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Waterlogging and salinity can occur together in salinised landscapes and restrict crop production. Drainage can alleviate waterlogging and salinity, but previous research suggested the need for deep drains, which may not be acceptable to smallholder farmers. Consequently, for the first time to our knowledge, we tested the usefulness of shallow drains in sunflower cultivation for smallholder farmers in a salt-affected, waterlogged coastal clay soil in the Ganges Delta. Experimental treatments were as follows: undrained, open surface drains (SD; 0.1 m deep, 1.8 m apart), slotted-pipe subsoil drains (SSD; 0.5 m deep, 4.5 m apart) and SSD+SD. All plots were inundated (2–3 cm above the soil surface) for 24 h before opening drains, at vegetative emergence and then at the V8 stage of plants. Relative to the most-drained (SSD+SD) treatment, the SD and SSD treatments gave 15–29% less yield, while the undrained treatment depressed yield by 48%. Soil water content (SWC) at 0–60 cm depth early in the season was 6–21, 4–10 and 3–5% less in SSD+SD treatment than in the undrained, SD and SSD treatments, respectively, while from flowering to harvest, SWC in SSD+SD was 2–4, 4–8 and 4–10% higher than in the undrained, SD and SSD treatments, respectively. In addition, soil electrical conductivity EC1:5 at 0–60 cm depth in SSD+SD treatment was 31–52, 16–38 and 11–32% lower than in the undrained, SD and SSD treatments, respectively. Across all treatments, the increases in yield due to drainage were associated with decreases in waterlogging (in the 0–30 cm layer) early in the growing season, increases in SWC late in the growing season and decreases in EC1:5 throughout the cropping season. While the shallow surface drains alone increased the yield, additional shallow subsoil drains further increased crop yield on coastal saline soils.

Recently, cellulose has been re-discovered as a smart material that can be used as sensor and actuator materials, which is termed electro-active paper (EAPap). This paper reports recent advances in paper actuators made with cellulose and hybrid materials such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes, conducting polymers and ionic liquids. Two distinct actuator principles in EAPap actuators are demonstrated: piezoelectric effect and ion migration effect in cellulose. Piezoelectricity of cellulose EAPap is quite comparable with other piezoelectric polymers. But, it is biodegradable, biocompatible, mechanically strong and thermally stable. To enhance ion migration effect in the cellulose, polypyrrole conducting polymer and ionic liquids were nanocoated on the cellulose film. This hybrid cellulose EAPap nanocomposite exhibits durable bending actuation in an ambient humidity and temperature condition. Fabrication, characteristics and performance of the cellulose EAPap and its hybrid EAPap materials are illustrated. Also, its possibility for remotely microwave-driven paper actuator is demonstrated.

Purpose While well-designed drainage systems could improve crop growth and yield by mitigating waterlogging and salinity stresses, field evidence of the yield responses to changes in plant-water relations and ion concentrations in leaves is scarce. We investigated the changes in ion concentrations in leaves and plant-water relations of sunflower caused by drainage in waterlogged saline soil, and their relationships to growth and yield. Methods Over two growing seasons, we tested four drainage treatments: undrained, surface drains (SD; 0.1 m deep, 1.8 m apart), subsoil drains (SSD; 0.5 m deep, 4.5 m apart) and SSD + SD. All plots were inundated (2–3 cm depth; water salinity, EC w , 1.5–2.5 dS m –1 ) for 24 h at vegetative emergence and at the 8-leaf stage before opening drains. Results Relative to the most drained treatment (SSD + SD), the undrained treatment caused higher waterlogging at 0–30 cm depth, and decreased solute potential (Ψ s ) of soil at 7.5 cm to 52–374 kPa, leaf K + by 5–20%, stomatal conductance by 5–37% and leaf greenness by 12–25%, but increased leaf Na + by 25–70%, Na + /K + ratio by 38–100% and leaf water potential by 90–250 kPa throughout the cropping season; these changes were closely related to reduced growth and yield. Conclusions The improved yield from the combination of shallow surface and sub-surface drains was attributed to an alleviation of salinity-waterlogging stress early in the season and to increased soil water late in the season that increased Ψ s and decreased Na + /K + ratio in leaves.

Malaysia has become a popular destination for many foreign workers since getting independence in 1957, owing to its rapidly growing economy and industrialisation. Most of the migrant workers in Malaysia are low-skilled or uneducated, and public debate is going on their outcome, whether it is substantial or not. The purpose of this study is to manifest the role and contribution of imported labour to the Malaysian economy. Evidence is collected from secondary sources- journal article, relevant books, and online databases. The review finds that the impact of migrant labour on Malaysian growth has not been studied holistically and sufficiently. Existing evidence shows that although it is somewhat positive, the public attitude is most adverse to illegal and irregular migrants. Therefore, more empirical research is required to determine the role of imported temporary workers on the economy of Malaysia, for its ongoing vision- to become a high-income nation.

A professional guide to 3D and 4D printing technology in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields 3D and 4D Printing in Biomedical Applications offers an authoritative guide to 3D and 4D printing technology in the biomedical and pharmaceutical arenas.

A study was conducted to assess the effects of organic amendments on soil aggregates, carbon (C) sequestration, and energy use efficiency (EUE) during five consecutive Boro and Transplanted Aman rice seasons in Bangladesh during 2018–2020. Five treatments (viz., control (only inorganic fertilizers), cow dung (CD), vermicompost (VC), rice straw (RS), and poultry manure (PM)) were used. The organic materials were applied at 2 t C ha−1 season−1 to all the plots, except in the control treatment. Inorganic fertilizers were applied in all treatments in both seasons following integrated nutrient management (INM). The data reveal that PM was found to be more efficient at increasing the water-stable soil aggregates (WSA), followed by the RS, CD, and VC. The WSA in smaller-sized soil aggregates were found to be higher than those in larger-sized soil aggregates. VC was found to be the most effective in terms of C sequestration (29%), followed by PM (26%), CD (22%), and RS (20%). The highest EUE was attributed to the control treatment (9.77), followed by the CD (8.67), VC (8.04), RS (2.10), and PM (1.18), which showed energy wastage in the organic treatments. The system productivity (SP) followed the opposite trend of the EUE. The INM is a better approach to improve the soil health, the C sequestration, and the SP, but it appeared as an energy-inefficient strategy, which suggests that a balanced application of organic and inorganic nutrients is needed in order to achieve yield sustainability and EUE.

Malnutrition is a major health issue among Bangladeshi under-five (U5) children. Children are malnourished if the calories and proteins they take through their diet are not sufficient for their growth and maintenance. The goal of the research was to use machine learning (ML) algorithms to detect the risk factors of malnutrition (stunted, wasted, and underweight) as well as their prediction. This work utilized malnutrition data that was derived from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey which was conducted in 2014. The selected dataset consisted of 7079 children with 13 factors. The potential risks of malnutrition have been identified by logistic regression (LR). Moreover, 3 ML classifiers (support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and LR) have been implemented for predicting malnutrition and the performance of these ML algorithms were assessed on the basis of accuracy. The average prevalence of stunted, wasted, and underweight was 35.4%, 15.4%, and 32.8%, respectively. It was noted that LR identified five risk factors for stunting and underweight, as well as four factors for wasting. Results illustrated that RF can be accurately classified as stunted, wasted, and underweight children and obtained the highest accuracy of 88.3% for stunted, 87.7% for wasted, and 85.7% for underweight. This research focused on the identification and prediction of major risk factors for stunting, wasting, and underweight using ML algorithms which will aid policymakers in reducing malnutrition among Bangladesh's U5 children.

The North-West (NW) region of Bangladesh is pivotal for the country’s agricultural development, mainly in producing irrigated Boro rice. However, increasing cost of irrigation water, fertilizers, labour and other inputs, and the spatio-temporal variation in actual yield, market price and profitability of rice, have added uncertainty to the sustainability of Boro rice cultivation. In this study, we evaluated the productivity, profitability, and prospect of Boro rice production using comprehensive field data collected directly from 420 farmers’ fields over two consecutive seasons (2015–16 and 2016–17), across seven geographically distributed locations in the NW region. We also analyzed the risk and return trade of popular Boro rice cultivars using Monte-Carlo simulation. The results show that there were significant (p≤0.05) variations in rice yield between sites, irrigation pump-types, and rice varieties, with Hybrid rice and BRRI dhan29 producing highest yields (6.0–7.5 t/ha). Due to different pricing systems, the cost of irrigation water varied from site to site and from year to year, but always comprised the highest input cost (20–25% of total production). The total paid-out cost, gross benefit, and gross income of rice significantly (p≤0.05) differed between sites, type of irrigation pumps, rice varieties, transplanting dates, and two cropping years. The variations in observed yield and profitability reveal considerable scope to improve rice production systems. Market variation in the price of rice affected overall profitability significantly. Probability and risk analysis results show that Minikit and BRRI dhan29 are the most stable varieties for yield and profitability. Hybrid rice, which has the maximum attainable yield among the cultivated rice varieties, also has the risk of negative net income. Based on the analysis, we discussed ways to improve yield and profitability and the prospect of Boro rice cultivation in the region. The study provides valuable information for policy-makers to sustain irrigated rice cultivation in both the NW region and nationally.

This study aimed to determine the impact of correlates on tobacco control/smoke-free status of homes and workplace among Indian people. To assess the magnitude of the problem, the relationship between smoke-free status and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure was also explored. Data was extracted from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey Data (GATS)-2017. It was a household survey that included people aged 15 years or older and covered all 30 states and 2 Union Territories (UTs) of India. A logistic regression model was used to determine the correlates of smoke-free status of homes and workplaces. Additionally, the Pearson correlation was used to explore the relationship between smoke-free status and the proportion of participants exposed to SHS both at homes and in the workplaces. The overall prevalence of smoke-free status in the home and workplace was 62.8% and 51.7%, respectively. Results of multivariate analysis (Logistic regression) illustrated that indicators like tobacco smoking status, place of residence, region, education, occupation, wealth quintile, and knowledge status about children's illness were significantly associated with the respondent's intention to live in a completely smoke-free environment both at home and in the workplace in India. This study revealed that SHS exposure was significantly negatively associated with a smoke-free status. This study will help the policymakers to promote efficient policies for improving smoke-free status and to ensure a better environment both at home and in the workplace in India.

Thesis (M.S.)--School of Agriculture, A.U.B.