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A large number of mangoes are utilized in process industries which produce a large amount of mango kernel that can be utilized effectively as a by-product. Processing and utilization of mango kernel flour is getting more scientific interest day by day. Drying is one of the major operations of flour processing where the moisture loss and heat transfer phenomena across the different portions of the products have to be pre-defined for better drying accuracy. The study was conducted to define a compatible predictive model that represents a 3D expression of heat penetration through the mango kernel slice (MKS) and moisture losses during drying with convective oven dryer using COMSOL Multiphysics with originated boundary conditions, excluding the changes of properties due to varying mangoes species. The model was validated using a convective drying process for varying thicknesses 4, 6 and 8 mm of MKSs having temperature elevated to 60oC and 1 ms-1 air velocity up to 5 hr. The developed model was concurred and correlated well with the experimental data and can be used in describing heat and mass transfer phenomena while drying the mango kernel. Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin 21(2020) 82-87

Architect Muzharul Islam is considered the pioneer of modern architecture of Bangladesh. When he started his career it was at the time when modern architecture was just taking off in the subcontinent. He laid down the foundation of Bengali modernism and modern architecture, which spearheaded the architectural development of the country. Muzharul Islam?s work was unique because it was without any post-colonial hangover, and neither was it a simple follow through of the international style. His work was so powerful that even today they stand as landmarks and as inspirational points for Bengali architects. However it will be a incomplete understanding of his works if they only seen as works of Modern Architecture. It would be important to understand what lead on to develop his work in the particular manner that he did, and not only that, it is also important to understand the value systems and ethics involved in developing what he called his own Bengali modernity. Islam was a socialist, an activist and a nationalist, he was involved in left wing politics and also very active in a cultural revolution for Bangladesh. Bangladesh at that time was East Pakistan, Pakistan a country torn into two, west and east, with huge cultural differences. Islam and his colleagues at that time understood that it was important for us to retain our own cultural identity and our identity was greatly different from that of West Pakistanis. It is from this understanding of our own cultural identity that Muzharul Islam formed his own political standpoint about a culturally different country. At that time all the intellectuals of the country were predominantly leftwing and they were also very much connected to this cultural revolution of East Pakistan. Muzharul Islam?s role in the cultural identity building of our county is unique, he did not only collaborate with artists, thinkers, literates and politicians, and he himself was able to give guidance and inspiration to different fields. The purpose of this thesis is not only to analyze some of Muzharul Islam?s works, but at the same time it will actually bring out that his works were not only that of an architect trying to set up the idea of Bengali modernity, but also trying to set up a national identity. This nation building politics was a unique character of Muzharul Islam and has strong connections to his work. Muzharul Islam?s political standpoint he was able to bring to his work a different layer and an insight, where the work itself became a way of politics. His idea of nation building was also shared by his contemporary artists, literates and even politicians. His association with those people will show that how this group of people, who were all connected, went on to be masters in their own fields; and the uniqueness of their works were based around their political viewpoints. This political point of view of nation building that brought force to their works and still sets their works apart from the works that is being done today. The thesis will analyze selected works, show his role of association with other thinkers of his time, and show his political consciousness. The thesis will evolve around the idea of how an architect?s personal politics becomes his way of architecture and how his way of architecture stands today as a symbol of politics of an architect.

Microstrip patch antenna (MSA) has numerous applications such as aircraft, biomedical engineering, connected vehicles, cellular phones, satellites, smart grid, and spacecraft. Single MSA or MSA Array (MSAA) require low-cost materials with simple and inexpensive fabrication techniques. With the help of modern and highly precise printed-circuit technology it is possible to fabricate inexpensive and robust MSA/MSAA, which are compatible with microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) designs. Rectangular patch, one of the most popular patches, has different feeding techniques for impedance matching. Inset fed rectangular patch does not require any additional complex microwave circuit. Inset feeding mechanism can easily be optimized with the help of 3D simulation software. Very few investigations are made on inset fed MSAA, though several research papers can be found on inset fed rectangular MSA. In this paper a comparative analysis of edge fed and inset fed MSA/MSAA at 2.45 GHz frequency band is done using FR-4 and air substrates. It was found that the inset fed MSA with air substrate performs better when the directivities, gains, bandwidths and return losses are considered. Though FR4 substrate is cheap and miniaturization of MSAA is better with FR-4 substrate.

Introduction Nihilistic delusion (ND) is one of an assortment of narrowly defined monothematic delusions characterized by nihilistic beliefs about self's existence or life itself. It is estimated to occur in less than 1% of older adults, 3% of older adults with severe depression (Chiu, 1995), and less than 1% of patients with psychotic disorders (Ramirez-Bermudez et al., 2010; Stompe and Schanda, 2013). There are no standardized treatments for ND, although, case reports have documented effectiveness of pharmacological treatment as well as electro-convulsive treatment (Debruyneet al., 2009; Grover et al., 2014). Recent reports have also brought attention to the role cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques for delusions may play in effective treatment (Coltheart et al., 2007). Given the unique content of beliefs in ND, additional research to understand the important role life circumstances – including religious beliefs – play in the development and maintenance of this condition is needed (Ghaffari Nejad et al., 2013). In this report we present the case of ‘Ms. E,’ an individual with spiritually mediated ND in the context of major depressive disorder with catatonic features, and review the relevant literature on biological, psychological, and social factors associated with ND. Methods In this report we present the case of ‘Ms E’ a 74 yr Caucasian female, a retired medical technologist with 47-Year diagnosis of depression (Major Depressive disorder with catatonic features), with mild neurocognitive impairment. Pt has no coexisting medical illness, no substance use disorder, no traumatic brain injury or other neurological diagnosis. Patient's sister who was a SW in mental health facility, indicated that Ms. E suffered her first psychiatric break in a western US state at age 27 requiring in-patient hospitalization in context of “spiritual emergencies” she characterizes it as depersonalization. She was prescribed medication, but never followed up with psychiatric outpatient care due to her preference for treating her condition with prayers. During episodes of depressed mood patient reported having episodes of feeling as if she is in a spiritual realm and that she is “Mother Teresa”. Patient reports two past suicidal attempts in 1980s (overdosing on sleeping pills) and later in 2011 (overdosing on Benadryl pills) requiring ICU admission. Later, after divorce from her husband, patient relocated to New York City. She has been living with her partner for past several years and participates in all activities of daily living. Earlier this year, patient's partner experienced a fall and was admitted to the hospital. Mobile crisis team, activated based on partner's concerns, found patient to be decompensated, grossly oriented, with psychomotor retardation, hesitant speech with long pauses, anxious mood, and restricted affect. Thought process was tangential, and her cooperation was limited due to her preoccupation with delusions that she was dropping in an abyss and progressing towards spiritual crisis of dying. When asked about suicidal ideation (SI) she indicated, “I am already dying, how can I be suicidal?”. Of note, patient's nihilistic beliefs, included strong religiously mediated content, are not shared by her family. A computed tomography (CT) scan (Figure 1) performed in March 2018 revealed Mild to moderate global volume loss for age with cerebral atrophy. No evidence of any white matter abnormality, mass, hydrocephalus, acute intracranial hemorrhage, abnormal extra-axial fluid collection, or obvious cortical infarct in the brain were noted on imaging. Results During patient's month-long admission on the inpatient unit repeated inquiry about her religious experience changed in the content of delusion from literal and concrete beliefs that her ‘spiritual emergency’ was physically leading her to dead to more abstract and metaphorical descriptions of spiritual death, however her belief that spiritually she is destined to be dead persisted. Continued exploration about the patient's observed improvement in daily activities of living (eating, drinking, showering) when posed to patient as evidence that she was in fact improving, she indicated that she was ‘probably improving.’ Approximately 1 month into her admission, she re-gained insight that content of her speech was focus on spirituality, death and self-negation. She was ultimately discharged after 4 weeks of hospitalization. On discharge, the patient's partner and sister noted that she was less delusional with more linear thought process than at baseline. Conclusions Our case of Ms. E underscores the complexity of managing depression with co-existing nihilistic delusions. Given this increased susceptibility for violent acts and self-harm, the presence of delusions characterized by nihilistic beliefs about the body's existence or life itself should prompt vigilance and clinical assessment of violent or self-harm behavior. While co-occurring ND and depression is rare, the consistency and longevity of the delusional content, increased risk of self-harm behavior, presence of significant depressive symptoms, attributional style, and neuropsychological performance can each help to identify ND within this population. Within limitations of a case report, we suggest that co-occurring ND and major depressive disorder may increase the risk of self-harm due to the specific nihilistic content of the delusions. Taking action, or refraining from taking action, as a consequence of nihilistic beliefs about the existence of one's body or of life itself may lower ones inhibition for violence. This research was funded by Not Applicable. (Authors report no relevant disclosures for this report.)

In this paper, the effect of particle concentration and turbidity on the performance of inline transmission based digital holography (DH) for particle characterization is studied. The results are analyzed based on the two metrics, i.e., detection efficiency and mean size of the particle population. Two sample depths are analyzed to quantify the effect of particle concentration. Considering 50% detection efficiency as a threshold, it is concluded that DH works well up to 0.1% (v/v) and 0.2% (v/v) particle concentrations for 10 mm and 5 mm sample depths, respectively. From the turbidity tests, it is found that DH works well up to 150 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) turbidity level for 10 mm sample depth.

We estimate the parameters of the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relationship, linking the star formation rate (Sigma_SFR) to the molecular gas surface density (Sigma_mol), in the STING sample of nearby disk galaxies using a hierarchical Bayesian method. This method rigorously treats measurement uncertainties, and provides accurate parameter estimates for both individual galaxies and the entire population. Assuming standard conversion factors to estimate Sigma_SFR and Sigma_mol from the observations, we find that the KS parameters vary between galaxies, indicating that no universal relationship holds for all galaxies. The KS slope of the whole population is 0.76, with the 2sigma range extending from 0.58 to 0.94. These results imply that the molecular gas depletion time is not constant, but varies from galaxy to galaxy, and increases with the molecular gas surface density. Therefore, other galactic properties besides just Sigma_mol affect Sigma_SFR, such as the gas fraction or stellar mass. The non-universality of the KS relationship indicates that a comprehensive theory of star formation must take into account additional physical processes that may vary from galaxy to galaxy., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Updated to match MNRAS accepted version

The KINGFISH project (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel) is an imaging and spectroscopic survey of 61 nearby (d < 30 Mpc) galaxies, chosen to cover a wide range of galaxy properties and local interstellar medium (ISM) environments found in the nearby Universe. Its broad goals are to characterize the ISM of present-day galaxies, the heating and cooling of their gaseous and dust components, and to better understand the physical processes linking star formation and the ISM. KINGFISH is a direct descendant of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS), which produced complete Spitzer imaging and spectroscopic mapping and a comprehensive set of multi-wavelength ancillary observations for the sample. The Herschel imaging consists of complete maps for the galaxies at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 microns. The spectal line imaging of the principal atomic ISM cooling lines ([OI]63um, [OIII]88um, [NII]122,205um, and [CII]158um) covers the subregions in the centers and disks that already have been mapped in the mid-infrared with Spitzer. The KINGFISH and SINGS multi-wavelength datasets combined provide panchromatic mapping of the galaxies sufficient to resolve individual star-forming regions, and tracing the important heating and cooling channels of the ISM, across a wide range of local extragalactic ISM environments. This paper summarizes the scientific strategy for KINGFISH, the properties of the galaxy sample, the observing strategy, and data processing and products. It also presents a combined Spitzer and Herschel image atlas for the KINGFISH galaxies, covering the wavelength range 3.6 -- 500 microns. All imaging and spectroscopy data products will be released to the Herschel user generated product archives.

We have made a comparative study of morphological evolution in simulated DM halos and X-ray brightness distribution, and in optical clusters. Samples of simulated clusters include star formation with supernovae feedback, radiative cooling, and simulation in the adiabatic limit at three different redshifts, z = 0.0, 0.10, and 0.25. The optical sample contains 208 ACO clusters within redshift, $z \leq 0.25$. Cluster morphology, within 0.5 and 1.0 h$^{-1}$ Mpc from cluster center, is quantified by multiplicity and ellipticity. We find that the distribution of the dark matter halos in the adiabatic simulation appear to be more elongated than the galaxy clusters. Radiative cooling brings halo shapes in excellent agreement with observed clusters, however, cooling along with feedback mechanism make the halos more flattened. Our results indicate relatively stronger structural evolution and more clumpy distributions in observed clusters than in the structure of simulated clusters, and slower increase in simulated cluster shapes compared to those in the observed one. Within $z \leq 0.1$, we notice an interesting agreement in the shapes of clusters obtained from the cooling simulations and observation. We also notice that the different samples of observed clusters differ significantly in morphological evolution with redshift. We highlight a few possibilities responsible for the discrepancy in morphological evolution of simulated and observed clusters., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 2006; 15 pages, 13 postscript figures

We present a comparison between two observational and three theoretical mass functions for eight cosmological models suggested by the data from the recently completed BOOMERANG-98 and MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy experiments as well as peculiar velocities (PVs) and type Ia supernovae (SN) observations. The cosmological models have been proposed as the best fit models by several groups. We show that no model is in agreement with the abundances of X-ray clusters at $\sim 10^{14.7} h^{-1}M_{\odot}$.On the other hand, we find that the BOOM+MAX+{\sl COBE}:I, Refined Concordance and $\Lambda$MDM are in a good agreement with the abundances of optical clusters. The P11 and especially Concordance models predict a slightly lower abundances than observed at $\sim 10^{14.6} h^{-1}M_{\odot}$. The BOOM+MAX+{\sl COBE}:II and PV+CMB+SN models predict a slightly higher abundances than observed at $\sim 10^{14.9} h^{-1}M_{\odot}$. The nonflat MAXIMA-1 is in a fatal conflict with the observational cluster abundances and can be safely ruled out., Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, reference added, figures changes, substantial revision made

Digital holography (DH) is an established three dimensional (3-D) imaging tool to measure particle size and shape. In this thesis, the effect of particle concentration and turbidity is studied on the efficiency of digital inline holography (DIH) used for particle characterization. This study is important to assess the performance of the technique under practical situations where a wide range of particle concentrations may be employed, and very often the solution in which the particles are present is turbid. A theoretical relationship is also deduced here between the particle size and the digital image sensor resolution, both for collimated and diverging illumination, considering DIH system. This relationship provides information about how small particle size can be measured with a given optical and digital system before using any magnifying optics. From the algorithm development side, two computer programs are also developed for more complicated particulate systems unlike spherical, such as needles and mixed morphologies. Single crystal study and it’s results are also described in this thesis. To check the effect of particle concentration on DH for particle characterization, two sample depths are analyzed. It is demonstrated that measurement performance can be significantly improved by reducing the sample depth. The results are analyzed based on the two metrics, i.e., detection efficiency and mean size of the particle population. Considering 50% detection efficiency as a threshold, it is concluded that DH works well up to 0.1 v/v% and 0.2 v/v% particle concentrations for 10 mm and 5 mm sample depths, respectively. From the turbidity tests, it is found that DH works well up to 150 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) turbidity level for 10 mm sample depth. From the theoretical derivation, the required digital image sensor resolution (pixel dimension) can be recommended for resolving particular particle size. Finally, the two developed algorithms have been applied in the real particulate systems and the results quite match well with the known values measured with another independent technology. Single crystal study’s results will direct this tool in the pharmaceutical industries. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (SCBE)

This article is based entirely on secondary information gathered from previous research works. The article considers two major issues: first, the definition of the informal economy; and second, conceptualizing the informal economy based on some important management functions.

We investigate the correlation between CO and HI emission in 18 nearby galaxies from the CARMA Survey Toward IR-Bright Nearby Galaxies (STING) at sub-kpc and kpc scales. Our sample, spanning a wide range in stellar mass and metallicity, reveals evidence for a metallicity dependence of the HI column density measured in regions exhibiting CO emission. Such a dependence is predicted by the equilibrium model of McKee & Krumholz, which balances H_2 formation and dissociation. The observed HI column density is often smaller than predicted by the model, an effect we attribute to unresolved clumping, although values close to the model prediction are also seen. We do not observe HI column densities much larger than predicted, as might be expected were there a diffuse HI component that did not contribute to H_2 shielding. We also find that the H_2 column density inferred from CO correlates strongly with the stellar surface density, suggesting that the local supply of molecular gas is tightly regulated by the stellar disk., 6 pages, to appear in ApJ Letters

NGC 1097 is a nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy with a bright circumnuclear starburst ring, a strong large-scale bar and an active nucleus. We present a detailed study of the spatial variation of the far infrared (FIR) [CII]158um and [OI]63um lines and mid-infrared H2 emission lines as tracers of gas cooling, and of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bands as tracers of the photoelectric heating, using Herschel-PACS, and Spitzer-IRS infrared spectral maps. We focus on the nucleus and the ring, and two star forming regions (Enuc N and Enuc S). We estimated a photoelectric gas heating efficiency ([CII]158um+[OI]63um)/PAH in the ring about 50% lower than in Enuc N and S. The average 11.3/7.7um PAH ratio is also lower in the ring, which may suggest a larger fraction of ionized PAHs, but no clear correlation with [CII]158{\mu}m/PAH(5.5 - 14um) is found. PAHs in the ring are responsible for a factor of two more [CII]158um and [OI]63um emission per unit mass than PAHs in the Enuc S. SED modeling indicates that at most 25% of the FIR power in the ring and Enuc S can come from high intensity photodissociation regions (PDRs), in which case G0 ~ 10^2.3 and nH ~ 10^3.5 cm^-3 in the ring. For these values of G0 and nH PDR models cannot reproduce the observed H2 emission. Much of the the H2 emission in the starburst ring could come from warm regions in the diffuse ISM that are heated by turbulent dissipation or shocks., Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ

We present an analysis of the relationship between molecular gas and current star formation rate surface density at sub-kpc and kpc scales in a sample of 14 nearby star-forming galaxies. Measuring the relationship in the bright, high molecular gas surface density ($\Shtwo\gtrsim$20 \msunpc) regions of the disks to minimize the contribution from diffuse extended emission, we find an approximately linear relation between molecular gas and star formation rate surface density, $\nmol\sim0.96\pm0.16$, with a molecular gas depletion time $\tdep\sim2.30\pm1.32$ Gyr. We show that, in the molecular regions of our galaxies there are no clear correlations between \tdep\ and the free-fall and effective Jeans dynamical times throughout the sample. We do not find strong trends in the power-law index of the spatially resolved molecular gas star formation law or the molecular gas depletion time across the range of galactic stellar masses sampled (\mstar $\sim$$10^{9.7}-10^{11.5}$ \msun). There is a trend, however, in global measurements that is particularly marked for low mass galaxies. We suggest this trend is probably due to the low surface brightness CO, and it is likely associated with changes in CO-to-H2 conversion factor., To appear in ApJ, December 2011; 17 pages; 8 figures

We present rest-frame 15 and 24 um luminosity functions and the corresponding star-forming luminosity functions at z

Morbidity and mortality data are important for planning and implementing healthcare strategies of a country. To understand the major causes for hospitalizations in rural Bangladesh, demographic and clinical data were collected from the hospital-records of five government-run rural health facilities (upazila health complexes) situated at different geographical regions of the country from January 1997 to December 2001. During this period, 75,598 hospital admissions in total were recorded, of which 54% were for male, and 46% were for female. Of all the admissions, diarrhoeal disease was the leading cause for hospitalization (25.1%), followed by injuries (17.7%), respiratory tract diseases (12.6%), diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (10.5%), obstetric and gynaecological causes (8.5%), and febrile illnesses (6.7%). A considerable proportion (8.3%) of the hospitalized patients remained undiagnosed. Despite the limitations of hospital-based data, this paper gives a reasonable insight of the important causes for hospitalizations in upazila health complexes that may guide the policy-makers in strengthening and prioritizing the healthcare needs at the upazila level in Bangladesh.

Bright source catalogues based on the new mid- and far-infrared all-sky survey by the infrared astronomical satellite AKARI were released into the public domain in March 2010. The mid-infrared catalogue contains more than 870 thousand sources observed at 9 and 18 μm, and the far-infrared catalogue provides information of about 427 thousand sources at 65, 90, 140, and 160 μm. The AKARI catalogues will take over the IRAS catalogues and will become one of the most important catalogues in astronomy. We present the characteristics of the AKARI infrared source catalogues as well as current activity for the future versions.

We study a 24\,$\mu$m selected sample of 330 galaxies observed with the Infrared Spectrograph for the 5\,mJy Unbiased Spitzer Extragalactic Survey. We estimate accurate total infrared luminosities by combining mid-IR spectroscopy and mid-to-far infrared photometry, and by utilizing new empirical spectral templates from {\em Spitzer} data. The infrared luminosities of this sample range mostly from 10$^9$L$_\odot$ to $10^{13.5}$L$_\odot$, with 83% in the range 10$^{10}$L$_\odot$$, Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ

This study explores the effects of different assumptions and systematics on the determination of the local, spatially resolved star formation law. Using four star formation rate (SFR) tracers (H\alpha with azimuthally averaged extinction correction, mid-infrared 24 micron, combined H\alpha and mid-infrared 24 micron, and combined far-ultraviolet and mid-infrared 24 micron), several fitting procedures, and different sampling strategies we probe the relation between SFR and molecular gas at various spatial resolutions and surface densities within the central 6.5 kpc in the disk of NGC4254. We find that in the high surface brightness regions of NGC4254 the form of the molecular gas star formation law is robustly determined and approximately linear and independent of the assumed fraction of diffuse emission and the SFR tracer employed. When the low surface brightness regions are included, the slope of the star formation law depends primarily on the assumed fraction of diffuse emission. In such case, results range from linear when the fraction of diffuse emission in the SFR tracer is ~30% or less (or when diffuse emission is removed in both the star formation and the molecular gas tracer), to super-linear when the diffuse fraction is ~50% and above. We find that the tightness of the correlation between gas and star formation varies with the choice of star formation tracer. The 24 micron SFR tracer by itself shows the tightest correlation with the molecular gas surface density, whereas the H\alpha corrected for extinction using an azimuthally-averaged correction shows the highest dispersion. We find that for R, Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ, vol 729, March 10 2011 issue; 30 pages; 14 figures; revised version includes referee's comments; results unchanged

We present a careful analysis of the point source detection limit of the AKARI All-Sky Survey in the WIDE-S 90 $\mu$m band near the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP). Timeline Analysis is used to detect IRAS sources and then a conversion factor is derived to transform the peak timeline signal to the interpolated 90 $\mu$m flux of a source. Combined with a robust noise measurement, the point source flux detection limit at S/N $>5$ for a single detector row is $1.1\pm0.1$ Jy which corresponds to a point source detection limit of the survey of $\sim$0.4 Jy. Wavelet transform offers a multiscale representation of the Time Series Data (TSD). We calculate the continuous wavelet transform of the TSD and then search for significant wavelet coefficients considered as potential source detections. To discriminate real sources from spurious or moving objects, only sources with confirmation are selected. In our multiscale analysis, IRAS sources selected above $4\sigma$ can be identified as the only real sources at the Point Source Scales. We also investigate the correlation between the non-IRAS sources detected in Timeline Analysis and cirrus emission using wavelet transform and contour plots of wavelet power spectrum. It is shown that the non-IRAS sources are most likely to be caused by excessive noise over a large range of spatial scales rather than real extended structures such as cirrus clouds., Comment: 16 pages, 19 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Fecal samples from diarrheal patients and non-diarrheal controls were examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts in a year-long prospective study at a diarrhea treatment center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 42 (3%) of 1,382 diarrheal patients but in none of 235 non-diarrheal controls. In 32 (76%) of 42 patients, no other enteropathogens were detected. Children less than 5 years of age were more commonly infected than older children (4.8% vs. 1.6%, P greater than 0.05) and adults (4.8% vs. 0.2%, P less than 0.01). A higher number of cases were detected during hot and humid months (April--July). Nineteen children less than 5 years of age (index cases) and their 71 family members were followed for 3 weeks after the release of the index cases from the hospital. Diarrhea continued for greater than 14 days (persistent diarrhea) in 8 (32%) index children. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 1 (12.5%) of 8 family members who developed diarrhea during the follow-up period. Index cases excreted oocysts for 3-28 days (12.37 +/- 8.35 days). Almost all the patients recovered with oral rehydration. Cryptosporidium ssp. cause self-limited diarrhea episodes in children less than 5 years of age in Bangladesh, with a low frequency of intrafamilial transmission.

Abridged: We present analysis of Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the three low surface brightness (LSB) optical giant galaxies Malin 1, UGC 6614 and UGC 9024. Mid- and far-infrared morphology, spectral energy distributions, and integrated colors are used to derive the dust mass, dust-to-gas mass ratio, total infrared luminosity, and star formation rate (SFR). The 8 micron images indicate that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules are present in the central regions of all three metal-poor LSB galaxies. The diffuse optical disks of Malin 1 and UGC 9024 remain undetected at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths. The dustiest of the three LSB galaxies, UGC 6614, has infrared morphology that varies significantly with wavelength. The 8 and 24 micron emission is co-spatial with H\alpha emission previously observed in the outer ring of UGC 6614. The estimated dust-to-gas ratios, from less than 10^{-3} to 10^{-2}, support previous indications that the LSB galaxies are relatively dust poor compared to the HSB galaxies. The total infrared luminosities are approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the blue band luminosities, suggesting that old stellar populations are the primary source of dust heating in these LSB objects. The SFR estimated from the infrared data ranges ~0.01-0.88 M_sun yr^{-1}, consistent with results from optical studies., Comment: Accepted in ApJ (2007, July 20 issue), 34 pages, 10 postscript figures, 2 tables

We have analyzed a sample of nearby cool and warm infrared (IR) galaxies using photometric and structural parameters. The set of measures include far-infrared color ($C = \log_{10}[S_{60\mu m}/S_{100\mu m}]$), total IR luminosity ($L_{TIR}$), radio surface brightness as well as radio, near-infrared, and optical sizes. In a given luminosity range cool and warm galaxies are considered as those sources that are found approximately $1 \sigma$ below and above the mean color in the far-infrared $C - L_{TIR}$ diagram. We find that galaxy radio surface brightness is well correlated with color whereas size is less well correlated with color. Our analysis indicates that IR galaxies that are dominated by cool dust are large, massive spirals that are not strongly interacting or merging and presumably the ones with the least active star formation. Dust in these cool objects is less centrally concentrated than in the more typical luminous and ultra-luminous IR galaxies that are dominated by warm dust. Our study also shows that low luminosity early type unbarred and transitional spirals are responsible for the large scatter in the $C - L_{TIR}$ diagram. Among highly luminous galaxies, late type unbarred spirals are predominately warm, and early type unbarred and barred are systematically cooler. We highlight the significance of $C - L_{TIR}$ diagram in terms of local and high redshifts sub-millimeter galaxies., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 2006, 23 pages, 3 postscript figures, 1 table. The table can be obtained on request from the authors

We study a sample of 112 galaxies of various Hubble types imaged in the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) in the Near-Infra Red (NIR; 1-2 $\mu$m) $J$, $H$, and $K_s$ bands. The sample contains (optically classified) 32 elliptical, 16 lenticulars, and 64 spirals acquired from the 2MASS Extended Source Catalogue. We use a set of non-parametric shape measures constructed from the Minkowski Functionals (MFs) for galaxy shape analysis. We use ellipticity ($\epsilon$) and orientation angle ($\Phi$) as shape diagnostics. With these parameters as functions of area within the isophotal contour, we note that the NIR elliptical galaxies with $\epsilon > 0.2$ show a trend of being centrally spherical and increasingly flattened towards the edge, a trend similar to images in optical wavelengths. The highly flattened elliptical galaxies show strong change in ellipticity between the center and the edge. The lenticular galaxies show morphological properties resembling either ellipticals or disk galaxies. Our analysis shows that almost half of the spiral galaxies appear to have bar like features while the rest are likely to be non-barred. Our results also indicate that almost one-third of spiral galaxies have optically hidden bars. The isophotal twist noted in the orientations of elliptical galaxies decreases with the flattening of these galaxies indicating that twist and flattening are also anti-correlated in the NIR, as found in optical wavelengths. The orientations of NIR lenticular and spiral galaxies show a wide range of twists., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Revised version contains 17 pages, 23 PostScript figures

We suggest a set of morphological measures that we believe can help in quantifying the shapes of two-dimensional cosmological images such as galaxies, clusters, and superclusters of galaxies. The method employs non-parametric morphological descriptors known as the Minkowski functionals in combination with geometric moments widely used in the image analysis. For the purpose of visualization of the morphological properties of image contour lines we introduce three auxiliary ellipses representing the vector and tensor Minkowski functionals. We study the discreteness, seeing, and noise effects on elliptic contours as well as their morphological characteristics such as the ellipticity and orientation. In order to reduce the effect of noise we employ a technique of contour smoothing. We test the method by studying simulated elliptic profiles of toy spheroidal galaxies ranging in ellipticity from E0 to E7. We then apply the method to real galaxies, including eight spheroidals, three disk spirals and one peculiar galaxy, as imaged in the near-infrared $K_s$-band (2.2 microns) with the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). The method is numerically very efficient and can be used in the study of hundreds of thousands images obtained in modern surveys., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Revised version contains 20 pages, 17 PostScript figures. Results unchanged; high-resolution figures # 1,6,7,11,13,16 can be obtained from authors

The study of shapes of the images of objects is an important issue not only because it reveals its dynamical state but also it helps to understand the object's evolutionary history. We discuss a new technique in cosmological image analysis which is based on a set of non-parametric shape descriptors known as the Minkowski Functionals (MFs). These functionals are extremely versatile and under some conditions give a complete description of the geometrical properties of objects. We believe that MFs could be a useful tool to extract information about the shapes of galaxies, clusters of galaxies and superclusters. The information revealed by MFs can be utilized along with the knowledge obtained from currently popular methods and thus could improve our understanding of the true shapes of cosmological objects.

We present the detection of extended (similar to 30 kpc(2)) dust emission in the tidal Hi arm near NGC 3077 (member of the M 81 triplet) using SPIRE on board Herschel. Dust emission in the tidal arm is typically detected where the Hi column densities are >10(21) cm(-2). The SPIRE band ratios show that the dust in the tidal arm is significantly colder (similar to 13 K) than in NGC 3077 itself (similar to 31 K), consistent with the lower radiation field in the tidal arm. The total dust mass in the tidal arm is similar to 1.8 x 10(6) M-circle dot (assuming beta = 2), i.e., substantially larger than the dust mass associated with NGC 3077 (similar to 2 x 10(5) M-circle dot). Where dust is detected, the dust-to-gas ratio is (6 +/- 3) x 10(-3), consistent within the uncertainties with what is found in NGC 3077 and nearby spiral galaxies with Galactic metallicities. The faint H II regions in the tidal arm cannot be responsible for the detected enriched material and are not the main source of the dust heating in the tidal arm. We conclude that the interstellar medium (atomic Hi, molecules, and dust) in this tidal feature was pre-enriched and stripped off NGC 3077 during its recent interaction (similar to 3 x 10(8) yr ago) with M 82 and M 81. This implies that interaction can efficiently remove heavy elements and enriched material (dust and molecular gas) from galaxies. As interactions were more frequent at large look-back times, it is conceivable that they could substantially contribute (along with galactic outflows) to the enrichment of the intergalactic medium.

To identify the prognostic indicators and risk factors for increased duration of acute diarrhoea and for occurrence of persistent diarrhoea (i.e. acute episodes lasting longer than 14 days) in children under three years, a systematic sample (3690) of patients attending a large treatment centre in Bangladesh was analysed using multiple regression, logistic regression and stratified (Mantel-Haenszel) analysis. Significant prognostic indicators or risk factors for increase in duration of acute diarrhoea, after adjusting for confounders, include bloody or mucoid diarrhoea, concomitant signs of chest infection, presence of vitamin A deficiency signs, decreased weight for age, routine use of contaminated surface water, lack of breastfeeding and increasing age; presence of rotavirus or enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli or Vibrio cholerae 01 in stool had negative association. In logistic regression and stratified analysis these factors, except for lack of breastfeeding and age, were also found to be risk factors or prognostic indicators of persistent diarrhoea. Policy implications of these findings for programmes to reduce morbidity and mortality from persistent diarrhoea include development of effective vaccines against dysentery-causing Shigella, programmes to prevent vitamin A deficiency, protein energy malnutrition and acute respiratory infections in children, and long-term programmes to provide clean water for all day-to-day needs.

Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (Shiga bacillus) has made a dramatic comeback in Bangladesh after 10 years when Shigella flexneri was the dominant serogroup. Whereas S. flexneri showed little increase in resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial agents--namely, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and ampicillin-over the years, S. dysenteriae type 1 underwent rapid changes with regard to sensitivity pattern during the last two years. The first TMP-SMX-resistant strain of S. dysenteriae type 1 was detected in September 1982; however, by mid-1984 most strains were resistant while retaining sensitivity to ampicillin. During this period, the ratio of S. flexneri to S. dysenteriae type 1 narrowed from 0.15 to 1. Such propagation of high resistance to TMP-SMX might have been due to widespread use of the drug imported into the country in large quantities. Resistance to ampicillin is increasing rapidly, particularly in S. dysenteriae type 1.

This paper analyses a few selected features from the history and clinical examination of 1258 patients with acute diarrhoea and a single laboratory diagnosis of either cholera, rotavirus, or enterotoxigenic (ETEC) Escherichia coli infection. Age distribution and seasonality in Bangladesh were also studied. The duration of illness before admission was not significantly different in the 3 groups. Cholera occurred especially in the spring and early winter. Most cholera patients were between 3 and 10 years of age. Over 37% of the patients developed severe dehydration. In about 90% of cholera cases, the stools were alkaline (pH > 7). ETEC infections were seen mostly in April–May and September–October. Infants were frequently affected but from age 25 onwards the age distribution closely followed that of cholera. Severe dehydration occurred in 8·3% of patients and was more frequent than in rotavirus cases. Stool pH was as frequently acidic as basic. Rotavirus cases were concentrated during the winter in patients under 2 years of age. They had marked vomiting, yet severe dehydration was almost absent. Cough was present in half of them. The stools were usually acidic. In spite of considerable overlap of signs and symptoms between the 3 aetiological groups, a presumptive diagnosis of cholera could be made in patients past infancy and early childhood who showed very severe dehydration. However, age-specific prevalence was strikingly different and sea-sonal variations considerable.

The incidence of shigellosis and the death rate have increased and the resistance of shigellae to antibiotics has changed in Dhaka during our experiences. In 1980, we investigated the secondary infection and case rates, infection to case ratio, duration of illness, excretion of shigellae and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in 100 families with cases of shigellosis, culturing rectal swabs obtained by home visits for a 10-day period. Standard methods were used for culture and sensitivity tests. The over-all secondary infection rate in contacts was 27·3% and the case rate 10·7%. The rates were higher for Shigella flexneri than for Sh. dysenteriae. When the index cases were nought to four years old the secondary infection and case rates were higher than when index cases were older. Contacts aged nought to four years had highest attack rates. The average duration of excretion of Sh. flexneri was 4·5 and Sh. dysenteriae 2·6 days. Illness was one day longer for Sh. dysenteriae than for Sh. flexneri. Cases of shigellosis in hospital had higher rates of fever and blood in stool than those who were not in-patients. 40% of Sh. dysenteriae and 14% of Sh. flexneri were sensitive to tetracycline, 0 to 5% to streptomycin and 100% to sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim and gentamicin. Incidence of Sh. flexneri had increased in 1980 but that of Sh. dysenteriae remained the same as in 1973 although Sh. dysenteriae type 1 appeared to be less infective in 1980 than in 1973.

With a systematically sampled population of children aged under 5 attending this centre for diarrhoeal disease research during 1983-5 a retrospective analysis of persistent diarrhoea (defined as greater than 14 days' duration) was performed to identify the possible risk factors for this syndrome. Of the 4155 children included in the analysis, 410 (10%) gave a history of persistent diarrhoea. A comparison with children with acute diarrhoea matched for age showed that 11 factors were correlated with persistent diarrhoea, and strongly associated factors were stools with blood or mucus, or both, lower respiratory tract infection, malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency, and antibiotic use before presentation. The peak age was 2 years, and there was no sex difference. Deaths occurred more often in the group with persistent diarrhoea. Although Shigella spp, Campylobacter jejuni, and Giardia lamblia were frequently identified, their rates of isolation were not significantly higher among patients with persistent diarrhoea. No seasonal variation was observed in the rates of persistent diarrhoea. Although the introduction of family food to the diet was associated with higher rates, this factor was difficult to separate from the age dependent risks.