new alluvium are situated m the flood plain of the modern rivers. The whole country is intersected by a network of rivers; the areas comprising the alluvial plains are very large. The river bank levees are high and the land gradually slopes inland away from the levees. The tract of land between two rivers are shaped like a furrow and in most cases form elongated 'beels' or swamps which are ideal place for the growth and propagation of aquatic plants particularly water hyacinth along with other aquatic organisms, both of plant and animal origin due to eutrophication. It is in the shallow swamps and derelict ponds that luxuriant growth and proliferation of water hyacinth is generally observed in Bangladesh. However, there is a feeling that much of the water hyacinth population in the open countryside was depleted during the severe drought which prevailed during the summer of 1979. But Bangladesh has the ideal water and climatic environment for conditions of rapid growth and spread of water hyacinth and soon it may be a menace again unless economic utilization is evolved with proper management.

Emerging research suggests that the cues we glean from first impressions depend on our goals. This research uses sorority recruitment to examine whether groups that vary in social status rely on disparate cues to form first impressions of potential new group members. Current sorority members were given 500-ms to view pictures of women who wanted to join their sororities, and were then asked how likely it was that each prospective member would receive a bid from their sorority (bid expectancy). Prospective members were also rated on their attractiveness. Data were analyzed separately for high- vs. low-status houses. Results revealed that attractiveness was more predictive of liking and bid expectancy for the high-status houses, as compared to the low-status houses.

This report documents a study by Sandia's Systems Analysis Group to assess the status of, and need for, shipping containers to support the mission of National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Defense Program. The focus of the study evolved into determining the status of existing packages relative to Federal Regulations for the Department of Transportation and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Proposed regulatory changes will mandate the elimination or restricted use of many current DP packages. This study clarifies numerous misconceptions regarding these regulatory changes and status of packages relative to them. We have proposed guidelines for new package development based on the regulatory status of existing packages. Additionally, we have identified attributes that will make new packagings more amenable to accommodating new contents. This will allow the new packagings to better fill voids in container needs that are recognized but unable to be characterized at this time.

Currently, countries in the Middle East and North Africa are in the process of changing from high to low mortality and fertility, and the present paper reviews and assesses the current state of the social science research on family patterns and women's status in these regions. In particular, it reviews literature on: 1) marriage patterns; 2) the extended family and relations internal to the family; 3) larger kinship structures; 4) the role and status of women in the larger society; and 5) divorce, widowhood, and remarriage. The author, however, believes that much of the research on family patterns lacks concern with the impact of basic structural changes in the economic and social organization of countries in the region. He concludes by offering a few suggestions about areas where research linking population dynamics with family patterns and the status of women could be usefully undertaken. PMID:12309829

The clinical course of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is highly heterogeneous, with some patients experiencing rapid disease progression and others living for decades without requiring treatment. Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IGHV) mutation status is a powerful prognostic factor in patients with CLL. The presence or absence of IGHV mutation status is currently the gold-standard prognostic factor, but this technique is labor-intensive and costly. The expression of ?-chain-associated protein kinase 70?kDa (ZAP-70), detected by flow cytometry, has been served as a potential surrogate for the absence of IGHV mutation status since 2003. Given the current problems with the standardization of ZAP-70 assessment by flow cytometry, this chapter reviews the analysis of...

Various systemic manifestations are reported to be caused by chronic arsenic exposure in the population living in the Indo-Bangladesh subcontinent. This study from West Bengal assesses the likelihood of occurrence of hypertension (HTN) in individuals resident in an area of high groundwater contamination with arsenic (Nadia district) compared to those from a non-contaminated area (Hoogly district) in West Bengal, India. Two hundred and eight study participants (Group 1) were recruited from a cross-sectional study in six villages in the Nadia district and 100 controls (Group 2) from a village in the Hoogly district. The two groups were evenly matched in regard to age and sex. History taking and clinical examination including blood pressure measurement were undertaken in each participant. Water samples from current and previous drinking water sources and hair and urine samples from each participant were collected for estimation of arsenic. The present study shows evidence of increased association of HTN in individuals resident in arsenic endemic region compared to those from a non-endemic region in West Bengal. There were increased odds ratios for HTN [Adjusted Odds Ratio, OR, 2.87 (95 %CI = 1.26-4.83)] in Group- 1 participants compared to Group- 2 people. Within Group 1, there was no difference in prevalence of HTN between those with and without skin lesion. There was a dose-effect relationship seen with increasing cumulative arsenic exposure and arsenic level in hair and HTN in participants living in arsenic endemic region.The findings reported here support an association between arsenic exposure and HTN. More work is needed to characterize the link further. PMID:22702810

An attempt is made to identify seismicity patterns precursory to great earthquakes in most of Tibet as well as the central and eastern Himalayas. The region has considerable tectonic homogeneity and encompasses parts of China. India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Burma. Two seismicity patterns previously described were used (1) pattern ..sigma.. is a peak in the sum of earthquake energies raised to the power of about 2/3, taken over a sliding time window and within a magnitude range less than that of events we are trying to predict; and (2) pattern S (Swarms) consists of the spatial clustering of earthquakes during a time interval when the seismicity is above average. Within the test region, distinct peaks in pattern ..sigma.. have occurred twice during the 78-year-long test period: in 1948--49, prior to the great 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake (M=8.6) and in 1976. Peaks in pattern S have occurred three times; in 1932--1933, prior to the great 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake (M=8.3), in 1946, and in 1978. The 1934 and 1950 earthquakes were the only events in the region that exceeded M=8.0 during the test period. On the basis of experience here and elsewhere, the current peaks in both ..sigma.. and S suggest the likelihood of an M=8.0 event within 6 years or an M=8.5 event within 14 years. Such a prognostication should be viewed more as an experimental long-term enhancement of the probability that a large earthquake will occur than as an actual prediction, in view of the exceedingly large area encompassed and the very lengthy time window. Furthermore, the chances of a randomly occurring event as large as M=8.0 in the region are perhaps 21% within the next 6 years, and the present state of the art is such that we can place only limited confidence in such forecasts.

Neutron activation analysis is one of the most sensitive, rapid, accurated methods for determination of trace elements in different materials. A review is made of the current status of the activities and the results in studying and developing NAA (Neutron Activation Analysis) at the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute and applying this method to different sectors of science and technology in Vietnam. (author)

A review is given on the current status and selected results from large VLBI surveys of compact extragalactic radio sources made between 13 cm and 3 mm wavelengths and covering the entire sky. More than 4200 objects are observed and imaged with dynamic ranges from a hundred to several thousand at (sub)parsec scales. Implications to the VSOP-2 project are discussed.

We describe the current status of the Java molecular graphics tool, MolSurfer. MolSurfer has been designed to assist the analysis of the structures and physico-chemical properties of macromolecular interfaces. MolSurfer provides a coupled display of two-dimensional (2D) maps of the interfaces genera...

The current experimental status of measuring n/sub c/, the mean number of charm(and anti-charm) quarks in b-hadron decay, is reviewed. A preliminary new analysis of the 'wrong-sign' charm rate from the DELPHI Collaboration is presented together with a new, preliminary world average value of n/sub c/ = 1.154 +or- 0.036.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established treatment for Parkinson’s disease and related movement disorders. The success of DBS is highly dependent on electrode location, electrical parameter settings and the surgical procedure. In this paper an overview of the current status of optical measurem...

Thrust vectoring has the potential to provide significant improvements in combat aircraft performance and stability. As Eurofighter Typhoon moves into production, ITP and MTU are pursing a research and technology acquisition project to investigate the design of a thrust vectoring nozzle system suitable for future application to the EJ2000 engine. This paper describes the current status and progress of this project. (authors)

Environmental concerns are stimulating an increased interest in electric vehicles. Governments and car industries have launched new programs to accelerate technology progress. This study presents an overview of the current status of electric car and truck developments in IEA Member countries. The study examines prospects for technology advances in such areas as battery and vehicle performance and electric recharging systems.

These lectures first provide an overview of the current status of lattice gauge theory calculations. They then review some technical points on group integration, gauge fixing, and order parameters. Various Monte Carlo algorithms are discussed. Finally, alternatives to the Wilson action are considered in the context of universality for the continuum limit. 41 references.

Under the current regulations (CFR 503), Class B biosolids may be land applied with certain site restrictions. One method for achieving Class B status is to raise the pH of the sludge to >12 for a minimum of 2 hours with an alkaline material (normally lime). Alternately, a Clas...

We describe the current status of high-precision ab initio calculations of the spectra of molecular hydrogen ions (H_2^+ and HD^+) and of two experiments for vibrational spectroscopy. The perspectives for a comparison between theory and experiment at a level of 1 ppb are considered.

We present a brief summary of the current status of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory and of the facilities at two of the APS sectors operated by the Basic Energy Sciences Synchrotrons Radiation Center (BESSRC). This is followed by a report on recent measurements at BESSRC on the phenomenon of Nuclear Excitation by Electronic Transition (NEET).

This paper summarises the current status of anaerobic digestion processes for the conversion of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) to methane and discusses the potential for incorporating anaerobic digestion into a centralised municipal solid waste treatment facility for energy production and materials recovery. (author)

I briefly summarize the parallel sessions on Automated Calculation and Simulation Systems for high-energy particle physics phenomenology at ACAT 2002 (Moscow State University, June 2002) and present a short overview over the current status of the field and try to identify the important trends.

An overview of the Penn State Propulsion Engineering Research Center is presented. The following subject areas are covered: research objectives and long term perspective of the Center; current status and operational philosophy; and brief description of Center projects (combustion, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, materials compatibility, turbomachinery, and advanced propulsion concepts).

The article discusses the current status of commercial flue gas desulfurization (FGD) processes applied to coal-fired utility boilers in the U.S. Major objectives of the work were to examine the impacts of the 1979 New Source Performance Standards on FGD system design and operati...

This booklet is the summary chapter of the large groundwater report printed in booklet form with a CD of the complete report inside the back cover. It contains information on the current status of groundwater beneath the Hanford Site, highlights of FY 2004 monitoring, and emerging issues.

The current status and trend of aspen is a topic of debate; some studies have claimed dramatic reductions in aspen stands while others have found no major changes. The actual picture of aspen forests across the West is variable, and the presence of conife...

A Cowper's duct cyst is a rare entity that occurs most commonly in young men. The current urologic literature supports management with a transurethral unroofing procedure. For patients who present with persistent symptoms associated with a Cowper's syringocele status post-transurethral unroofing, transperineal ligation of the Cowper's duct may be of value in alleviating the symptoms.

The current status of investigations into potential cellulosic substrates for enzymatic saccharification is surveyed. Properties of the most reactive substrates identified are discussed. The effect of critical process parameters such as temperature, pH, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration, enzyme composition, and reaction time is examined. The process economics are briefly considered. (JSR)

China’s mobile communications market presents unique market challenges. With a high subscriber growth rate but polarized and stratified consumer adoption trends, an investigation into the current status of this market will improve our understanding on how adoption of mobile communications is evolvin...

Due to its mature technological status, lead acid batteries have not been the focal point of batteries in the last decade. With the limitation on other new battery types – such as low power density for lithium ion battery, high self discharge and short life cycles for high current discharge for nick...

This workshop attempted to evaluate the status of the current experimental and theoretical understanding of hot electron ring properties. The dominant physical processes that influence ring formation, scaling, and their optimal behavior are also studied. Separate abstracts were prepared for each of the 27 included papers. (MOW)

A short introduction with references establishes the current status of research and development of SiC{sub f}/SiC composites for fusion energy systems with respect to several key issues. The SiC fiber and composite specimen types selected for the JUPITER 14J irradiation experiment are presented together with the rationale for their selection.

EGovernment still faces many challenges as it continues to develop. The current status of electronic services delivery opens up a lot of questions, both for practitioners and researchers. Therefore, further progress of eGovernment needs a profound knowledge base. EGovernment policy has focused sever...

Current photosynthesis is directly or indirectly the source of all of our food and fiber and is increasingly looked on as a potential source of renewable fuels. Increasing world population, improving economic status of portions of the developing world, and limited scope for recruitment of additional...

Water eutrophication has become a worldwide environmental problem in recent years, and understanding the mechanisms of water eutrophication will help for prevention and remediation of water eutrophication. In this paper, recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of water eutrophication,...

This book presents a lucid description of the current status of photophysics for researchers in biopolymers and photochemistry. Numerous new techniques and new applications for older methods are described. The major topics discussed include polymer dynamics and complexation, excimer migration, energy migration, photophysics of polyelectrolytes, luminescent polymerization probes, and photophysics of silicon-based polymers.

The electromagnetic calorimeter at the BABAR detector, part of the asymmetric B Factory at SLAC, measures photons in the energy range from 20 MeV to 8 GeV with high resolution. The current status of the calorimeter, now in its seventh year of operation, is being presented, as well as details on improvements made to the analysis code during the last years.

The electromagnetic calorimeter at the BaBar detector, part of the asymmetric B Factory at SLAC, measures photons in the energy range from 20 MeV to 8 GeV with high resolution. The current status of the calorimeter, now in its seventh year of operation, is being presented, as well as details on improvements made to the analysis code during the last years.

This article discusses the current status of recycling of automobiles in Europe based on a report compiled by Euromotor Reports and also discusses the move toward designing automobiles for disassembly to aid in the recycling process. Plastics and rubber are the emphasis of the report along with copper and aluminum. Problem areas in recycling or dismantling are also discussed.

This document is an update from Knowledge and Use Dissemination plan (first draft) D5.4. It contains the current status of new knowledge created and used as part of the ETICS activities. This is an on-going document that will be updated as more knowledge is gathered and our dissemination plan evolve...

This report provides an overview of the current status of enhanced publications in publishing and repository environments. We define an enhanced publication as a publication that is enhanced with three categories of information: (1) research data (evidence of the research), (2) extra materials (to i...

The seminar reviewed the current status of the greenhouse issue as it affects the coal and power industry. Subjects covered include government, and coal and power industry responses to the challenge of reducing emissions, and an insight into how carbon trading schemes could work in the future. The book only contains the abstracts of the papers.

A relationship between physical fitness and cognition has been difficult to document. The paper describes cognition and examines the effects of aging on cognition, the fitness-cognition relationship hypothesis, difficulties in determining the fitness-cognition relationship, and the current status of the relationship. (SM)

A discusssion of the Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering and its current Open Access status , http://www.library.up.ac.za/openup/oaday.htm , Presentation presented at the Open Access event, Merensky Library, University of Pretoria, 27 October 2011.

The current engineering development status of line-focus solar concentrating collectors is described, specifically the parabolic trough, and near-term development emphasis in the areas of structures, reflective materials, receivers, selective coatings, trackers, drives, wind loads, foundations, and field layouts is briefly summarized.

This work will present the current status of the Virtualization and Cloud Computing R&D project in ATLAS Distributed Computing. First, strategies for deploying PanDA queues on cloud sites will be discussed, including the introduction of a "cloud factory" for managing cloud VM instances. Ne...

An approach to streamline the Hardware-In-the-Loop (HWIL) simulation development process is under development. This Common HWIL technique will attempt to provide a more flexible, scalable system. The overall goal of the Common HWIL system will be to reduce communication latencies, minimize redundant development, operational labor and equipment expense. This paper will present current status and test results.

Important open questions in cosmology require a better understanding of the Big Bang singularity. In string and matrix theories, light-like analogues of cosmological singularities (singular plane wave backgrounds) turn out to be particularly tractable. We give a status report on the current understanding of such light-like Big Bang models, presenting both solved and open problems.

This paper describes the current state of health and socio-economic status of the Indigenous people of Australia and reports and discusses social policy measures that have been taken by the Commonwealth government to improve Indigenous health since the late 1980s. The health of Indigenous people is ...

We review the current status of theoretical calculations of the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Different approaches and related issues such as OPE constraints and large breaking of chiral symmetry are discussed. Combining results of different models with educated guesses on the errors we come to the estimate

The Monte Carlo generator EKHARA allows to simulate the process Formula Not Shown at energies of meson factories. We review the motivation, describe the current status of the generator, and discuss features, which will appear in the forthcoming releases: the two-photon production of ? and Formula Not Shown mesons.

The expert system technology is focused on as a data processing tool. Several existing applications are analyzed. Their original definition as pure expert systems is contrasted with their current status as integrated systems. The architectural requirements needed to support such a heterogeneous environment are given.

A detector system which consists of CaF sub 2 scintillators surrounded by active and passive shields, is developed to search for spin coupled dark matter. The whole system is in operation at the underground laboratory located in Nara (Oto Cosmo Observatory) which has effectively 1.2 km water equivalent shield. In this article our current status of the investigation is described.

Hydrologic data collection activities by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska are described. Seventeen projects were active in 1987. Each description includes information on period of project, project chief, funding sources, location, purpose, current status, and published or planned reports. The compilation also contains a bibliography of reports published by the Alaska District from 1984 through 1986. (USGS)

The current status of our efforts to trace cosmic structure with 10^6 galaxies (2MASS), 10^3 galaxy clusters (NORAS II cluster survey), and precision measurements for 10^2 galaxy clusters (HIFLUGCS) is given. The latter is illustrated in more detail with results on the gas temperature and metal abundance structure for 10^0 cluster (A1644) obtained with XMM-Newton.

The current experimental status of the spin dependent structure functions as measured in polarized deep inelastic scattering of charged leptons from nucleons is reviewed. The proposals for new experiments at CERN, SLAC and HERA are discussed with special emphasis on the experiment of the Spin Muon collaboration at CERN which has started data taking.

The current experimental status of the spin dependent structure functions as measured in polarized deep inelastic scattering of charged leptons from nucleons is reviewed. The proposals for new experiments at CERN, SLAC and HERA are discussed with special emphasis on the experiment of the Spin Muon collaboration at CERN which has started data taking.

The techniques and equipment currently employed for calorimetric dosimetry have been briefly surveyed and the status of some recent measurements presented. The problems which remain to be investigated are: the thermal defect, the suitability of A-150 plastic as a material for heavy charged particle calorimetry and calorimeter designs that are appropriate for specific radiation situations, including cryogenic calorimeters.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, and has become pandemic within a short period of time. Imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis, management and follow-up of patients with SARS. The current status of imaging in SARS is presented in this review.

This thesis work has been done in the Particles Physics Group from Neuchâtel University and within the EXO international collaboration. It presents the EXO experiment current status and the contributions from Neuchâtel to this neutrino experiment. EXO—acronym for Enriched Xenon Observatory for doub...

With particular focus on the microbial diversity in garbage treatment, the current status of garbage treatment in Japan and microbial ecological studies on various bioprocesses for garbage treatment are described in detail. The future direction of research in this field is also discussed.