Some limnological characteristics of Dhaka-Narayangonj-Demra dam canal, Bangladesh

Some limnological parameters of water of Dhaka-Narayongonj-Demra (DND) dam canal were studied for one year period from May 2010 to April 2011. Sampling points were selected on the basis of human activities around the dam. The maximum water temperature was recorded in May 2010 (31.5 ± 0.2041°C) and minimum in December 2010 (18.3 ± 0.1925°C). Water transparency was highest in February 2011(38.1 ± 3.48 cm) and lowest in May 2010 (24.56 ± 2.722 cm). The maximum concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) was found in winter month December 2010 (6.83 ± 0.4735 mg/l) and the minimum in summer month May 2010 (4.00 ± 0.2378 mg/l). The BOD was highest in August (34 ± 0.122 mg/l) and lowest in January (15 ± 0.274 mg/l). The highest amount of free carbon dioxide (free CO2) was recorded as 29.67 ± 4.4514 mg/l in January 2011 and the lowest 3.81 ± 0.8972 mg/l in August 2010. Maximum amount of hardness was found in December 2010 (271.20 ± 94.6597 mg/l) and minimum in September 2010 (196.20 ± 66.3963 mg/l) with a year round average of 229.51 ± 7.82 mg/l. pH was found fair (average 7.15 ± 0.08) during the study period. Maximum pH value 7.66 ± 0.14420 was recorded in the month of August while the minimum 6.74 ± 0.0574 in the month of May 2010. Although some water quality parameters of DND canal were found to be suitable for aquaculture but it was organically polluted. Further investigation on the heavy metal pollution is necessary before using the water and crops produced from DND canal for anthropological use.Bangladesh J. Zool. 41(2): 257-264, 2013

Evaluation of a Method that Supports Pathology Report Coding

Summary Objectives: The paper focuses on the problem of adequately coding pathology reports using SNOMED. Both the agreement between pathologists in coding and the quality of a system that supports pathologists in coding pathology reports were evaluated. Methods: Six sets of three pathologists each received a different set of 40 pathology reports. Five different SNOMED code lines accompanied each pathology report. Three pathologists evaluated the correctness of each of these code lines. Kappa values and values for the reliability coefficients were determined to gain insight in the variance observed when coding pathology reports. The system that is evaluated compares a newly entered report, represented as a multi-dimensional word vector, with reports in a library, represented in the same way. The reports in the library are already coded. The system presents the code lines belonging to the five library reports most similar to the newly entered one to the pathologist in this way supporting the pathologist in determining the correct codes. A high similarity between two reports is indicated by a large value of the inproduct of the vector of the newly entered report and the vector of a report in the library. Results: Agreement between pathologists in coding was fair (average kappa of 0.44). The reliability coefficient varied from 0.81 to 0.89 for the six sets of pathology reports. The system gave correct suggestions in 50% of the reports. In another 30% it was helpful for the pathologists. Conclusions: On the basis of the level of the reliability coefficients it could be concluded that three pathologists are indeed sufficient for obtaining a gold standard for evaluating the system. The method used for comparing reports is not strong enough to allow fully automatic coding. It could be shown that the system induces a more uniform coding by pathologists. An evaluation of the incorrect suggestions of the system indicates that the performance of the system can still be improved.

THE FRICTION OF HEATED BISMUTH

An apparatus is described to measure the friction of heated bismuth at loadings up to 640 p.s.i. A coefficient for pyrex glass on bismuth near its melting point of 0.13 was indicated as a fair average value although figures down to 0.1 were also obtained. On surfaces where the metal was molten a value of 0.06 was measured. While bismuth has ice-like friction qualities up to a point, the author failed to prove that bismuth disobeys Amontons' law at high loading in the manner that ice does. To account for this, the crystal structures of bismuth and of ice are compared.

Review of Developments in the Pakistan Economy

During the period under review, April 1961 to June 1961, prices of food-grains recorded divergent trends in West Pakistan and East Pakistan. While prices of wheat showed some net decline at Lyallpur (West Pakistan), prices of rice increased markedly at Dacca (East Pakistan). (See Table below). At Lyallpur, the prices of fair average quality wheat increased frcm Rs. 16.00-17.00 per maund in March 1961 to Rs. 16.75-18.00 in April but this increase was short-lived. The arrival of the new wheat cop in the market which steadily increased towards the end of May led to a sharp decline in prices to touch a low of Rs. 13.50-15.00 per maund. Amidst narrow fluctuations, prices rose somewhat in June following enlarged demand and at the end of the month, the quotations ruled steady at Rs. 14.50-16.00. There was, however, a net decline in prices to the tune of Rs. 1.50 per maund over the period, April-June, 1961. Meanwhile, the second estimate of wheat crop for all-Pakistan for the year 1960-61 places the total area under cultivation at 11,179,000 acres or 11.7 per cent lower than that of 1959-60. Consequently, production is also placed lower by 7.2 per cent at 3,615,000 tons. The declines in acreage and output are attributable to shortage of water in irrigation canals and adverse weather conditions.

On Extra Risk: with some Particulars of the recent Investigation of the Mortality of Persons engaged in the Sale of Intoxicating Liquors

The lives which present themselves for assurance are, in the process of selection, divided into three main groups or classes:—I. Lives insurable at the ordinary rate.II. Lives insurable only at extra rates.III. Uninsurable lives.Although, in measuring what we call “extra risk,” only the subdivisions of Class II. are of practical significance, yet each of the three classes admits of almost indefinite subdivision in respect of the quality of the lives embraced in it.In the first class, some lives present no flaw of any kind in health, physical condition, occupation, or family history; others, at the further end of the scale, present flaws which bring them close to the border line of Class II.; and between those two extremes there is every degree of variation. Using terms that are not unfamiliar, Class I. may be subdivided into three distinct groups:—(a) Unexceptionable lives, presenting no unfavourable feature.(b) Good average lives, in which the personal or family history, or the physical condition, is not entirely faultless, but which present no feature likely to tell against the life-prospects.(c) Fair average lives, presenting some flaw or imperfection, or some combination of unfavourable circumstances, which only falls short of requiring an extra premium.