bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS IN THE PRESENCE OF TESTING AND THERAPY, ISOLATION AND TREATMENT
Authors: Okolo Patrick Noah , Makama Christiana Gideon , Abah Roseline Toyin
Published: January 2024

In this study, a mathematical model for Tuberculosis infection transmission dynamics is developed by incorporating testing and therapy of latent individuals, the isolation of infectious individuals and the treatment of the isolated individuals. The basic reproduction number was computed using the next generation matrix method. Analysis of the model at the disease-free equilibrium state and the endemic equilibrium states shows that it is locally and globally asymptomatically stable whenever the basic reproduction number is less than unity at the disease -free equilibrium state and locally and globally asymptotically stable whenever the basic reproduction number is greater than unity. The result from the sensitivity index of  show that the infection transmission parameter and other control parameters such as early detection and therapy, the isolation of infected individuals and treatment are crucial parameters to tuberculosis management.  It is shown from numerical simulations that the early detection and therapy, isolation and treatment of infected individuals will reduce the infection transmission. Further numerical results show that the combination of early detection and therapy, isolation and treatment of infectious individuals will decrease the infection transmission and its eventual eradication from the human population.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIBACTERIAL AND INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITIES OF STEM BARK EXTRACTS OF BOSWELLIA DALZIELII HUTCHIN FROM KALTUNGO, NIGERIA
Authors: Mshelia E. H. , Pindar Watirahyel , Tadzabia Kadam , Mohammed A. H. , Ojo Omolide
Published: January 2024

The importance of traditional herbal medicinal system has now gained attention in developed and developing countries. Boswellia dalzielii is a tree grows in the wild usually in the Savannah region of West Africa. These work assessed the phytochemical constituents, antibacterial and insecticidal activities of the stem bark extracts of Boswellia dalzielii. The plant extracts were obtained using soxhlet method with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol and water as solvents for 10 hours while the phytochemicals and insecticidal activities were determined using standard methods. The phytochemical screening showed significant presence of carbohydrate in the ethanol and water extracts while significant amount of tannin was detected only in the ethanol extract. The petroleum ether and ethyl acetate showed absence of carbohydrate, tannins, phlobotannin, cyanogenic glycoside, chlorogenic acid and alkaloid. Significant amount of flavonoid was seen in the water extract, while only the ethanolic extract showed significant amount of cardiac glycoside and alkaloid. The acetone extract showed significant quantity of alkaloid and terpenes and steroids. The antibacterial screening showed that ethanol extract had the highest inhibitory activity. The petroleum ether extract had the least active components with no activity on the test organisms. The insecticidal activity of the plant extracts showed that acetone extract had the highest insecticidal activity on both the test insects. Camponotus consobrinus shows the highest percentage mortality of 75% at a concentration of 500µg and LC50 of 1.64x102µg followed by the Acanthscelides obtectus with the percentage mortality of 53% at a concentration of 250µg and...
CONSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF AN INTEGRATED SOLAR COOKING AND DRYING SYSTEM
Authors: Jibrin Inuwa , Garba M. M. , Argungu G. M. , Mohammed M. L. , Anas Usman
Published: January 2024

An integrated solar cooking and solar drying system was developed using locally available materials. The system performs both functions of cooking and drying simultaneously. Performance evaluation of the system was carried out using tomatoes for drying; while rice, beans and eggs were used to carryout cooking experiment. For the purpose of performance evaluation, total global radiation, ambient temperature, humidity, water temperature were monitored, taken and recorded. Results obtained from the system and that of the non-integrated systems were compared using excel as a statistical tool for analysis to ascertain the performance of the integrated system. The average temperatures recorded in the integrated system during drying were 45.3, 46.0 and 45.9, while that of the non-integrated system were 40.2, 39.9 and 39.7. The average temperatures recorded during cooking of egg, beans and rice using the integrated system were 83.1, 83.4 and 78.2, while that of the non-integrated system were 68.8, 86.3 and 65.0. This indicates higher heat generation and faster drying and cooking rates in the integrated system than the non-integrated system. The system has a total cost estimate of N30,600 with an added advantage of cooking and drying simultaneously. It is portable and can help in improving the ambient air quality. Furthermore, the integrated system will occupy less space and gives higher efficiency compared to the conventional single use systems.
VERIFYING THE CONSISTENCY OF PRECISE POINT POSITIONING CONTROLS FOR CADASTRAL SURVEYING
Authors: Guma Edward Pishikeni , Raji Samuel Omeiza , Haruna Akoji Augustine, , Ibiyemi Sunday , Usman Abdulazeez Adeiza , Bello Etudaye Abdulganiyu
Published: January 2024

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is an aspect of Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) technique that uses one satellite receiver to determine position, velocity and time of points on the earth’s surface. PPP could be used globally for a wide range of applications such as positioning in remote areas and positioning where there are lacks of control networks. In order words, PPP is deployed wherever reference stations are not available for it does not transfer local error about. The aim of this study is to verify the consistency of precise point positioning data in cadastral surveying. Selected points were observed 5 times within the period of 12 months. Each observation lasted 60 minutes for each station. The raw GNSS data were downloaded from the receiver into a computer, and converted to RINEX file which were later uploaded to online post-processing service. The results were subjected to standard deviation and confidence interval computations. The results were in centimeter levels. Therefore, the PPP is recommended for use in static mode for control establishments in areas where there are no controls for surveying and mapping.
WASTE LEMON PEEL AS A CIRCULAR SOLUTION FOR THE REMEDIATION OF LEAD-CONTAMINATED SLUDGE FOR LAND APPLICATION
Authors: Duru Chinonye , Ibrahim Fatima Badiru , Dandajeh Aliyu Adamu
Published: January 2024

Lead-contaminated sludge is a major environmental concern, as land application of this material can contaminate surfaces with toxic heavy metals. To address this, a novel approach to utilizing waste lemon peel (WLP) for the remediation of lead-contaminated sludge for land application with the circular economy in perspective is presented. The WLP was collected from local producers and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to determine the functional groups present. The hydroxyl, carboxyl, ether, and amide groups are the main functional groups in the sample and they have been identified as potential sites responsible for binding heavy metal ions to the biomass.
The sludge samples were collected from the Ahmadu Bello University Water treatment plant and analyzed for contamination. The effects of WLP on the lead sorption were investigated using batch experiments. The results indicated that lead sorption onto the WLP was significantly as high as 90.5%. The WLP was found to effectively reduce the lead from the contaminated sludge. This study aimed to identify the capability of WLP as a low-cost and sustainable material for the remediation of lead-contaminated sludge for land application, indicating the potential for waste materials to be utilized in the circular economy. The Material Circularity Indicator of 0.835 indicated a highly circular system.
Strategies to Enhance the Employability of Higher Education Graduates in Indonesia: A Way Forward
Authors: Isbah M Falikul , Kustiningsih Wahyu , Wibawanto Gregorius Ragil , Artosa Odam Asdi , Kailani Najib , Zamjani Irsyad
Published: January 2024

This research investigates the strategies implemented by higher education institutions in Indonesia to enhance the career sustainability of their graduates while exploring potential strengthening opportunities that need attention. The study is motivated by several significant changes, such as the expansion of a flexible job market and the uncertainty of the transition for graduates from the educational environment to the workforce. The research was conducted at eight universities in four cities from July to October 2021. The selection of these cities aimed to encompass the geographical diversity of Indonesia and represent the educational centers in each region. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) involving each university’s students, alumni, and career development unit managers. Three main findings emerged regarding the efforts made by the universities, including curriculum adjustments by adding entrepreneurship courses, establishing or developing career development units, and expanding networks of partners to benefit students and alumni. However, institutional capacity, human resource availability, networks, and local contexts also influenced the selection and dynamics of the applied strategies. Consequently, the achieved outcomes varied and could not be measured with uniform parameters. This research argues that policy interventions to enhance the career sustainability of university graduates should consider this complexity. Therefore, we recommend policymakers get involved in implementing independent learning and independent Campuses to understand the diverse initial conditions of universities.
Single-channel Speech Separation Based on Double-density Dual-tree CWT and SNMF
Authors: Hossain Md Imran , Rahim Md Abdur , Hossain Md Najmul
Published: January 2024

Speech is essential to human communication; therefore, distinguishing it from noise is crucial. Speech separation becomes challenging in real-world circumstances with background noise and overlapping speech. Moreover, the speech separation using short-term Fourier transform (STFT) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) addresses time and frequency resolution and time-variation issues, respectively. To solve the above issues, a new speech separation technique is presented based on the double-density dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DDDTCWT) and sparse non-negative matrix factorization (SNMF). The signal is separated into high-pass and low-pass frequency components using DDDTCWT wavelet decomposition. For this analysis, we only considered the low-pass frequency components and zeroed out the high-pass ones. Subsequently, the STFT is then applied to each sub-band signal to generate a complex spectrogram. Therefore, we have used SNMF to factorize the joint form of magnitude and the absolute value of real and imaginary (RI) components that decompose the basis and weight matrices. Most researchers enhance the magnitude spectra only, ignore the phase spectra, and estimate the separated speech using noisy phase. As a result, some noise components are present in the estimated speech results. We are dealing with the signal's magnitude as well as the RI components and estimating the phase of the RI parts. Finally, separated speech signals can be achieved using the inverse STFT (ISTFT) and the inverse DDDTCWT (IDDDTCWT). Separation performance is improved for estimating the phase component and the shift-invariant, better direction selectivity, and scheme freedom properties of DDDTCWT. The speech separation efficiency of the proposed algorithm outperforms performance by 6.53–8.17 dB SDR gain, 7.37-9.87 dB SAR gain, and 14.92–17.21 dB SIR gain compared to the NMF method with masking on the TIMIT dataset.
Optimisation and Performance Computation of a Phase Frequency Detector Module for IoT Devices
Authors: Hemel Md. Shahriar Khan , Reaz Mamun Bin Ibne , Ali Sawal Hamid Bin Md , Bhuiyan Mohammad Arif Sobhan , Miraz Mahdi H.
Published: January 2024

The Internet of Things (IoT) is pivotal in transforming the way we live and interact with our surroundings. To cope with the advancement in technologies, it is vital to acquire accuracy with the speed. A phase frequency detector (PFD) is a critical device to regulate and provide accurate frequency in IoT devices. Designing a PFD poses challenges in achieving precise phase detection, minimising dead zones, optimising power consumption, and ensuring robust performance across various operational frequencies, necessitating complex engineering and innovative solutions. This study delves into optimising a PFD circuit, designed using 90 nm standard CMOS technology, aiming to achieve superior operational frequencies. An efficient and high-frequency PFD design is crafted and analysed using cadence virtuoso. The study focused on investigating the impact of optimising PFD design. With the optimised PFD, an operational frequency of 5 GHz has been achieved, along with a power consumption of only 29 µW. The dead zone of the PFD was only 25 ps.
Explainable Software Defects Classification Using SMOTE and Machine Learning
Authors: Jude Agboeze , Uddin Jia
Published: January 2024

Software defect prediction is a critical task in software engineering that aims to identify and mitigate potential defects in software systems. In recent years, numerous techniques and approaches have been developed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the defect prediction model. In this research paper, we proposed a comprehensive approach that addresses class imbalance by utilizing stratified splitting, explainable AI techniques, and a hybrid machine learning algorithm. To mitigate the impact of class imbalance, we employed stratified splitting during the training and evaluation phases. This method ensures that the class distribution is maintained in both the training and testing sets, enabling the model to learn from and generalize to the minority class examples effectively. Furthermore, we leveraged explainable AI methods, Lime and Shap, to enhance interpretability in the machine learning models. To improve prediction accuracy, we propose a hybrid machine learning algorithm that combines the strength of multiple models. This hybridization allows us to exploit the strength of each model, resulting in improved overall performance. The experiment is evaluated using the NASA-MD datasets. The result revealed that handling the class imbalanced data using stratify splitting approach achieves a better overall performance than the SMOTE approach in Software Defect Detection (SDD).
Deep Learning Based Cyberbullying Detection in Bangla Language
Authors: Nath Sristy Shidul , Karim Razuan , Miraz Mahdi H.
Published: January 2024

The Internet is currently the largest platform for global communication including expressions of opinions, reviews, contents, images, videos and so forth. Moreover, social media has now become a very broad and highly engaging platform due to its immense popularity and swift adoption trend. Increased social networking, however, also has detrimental impacts on the society leading to a range of unwanted phenomena, such as online assault, intimidation, digital bullying, criminality and trolling. Hence, cyberbullying has become a pervasive and worrying problem that poses considerable psychological and emotional harm to the people, particularly amongst the teens and the young adults. In order to lessen its negative effects and provide victims with prompt support, a great deal of research to identify cyberbullying instances at various online platforms is emerging. In comparison to other languages, Bangla (also known as Bengali) has fewer research studies in this domain. This study demonstrates a deep learning strategy for identifying cyberbullying in Bengali, using a dataset of 12282 versatile comments from multiple social media sites. In this study, a two-layer bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) model has been built to identify cyberbullying, using a variety of optimisers as well as 5-fold cross validation. To evaluate the functionality and efficacy of the proposed system, rigorous assessment and validation procedures have been employed throughout the project. The results of this study reveals that the proposed model’s accuracy, using momentum-based stochastic gradient descent (SGD) optimiser, is 94.46%. It also reflects a higher accuracy of 95.08% and a F1 score of 95.23% using Adam optimiser as well as a better accuracy of 94.31% in 5-fold cross validation.
Physiological and biochemical responses of rice to polyethylene glycol
Authors: Samad Rifat
Published: January 2024

Effects of water deficit induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) on rice grown in half strength Hoagland solution was studied in the present investigation. Impacts of different water stress (10, 20 and 30% PEG) on some physiological and biochemical characteristics were determined in this investigation. Results showed that water stress significantly affected most physiological and biochemical characteristics. The increasing water stress declined the root and shoot length and fresh and dry weights of root and shoot. An increase in water stress also resulted in reduction of relative water content, leaf pigments and protein content. Upon dehydration, an incline in reducing and total sugar and proline content were evident in the root and shoot of rice. Water-deficit stress resulted in higher superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities but as the severity of the water stress increased, the SOD activity decreased. These crucial characteristics would be expected to be utilized as screening techniques for water stress tolerance to the future development of new variety.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 897-905, 2023 (December)
Stability analysis in rice landraces grown under dry Direct seeded condition
Authors: S Muthuramu
Published: January 2024

In the present study the genotype x environment interaction and stability performances of 15 rice landraces  in Rabi season during 2017-18 to 2021-22 at Agricultural Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,  Tamil Nadu, India were evaluated. Eberhart - Russel model was used for stability analysis in rice. In this model, genotype mean across environments, regression of genotype on environmental index and  function of the squared deviation from the regression were determined. Mean sum of squares against environment source of variation as well as linear component of environment were significant for all the studied characters suggesting a presence of variation among the environments tested. The linear component of genotype x environment interaction was also found  significant for all the traits studied which  indicated  presence of significant differences between  the genotypes. The landraces Kallurundaikar and Kattanur responded favourably to better environments but gave poor yield in an unfavourable environment. Hence, they are suitable for favourable environments. Sivappuchithiraikar and Mysore malli recorded the highest grain yield with bi value closer to unity and non-significant deviation from regression. They were reported as stable genotypes and recommended for cultivation in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 941-948, 2023 (December)
Evaluation of antibiotics and bioagents for the management of black rot disease of cabbage and their effect on extracellular polysaccharide secretion
Authors: Sangwan Pooja , Sangwan Rakesh , Malik Vinod , Singh Manjeet
Published: January 2024

Black rot disease caused by bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris has been identified as major cause for low cabbage yields. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of various antibiotics and bioagents for controlling black rot disease and also their effect on extracellular polysaccharide secretion (EPS) of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Under in vitro conditions, bacterial proliferation and EPS production were examined on yeast peptone agar medium containing sucrose or trehalose with or without antibiotics. Number of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris on yeast peptone agar medium with Validamycin-A was less as compared to control. Extracellular polysaccharide secretion (EPS) was also inhibited on yeast peptone agar medium with antibiotic Validamycin-A. In vivo, disease intensity was recorded minimum in seed treatment + root dipping + foliar spray with Validamycin-A @ 500 µg/ml followed by seed treatment with Validamycin-A @ 500 µg/ml in comparison to control. Similarly, 45.61% higher cabbage yield was recorded in seed treatment + root dipping + foliar spray with Validamycin-A @ 500 as compared to untreated control. However, the antibiotic Validamycin-A which was found effective can be recommended to manage the disease.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 965-970, 2023 (December)
Flowering, fruiting and germplasm characterization of burmese grape (baccaurea sapida muell. Arg.)
Authors: Bhowmick Nilesh , Pradhan Saurabh
Published: January 2024

Burmese grape (Baccaurea sapida Muell. Arg.) belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, is a minor underexploited fruit crop grown wild as well as under cultivation in Nepal, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, for fresh consumption. It is a dioecious plant and reported to have an excellent nutritive value, but mainly grown in homestead condition mostly in neglected ways. The present study was aimed to characterize the germplasm nature, details of flowering and fruiting system of Burmese grape.  Tree growth habit and crown shape of all the accessions surveyed were semi erect and irregular, respectively. The colour of the male flowers varied from yellow to green yellow shades while the colour of the female flowers varied from yellow to yellow green and green yellow shades. The variation present on fruit length (2.81 cm to 3.80 cm), fruit weight (12.25g to 22.95g), pulp percentage (49.82% to 65.33%), total soluble solids (9.00º to 13.10ºBrix), tritatable acidity (0.73mg to 1.28mg/100g fruit pulp) and ascorbic acid content ranged from (23.18mg to 57.80mg/100g fruit pulp) suggest suitable selection method for identification of promising Burmese grape genotypes.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 989-998, 2023 (December)
Characterization of three citrullus lanatus (thunb.) Matsum. & nakai varieties by fluorescent chromosome staining and rapd analysis
Authors: Dash Chandan Kumar , Afroz Mahin , Hossain Afsana , Sultana Syeda Sharmeen , Das Subroto Kumar
Published: January 2024

Three commercial Citrullus lanatus varieties, namely Sonya, Kanya and Sweet black-2, were investigated with cyto-molecular techniques for characterization. Despite having similar somatic chromosome numbers and karyotype formulae (2n = 22), these three varieties had considerable diversities in Chromomycin A3 (CMA)- and 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-banding patterns. The total somatic chromosomal length was longest in Sweet black-2 (71.44 ± 2.94 µm) and shortest in Sonya (42.31 ± 2.45 µm). Each variety's unique GC- and AT-rich chromatin composition was represented by a variety of numbers, percentages, and patterns of distribution. Eleven random primers were employed to evaluate the genetic diversity among three varieties. Each variety showed a distinct fingerprinting pattern with 88.72% polymorphism while having 10 of the same RAPD bands.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 1033-1040, 2023 (December)
Potential of compound bacterial agent in the biocontrol of muskmelon pathogens
Authors: Fu Ruimin , Zhang Hong , Xia Tieqi , Yang Xue , Dingwang  , Chen Wuling
Published: January 2024

The bacterial strain TG6 was screened from the soil of a muskmelon greenhouse, which could effectively inhibit the growth of Sphaerotheca fuliginea, Fusarium oxysporum, Phytophthora melonis and Pseudoperonospora cubensis of muskmelons. TG6 was identified as Bacillus subtilis through morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular studies. Taking TG6 as the original strain, TG67 and TG69 were obtained by He-Ne laser mutagenesis. The microbial compound antagonist strain TG67 and TG69 was prepared in the ratio of 1:1 and applied to the biological control of greenhouse melon. Muskmelon field experiments showed that the bactericide could effectively control the occurrence of various diseases of muskmelon in greenhouse.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 1047-1053, 2023 (December)
Isolation and characterization of bacteria grown on polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles
Authors: Zannat Faozia , Karim Md Abdul
Published: January 2024

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a polymer used in the production of water and beverage bottles as well as textiles, and packaging materials. The aim of this study is to isolate and characterize PET-associated bacteria. The samples were collected from different sites in Dhaka and inoculated into enriched culture media. The predominant bacteria were Bacillus (31%), Pseudomonas (31%), and Enterobacter (10%), while others were Listeria, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Kluyerea, Staphylococcus and Morganella. Most bacteria can grow at 30 - 40°C temperature and 6.5 - 7.5 pH.
Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 1071-1076, 2023 (December)
Icthyofaunal Diversity in Jagannath University New Campus Area, Keraniganj, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Asaduzzaman Md , Raha Antu Durjoy , Hossain Md Sakhawat , Akbar M Samrat , Biswas Sajib , Ara Latifa Gulshan
Published: January 2024

The study was carried out to know the ichthyofaunal diversity in Jagannath University new campus area from August 2020 to March 2021. A great variety of fish species were recorded from 15 diversified families. Among those, Cyprinidae was the most species-rich family, have 7 species. Total 29 fish species were identified; among them, the dominant order is Anabantiformes comprises of 9 species. Identified species mostly under least concern (20) category, Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822) are the only endangered species, 1 species under vulnerable category, 4 species belong to near threatened. Three invasive species were recorded from this area, which is very alarming for native fish diversity. Gears and crafts were seen to: cast net, lift net, drag net, gill net, and chai, polo observed in the study area. Some pollution sources were also identified during the study period.
Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(2): 165-173, 2023
Morphological Patterns of the Long Limb Bones in the Lesser Bandicoot Rat, Bandicota Bengalensis (Rodentia: Muridae)
Authors: Das Antara , Roy Pritom , Biswas Jadab Kumar
Published: January 2024

We examined the morphological patterns of long limb bones in the Lesser Bandicoot rat (Bandicota bengalensis) using univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses. A total of 18 morphometric measurements were taken using 30 adult specimens (11 males and 19 females) of B. bengalensis. The univariate analysis revealed non-significant right-left difference in the longest limb bones. Therefore, right side limb bones were used for further analyses. For most of the limb bone measurements, the mean values of the males were slightly larger than that of the females. However, the coefficient of variation did not differ significantly between the sexes. Most measurements of the fore limb and hind limb bones were significantly correlated with the length of respective bones. Allometric analysis exhibited isometry for many of the variables of humerus, ulna, femur, and tibia against the length of respective bones. These trends were also implied by the principal component analysis, as high factor loadings were observed for 80% and 75% variables of the forelimb and hindlimb, respectively. The epicondylar regions of the stylopodial bones (humerus and femur) and the width of radius showed non-significant correlation and/or negative allometry. Finally, our results suggest slightly male-biased sexual size dimorphism in the long limb bones and the growth patterns of the bone parts are greatly variable might be linked to the individual bone functions.
Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(2): 191-203, 2023
Parasitic Contamination of Street Food Samples From School-Based Food Vendors of Dhaka City, Bangladesh
Authors: Barua Priyanka , Sukonya Banik Krishna , Saha Sharmila , Musa Sharmin
Published: January 2024

Street food is an old notion that arose from the need of quick access of light food to satisfy hunger. With the mention of street food in Bangladesh, a picture is visualized which includes open stalls with uncovered food, unawareness of vendors about hygienic practices, lack of safe source of water for cleaning and preparing food, increasing pollution in surrounding environment leading to infestation with various parasites and causing diarrhoeal diseases in people. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of parasites in school-based street foods in Dhaka city. A total of 200 food samples were examined containing three representative types of street foods: tamarind water of snacks (79 samples), sliced fruits (71 samples) and fruit juices (50 samples) using Formal-ether concentration technique. Among them, 164 (82%) samples were contaminated with Entamoeba histolytica, Blastocystis hominis, Cystoisospora belli, Diphyllobothrium latum, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, Ascaris lumbricoides, Enterobius vermicularis, Trichuris trichiura and Ancylostoma duodenale. C. belli was the most prevalent (38%), followed by A. lumbricoides (33%) and B. hominis (33%). While comparing the parasite prevalence in three types of street foods, the highest prevalence was observed for C. belli (21.5% in tamarind water of snacks, 6.5% in sliced fruits and 10% in fruit juices) followed by A. lumbricoides, B. hominis and D. latum. There were significant associations (p<0.05) among the different food types with B. hominis, C. belli, D. latum and A. lumbricoides positive samples. The study implicates that parasitic contamination of school-based street foods is alarming and it is urgent to take necessary steps to ensure the food safety.
Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(2): 217-229, 2023
Evaluation of the Effect of Different Doses of Gamma Radiation to Induce Variation in in vitro Raised Plants of Chrysanthemum
Authors: Chowdhury Jebunnesa , Hoque MI , Sarker RH
Published: January 2024

Variation induction using gamma radiation in in vitro raised chrysanthemum is one of the most useful methods in floriculture. Different doses of gamma radiation have a negative effect on the in vitro shoot regeneration rate. Irradiation of in vitro micro shoots with highest dose 25Gy produced only 3.90% and 9.93% of BRAI Chry-1 and BARI Chry-2 micro shoots. But the lowest dose 5Gy could regenerate the highest percentage of shoots for both varieties. The LD50 obtained from the survival percentage of the irradiated in vitro raised shoots was found at 9.25 Gy for BARI Chry-1 and 11.19 for BARI Chry-2 variety. Successful mutation can be found around the LD50 doses of a specific genotype. During hardening of the M1V5 regenerants of BARI Chry-1 and BARI Chry-2 raised from 15Gy irradiated micro shoots showed highest variation regarding leaf structure, size of the internode and plant height. M1V5 regenerants developed from 10Gy of both varieties produced 20 to 50 percent variations. In future gamma radiation dose between 10-15Gy would be more effective to get variation in this flower.  
Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 33(2): 155-165, 2023 (December)
THE IMPACT OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION ON STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS OF BATTICALOA DISTRICT IN SRI LANKA
Authors: K. KETHEESWARAN  , F.M. NAWASTHEEN
Published: January 2024

The study aims to explore the strengths and obstacles encountered in implementing Inclusive Education (IE) within government schools in the Batticaloa district. The research utilised a qualitative approach through multiple case studies. Conveniently, five government schools practising IE in the Batticaloa district were selected. Participants were purposefully chosen and included five Assistant Directors of Special Education/In-Service Advisors Special Education (ADs/ISAs SE), five principals, five class teachers, ten subject teachers, and five parents of students with SENs. The interview schedules were used to collect information from ADs/ISAs SE, school principals, class teachers, and parents. At the same time, focus group discussions were conducted with subject teachers of inclusive classrooms. Observations were also made in the selected inclusive schools. Data analysis involved narrative analyses, which included coding, categorising, and theming. The study revealed that information provision, collaborative efforts of stakeholders, peer and teacher-student interactions, principal and teacher competencies, teaching methods, curriculum adaptation, assessment, and student accomplishments were found to strengthen IE practices. However, challenges were identified, such as the absence of school-level IE policies, safe and accessible physical infrastructure, Individualised Educational Plan (IEP) implementation, and resource allocation. Therefore, school-level IE policies should be developed to facilitate IE practices, improve the physical features of schools for easy accessibility for children with SENs, and improve the links for funding and resources in IE practices in government schools of Batticaloa district were recommended based on the findings.
PERANCANGAN SISTEM PENGURUSAN PRESTASI PENILAIAN INTERIM BAGI PRESTASI PEGAWAI PERKHIDMATAN PENDIDIKAN BERTERASKAN MODEL QUADRUPLE HELIX [DESIGN OF INTERIM PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICE EMPLOYEES BASED ON THE QUADRUPLE HELIX MODEL]
Authors: AWANG HIDUP DAYANG SURAYA , MOHD MATORE MOHD EFFENDI EWAN
Published: January 2024

The performance evaluation management system is the proper handling of employee assessments, allowing workers to reach their full potential in their jobs. Performance evaluation is the process where employers assess employees' job performance to encourage high-quality productivity by rewarding good employees and assisting in improving performance when needed. Therefore, this article aims to enhance the quality of performance in educational service officers (PPP) by using the relevant concept of interim assessment integrated into the existing performance assessment. Transforming performance assessment on an interim basis can optimize the measurement and evaluation of educational service officers in a more structured and systematic manner. This paper discusses the interim performance evaluation process to enhance competence and maximize the abilities of educational service officers, especially in the education sector. The article also discusses the expected transformation of interim employee performance assessment for education services based on the Quadruple Helix Model. This model is highly suitable for adapting into performance management planning and assessment transformation systems to enhance the competence of employees, as it involves interactions among government, industry, community, and higher education institutions in improving performance management.
ANALISIS FORMALISTIK TERHADAP PENGKRITIKAN FILEM [FORMALISTIC ANALYSIS OF FILM CRITICISM]
Authors: SEGARAN INTHUMATHI
Published: January 2024

This study aims to examine and explain film criticism of K.Balamurugan's work using formalistic theory. The study has three objectives, which are to identify the subject of discussion, to identify the elements of plot criticism, and to identify character criticism in K.Balamurugan's work based on formalistic theory. The data source for this study is the film criticism book entitled 'Theernthu Pogatha Venkattikal' by K.Balamurugan. Formalistic theory is used as an analyzer of K.Balamurugan's film criticism. The researcher uses a qualitative approach and method used in this study is in the form of literature review to collect information related to this study. Data are analyzed using descriptive analysis based on the characteristics of formalistic theory, which are themes, plots, and characters, using the book entitled 'Theernthu Pogatha Venkattikal'. The results of the study show that most of the film criticisms of 'Theernthu Pogatha Venkattikal' are characterized by themes, plots, and characters contained in formalistic theory. In conclusion, K.Balamurugan's work covers all aspects based on formalistic theory and is able to examine and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a criticism through the application of various literary theories and approaches. The implications of this study can improve the effectiveness of critics in critiquing a work and improve quality in writing field.
PERKEMBANGAN SOSIO-EMOSI KANAK-KANAK MELALUI PEDAGOGI PERMAINAN DRAMA KREATIF [DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-EMOTIONAL ASPECTS IN CHILDREN THROUGH CREATIVE DRAMA PEDAGOGY]
Authors: MOHD NASIR NUR ILANEE , AMIRRUL AZRUL AZIZI , ABOO BACKER MUMTAZ BEGUM
Published: January 2024

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of drama games on the socio-emotional development of empathy, self-confidence, and friendship among six-year-old children. The study has two objectives, which is to identify Drama Games that are attractive, unique, and suitable for the socio-emotional development of six-year-old children and to analyze the effectiveness of the selected Drama Games in addressing negative traits that contradict the socio-emotional aspects of children. This study involves six sample kanak-kanak among six-year-old children divided into two groups, three childrens from experimental group kanak-kanakts (EG) and three childrens from control group kanak-kanakts (CG). The study was conducted at two Kemas Kindergartens located in Penang. The research instrument employed is a qualitative method through observations in the form of video recordings, pictures, and field notes. Data obtained from video recordings were used to observe the level of socio-emotional development, which was then recorded in the form of checklists, anecdotal records, and subsequently interpreted in a scale rate. The study findings have shown that the medium of Drama Games can stimulate the socio-emotional development of preschool children in terms of empathy, self-confidence, and friendship.
Impact of Air Quality on Ecological Sustainability of Old Commercial Hub at Faisalabad
Authors: Manzoor Bazla , Gulzar Saima
Published: January 2024

Ecological sustainability is deteriorating at global level for which every country is concerned about. Pakistan is also working to investigate and monitor the factors which are playing role in deteriorating the ecological sustainability. Faisalabad, being one of the major urban areas of the country, is working as well to resolve the similar challenges. Due to many activities of the citizens and administrative decisions, the city is facing some environmental challenges. The major challenges which are being faced by the city are related to air quality. The city is among those areas of the country whose air quality is getting worsen with the passage of time. The old areas of the city are growing with the plan that did not considered ecological factors which can be seen in old commercial hub of Faisalabad. Inappropriate ecological sustainability is being observed in the area. To investigate inappropriateness in ecological sustainability of the area experimental observations were made regarding air quality. It was viewed that physical elements and living beings are both affected in a negative way for which appropriate steps are required to be taken by the users and administration. These appropriate steps can help in minimizing the negative impacts of air quality in the area.
Prototype Development for Solar Energy Tracking Based on Arduino in QUEST Campus Larkana
Authors: Soomro Abdul Hameed , Talani SanaUllah , Soomro Talha , Khushk Faraz Ali , Bhatti Ahmer Ali
Published: January 2024

The utilization of solar energy has become increasingly popular due to its renewable and sustainable nature. However, one of the primary challenges in solar energy harvesting is the optimization of the amount of energy that can be captured from the sun. The implementation of solar trackers is an effective solution that enables the automatic adjustment of the solar panel's position to face the sun throughout the day. In this project, an Arduino-based solar tracker prototype was designed and implemented to optimize the solar energy harvesting process. The system employs Light-Dependent Resistors (LDRs) to detect sunlight intensity and a servo motor to adjust the position of the solar panel accordingly. The system was programmed using the Arduino programming language and was tested using a small-scale solar panel. The increasing demand for cost-effective and easy-to-install renewable energy systems has led to a growing interest in photovoltaic solar energy for residential use. To optimize energy production, a two-axis photovoltaic solar tracker that orients the solar panel toward the maximum solar radiation is proposed in this study. The use of Free Computer Aided Design (CAD) 0.15 for the prototype's design, combined with Arduino technology, provides an affordable solution for mounting the solar tracker on flat roofs and other horizontal building elements. The performance of the solar tracker was evaluated under various testing conditions, showcasing an enhanced level of accuracy and energy production when compared to traditional fixed systems. The prototype's successful demonstration represents a significant advancement in the field, providing a practical solution for small-scale and residential solar energy applications. This research prototype was developed and installed on the roof of the Electrical department of QUEST, Campus Larkana, and validated through simulation results.
A Study on the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Public or Private Hospitals within Pakistan
Authors: Islam Noman , Raees Muhammad Usman , Syed Darakshan
Published: January 2024

Hospitals play a very important role in human lives. People are in search of quality and timely healthcare facilities. This paper talks about the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services. One needs to identify the factors and mechanisms to enhance the performance of government and private hospitals. This study aims to find the important variables that were required to find the best solution for public and private hospitals in Pakistan. The major contributions of the paper are as follows. The paper first deliberates on the need for technical excellence as compared to interpersonal excellence for hospital management. It also performs a qualitative review of the literature on the important variables for determining the effectiveness and efficiencies of the hospital. Then, the paper presents a public survey about the effectiveness and efficiency of public and private hospitals using different questionnaires. These questionnaires were filled by the relatives of patients or patients themselves when they visited hospitals. On this dataset, the paper applies a machine learning algorithm i.e., random forest, to predict which hospital type is suitable for them while considering the variables. These variables include; the services of the hospital, admission process, treatment, doctor's behavior, timely treatment, and knowledge of the staff about SOPs. The data was split into 75 % training and 25 % testing dataset. Python’s Library SK-learn was used for implementation. The accuracy of the classifier on the test dataset is 96.91 %. The paper then determines the variables that are contributing the most to the measure of effectiveness and efficiencies of hospitals. The algorithm also ranks these features that can be used to improve a hospital's performance. It also provides a benchmark to the patients in the selection of hospitals for healthcare facilities.
Valent Representations, Bodily Feelings, and Social Norms
Authors: Sievers Christine , Hufendiek Rebekka
Published: January 2024

In this commentary, we discuss Tom Cochrane’s theory of emotions. Cochrane offers an appealingly unified account of valent representations, ranging from simple responses to complex representations within a mechanistic framework. This offers some guidance as to how we might conceive of emotions as simple action-guiding responses in infants and animals, as well as context-sensitive evaluative states. While Cochrane argues for the centrality of bodily feelings, he does not consider his approach to be embodied in the narrower sense. We question his reasons and suggest to think of emotions as embodied action-oriented representations. We, furthermore, suggest developing the approach with regard to the multiple roles that social norms play, and delve further into the nuanced relationship between bodily self-regulation and the formative influence of social norms on emotions.
Representation and Regulation in Emotional Theory
Authors: Gerrans Philip
Published: January 2024

The case of pain asymbolia is a case study that provides evidence of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between bodily experience, affective experience, and self-awareness. On one account pain asymbolia is the result of an affective deficit. Sensory signals of bodily damage are not associated with characteristic negative affect. Cochrane endorses this account as part of his version of a “conceptual act” theory of affective experience. In contrast, I propose an active inference account of affect in general and pain asymbolia in particular. In the active inference framework the self is inferred as the endogenous cause of bodily and affective experience in the process of organismic regulation. This preserves Cochranes ambition to ground affect in bodily regulation but avoids the problem for affective deficit accounts of asymbolia that cannot do justice to the neural correlates.
Inflação como tema disparador de leituras e escritas do mundo: promovendo Educação Financeira no Ensino Médio
Authors: Jacinto Aline Sousa , Torisu Edmilson Minoru , Viana Marger da Conceição Ventura
Published: January 2024

Este artigo teve como principal objetivo desvelar contribuições que atividades voltadas à Educação Financeira a partir do tema inflação trouxeram para novas leituras e escritas do mundo de estudantes do Ensino Médio, em uma perspectiva crítica. Os participantes foram estudantes de uma turma do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola estadual do interior de Minas Gerais. No total, foram realizados dez encontros, nos quais o tema inflação foi explorado de várias formas. Para este artigo, escolhemos um deles, no qual examinamos cálculos relacionados à inflação; e reflexões em torno dos impactos desta para a sociedade e possíveis soluções para eles. Os resultados evidenciaram que os estudantes passaram a realizar novas leituras do mundo, em um processo de empowerment, que possibilitou ensaios de escritas do mundo.
In Search of Third Space: Flâneur’s Escape from Polarization
Authors: Ay Serhat , Kılıç Taner
Published: January 2024

This paper examines the flâneur in Orhan Pamuk's novel A Strangeness in My Mind and argues that flânerie can be a powerful practice for overcoming polarization and creating new forms of identity in a Third Space. We argue that flâneur has often been used in without considering its political implications. They propose that flânerie can generate resistance against hegemony by drawing on Bhabha's concept of the Third Space. In Pamuk's novel, the protagonist, Mevlut, is a flâneur who wanders the streets of Istanbul, observing the city. However, Mevlut is also a marginalized figure, caught between the wing and right groups that dominate Istanbul's peripheral neighbourhoods. Despite these challenges, Mevlut's flânerie allows him to create a Third Space, a position that is able to move beyond polarization. In this Third Space, Mevlut is able to explore his own identity and to form connections with the others who are also marginalized.