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Industrial energy management is critical to ensuring efficient energy usage, market viability, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. In this study, the aim is to investigate energy management practices in paper and pulp industries (PPI) of Bangladesh. The study identifies several barriers to adopt energy management practices; "Lack of governmental attention", "Inadequate staff awareness" and "limited access to capital" are identified as the major constraints. In addition, HVAC systems and compressed air systems present higher barriers compared to electrical motor and pump systems while looking at the barriers by technology areas. On the other hand, "Owner's demand", "Commitment from the top management" and "Pressure from the customers and different non-Governmental organization" are found to be the dominant drivers of energy management in the studied PPI. Energy management practices can enhance the energy efficiency approximately by 4–5 % according to the study. Furthermore, this study reveals that the majority of PPIs are unaware of the energy service companies (ESCO) with the lack of a standardized system for energy audit, as well as a lack of trust and information, appearing to be the obstacles behind this. • Energy management practices in paper and pulp industries of Bangladesh are shown. • Barriers and drivers to energy management practices in paper and pulp industry are presented. • Barriers to energy efficiency measures by technology area are discussed. • Barriers to consult energy service companies (ESCOs) are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Air pollution is a global issue that poses a significant threat to public health. Children, due to their developing physiology, are particularly susceptible to the inhalation of environmental pollutants. Exposure can trigger immune modulation and organ damage, increasing susceptibility to respiratory diseases. Therefore, we aim to examine the association between heavy metal and particulate matter exposure with tuberculosis in children., Methods and Analysis: As a case-control study, we will include children diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (n=60) and matched healthy controls (n=80) recruited from the same communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Exposure data for both cases and controls will be collected by a trained field team conducting home visits. They will administer an exposure questionnaire, measure child anthropometry, collect blood and household dust samples and instal 48-hour air quality monitors. The blood samples will be analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for serum heavy metal concentrations (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and chromium), as a representative marker of exposure, and the presence of inflammatory biomarkers. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent samples t-tests, analysis of variance and conditional regression analysis, will be used to quantify heavy metal and particulate matter exposure status in tuberculosis cases compared with healthy controls, while accounting for potential confounders. Dust samples and air quality results will be analysed to understand household sources of heavy metal and particulate matter exposure. To test the study hypothesis, there is a positive association between exposure and tuberculosis diseases, we will also measure the accumulated effect of simultaneous exposures using Bayesian statistical modelling., Ethics and Dissemination: This study has been approved by International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh's Institutional Review Board (PR-22030). The study findings will be disseminated at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The rapid and unprecedented expansion of the global population highlights concerns about the sufficiency of food resources to sustain this growth. This study investigates and substantiates the feasibility of renewable food resources in order to meet the nutritional requirements of consumers. Three edible aquatic weeds, helencha (Enhydra fluctuans), malancha (Alternanthera philoxeroides), and kalmi (Ipomoea aquatica), were used to produce edible paper sheets. The composition of the raw aquatic weeds and paper sheet samples was analyzed, including the proximate composition, amino acid content, minerals and heavy metal contents, and bioactive compounds. The dried raw aquatic weeds and paper sheets showed similar proximate compositions, with carbohydrates being the highest component (50.38–64.63%), followed by crude protein (15.25–19.13%), ash (9.30–15.88%), and lipid (1.55–3.43%). The raw weeds and paper sheets were rich in essential minerals like Na, Ca, and Zn with contents ranging from 27.7 mg/100 g to 30.4 mg/100 g, 126.8 mg/100 g to 489.65 mg/100 g, and 4.5 mg/100 g to 16.3 mg/100 g, respectively. Acceptable levels of heavy metals, including Ni, Pb, and Cu, were found. The paper sheets contained seven essential and eight non-essential amino acids. Among the essential amino acids, the phenylalanine content was the highest at 2735.9 mg/100 g in E. fluctuans paper sheets, followed by methionine at 2377.29 mg/100 g in the raw E. fluctuans and histidine at 1972.6 mg/100 g in E. fluctuans paper sheets. A. philoxeroides sheets showed the highest total amino acid content (16,146.81 mg/100 g), while I. aquatica showed the lowest (13,118.67 mg/100 g). The aquatic weed paper sheets were rich in bioactive compounds, and the numbers in E. fluctuans, A. philoxeroides, and I. aquatica paper sheets were 31, 33, and 40, respectively. There were no significant changes in the nutritional content of the aquatic weeds in paper sheet form compared with the raw weeds, which suggests promising prospects for their production and consumption as a source of nutrition and bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading is a basic learning tool for an individual that begins early and continues throughout life. It would appear that the world is digitally at one's fingertips, with everything connected to the internet with the increasing dominance of digital reading over paper reading. On the other hand, it is fair to assume that books will continue to be printed for a very long time despite the rise in e-book readers. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the actual trends in using printed books among university students. The study collected data from 233 undergraduate students from different Four (04) universities in Bangladesh through a survey questionnaire. The results show that despite the increasing use of digital devices and e-books, printed books remain the preferred medium for reading. Results suggest that young adults spend hours watching television and chatting on social media at the expense of reading and that reading culture has been in decline. The findings explored that a small percentage of respondents consistently use printed books, while a significant number resort to them for specific academic purposes. The study also highlights the varying levels of engagement, with some respondents dedicating several hours to reading printed books. Self-development and job preparation emerged as the primary reasons for using printed books, while entertainment played a lesser reason to read books on printed paper. The study further analyzes the preferred locations for reading printed books, with libraries and homes being the most commonly chosen settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial pollution in Bangladesh has posed a serious threat to human health, economic activity, and the environment. By emphasizing industries that produce major pollutants, substantial improvements can be made to pollution mitigation measures. In countries where primary pollution data is not readily available, the Industrial Pollution Projection System (IPPS) could be used to calculate the pollution load utilizing total industrial output or employment data. IPPS data, which was designed for developed countries like the USA, had been used directly for other countries without any normalization in previously reported studies. The main purpose of this study is to modify the current IPPS approach for any other country by incorporating specific correction factor for a specific country. In this study, a specific correction factor for Bangladesh was determined, taking into account the country's major polluting industries, and used to estimate the pollution scenario for the year 2020. The accuracy of the specific pollution intensities was also evaluated by comparing the data obtained using both gross output and employee number. According to this study, the top three air-polluting industries are structural clay products, cement-lime-plaster industry, and iron and steel industry. Similarly, for water pollution, the food industry, paper and paper product industry, and textile industry are the largest pollutant contributors. The detailed pollution load matrix in terms of air and water pollution is also developed, and can be used to predict both short-term and long-term scenarios of industrial pollution in Bangladesh, which eventually will assist the policy makers to adopt appropriate pollution management approach. Moreover, the methods developed in this study will help to tailor the IPPS data for any country and increase the accuracy of the pollution load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensor-based agriculture monitoring systems have limited outcomes on the detection or counting of vegetables from agriculture fields due to the utilization of either conventional color transformations or machine learning-based methods. To overcome these limitations, this research is aimed at proposing an IoT-based smart agriculture monitoring system with multiple algorithms such as detection, quantification, ripeness checking, and detection of infected vegetables. This paper presents smart agriculture monitoring systems for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The CHT has been applied to detect and quantify vegetables from the agriculture field. Using color thresholding and color segmentation techniques, defected vegetables have also been detected. A machine learning method-convolutional neural network (CNN) has been used for the development and implementation of all algorithms. A comparison between traditional methods and CNN has been simulated in MATLAB to find out the optimal method for its implementation in this agricultural monitoring system. Compared to the traditional methods, the CNN is the optimal method in this research work which performed better over the previously developed algorithms with an accuracy of more than 90%. As an example (case study), a tomato field in Chittagong, Bangladesh, was chosen where a camera-mounted mobile robot captured images from the agriculture field for which the proposed IoT-based smart monitoring system was developed. This system will benefit farmers through the digitally monitored output at an agriculture field in Bangladesh as well as in Malaysia. Since this proposed smart IoT-based system is still driven by bulky, costly, and limited powered sensors, in a future work, for the required power of sensors, this research work is aimed at the design and development of an energy harvester (hybrid) (HEH) based on ultralow power electronics circuits to generate the required power of sensors. Implementation of multiple algorithms using CNN, circular Hough transformation (CHT), color thresholding, and color segmentation methods for the detection, quantification, ripeness checking, and detection of infected crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians of Partition have focused upon the bitterly polarized yet vibrant public sphere of the last days of the British Raj, wherein newspapers representing Congress, Muslim League and Akali opinion vied for influence through increasingly hostile propaganda targeted at the 'other/s'. Such studies' focus on ideological battles and propaganda results in relatively less attention being given to what became of these papers once the British departed and the parties these papers espoused or opposed captured power. This paper will seek to revisit such assumptions by analyzing the trials and tribulations of the significant newspaper houses unfortunate enough to be located on the geographical frontlines of Partition and in major centres of communal conflagration. Through such analyses, I will seek to show that it was a combination of initial mob action, reinforced often by state repression and even popular reproach, that forced newspapers viewed as belonging to the 'other' party to move to safer (and greener) pastures. In the process, late-colonial India's once pluralist public sphere came to be partitioned into sections that broadly conformed to the ideologies that the respective Dominions' new rulers espoused. While aligning newspapers with the majoritarian public opinion, this Partition occasioned shifts of personnel and presses that would fundamentally alter the postcolonial press industry in West and East Pakistan, and to a lesser extent, in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of its burgeoning outward foreign direct investment (FDI) and export activities over the past decades, China’s presence in the global economy has attracted considerable attention. This discussion is witnessed just as much in Bangladesh, the main subject of this paper. Especially after the 2013 launch of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese economic footprint has noticeably increased in the South Asian country. Yet, this development has thus far not been analyzed in detail. To shed light on the matter, this paper provides a detailed, longitudinal study of two important metrics: FDI and trade. It also contextualizes China’s economic performance in relation to those of US, India and Japan. The paper finds that, although Chinese FDI entering Bangladesh is increasing, FDIs from the other three countries are also proliferating. More importantly, US FDI inflow and stock position remain far ahead of those of China, India and Japan. When it comes to trade, Bangladesh enjoys trade surplus only with the US, suffering deficit with the rest of the countries. Overall, China’s FDI and trade linkages in Bangladesh, despite their fairly rapid growth, are still relatively modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze systems requirements and conceptualize designs to automate the traditional administrative functions of public universities in Bangladesh. Before implementing any software or website, system analysis and design are the core functions to formulate. In this paper, Requirement analysis is done with interview and observation, and conceptual design is done with Microsoft Visio software to identify a use case model, activity diagram, sequence diagram, and UML diagram to automate the administrative functions of Noakhali Science and Technology University situated in Bangladesh. The first two phases of the waterfall method are used in this paper to validate the result. The result shows the number of users of the systems, user requirements, and sequential tasks to automate administrative functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generosity and selflessness from the host community in Cox's Bazar were deemed to be instrumental in supporting Rohingyas who sought refuge in Bangladesh in 2017. Thousands of Rohingyas had to flee from their own country to save lives due to state-supported military violence. Initially, Bangladeshi media and civil society were largely supportive of the Rohingyas. However, the initial sympathy later withered away and may have turned into frustration and hostility. Based on 39 in-depth interviews with hot community members and humanitarian professionals, this paper argues that protraction of the crisis, inability to access natural resources due to the refugee camps, some Rohingyas' involvement in various unlawful activities, a perceived sense of neglect from the international community, and disruption in local labour market/trade affecting cost of living conditions for low-income people seem to have played important roles in creating widespread tensions between the host community and Rohingya refugees. We contend that findings of this study will add to the critical scholarship of humanitarian development in deepening the understanding of host and refugee communities' relationships. This paper will also have a positive impact on future policies toward harmonious coexistence between host communities and displaced refugees and potential sustainable solutions to the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the under-representation of women in STEM education in Bangladesh, and proposes ways to boost their participation to help achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring quality education for all. The key argument of this paper is that while celebrating Bangladesh's success in reducing the gender gap in primary and secondary education, the persistent gap between women's participation in general education and their representation in STEM subjects receives less attention. Although women students' enrolment at the tertiary level has increased, their representation in STEM fields remains low for various reasons – societal perceptions, inadequate infrastructure, prejudice, etc. While Bangladesh has taken steps to promote gender equality in education, measures directly targeting increased participation of women in STEM education are lacking. However, in addition to implementing institutional policies to increase women's participation in STEM education, the paper recommends tackling the socio-cultural obstacles that discourage women from doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to remark on the nine crucial economic factors that affect GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita as assess the importance, effect, or value of economic development for a sample of 31 years of economic data from Bangladesh for the period of 1992 to 2022. The research question is "What are the effects of these variables on GDP per capita?" To inquire into that business in detail we use multiple regression analysis in this paper as GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita is the regressand or dependent variable and the rest of the factors or variables are the regressors or independent variables. In this regard, we use nine independent variables in the regression analysis: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in current billions of USD, GDP growth rate (latest) per annum, Inflation (on consumer price index), Gross Savings (%GDP), Literacy rate, Unemployment rate, Investment rate, Population growth rate, Poverty Rate. After the data analysis we found that among the nine independent variables, five have a significant impact on GDP per capita. For instance, Inflation (% of GDP), GDP (current USD), GDP growth rate, Gross Savings rate, and Poverty rate play a vital role in determining GDP per capita. Since we use time series data, to identify an accurate estimation as being present we test the stationarity of data, to conduct the time series has no unit root problem we use first difference and log difference such that the data and the estimation will become acceptable. An assortment of statistical tests, such as Normality Test, Multicollinearity, Heteroskedasticity, Autocorrelation, Goodness-of-Fit (GoF) Test, ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) Test, and Multiple Regression Analysis, were performed using GRETL (Gnu Regression, Econometrics and Time-series Library). We use CUSUM (cumulative sum) test and CUSUM (cumulative sum) square test to find out the stability of the coefficient or parameters. The research question is "What are the effects of these variables on GDP per capita?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During COVID-19, female informal workers living in urban informal settlements in Bangladesh have faced greater challenges in re-entering the labour market than their male counterparts. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study, which has explored how the pre-existing socio-economic constraints around gender norms, gender roles, occupational sex-segregation, lack of education and skills, informality and restricted mobility have made the re-entry process extremely difficult for these workers during COVID-19 in Dhaka city. The paper also illustrates that these workers have adopted strategies catered for short-lasting crises to cope with the challenges arisen from their struggle to secure livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper aims to analyze the impact of microfinance programs on women’s empowerment needs in Bangladesh. It seeks to explore how involvement in microfinance programs influences the recipients and their children’s health and education, asset ownership and control, and gender division of labor of women. Methods: This study has adopted a qualitative case study design. Thirty-two recipients of micro-credit loans were selected through purposive network sampling from two of the leading non-governmental organizations of Bangladesh. Primary data of this study were collected through in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussion. Nongovernmental organization officials and staff and female borrowers’ husbands were the key informants. Collected primary data were analyzed thematically. Results: Findings of this study revealed that microfinance programs have a positive impact over the practical gender needs of the female borrowers as it enables them to access better health care and education for themselves and their children. However, microfinance has minimal role in meeting their strategic gender needs as it hardly addresses existing disparities in gender division of labor and subordination of women in Bangladeshi society. Conclusion: The paper concludes that microfinance organization can be treated as a multi-level construct, at global, state, community, and individual levels. Women and their children are benefited through microfinance. While microfinance empowers women by meeting their practical gender needs, it does not address the socially created gender division of labor let alone it puts extra work burden on women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the findings of the citation analysis of the Bangladesh Journal of Fisheries Research (BJFR). The chief objectives of the study from the year 2008 to 2020 are to reveal the authorship pattern, citation pattern, form of citation, ratio of journal self-citation of papers in the BJFR. A total 102 paperswere published in the period. 2041 citations featuring 102 contributors contributed to these issues. Among the citations, the forms of contribution of journal 1156 (56.64%), books 256 (12.54%), proceeding 212 (10.44%), reports 235 (11.51%), theses 076 (3.72%) and others 105 (5.14%). The ratio of journal self- citation to the total citations is 1: 58 while the ratio of authors’ self-citation to total citations is 1:56. From this study, it is also clear that the majority of the documents, that is, 1356 (66.44%) cited in the issues were published 20 years back or so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on managing the risk of fraud in commercial letters of credit (LC) in Bangladesh involving three parties: the seller, the buyer and the bank. It addresses the severity of LC fraud, the banks' actions when detected and the preventive measures the relevant parties can adopt. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses doctrinal and qualitative methods to propose strategic actions that benefit buyers, sellers, banks, legal professionals and judges. The study aims to explore the modus operandi used by fraudsters through thematic analysis. Findings: The study's findings reveal that LC fraud has escalated to a concerning level, posing a significant threat to the economic stability of Bangladesh. Measures must be taken to mitigate this risk and safeguard the country's financial integrity. To effectively combat the risk of LC fraud, the updated version of UCP must include specific and detailed guidelines on LC fraud. This study recommends preventative measures that all parties involved must take to reduce the likelihood of fraud significantly. Research limitations/implications: Due to a lack of LC experts, the participant sample for the study in Bangladesh was limited. Nevertheless, most banking participants were highly distinguished and held the Head of Trade Finance Department position in commercial banks. A few academics and legal practitioners with LC expertise also participated in the study. Originality/value: It provides cutting-edge solutions to effectively handle LC fraud risk and provides proactive measures to prevent it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As businesses keep investing substantial resources in developing business analytics (BA) capabilities, it is unclear how the performance improvement transpires as BA affects performance in many different ways. This paper aims to analyze how BA capabilities affect firms' agility through resources like information quality and innovative capacity considering industry dynamism and the resulting impact on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach: This paper tested the research hypothesis using primary data collected from 192 companies operating in Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicate that BA capabilities improve business resources like information quality and innovative capacity, which, in turn, significantly impact a firm's agility. This paper also found out that industry dynamism moderates the firms' agility and, ultimately, firms' performance. Practical implications: The contribution of this work provides insight regarding the role of business analytics capabilities in increasing organizational agility and performance under the moderating effects of industry dynamism. Originality/value: The present research is to the best of the authors' knowledge among the first studies considering a firm's agility to explore the impact of BA on a firm's performance in a dynamic environment. While previous researchers discussed resources like information quality and innovative capability, current research theoretically argues that these items are a leveraging point in a BA context to increase firm agility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost a million Rohingya refugees remain trapped in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, more than six years after being driven from Myanmar. The stated policy of the international community remains voluntary repatriation. This paper lays out our argument that the narrative of repatriation is a myth, not a genuine possibility any time in the next decade or more. Our central argument is that full repatriation of the whole refugee population is completely impossible regardless of outcome of the civil war in Myanmar, probably ever, and even repatriation of a sizeable minority is speculative, reliant on either the Arakan Army winning clear territorial control or a democratic government coming to power that gains clear control over the military. Even in these best-case scenarios, we argue that the demographic pressure of some 1.2 million Rohingya potentially returning to Rakhine State would be so destabilising as to make it an impossibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cybercrime is a growing concern in Bangladesh, and this paper will critically analyze the nature and extent of cybercrime in Bangladesh and its impact on individuals, businesses, and the economy as a whole. The research will begin by exploring the various types of cybercrime prevalent in Bangladesh and the methods cybercriminals use to carry out these crimes. It will then examine the reasons behind the increase in cybercrime in Bangladesh, including factors such as inadequate cyber-security measures, low awareness among the public, and the widespread use of digital technology. Moreover, the research question for this paper is: What are the main causes of the growing cybercrime problem in Bangladesh, and what can be done to mitigate its impact? Finally, this paper also discusses the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in tackling cybercrime and the measures that can be taken to address this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the indispensable role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in cultivating, applying, and conserving Indigenous knowledge within rural Bangladesh. It scrutinizes how NGOs sustain Indigenous knowledge by focusing on pivotal sectors like agriculture, local medicine, and disaster management. Employing qualitative methodologies--such as ethnographic interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and case studies--the research was conducted in the Gabura union, Bangladesh, using primary and secondary data sources. The literature review underscores the significance of Indigenous knowledge in agriculture and disaster management while identifying gaps in comprehending knowledge conservation dynamics and the NGO's impact on Indigenous knowledge. It highlights how locals employ Indigenous Knowledge to combat natural disasters, particularly in agriculture, healthcare, and disaster management. Furthermore, it explores NGOs' active roles in preserving and leveraging Indigenous Knowledge, emphasizing its integration with modern scientific knowledge and significance in rural life. The study delves into Gabura residents' strategies for cyclone resilience, such as seeking refuge on embankments, relocating to higher ground, and preserving seeds and dry food. It emphasizes NGOs like BARCIK and their initiatives--Paramela and Kaviraj Mela--along with resource person engagement and safeguarding local knowledge endangered by globalization. BARCIK's training in disaster management, advocacy for traditional agricultural methods, and promotion of indigenous remedies in healthcare are highlighted. Ultimately, the paper underscores NGOs' significant contributions to fostering and applying Indigenous knowledge for sustainable rural development. It emphasizes the institutional processes in defining knowledge and the NGO's role in its reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice has a high water requirement, but water use efficiency (WUE) in rice has always been low, and the status of rice WUE and the factors influencing it in various countries around the world is currently unclear. Therefore, this paper collected 56 articles from 2000 to 2022, through which WUE data from different countries and different provinces in China were collated, and the effects of various water‐saving irrigation technologies on WUE of rice and irrigation water use were analysed using the method of Meta‐analysis. The results of this paper show that rice WUE is low in most countries, with the lowest WUE of 0.28 kg/m3 in Thailand and the highest WUE of 1.25 kg/m3 in Bangladesh among the countries included in this study, and flood irrigation is used in most countries. Compared to flood irrigation, all water‐saving irrigation involved can increase rice WUE and reduce irrigation water input, alternate wet and dry irrigation (W1), and controlled irrigation (W2) were able to increase the WUE of rice by 49.86%, 84.74%, and reduce the irrigation water input by 36.55%, 39.55% respectively. Among the six types of water‐saving irrigation input, dry cultivation (W3) had the most significant effect on increasing WUE and reducing irrigation water, reaching 2.02 times and 67.53%, respectively. Based on the annual rainfall (R) and the application of water‐saving irrigation in Asia, sub‐regionally applicable water‐saving irrigation technologies are recommended. W3 is recommended when R <200 mm, W2 is recommended when 200 mm < R < 800 mm, and W1/W2/shallow alternate wet and dry irrigation (W5) is recommended when R >800 mm. According to the data collected in this paper, W1, W2, W3, and W5 can save 3.40 × 1011 m3, 3.78 × 1011 m3, 2.52 × 108 m3, 2.22 × 1011 m3 of irrigation water, respectively. Based on the calculations in this paper, different water‐saving irrigation techniques can save 3.50 × 1011 m3 of water in Asia according to the recommendations. To promote water‐saving irrigation technology, countries need to formulate policies to ensure the development of water‐saving irrigation technology, raise farmers' awareness of water conservation, and provide training and financial support. Promoting the use of different water‐saving irrigation technologies for different regions can significantly reduce irrigation water and increase the WUE of rice, which is important in addressing the challenges of global water scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of English literature in fostering essential soft skills necessary for employability in the context of Bangladesh's educational system. This paper employs qualitative methods, including interviews with faculty members and senior students from tertiary-level colleges affiliated with the National University. The thematic analysis reveals that English literature contributes significantly to the development of communication, interpersonal, self-management, collaboration, emotional intelligence, time management, problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, leadership, and creativity skills among students. The findings underscore the importance of integrating diverse pedagogical approaches, such as constructivist teaching, literature circles, and experiential learning, to effectively nurture these skills. The study recommends prioritizing soft skills training within the curriculum to enhance graduates' employability in the face of evolving job market demands, particularly amidst the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper analyzes and compares segments disclosure practices of listed companies of Pakistan and Bangladesh under International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 8 with companies from India under Accounting Standard 17 over three-year period from 2013 to 2015. Furthermore, the purpose of this paper was to investigate that how the selection of chief operating decision-maker (CODM) by management, industry type, governance and firm characteristics affects segments disclosure practices in South East Asia. Finally, how the relationship among segment disclosure, firm characteristics and corporate governance is moderated through the big 4 audit firm. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve these objectives, data were collected from annual reports of the top 100 companies of each country and selected based on market capitalization for three years period 2013–2015. Findings: Results state that majority of companies in South East Asia are using business class for defining operating/primary segments. Regarding reporting of operating/primary segments and geographic/secondary segments along with geographic fineness score, Indian companies are continuously on the lower side as compared to companies from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Furthermore, it was found that industry type and selection of CODM have a highly significant effect on segments disclosure practices. Finally, results of regression analysis found that the application of IFRS 8 in Pakistan and Bangladesh has a significant positive effect on disclosure of operating/primary as well as geographic/secondary segments as compared to India. Further, the role of corporate governance mechanism in influencing segments disclosure was found as least in South East Asia. Further appointment of big 4 audit firm as external auditor has only significant positive effect on disclosure of segments items. Finally, based on additional analysis, it was found that big 4 auditor moderates the relationship only in the case of reporting of operating/primary segments. Research limitations/implications: Based on these results, the performance of Indian companies regarding disclosure of operating/primary segments, geographic/secondary segments along geographic fineness score is quite low despite the fastest growing economy in the world. This raises concerns about the quality of segment reporting in India, the world's fastest expanding economy. Originality/value: These results imply that there is a need of an effective role by the external auditor to improve the quality of segment reporting in developing countries, which is principle based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The shipbreaking sector in Bangladesh has spurred extensive academic and policy debates on relations between shipbreaking industries, environmental degradation and the health security of their workers. As shipbreaking is an economically significant industry in Bangladesh, it needs to implement both domestic and global mechanisms for environmental conservation and the protection of the labourers' health from environmental risks. The purpose of this paper is to primarily explore the environmental and health security issues in shipbreaking activities in Bangladesh. It also identifies the challenges in implementing the rules and regulations for protecting the health of the workers at shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh and preserving the marine environment. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative paper based on secondary materials, including journal articles, books and national and international reports. It critically reviews the existing literature, rules, regulations and policing on shipbreaking with a particular focus on the environment and health security of the workers. Findings: This paper finds that the implementation of the rules and regulations in shipbreaking in Bangladesh is complicated because of weak implementation mechanisms, political and economic interests of the yard owners, lack of coordination among different agencies, lack of adequate training and awareness among the workers and workers' poor economic condition, which contribute to the degradation of marine and local environments and trigger health hazards among the workers. Therefore, degrading the environment and undermining occupational health and safety regulations have become regular; thus, accidental death and injury to the workers are common in this sector. Originality/value: This paper is an important study on the issues of workers' health and safety and environmental hazards in the shipyard. It reports how the health security of the workers in shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh is vulnerable, and environmental rules are challenged. Finally, this paper frames some policy implications to safeguard the workers' health rights and the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Central Tibeto-Burman (also known as Kuki-Chin) forms a group of fifty languages spoken in the border area of Bangladesh, India and Burma. Due to their geographic distribution, speakers of South Central (SC) languages are in close contact with the superstrate languages, Bangla, Hindi and Burmese. The inevitable consequence of this longstanding contact on lesser-known languages of this region is understudied, especially structural diffusions. This paper presents a detailed discussion on relative-correlative (RC-CRC) construction in Hyow, a Southeastern SC language spoken by approximately four thousand people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, where they are in close contact with Bangla and Marma (a dialect of Burmese). This empirical study demonstrates how RC-CRC construction in Hyow is structurally and distributionally similar to those in IA languages, taking a critical look at the existing literature on IA languages and using data therein for a comparative study. In doing so, this paper provides examples from Bangla, Hindi and Sanskrit, and refutes some of the observations made in previous scholarly works. This paper also explores how they might have developed in Hyow, which otherwise uses a nominalization as native strategy for forming relative clauses. Even though most part of this paper discusses the RC-CRC constructions in Hyow as a consequence of language contact, this paper presents new insights on RC-CRC constructions in Bangla as well comparing to other IA languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data scarcity and discontinuity are common occurrences in the healthcare and epidemiological dataset and often is needed to form an educative decision and forecast the upcoming scenario. Often to avoid these problems, these data are processed as monthly/yearly aggregate where the prevalent forecasting tools like Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA), and TBATS often fail to provide satisfactory results. Artificial data synthesis methods have been proven to be a powerful tool for tackling these challenges. The paper aims to propose a novel algorithm named Stochastic Bayesian Downscaling (SBD) algorithm based on the Bayesian approach that can regenerate downscaled time series of varying time lengths from aggregated data, preserving most of the statistical characteristics and the aggregated sum of the original data. The paper presents two epidemiological time series case studies of Bangladesh (Dengue, Covid-19) to showcase the workflow of the algorithm. The case studies illustrate that the synthesized data agrees with the original data regarding its statistical properties, trend, seasonality, and residuals. In the case of forecasting performance, using the last 12 years data of Dengue infection data in Bangladesh, we were able to decrease error terms up to 72.76% using synthetic data over actual aggregated data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh faces a significant challenge with limited export diversification, as ready-made garments constitute approximately 85% of its exports. This paper presents a review of academic literature to understand the underlying reasons for this heavy reliance on a narrow range of export products and the obstacles in diversifying export earnings. It explores the relationship between economic development and export diversification, highlighting the role of economic complexity, human capital, and policy decisions in shaping Bangladesh's export patterns. The findings suggest that export diversification in Bangladesh is hindered by a focus on intensive margins, low economic complexity, and an export model that does not encourage industrial upgrading. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of primary education in promoting export diversification and the need for an industrial structure that fosters skill development and economic complexity enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically discusses the importance of cooperative environmental governance (CEG) for efficient waste management and waste-to-energy (WtE) generation in the context of growing urban South Asia. Focusing on Bangladesh, India and Pakistan experiences, the paper reveals that even though much progress has been done in the urbanisation in the selected countries, the process of waste management (mainly municipal solid waste) has not been effective due to low level of local inclusion. As a result, the WtE generation potential has not been realised to its fullest. In addition, it has been argued that institutional and social reforms are extremely important for strengthening the CEG, and it will eventually lead to effective and optimal WtE generation in the urban cities of the selected South Asian countries for green transition and urban sustainability. Finally, an integrated solid waste management framework has been formulated for policy implications in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate how politically based trade union power can determine the fate of a regulatory body's organizational reform and undermine public accountability in a purportedly democratic developing country (DC). A large regulatory organization in Bangladesh was examined as a case study to uncover how political actors and power were embedded in a World Bank (WB)‐led organizational reform designed to contribute to public accountability and democracy. Interviews and media (newspaper) were utilized to identify the contestation of powers at macro‐ and micro‐levels. The explanation of reform implementation was informed by New Institutional Theory and its derived concept of institutional logics. Finding that political recruitment of the organization's senior executives made it susceptible to the pressures of political agents, the study reveals how politically supported union actions interrupted a WB‐led organizational reform that was seeking to secure democracy and public accountability. It finds that the pre‐existing institutional arrangements resurfaced over time as the political agents secured more power to restore past practices that adversely impacted public accountability. The lack (absence) of accountability in a so‐called democratic regime facilitated political interference with the regulatory governance and reforms that undermined organizational accountability to external stakeholders. The case‐study organization's institutional environment, agents, and interests were unique situational conditioners that nonetheless may be relevant to other similar public accountability organizations in DCs. The findings of the paper have important implications for policymakers who design, implement, and evaluate public accountability reforms in DCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media is the principal channel of communication that structures people's consciousness. Such influence of media is often constructed through particular framing which reaches powerful organizations and encourages them to work on different social issues like child abuse. The present study is designed to assess the trend of episodic and thematic media framing on child-abusing news and its relation with the adaptation of The Children Act along with UNICEF's reporting principles. With media framing theory this paper executed a quantitative study through content analysis. A total of 1091 news articles were studied from two broadsheets and one tabloid newspaper within a timeline of one year. Results revealed that episodic news has a higher tendency of violating reporting principles than thematic. Incidents of sexual abuse received most of the coverage in Bangladeshi newspapers where girls were found most likely to be the victims of misrepresentation. Finally, the tabloid newspaper was found guiltier of unethical reporting than the broadsheets which established a significant connection between the tendency of principles violation and newspaper type. The paper recommended policymakers, child welfare institutes, and mass media promote children's rights to decrease the rate of abuse cases in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Languages are at the centre of nationalistic discourses across South Asia since they have played a historically and politically significant role in defining nationhood and both uniting and dividing countries throughout the British Empire. Despite multilingualism and multiculturalism, and vast differences in individual access to, and command of, mother tongue, national and official languages, paradoxically a collective language is always considered as an important imagined marker of 'national' identity. It is this latter point I explore by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork amongst Bangladeshi youths from indigenous ethnic communities who are designated as ethnic minority groups in Bangladesh. Positioning the paper at the nexus of multilingual ecology, I thereby investigate how youths from the indigenous ethnic communities perceive themselves with reference to their mother tongue, national language, and foreign language, and what impact their relationships, their preferences, and use have on the maintenance and sustainability of their mother tongue in the multilingual ecology. A qualitative content analysis of the data demonstrates that it is only by taking the varying potential scopes of language into account that we can fully appreciate these complex Asian multilingual ecologies, where the mother tongues, indigenous ethnic languages, national languages, and English have specific historical, political, and sociocultural significances. The discursive claims of Bangladeshi ethnic youth participants indicate that the presence of the 'mother-tongue' and 'national language' in these contexts is ideologically infused, layered, value-laden, relational, and paradoxical at the microlevel – as these languages are practiced and nurtured by the linguistically minoritized subjects themselves. They negotiate their relationship with these languages, strictly keeping in consideration the existence of other languages and their social, cultural, economic significance in the multilingual ecology. It is via the paradoxical role of these languages in contexts that the paper aims to identify the socio-psychological reasons behind language loss in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a qualitative evaluation of Caritas' Essence of Learning programme, which provides educational and psychosocial support to children in exceptional living situations. We analyse approaches to community and teacher engagement for: (1) a pilot programme in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and (2) an established, government-partnered programme serving Roma children in Satu Mare, Romania. The results indicate that ongoing community engagement is a necessary condition. Moreover, local ownership and continuous staff mentorship are key to programme quality. The paper discusses practical approaches to community engagement and how findings can be applied to emergency education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In recent years, Islamic banking (IB) has received a lot of scholarly interest, as seen by the substantial increase in publications on the subject worldwide. The increasing rate of publications on IB indicates that this subject has attracted a substantial amount of scholarly attention. It has also been a prioritized topic for many banking and financial scholars in Bangladesh. This paper aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to assess the research on IB in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach: The method used in this study is a bibliometric analysis of the sample literature collected in January 2022 from the SCOPUS database. The sample size of the study is 120 articles published between 1999 and 2021 which meet the specific selection criteria. To analyze the data, software such as Rstudio (Rshiny), Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer have been used. The analyses were performed in three broad categories: overall performance indicators, citation analysis and cross-dimensional keyword analysis, followed by a brief content analysis that identifies research streams. Findings: This paper shows a notable increase in the number of publications between 2012 and 2021 with Alam M.K. being the highest contributor to this momentum publishing 12 articles. The findings also highlight the most contributing countries, organizations, publications, articles, sources and subjects. Out of 120 articles, this study has identified 14 research streams that have already been investigated by previous authors. The research streams include the growth of IB in Bangladesh; corporate social responsibility; Islamic human resource management; comparative study; customer satisfaction; development issues; efficiency of Islamic banks; green banking; Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited; IB industry; Islamic finance; Islamic microfinance; Shariah governance; and theoretical aspects of IB in Bangladesh. This study further identified future research agenda with specific research questions. Research limitations/implications: This research is limited to journal articles published in English in Scopus-indexed publications. Further research could include various databases, such as the Web of Science, and increase studied units. While this study focused only on bibliometric analysis and research streams, future studies may center on the systematic review of articles published on specific topics. Originality/value: Although IB is a rising sector in the financial system of Bangladesh, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first bibliometric analysis of IB in Bangladesh. The 14 research streams identified in this study also uniquely provide 10 future research agendas with 39 specific research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is nearly equal number of male and female student enrollments in primary and secondary level of education in Bangladesh, but at the tertiary level and at the job sector, a sharp drop in the number of women is observed. This paper explores the current status of female students' enrollment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the tertiary education system in Bangladesh. It is followed by explorations of challenges women face in technical workplace. Quantitative data for the paper come from more than 1.18 million students at tertiary level from eight public and private universities for three academic years from 2018 to 2020. In addition, a qualitative study was conducted with 48 participants in pre- and during COVID-19 eras to understand barriers hampering women in STEM-related education and jobs. The paper provides a guideline for future policies to ensure inclusive space for growth and retention for women in STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper adopts an ecological approach to describe the opportunities offered by school landscape for children's curricular learning. The approach is based on Gibson's concept of affordances which refers to the opportunities offered by an environment to its users. The research conducted in school grounds in two different contexts – Scotland and Bangladesh drew on this theory to examine the relationship between the school landscape and children's learning. Case study research included application of observation and behaviour mapping in school grounds, and interviews with participants in both contexts. Opportunities for teaching and learning offered by the school landscape in both cases were later defined as 'cognitive affordances' by the authors. 'The concept of 'cognitive' affordances' had limited attention in the field of landscape research. This paper thus introduces and defines the term to understand and study the potential of outdoor environments for development of children's learning and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms are fertile ground for spreading problematic information. This paper explored Library and Information Science (LIS) students' understanding of problematic information, i.e. misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, fake news, rumor, etc. associated with their ability to categorize these. This paper showed the relation between what students think they know and what they actually know in regard to recognizing mis-dis-mal-information. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among LIS students of all public universities in Bangladesh, and 426 usable responses get backed. For analyzing the data, SPSS was used to carry out the descriptive analysis, Pearson Correlation, and Spearman's Correlation Coefficient. The result showed that students were connected with social media platforms on a daily basis, most preferably with Facebook and YouTube. In terms of sharing or commenting on a post that was not completely accurate, almost half of the respondents are habituated with the aim of doing so. Although the basic familiarity rated by students themselves with the problematic information is nearly satisfactory, the capacity to recognize this information whenever it occurred in hands-on tasks was very low. There is a positive correlation among gender, study level, and frequency of using Internet and social media with familiarity with misinformation, disinformation, fake news, rumor, and malinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 shock resulted in a large number of people becoming newly poor in Bangladesh, for whom recovery was slow and difficult. In response, BRAC implemented a nationwide program – credit, business planning support, and mentoring – targeting the economic recovery of the new poor. This paper estimates its impact using a mixed method and finds that the program had a significant positive effect on employment, income, and assets, indicating a faster economic recovery of program participants. The learnings from this program can have major policy implications for future disaster responses targeting livelihood recovery, specifically during the time-sensitive transitory phase from relief to long-term development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can NGOs implement rights-based gender equality programs when donor focus on the area is shrinking? This paper explores how one development program has made strategic choices incorporating the interests of multiple stakeholders, addressing donor interests while simultaneously addressing the needs of local communities. It examines the evolution of BRAC's Polli Shomaj, a rural women's civil society organisation designed to challenge power structures through collective action in rural Bangladesh. It draws on interviews with program staff and existing program literature to find that over time, BRAC leadership has narrowed its program focus to shed its broad transformative agenda to focus solely on gender equality through a combination of service delivery and rights-based approaches. The paper suggests that while it is possible for NGOs to promote gender equality through a combination of rights-based and service-delivery approaches, greater focus is needed on challenging power structures to bring about lasting structural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the structure of discourse propagated by the traditional religious authorities and its role in creating social exclusion of the Ahmadiyya community in Bangladesh. Utilizing the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method, the study expanded on the relevant literature and purposively reviewed and examined eight videos about Ahmadiyya and anti-Ahmadiyya speeches collected from different YouTube channels. The study also included the discursive analysis of eight in-depth interviews with individuals from the Ahmadiyya community who lived in the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh and were influenced and affected by the dominant discourse. Results revealed that the construction of in-group, defamatory, and derogatory discourses cultivated a culture of social hatred and social ostracism against the Ahmadiyya community and homogeneity within the community. Thereby, the Ahmadiyya community was excluded from social participation, economic facilities, and political protections, though they partially excluded themselves following their cult. Finally, the paper recommends ideology construction, reformation in social relationships disregarding the majority-minority wall, and standard state regulation for cultural development in the behavioral aspects among the people of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine on the ways in which a company's sustainability reporting (SR) differs depending on the types of ownership it has, notably director ownership (DO), institutional ownership (IO), and foreign ownership (FO). This paper uses a sample of 145 firm-year observations from 29 listed banks in the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) of Bangladesh from 2016 to 2020 and regression analysis to test the relationship between different ownership structures and SR. The study also employed the generalized method of moments (GMM) to deal with the endogeneity issue. The findings show that investors have varying perspectives on SR disclosure activity. The findings show that two stockholding patterns, DO and FO, significantly impact SR disclosure in Bangladesh but that there is no significant association between IO and SR disclosure. In constructing SR, this paper depends on only the quantity of disclosure, not the quality, and is solely based on the published annual report. The study findings also provide a comprehensive overview of the SR practice of Bangladeshi banks, which may be helpful to regulators, policymakers, management, creditors, and other stakeholders in making investment and economic decisions. To encourage SR commitment, the government may need to keep an eye on the ownership structure and implement policies that encourage foreign investment. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to look at how ownership structure influence SR practices in the banking industry of Bangladesh over five years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual assault and rape are pervasive across all nations and cultures. This gender-based crime is considered one of the most heinous crimes in Bangladesh. A first information report (FIR) and subsequent investigation by police officers are the first steps in the criminal justice response to rape. Unfortunately, it is frequently difficult for law enforcement officials to conduct an investigation and guarantee justice for the victims. Delays and improper investigations dampen the enthusiasm of rape victims seeking justice. This paper explores the issues and challenges the police officers confront when investigating rape cases. A qualitative research approach has been applied to this study, where a total of 15 police officers participated in in-depth interviews. This paper reveals that problems with existing legal instruments, crime scene management, and evidence collection processes are apparent in rape case investigations. Furthermore, challenges pertaining to medical and forensic examinations, insufficient logistical support, an excessive number of responsibilities, and various internal and external pressures have a detrimental impact on the efficacy of police investigations. Victim and witness non-cooperation, delays in filing cases, practices of filing false rape cases, informal mediation, and out-of-court settlements all reduce the success rate of police investigations and result in low conviction rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the surge in non-performing loans during the financial crisis, management and regulatory agencies are now more concerned about credit defaults. Using a two-step system GMM approach to the bank-level data from 2009 to 2018 in Bangladesh, this paper explores the bank-specific determinants and macroeconomic determinants of the credit risk of commercial banks in Bangladesh. This paper employs two credit risk metrics (i.e., non-performing loans and Z-score) to draw better conclusions. Banks with lower liquidity, high capital, and profit efficiency are more successful in managing credit risk. Increased access to loans, a strong capital base, and efficiency in profitability actually raise the number of prospective borrowers, build public confidence and bank resilience, and enhance the scrutiny and monitoring that reduce the probability of problem loans and variability in earnings. Again, the negative impact of GDP and inflation on credit risk have policy implications for the regulatory authorities in the country (i.e., Bangladesh Bank, Ministry of Finance, and so on). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resettlement to a third country offers a durable solution for refugees who cannot integrate into their asylum or transit countries. While most studies focus on the experiences of refugees after their arrival in resettlement countries or on the political aspects of resettlement, fewer studies explore refugees' perspectives prior to resettlement. This paper examines how Rohingyas in Malaysia view their resettlement opportunities. We collected qualitative micronarratives from 56 adult Rohingyas living in Malaysia between March and September 2019, to explore the complexities of their decision-making processes. The findings indicate that most Rohingyas aspire to resettle in another country to gain legal status or citizenship, providing a better future for their children, including access to education and healthcare. However, preferences among Rohingyas vary: while some are eager to resettle, others express a strong desire to return to their home country in Myanmar. Still, others wish to reunite with family in Myanmar or Bangladesh, and a significant minority are reluctant to resettle in non-Islamic countries, reflecting broader concerns about cultural and religious compatibility. This study highlights the varied resettlement preferences among Rohingyas, underscoring the need for resettlement policies to consider these diverse priorities to enhance the effectiveness of resettlement programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we formulate and analyze a compartmental model of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). We validate our model by calibrating it to the yearly VL incidence data for India and Bangladesh. The proposed model's basic reproduction number ( R 0 ) has been derived and estimated. We have proved the existence of backward bifurcation in our system. The phenomenon of backward bifurcation has public health implications because the classical requirement of R 0 < 1 , while necessary, is no longer sufficient for effective disease control (or elimination). In such a (backward bifurcation) situation, the initial sizes of the model's subpopulations (state variables) would determine the effectiveness of disease control or elimination. As a result, it is the first attempt to represent and study VL disease dynamics using active case detection (ACD) as a control strategy, although a few experimental studies have been conducted to evaluate ACD in disease transmission. We use sensitivity analysis to investigate the effects of the model's controllable parameters for the basic reproduction number. We found that σ 1 , σ 2 , σ 3 (monitoring rate to infected individuals) have negative impacts on R 0 . The numerical result suggests that the ACD strategy can be useful for the VL elimination program. Due to a small increment in the monitoring rate, the dynamic behavior of infected individuals dramatically decreased. Successful employment of ACD strategy may reduce more than 60–80% symptomatic and post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) individuals. We found that healthcare organizations should prioritize ACD in symptomatic and PKDL individuals over asymptomatic individuals. We also observed that the use of only culling effect to the reservoirs is not beneficial to society in the control of VL, but spraying of insecticides and the use of treated bednets can be effective control strategies to curtail the outbreak of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobility is known to impact health and well-being by reducing social contact, activity participation, and changing time use patterns. These unfortunate effects mostly affect specific demographic segments, including older adults, low income families, people who face disabilities, and those living in conflict zones. Emergency measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic mandated or strongly recommended limitations to mobility, thereby causing this condition for segments of the public not usually characterized by high levels of immobility. In the context of the pandemic, reduced mobility was the non-pharmaceutical intervention of choice, and the evidence suggests that it helped to keep incidences of the disease from exploding. On the other hand, there is also a need to understand how mobility restrictions may have had incidental impacts, including to well-being, in population groups that have not been studied from this perspective before. In this spirit, the present paper uses the items of the Satisfaction with Life Scale to investigate how aspects of well-being changed during the pandemic, using a sample of 400 college and university students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Analysis is based on multivariate ordered models and the results suggest that being less mobile, less active, and changes in activity time use due COVID-19 had an impact on the satisfaction with life of students. The detrimental effect was more marked for males and students from low-income households. Additionally, perceptions of residential characteristics and sense of belonging also correlate with satisfaction with life in the period under study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh face strict terms and conditions, high interest rate, and collateral requirements while requesting access to bank finance. This paper investigates the role of banks in promoting micro and small businesses owned by women in Bangladesh in terms of access to bank finance and collateral requirement. Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs were chosen as there are surge in women entrepreneurs in the nation. The study used a close‐ended questionnaire to collect data based on stratified sampling and data health was ensured using the Harman's single factor indicating no presence of common method bias. The sample consists of 60 respondents of pilot study and 150 respondents surveyed by trained enumerators resulting a final sample size of 210. The data were collected based on primary sources from the entire Bangladesh represented by the eight divisions of the country namely Dhaka, Barishal, Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet. The data were analyzed based on the binary logistic regression model using the IBM SPSS Statistics. Empirical results indicate that women entrepreneurs can be granted bank finance only by the private commercial banks without pledging collateralized assets according to the rules of the central bank of Bangladesh provided they offer personal guarantee, social security and group guarantee and if they default on the loans, security will be used for loan repayment, and they will be deprived of further loan facilities. The findings of the study will help add value to the current literatures and the outcomes will be helpful to the concerned parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female labor migration for livelihood is becoming a common phenomenon in migrant-sending countries. Although female workers migrate with a temporary contract for a better livelihood, they are experienced with various exploitations and difficulties while working abroad. Therefore, many female migrants returned to the country from the Middle East, and they faced enormous challenges in reintegration. Thus, this paper critically reviews the role of migration-related NGOs in the reintegration of returned female migrants in Bangladesh. It also explores the critical limitations of the NGO's approach to this reintegration. The paper is qualitative research that includes primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with 27 participants. The paper also employs secondary data from articles, books, and reports of migration-focused NGOs. Based on the findings from data, the paper argues that the migration-focused NGOs in Bangladesh positively impact the reintegration of Bangladeshi returned female migrants by providing economic assistance, social, psychological, and legal support to returned women, entrepreneurship training, social mobilization strategies, and grassroots-level activities. The data also show that the migration-focused NGOs in Bangladesh face challenges in the reintegration of many returned women due to the NGOs' aid dependency, a lack of comprehensive actions, shortage of funds, required resources, lack of coordination, socioeconomic structure, stigma, and religious issues. Finally, the paper includes some policy suggestions that would be helpful for the NGO's approach to reintegrating returned women migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous people worldwide are at increased risk of mental health problems compared with non-Indigenous people. Longstanding impacts of colonisation, systematic exclusion from rights and subsequent discrimination, and lack of access to quality education and healthcare, including mental healthcare, have been identified as contributory factors to these disproportionate mental health problems. With limited access, Indigenous people are less likely to seek healthcare, owing to the insufficient number of healthcare professionals representing Indigenous communities. In the face of growing numbers of mental health problems in Indigenous people in Bangladesh, this paper sheds light on the inadequate number of mental health professionals, particularly from Indigenous communities, and the potential impacts of this on the well-being of Indigenous people, and considers ways to increase representation of Indigenous mental health professionals. The aim is to ensure that the mental health system in Bangladesh is inclusive and embraces the country's diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]