Search

The surface salt marsh sediments from marine ecosystems in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh was assessed for trace elements like iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), potassium (K), strontium (Sr), rubidium (Rb), zirconium (Zr), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), their potential sources, and associated ecological risks. The range of trace elements in sediment (mg/kg) followed the decreasing order: Fe (25020–35176) > Ca (8679–16323) >Ti (2678–3340) > K (23680–16770) > Sr (138.32–209.64) > Rb (124–186.57) > Zr (96.21–161.35) > Zn (37.71–44.95) > Cu (36.51–51.66) > Pb (1.35–10.42). The concentrations of trace elements were under the average shale values of metals in sediment except for Fe, Cu and Rb, which can occasionally be associated with adverse biological effects. Contamination level and ecological risk were evaluated using contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (PERI). Multivariate statistical technique was used to classify the metal sources. The results showed that Fe was significantly enriched in the sediments. Ecological risk factors illustrated a pollution-free condition of the salt marsh ecosystem in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: COVID-19 pandemic is at the fourth stage of boundless local transmission in Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to assess the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on adult Bangladeshi population., Design: Online-based cross-sectional study., Settings: Data were collected from different parts of the Bangladesh., Participants: Information was collected from 213 young adults who were aged 18-34 years old using convenient sampling technique., Results: More than 90% of participants were responded to possess a good awareness of COVID-19. However, the behavioral characteristics of young individuals in Bangladesh were not impressive. In this cohort, 24.4% of participants showed moderate change and 5.2%-little changes in their behavior due to COVID-19. Approximately 58.2% of participants had some symptoms of mental distress while 59.7% of participants were somewhat worried about COVID-19., Conclusion: In order to control the spread of Covid-19, existing unconsciousness in young adult could turn this situation into a disaster throughout the nation which therefore must be understood by the government and policymakers to incorporate successful measures., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©2021 Pacini Editore SRL, Pisa, Italy.)