Md. Asaduzzaman

Neuroprotective Activity of Asparagus racemosus Linn. Against Ethanol-Induced Cognitive Impairment and Oxidative Stress in Rats Brain:Auspicious for Controlling the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Background: Medicinal plants are superior gift of nature to human lives to support disease free healthy life. Neurodegenerative diseases especially Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects the central nervous system causing progressive degeneration of neurons, which affect cognitive function. The plant Asparagus racemosus (AR) Linn. has been used traditionally by Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders. In this consequence, the intention of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of ethanolic extract of Asparagus racemosus (EEAR) Linn. roots in ethanol-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats brain. Methods: The learning and memory enhancing activity of EEAR roots extract were investigated in Swiss albino male rats for 21 days and its effects on learning and memory were examined using various behavioral studies such as elevated plus maze (EPM) test, passive avoidance (PA) test, morris water maze (MWM) test, novel object recognition (NOR) test and biochemical studies such as lipid peroxidation (TBARS) contents and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Results: In the EPM test, administration of EEAR (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01) decreased retention transfer latency (RTL) on 21st day with respect to the disease control group. EEAR at 200 mg/kg b.w. markedly (P<0.05, P<0.01) increased the retention latency (RL) on 11th and 21st day compared to disease control group for PA test. In the NOR test administration of EEAR (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) considerably (P<0.05) increased DI of rats on 21st day with respect to disease control group. Both doses of EEAR (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) markedly (P<0.05, P<0.01) decreased escape latency (EL) and highest dose of EEAR (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) noticeably (P<0.05, P<0.001) increased time spent in the target quadrant (TSTQ) on successive days for acquisition trial of MWM test. In case of probe trial administration of EEAR (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) considerably (P<0.05, P<0.01) increased TSTQ and TSA (time spent in the annuli) of rats as compared to that of disease control group. EEAR administration (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) significantly (P<0.01) decreased the TBARS level in the brain tissue of rats with respect to disease control group. The lowest and highest dose of EEAR (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01) decreases the AChE activity in the brain tissue of rats as compared to disease control group. Conclusion: The existing study displays that EEAR roots possesses an outstanding source for natural nootropic and confirming the traditional uses of this plant which could be industrialized for enhancing learning and memory impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders particularly AD.

Exploring the Effect of Phyllanthus emblica L. on Cognitive Performance, Brain Antioxidant Markers and Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Rats: Promising Natural Gift for the Mitigation of Alzheimer's Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in the progressive degeneration of nerve cells, which affect the cognitive activity. Currently, as a result of multiple studies linking Alzheimers disease (AD) to oxidative damage, the uses of natural antioxidant to prevent, delay, or enhance the pathological changes underlying the progression of AD has received considerable attention. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the effect of ethanolic extracts of Phyllanthus emblica (EEPE) ripe (EEPEr) and EEPE unripe (EEPEu) fruits on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in rat. The effects of EEPEr and EEPEu fruits (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) were examined in Swiss albino male rats for 12 days and its effect on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and AChE activity determined. Learning and memory enhancing activity of EEPE fruit was examined by using passive avoidance test and rewarded alternation test. Antioxidant potentiality was evaluated by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase, and the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in entire brain tissue homogenates. AChE activity was determined using colorimetric method. Administration of the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.01) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.05, p < 0.001) increased step-through latency in rats on 6th, 11th, and 12th day with respect to the control group. For aforementioned doses, the percentage of memory retention (MR) was considerably (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats on 10th, 11th, and 12th days with respect to the control group. The extract, particularly highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit markedly (p < 0.05) and lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit significantly (p < 0.01) increased the correct responses in rats on 6th, and 12th day related to the control group. In case of this test, the percentage of MR was significantly (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats treated with aforementioned doses on 12th day with respect to the control group. The highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit suggestively (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit suggestively (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001) increased the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, GSH-Px and expressively (p < 0.01) decreased the TBARS level compared to the control group. Treatment with the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.01, p < 0.001) decreased the level of AChE activity compared to that of the control group. The present study shows that EEPE fruit possesses an excellent source for natural cognitive enhancer which could be developed in the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments for Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, vulnerability and adaptation assessments are being performed for the following sectors: agriculture, water resources, and coastal resources. More limited assessments are also being performed for the fisheries and forestry sectors. These sectoral analyses are in the preliminary stages. This chapter introduces the climate change issues in the country, and the four types of climate change scenarios chosen for the vulnerability analyses: climate change, economic development, sea level rise, and watershed development. Preliminary analysis indicated that for Bangladesh the most affected important sector in terms of climate change effects is the water resources sector because of because possible effects include devastating floods, severe droughts, and changes in salinity levels in the surface and groundwater systems as well as in soil. Further, the vulnerability of the water resources sector would affect the vulnerability of the agriculture production, coastal resources, forestry, and livestock sectors.

Spectrum of Disease and Prescription Pattern for Outpatients with Neurological Disorders: An Empirical Pilot Study in Bangladesh

Background: Neurological disorders represent one of the most prominent causes of morbidity and mortality that adversely affect the lifestyle of patients and a major percentage of these diseases exists in developing countries. Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and prescription pattern for outpatients with neurological disorders in Bangladesh. Methods: The study was conducted on 1,684 patients in 6 hospitals (National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College, and Apollo Hospitals Dhaka) of the Dhaka City from March 2014 to June 2015. Data were collected through a predesigned questionnaire from the patients that contain information about gender, age, marital status, occupation, residential status, affected disease, self-medicated medicines, and prescribed medicines. Results: Out of 1,684 patients, 28.38% patients were aged 51–60 years and male, 57.19% predominance. The study exposed headache and migraine for 29.75% patients, followed by stroke for 23.93% patients and seizure for 7.07% patients. Genetic reason for the neurological disorders was seen only among 12.35% patients. In this study, 16.98% patients had been affected by neurological disorders for more than 2 years and 19% of patients for less than 6 months. Most extensively prescribed medicines were multivitamins and multiminerals used by 17.89% of patients followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other analgesic by 14.84%; afterwards antiulcerants were used by 12.62%, subsequently anticoagulants were used by 11.61% followed by antihyperlipidemic medicines by 10.26% and antiepileptic drugs by 8.08% of patients. The crucial reasons for the selection of prescribed medicines were the confidence that patients had with the physician’s prescribed medicines, which was shown for 40.97% patients and knowledge of the medicines was reported for 35.04% patients. The period of prescribed medicine usage was 1–3 months for 39.73% patients and 3–6 months for 29.16% patients. The patient’s compliance for prescribed medicines was satisfactory for 34.56% patients, good for 28.15% patients, and side effects were reported for 23.22% patients. Conclusion: In Bangladesh, it is not surprising to note that neurological diseases are more prevalent than other different diseases among different age groups and genders. Headache and migraine, stroke and seizure are most frequently encountered neurological disorders here. Treatment procedure of these disorders is not quite suitable due to the anomalies of health care management systems. Appropriate management of the health care system, especially the placement of hospital and community pharmacy can overcome the existing inconsistencies as well as increase the knowledge, awareness, and perception of the patients about health and neurological disorders.

Comparative Study of Anti-Hyperglycemic and Anti-Hyperlipidemic Effects of Honey, Coccinia cordifolia and Hilsha Fish Oil in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Honey, Coccinia cordifolia (Locally known as Telakucha) leaves and Hilsha fish oil as hypoglycemic and hypolipedemic agents in diabetic condition. The leaves were initially under shade, grinded to powder, extracted with ethanol and filtered through Whatmann filter paper. The filtrate was concentrated by rotatory evaporator and stored at 4°C. The experimental rats were divided into six groups (n=6). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by single intraperitoneal injection (65 mg/kg BW) of freshly prepared streptozotocin hydrate solution in 0.9% saline solution. Hyperlipidemic was induced by mixture of cholesterol (1.5 %) and cholic acid (0.5%) with diet of rats. At the end of the treatment, the blood glucose level and lipid profile was measured by using commercial kits. It was observed that honey, plant leaves extract and Hilsha fish oil (HFO) have potential hypoglycemic effect as it significantly (p<0.001) decrease blood glucose level compared to diabetic control (DC) group. The serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and C- reactive protein (CRP) were also decreased significantly (p<0.001). An indicative antilipidemic effect was also observed as total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) showed significant (p<0.05) decrease whereas HDL showed significant increase (p<0.001) by the treatment compared to DC group. From the above observations it can be concluded that the honey, C. cordifolia leaves extract and HFO have an effective therapeutic value in the treatment of DM and in the management of associated cardiovascular and hepatic complications.

Study on Self-medication Practices among University Students of Bangladesh.

Aims: To know how much knowledge and awareness university students of Bangladesh have about commonly used medicines. Study Design: The study was conducted on 1200 students randomly selected from 9 university of Bangladesh, in which 87.5% were master’s student and remaining 12.5% were honor’s students. Each willing participant shared their opinion. Place and Duration of Study: Dhaka University (DU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Eastern University (EU), East West University (EWU), Daffodil International University (DIU), North South University (NSU), International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC), University of Information Technology & Science (UITS) and University of Science & Technology (USTC), Bangladesh, from May to July 2012. Methodology: Questionnaires were distributed among the students, information about students and knowledge about self-medication practices of medicine was determined. Results: The present study revealed that most frequently used medicine was analgesic/antipyretic Original Research Article Idris et al.; BJMMR, 14(6): 1-8, 2016; Article no.BJMMR.24364 2 (58.75%), followed by antiulcerants (40.17%), antibiotics (18.17%), antihistamines (10.58%) and antitussive (9.33%). 54.5% students took analgesic/antipyretic based on self-decision, followed by 49.83% antibiotics, 43.5% antiulcerants, 46.83% antitussives and 31.08% antihistamines respectively. Based on retailer advice 25% students took antimicrobials. 47.83% students said that they took antibiotics because of fever, 27% said the reason was infection, 13.58% took antibiotics because of GI disease and 12.5% mentioned others. 67.67% had no idea about side effect of antibiotics, followed by 53.17% for analgesic/antipyretic, 53.2% for antihistamine, 47.75% for antitussives and 28% for antiulcerants. Conclusion: Self-medication was practiced with a range of drugs from the analgesic/antipyretic to antibiotics. Most of the students didn’t know about the side-effects of these medicines as well as the antibiotics resistance. Although the practice of self-medication is unavoidable; drug authorities and health professionals need to educate students about the health hazards of self-medication.

Coordinated Control of Interconnected Microgrid and Energy Storage System

Zigbee technology has been developed for short range wireless sensor networks and it follows IEEE 802.15.4 standard. For such sensors, several considerations should be taken including; low data rate and less design complexity in order to achieve efficient performance considering to the transceiver systems. This research focuses on implementing a digital transceiver system for Zigbee sensor based on IEEE 802.15.4 . The system is implemented using offset quadrature phase shift keying (OQPSK) modulation technique with half sine pulse-shaping method. Direct conversion scheme has been used in the design of Zigbee receiver in order to fulfill the requirements mentioned above. System performance is analyzed considering to BER when it encountered adaptive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), besides showing the effect of using direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique.The inverted pendulum is an under-actuated and nonlinear system, which is also unstable. It is a single-input double-output system, where only one output is directly actuated. This paper investigates a single intelligent control system using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to stabilize the inverted pendulum system while tracking the desired position. The non-linear inverted pendulum system was modelled and built using MATLAB Simulink. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy logic controller was implemented and its performance was compared with a Sugeno-fuzzy inference system in both simulation and real experiment. The ANFIS controller could reach its desired new destination in 1.5 s and could stabilize the entire system in 2.2 s in the simulation, while in the experiment it took 1.7 s to reach stability. Results from the simulation and experiment showed that ANFIS had better performance compared to the Sugeno-fuzzy controller as it provided faster and smoother response and much less steady-state error.Association Rule mining plays an important role in the discovery of knowledge and information. Association Rule mining discovers huge number of rules for any dataset for different support and confidence values, among this many of them are redundant, especially in the case of multi-level datasets. Mining non-redundant Association Rules in multi-level dataset is a big concern in field of Data mining. In this paper, we present a definition for redundancy and a concise representation called Reliable Exact basis for representing non-redundant Association Rules from multi-level datasets. The given non-redundant Association Rules are loss less representation for any datasets.This paper presents a novel technique for numeral reading in Indian language speech synthesis systems using the rule-based Concatenative speech synthesis technique. The model uses a set of rules to determine the context of the numeral pronunciation and is being integrated with the waveform concatenation technique to produce speech out of the input text in Indian languages. To analyze the performance of the proposed technique, a set of numerals are considered in different context and a comparison of the proposed technique with an existing numeral reading method is also presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique in producing intelligible speech out of the entered text.This paper presents a data processing system based on an architecture comprised of multiple stacked layers of computational processes that transforms Raw Binary Pollution Data com- ing directly from Two EUMETSAT Metop satellites to our servers, into ready to interpret and visualise continuous data stream in near real time using techniques varying from task automation, data preprocessing and data analysis to machine learning using feed forward ar- tificial neural networks. The proposed system handles the acquisition, cleaning, processing, normalizing, and predicting of Pollution Data in our area of interest of Morocco.Advanced Communication Systems are wideband systems to support multiple applications such as audio, video and data so and so forth. These systems require high spectral efficiency and data rates. In addition, they should provide multipath fading and inter-symbol interference (ISI) free transmission. Multiple input multiple output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO OFDM) meets these requirements Hence, MIMO-OFDM is the most preferable technique for long term evaluation advanced (LTE-A). The primary objective of this paper is to control bit error rate (BER) by proper channel coding, pilot carriers, adaptive filter channel estimation schemes and space time coding (STC). A combination of any of these schemes results in better BER performance over individual schemes. System performance is analyzed for various digital modulation schemes. In this paper,adaptive filter channel estimated MIMO OFDM system is proposed by integrating channel coding, adaptivefilter channel estimation, digital modulation and space time coding. From the simulation results, channel estimated 2×2 MIMO OFDM system shows superior performance over individual schemes.Electricity markets are different from other markets as electricity generation cannot be easily stored in large amounts and in order to avoid blackouts, the generation of electricity must be balanced with customer demand for it on a second-by-second basis. Customers tend to rely on electricity for day-to-day living and cannot replace it easily so when electricity prices increase, customer demand generally does not reduce significantly in the short-term. As electricity generation and customer demand must be matched perfectly second-by-second, and because generation cannot be stored to a large extent, cost bids from generators must be balanced with demand estimates in advance of real-time. This paper outlines a a forecasting algorithm built on artificial neural networks in order to predict short-term (72 hours ahead) wholesale prices on the Irish Single Electricity Market so that market participants can make more informed trading decisions. Research studies have demonstrated that an adaptive or self-adaptive approach to forecasting would appear more suited to the task of predicting energy demands in territory such as Ireland. Implementing an in-house self-adaptive model should yield good results in the dynamic uncertain Irish energy market. We have identified the features that such a model demands and outline it here.Received May 2, 2018 Revised Jul 9, 2018 Accepted Aug 2, 2018 Zigbee technology has been developed for short range wireless sensor networks and it follows IEEE 802.15.4 standard. For such sensors, several considerations should be taken including; low data rate and less design complexity in order to achieve efficient performance considering to the transceiver systems. This research focuses on implementing a digital transceiver system for Zigbee sensor based on IEEE 802.15.4. The system is implemented using offset quadrature phase shift keying (OQPSK) modulation technique with half sine pulse-shaping method. Direct conversion scheme has been used in the design of Zigbee receiver in order to fulfill the requirements mentioned above. System performance is analyzed considering to BER when it encountered adaptive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), besides showing the effect of using direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) technique. Keyword:This paper presents the use of Simelectronics Program for modeling and control of a two degrees-of freedom coupled mass-spring-damper mechanical system.The aims of this paper are to establish a mathematical model that represents the dynamic behaviour of a coupled mass-spring damper system and effectively control the mass position using both Simulink and Simelectronics.The mathematical model is derived based on the augmented Lagrange equation and to simulate the dynamic accurately a PD controller is implemented to compensate for the oscillation sustained by the system as a result of the complex conjugate pair poles near to the imaginary axis.The input force has been subjected to an obstacle to mimic actual challenges and to validate the mathematical model a Simulink and Simelectronics models were developed, consequently, the results of the models were compared. According to the result analysis, the controller tracked the position errors and stabilized the positions to zero within a settling time of 6.5sec and significantly reduced the overshoot by 99.5% and 99. 7% in Simulink and Simelectronics respectively. Furthermore, it is found that Simelectronics model proved to be capable having advantages of simplicity, less time-intense and requires no mathematical model over the Simulink approach.

Mobility effect on the downlink performance of spatial multiplexing techniques under different scheduling algorithms in heterogeneous network

LIE addresses the escalating demand of data rates by introducing several multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) transmission modes. One of the potential MIMO technique is to send independent data streams over multiple antennas. This is known as spatial multiplexing. The simplest form of spatial multiplexing is open-loop spatial multiplexing (OLSM). The performance of OLSM can be improved further by using an extra feedback information sent back by the user equipment (UE) to the base station (BS). This is termed as closed loop spatial multiplexing (CLSM). Data is transmitted in the form of packets called resource blocks (RBs) and the distribution of RBs among active UEs is determined by the scheduler present at the BS. Scheduler performance ranges from optimizing the UE fairness to maximizing the UE throughput and can have a significant impact on the overall system performance. A prominent constraint that degrades the MIMO performance is the UE mobility. In this paper, we have analyzed various LTE downlink performance parameters between OLSM and CLSM under different scheduler algorithms to conclude which spatial multiplexing and scheduler combination is best suited for mobile users in a heterogeneous network (HetNet).

In Vitro Screening for Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Effects of Uvaria littoralis Blume.: A Nootropic Phytotherapeutic Remedy

Background : Oxidative stress is strongly linked in the development of numerous chronic and degenerative disorders. Medicinal plants with antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities exert a key role for the management of oxidative stress related disorders mainly Alzheimers disease (AD). Therefore the purpose of this study was to assess antioxidant potentiality and anticholinesterase inhibitory activity of crude methanolic extract (CME), petroleum ether fraction (PEF), chloroform fraction (CLF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and aqueous fraction (AQF) of Uvaria littoralis ( U. littoralis ) leaves. Methods : The antioxidant compounds namely total flavonoids contents (TFCs) and total proanthocyanidins contents (TPACCs) were determined for quantities constituent’s characterization. Antioxidant capacity of U. littoralis leaves were estimated by the iron reducing power (IRPA), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacity. Anticholinesterase effects were estimated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinestrase (BChE) activity. Results : The EAF of U. littoralis leaves showed the highest TFCs as compared to CLF, CME, PEF and AQF. TPACCs were also found highest in EAF. The highest absorbance for IRPA was found in EAF (2.220 nm) with respect to CME and other fractions at the highest concentration. The EAF showed best DPPH and NO radical scavenging activity with IC 50 values of 31.63 and 55.47 I¼g/mL, respectively with regard to CME and remaining fractions. The PEF represents highest AChE inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 35.19 I¼g/mL and CLF showed highest BChE inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 32.49 I¼g/mL. Conclusions : The findings of the current study demonstrate the presence of antioxidant phytochemicals, likewise, turns out antioxidant and anticholinesterase potentiality of U. littoralis leaves which could be a prestigious candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases especially AD.

Stability of an SVI Epidemic Model

The spread of communicable diseases is often described mathematically by compartmental models. A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. In this paper a nonlinear mathematical deterministic compartmental model for the dynamics of an infectious disease including the role of a preventive vaccine, natural birth rate and natural death rate is proposed and analyzed. The model has various kinds of parameter. We try to present a model for the transmission dynamics of an infectious disease and mathematically analyzed the stability of daisies free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium. Also we have given some strategy to control the epidemic by controlling the parameters.