A base-line survey was conducted in 2010 at different locations of Bangladesh to know the present status of solar pumps. The respondents were solar pump users, suppliers and service providers. There were about 150 solar pumps in Bangladesh, among them 65 % were used for supplying drinking water to the poor people of the locality and about 35 % solar pumps were used for irrigation purposes. The size of solar pumps varied from 300 to 1,190 W p and discharge capacity varied from 2,000 to 800,000 L/day. Panel cost was the major cost (45 %) in solar pump followed by the costs of installation (18 %), motor (16 %), pump (10 %), and pipes and fittings (4 %). Life cycle cost of diesel engine-operated pump was lower up to 5 years. After 5 years, the life cycle cost of solar pump became lower than that of diesel engine-operated pump. Benefit cost ratio, net present value and internal rate of return of solar pump were found higher than diesel-operated pump. Therefore, solar pump is profitable and investment on solar pump is more risk free than diesel engine-operated pump. Diesel engine-operated irrigation pump emits carbon dioxide and pollutes environment, but solar pump is an environment-friendly irrigation technology.

Background.Bangladesh is a densely populated country with a high demand for non-vegetable protein. Poultry meat is an important source of protein due to its affordability. Trace metals are persistent in the environment and are subject to bioaccumulation in the food chain. Contaminated poultry feed can pose a risk to human health as it biomagnifies and bioconcentrates toxic metals up the food chain, which can enter the human body and cause adverse and toxic health effects.Objectives.The aim of the current study was to assess the concentration and distribution of metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) in different types and parts of poultry in markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Methods.A total of 15 chickens were collected from five commercial markets of Dhaka city. Three types of poultry were selected, broiler, layer and cock. Altogether, 45 chicken samples were analyzed for toxic metals concentrations using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy.Results.The concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu and Ni obtained in the broiler, layer and cock chickens were 0.728, 0.232, 0.392; 0.595, 0.245, 0.271; 0.058, 0.016, 0.096; 5.275, 1.562, 22.180; 3.571, 2.269, 4.241, and 0.332, 0.211, 0.433 mg/kg (wet weight), respectively. The results indicate that the concentrations of As, Cr, and Cu in the analyzed samples exceeded the maximum permissible levels, whereas the concentrations of Cd and Ni were within acceptable limits. Metal concentrations decreased in the order of Cr > Cu > As > Cd > Ni > Co. The target hazard quotient and cancer risk values were estimated for each metal due to consumption of the different types of chicken.Conclusions.The estimated metal concentrations of As, Cr and Cu were higher than the permissible levels of international standards, indicating a health risk. Groundwater in many parts of the country is contaminated with As and is a probable source of As contamination in poultry. High concentrations of Cr and Cu in chicken may be caused by contaminated poultry feed. In the present study, layer chickens were comparatively less contaminated with metals than other types of chicken. The estimated target hazard quotient and cancer risk values of the analyzed chicken samples were lower than acceptable limits for all individual trace metals in the three types of chicken, indicating no non-carcinogenic and cancer health risk from ingestion of a single trace metal through consumption of these chickens.Ethical Approval.This study was approved by the Academic Committee of the Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

BAU Kul (Ziziphus mauritiana) is a new and improved variety of plum fruit from Bangladesh. This study aims to investigate the antioxidant potency and antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of BAU Kul using Soxhlet extraction followed by complete evaporation of residual methanol. BAU Kul is a very good source of phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and tannins. The reducing sugar and protein content of BAU Kul were 1.68 and 0.81% by weight, respectively. BAU Kul was very active in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (527.28 ± 9.2 [μM Fe (II)]/100 g), thus confirming its high antioxidant potential. Antibacterial activities were measured using the agar well-diffusion method. BAU Kul was most toxic to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed (in order) by Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella paratyphi, Escherichia coli and Chromobacterium violaceum. In conclusion, BAU Kul is a nutritious fruit that provides good antioxidant and antibacterial activities (in particular toward P. aeruginosa) and a cheap source of vitamins. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSBAU Kul is a new and sweet seasonal fruit which is very popular to the consumers of Bangladesh. This fruit can be a good source of nutrients as well as the antioxidants applicable in different types of diseases caused by oxidative stresses. BAU Kul can also be used as traditional medicine for different types for infectious diseases.bs_bs_banner Journal of Food Biochemistry

The electronically unsaturated cluster Os 3 -(CO) 9 (µ 3 -η 2 -C 7 H 3 (2-CH 3 )NS)(µ-H) ( 6) reacts with excess CH 2 N 2 at -10 to +25 °C to give Os 3 (CO) 9), a rare example of a triosmium cluster containing an edge-bridging methylene group and a σ-bound methyl group. On thermolysis in refluxing heptane 9 affords Os 3 (CO) 11) and Os 3 (CO) 8 (µ 3 -η 2 -CC 7 H 3 (2-CH 3 )NS)(µ-H) 3 (12). In contrast, Os 3 (CO) 8 (µ 3 -η 2 -C 7 H 4 NS)(µ-H)( 7) reacts with diazomethane under exactly similar conditions to afford Os 3 (CO) 9 (µ 3 -η 2 -CHC 7 H 4 NS)((µ-H) 2 ( 10), which on thermolysis in refluxing heptane gives Os 3 (CO) 8 (µ 3 -η 2 -CC 7 H 4 NS)(µ 3 -H) 3 ( 13).