Assessment of spongy moth infestation impacts on forest productivity and carbon loss using the Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing and eddy covariance flux data.

Background: Deciduous forests in eastern North America experienced a widespread and intense spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) infestation in 2021. This study quantified the impact of this spongy moth infestation on carbon (C) cycle in forests across the Great Lakes region in Canada, utilizing high-resolution (10 × 10 m2) Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing images and eddy covariance (EC) flux data. Study results showed a significant reduction in leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) values in deciduous and mixed forests in the region in 2021. Results: Remote sensing derived, growing season mean LAI values of deciduous (mixed) forests were 3.66 (3.18), 2.74 (2.64), and 3.53 (2.94) m2 m-2 in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively, indicating about 24 (14)% reduction in LAI, as compared to pre- and post-infestation years. Similarly, growing season GPP values in deciduous (mixed) forests were 1338 (1208), 868 (932), and 1367 (1175) g C m-2, respectively in 2020, 2021 and 2022, showing about 35 (22)% reduction in GPP in 2021 as compared to pre- and post-infestation years. This infestation induced reduction in GPP of deciduous and mixed forests, when upscaled to whole study area (178,000 km2), resulted in 21.1 (21.4) Mt of C loss as compared to 2020 (2022), respectively. It shows the large scale of C losses caused by this infestation in Canadian Great Lakes region. Conclusions: The methods developed in this study offer valuable tools to assess and quantify natural disturbance impacts on the regional C balance of forest ecosystems by integrating field observations, high-resolution remote sensing data and models. Study results will also help in developing sustainable forest management practices to achieve net-zero C emission goals through nature-based climate change solutions.

Predictive factors of vaccination status, knowledge, attitudes, and practice towards prevention of hepatitis B infection among Bangladeshi people: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Infection with the hepatitis B virus is a serious public health problem that is growing all over the world. Therefore, in this context, there is no exception to public participation in disease burden reduction. Consequently, for the first time in Bangladesh, the current study aims to assess the level of vaccination status, knowledge, attitude, and practice of hepatitis B infection among general people. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between December 15, 2021, and January 17, 2022, including sociodemographic information as well as questions about vaccination status and knowledge, attitude, and practice related to hepatitis B. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequency) and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, χ 2, binary logistic regression, and spearman's rho correlation coefficient). Results: Results indicated that about one-third (37.9%) of the 807 participants had received hepatitis B vaccine, with an overall mean score of 11.506 ± 5.403 for knowledge, 5.435 ± 1.038 and 4.252 ± 1.776 for attitude and practice, respectively. Risk factors related to vaccination were age, religion, educational qualification, occupation, residence area, marital status, comorbidity, and family member suffering from hepatitis B. Higher level of knowledge was significantly found among the young people aged between 10 and 29; had higher secondary or tertiary education (median = 13); were employed (median = 13.5, interquartile range [IQR] = 8); living in divisional city (median = 13, IQR = 7); were single (media = 13, IQR = 7); and whose family members were suffering from hepatitis B. Besides, poor practice was observed among those aged between 50 and higher (p = 0.004), had no formal education [p < 0.001), a retired or housewife (p < 0.001), divorced or widowed (p < 0.001), absence of comorbidity (p = 0.02), and whose family members were not infected with hepatitis B (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results exposed that vaccination rates and preventative behavior are unsatisfactory, which will hinder efforts to eradicate hepatitis B worldwide by the year 2030.

Sleep duration during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A GIS-based large sample survey study.

Although several studies have been conducted in Bangladesh regarding sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, none have utilized a large nationwide sample or presented their findings based on nationwide geographical distribution. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the total sleep duration, night-time sleep, and daily naptime and their associated factors as well as geographic information system (GIS) distribution. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 9730 people in April 2020, including questions relating to socio-demographic variables, behavioral and health factors, lockdown, depression, suicidal ideation, night sleep duration, and naptime duration. Descriptive and inferential statistics, both linear and multivariate regression, and spatial distribution were performed using Microsoft Excel, SPSS, Stata, and ArcGIS software. The results indicated that 64.7% reported sleeping 7-9 h a night, while 29.6% slept less than 7 h nightly, and 5.7% slept more than 9 h nightly. 43.7% reported 30-60 min of daily nap duration, whereas 20.9% napped for more than 1 h daily. Significant predictors of total daily sleep duration were being aged 18-25 years, being unemployed, being married, self-isolating 4 days or more, economic hardship, and depression. For nap duration, being aged 18-25 years, retired, a smoker, and a social media user were at relatively higher risk. The GIS distribution showed that regional division areas with high COVID-19 exposure had higher rates of non-normal sleep duration. Sleep duration showed a regional heterogeneity across the regional divisions of the country that exhibited significant associations with a multitude of socioeconomic and health factors.

Knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A nationwide distribution.

Assessing individuals' knowledge and preventive behaviors towards the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for the related public health surveillance strategies. Although some of the studies were conducted in Bangladesh, none of these studies considered the geographical distribution of knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19. Therefore, the present nationwide cross-sectional study with 10,067 samples for the first-time aims to assess the knowledge gap by presenting the geographical distribution of the COVID-19 knowledge and preventive behaviors across all administrative districts of Bangladesh. The measures included socio-demographics and questions about knowledge and preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. One-way ANOVA, independent t-test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. In addition, GIS-based mapping identified district-wise distribution of the outcomes. Results indicated that the overall mean score of knowledge related to COVID-19 was 14.363 ± 3.073, whereas 16.95 ± 2.89 was for preventive behaviors. Participants' being male, being divorced or widowed, consuming alcohol, smoking cigarettes, living in villages, and having no formal education reported lower performing preventive COVID-19 behaviors. Those participants with higher knowledge scores reported higher preventive COVID-19 behaviors (ß = 0.053, p<0.001). However, the model predicted only 13.2% of the variation in preventive COVID-19 behaviors while the overall model being significant. The findings suggest that the Bangladeshi government should initiate appropriate far-reaching program of health education focusing on knowledge and preventive behaviors towards COVID-19 at a community level. After all, the strategies to combat COVID-19 will require individuals' involvement to control and prevent the disease outbreak, for which education is essential.