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The global financial landscape has undergone unprecedented transformations in recent decades, characterized by increased complexity, volatility, and interconnectivity. In this dynamic environment, the ability to anticipate stock market trends has become a paramount concern for investors, financial analysts, and policymakers alike. This research aims to distil insights and contribute to advanced predictive models for the dynamic global financial landscape. The exploration encompasses diverse approaches, including artificial neural networks, convolutional neural networks, LSTM, and traditional machine learning algorithms. Emphasis is placed on data pre-processing, numerical analyses, and the efficacy of LSTM models. The significance of this research lies in its synthesis of existing knowledge, offering a holistic view of methodologies and outcomes in Share Market Prediction. The model signifies a foundation for further innovation in predictive modeling, addressing real-time data challenges and dynamic market conditions. This work advances the understanding and forecasting of stock market trends.

Menopause is the end of the menstrual cycle in a woman’s life. At menopause, a series of physiological changes occur in women’s bodies and hormonal changes are the main cause of these changes. Several metabolic changes occur in the body at that particular period, and the constellation of these changes is referred to as metabolic syndrome. Postmenopausal women have higher chances of developing these metabolic syndromes such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), hypertension, diabetes, and changes in the lipid profile mostly due to changes in the level of estrogen. Thus, having an overview of common metabolic disorders, their detection, and their management can improve the overall quality of life and decrease the mortality rate in the postmenopausal group. This review has discussed the commonly occurring metabolic disorders at menopause and how these disorders can be managed and treated.

Sir, Dyslipidemia is one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) diseases. As per the current consensus, we assess lipid-derived risk by looking at traditional lipid parameters. We consider low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) as a primary therapeutic target. However, many recent studies have claimed apolipoprotein B and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) are more accurate in this regard. In India, raised triglyceride levels are a unique and important feature of dyslipidemia. In the presence of high triglycerides, LDLc gets oxidized and becomes a small dense form that is considered more atherogenic than large buyont LDL particles. Hence, in this subset of patients, LDL particle number and size would be more accurate measures of lipid parameters. To explore this aspect, we wrote this short communication to you. Lipoproteins (Lps) are the major contributor to atheromatous plaque formation. Among atherogenic Lps, LDLc has long been considered a major Lp and thus it became a major therapeutic target in all lipid-lowering therapies. Atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD) risk is linearly associated with LDLc level. It has been demonstrated that each mmoL/lit decrease in LDLc level is associated with a 20–25% reduction in the risk of major ASCVD events. We have been assessing lipid-derived ASCVD risk by looking at traditional lipid parameters for the last few decades. However, traditional lipid parameters do not reflect the entire atherogenic Lps in the plasma such as Lp(a), and apolipoprotein-B. It has been found in several recent studies that a subset of patients, even with optimal LDLc levels they continue to get ASCVD events and atherosclerosis process progression. This phenomenon has been termed as “residual lipid risk” which cannot be identified by measuring LDLc level alone. Residual lipid risk is the difference between the estimated LDLc value and the actual quantity of circulating atherogenic Lp particles. Non-HDLc comprises cholesterol carried by all potential atherogenesis Lps including LDLc, VLDL, Lp(a), and remnant Lps. Apolipoprotien-B represents the total number of atherogenic Lps in the plasma as each Lp particle contains one molecule of apolipoprotein-B. LDLc represents the total cholesterol concentration of LDL, IDL, and Lp(a). However, LDLc level does not reflect the LDL particle number and size.6 For example, at the same level of LDLc people with small-sized LDL particles will have more number of LDLc particles than people with large-sized LDL particles. As it takes more small-sized LDL to traffic a given mass of cholesterol molecules per liter/deciliter. We know small dense LDL is more atherogenic than large buoynt LDL particles and more easily infiltrate into the arterial intima. In most circumstances, apolipoprotein-B and non-HDLc are highly correlated with each other but not identical as apolipoprotein-B and non-HDLc in addition to LDLc they also include triglyceride-rich Lps. Lp(a) is included in all three measurements. Among statin-treated patients, more pronounced discordance exists between these parameters as statin lowers LDLc more effectively than the other two parameters.10 Hence, it is important to identify this concordance and discordance pattern, particularly in statin-treated patients, otherwise they might have discordantly high apolipoprotein -B levels and they remain at higher risk for ASCVD events despite attainment of optimal LDLc. If we are able to identify that subset of patients, we can take appropriate steps such as statin intensification, the addition of nonstatin therapy, or more aggressive procedures such as lipid apheresis. To date, very small number of studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between these lipid parameters in statin-treated patients. One study was done by Qu et al., they observed LDLc to be discordant with apolipoprotein-B in 31% of cases and with non-HDLc in 20.1% of cases in their study cohort. They also reported the brachial artery pulse wave velocity which is considered a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, was greater in those with higher apolipoprotein-B or non-HDLc levels. In the adjusted logistic regression model, low LDLc and high apolipoprotein-B or non-HDLc discordance were associated with a risk of arterial stiffness (OR: 13.41). Hence these discordant groups of patients need to be identified to take necessary steps to reduce the residual risk of CV events. Johannesen et al., did concordance discordance analysis and they concluded that statin-treated patients, with elevated apolipoprotein -B and non-HDLc, but not LDLc, are associated with residual risk of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction. It has been observed that the amount of cholesterol within Lp particles is very substantial. The analysis of the INTERHEART study demonstrated that when apolipoprotein in B level is higher than non-HDLc level that is when cholesterol-depleted apolipoprotein-B particles are present, CV risk is increased, whereas when non-HDLc level is higher than apolipoprotein-B level that means when cholesterol-enriched apolipoprotein-B particles are present, CV risk is less than the reference concordant group. When the mass of cholesterol per apolipoprotein-B particle is normal, all three measures are concordant. However, when a mass of cholesterol within apolipoprotein-B particles is either greater or lesser, LDLc and non-HDLc are discordant. In both circumstances, the number of apolipoprotein-B particles is not accurately represented by measures of the mass of cholesterol within them. Hence, probably Lp particle number, and size are more critical determinants of CV risk than the mass of cholesterol within them.

Biochemical anomalies impairing the body’s normal metabolism are referred to as inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). Early diagnosis and management can avert the otherwise harmful situation that may occur due to inborn errors. Generally, their incidence can vary from one case in every 800 to 2500 cases. Thus, understanding the genetic defects behind the clinical presentation of the disease and their early management and treatment is the need of the hour. This review article gives an overall knowledge of the types of IEM, its pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of the disease.

Background and aims: There is limited information on the chemical nature of the edible fruits of the mangrove Sonneratia apetala, which is utilized in traditional medicine in coastal areas. The goal of the current research was to identify the biologically active substances behind their therapeutic effects, particularly blood sugar regulation. Methods: To determine the chemical fingerprint of S. apetala fruit extract, reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling were used. The antioxidant properties were thoroughly examined. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes were also used to evaluate the impact of S. apetala fruit extract on the regulatory mechanism for the metabolism of carbohydrates. Results: S. apetala fruit extract showed high concentrations of phenolics, flavonoids, and water-soluble vitamins (C, B2, B5, and B6). Quercetin, catechin, rutin, myricetin, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, gallic acid, sinapic acid, and ascorbic acid were among the recognized therapeutically active substances found in RP-HPLC. The presence of β-amyrin and lupeol in S. apetala fruit extract was determined by the GC-MS profile. The carbohydrate-slitting enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosidase were also strongly inhibited by S. apetala fruit extract. Conclusion: The fruit of S. apetala contains therapeutically useful polyphenolics, triterpenoids, phytosterols, and vitamins. It can lower blood sugar absorption by blocking enzymes that break down carbohydrates and has potent antioxidant qualities.

The COVID-19 patients experienced acute respiratory distress during their SARS-CoV-2 infections. The present observational study was undertaken to find out the possible association between vitamin D and COVID-19 clinical severity in a tertiary care hospital from November 2021 to February 2022. Patients admitted to the hospital’s Critical Care Unit (CCU) with SARS-CoV-2 illness were selected for blood vitamin D estimations. Patients’ conditions were evaluated clinically and correlated with serum vitamin D levels. Out of a total of 97 COVID-19 patients selected, 64.9% were male. Clinically, 41.3% of patients had a severe COVID-19 infection, compared to a moderate infection incidence of 58.7%. Among them, 19.6% and 42.2% were found to be vitamin D deficient and vitamin D insufficient, respectively. Serum vitamin D was significantly (p

Abstract Background BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), the largest NGO globally, implemented a community-based comprehensive social behavior communication intervention to increase community resilience through prevention, protection, and care for COVID-19. We conducted implementation research to assess fidelity and explore the barriers and facilitators of this intervention implementation. Methods We adopted a concurrent mixed-method triangulation design. We interviewed 666 members of 60 Community Corona Protection Committees (CCPCs) and 80 members of 60 Community Support Teams (CSTs) through multi-stage cluster sampling using a structured questionnaire. The qualitative components relied on 54 key informant interviews with BRAC implementers and government providers. Results The knowledge about wearing mask, keeping social distance, washing hands and COVID-19 symptoms were high (on average more than 70%) among CCPC and CST members. While 422 (63.4%) CCPC members reported they ‘always’ wear a mask while going out, 69 (86.3%) CST members reported the same practice. Only 247 (37.1%) CCPC members distributed masks, and 229 (34.4%) donated soap to the underprivileged population during the last two weeks preceding the survey. The key facilitators included influential community members in the CCPC, greater acceptability of the front-line health workers, free-of-cost materials, and telemedicine services. The important barriers identified were insufficient training, irregular participation of the CCPC members, favouritism of CCPC members in distributing essential COVID-19 preventive materials, disruption in supply and shortage of the COVID-19 preventative materials, improper use of handwashing station, the non-compliant attitude of the community people, challenges to ensure home quarantine, challenges regarding telemedicine with network interruptions, lack of coordination among stakeholders, the short duration of the project. Conclusions Engaging the community in combination with health services through a Government-NGO partnership is a sustainable strategy for implementing the COVID-19 prevention program. Engaging the community should be promoted as an integral component of any public health intervention for sustainability. Engagement structures should incorporate a systems perspective to facilitate the relationships, ensure the quality of the delivery program, and be mindful of the heterogeneity of different community members concerning capacity building. Finally, reaching out to the underprivileged through community engagement is also an effective mechanism to progress through universal health coverage.

Background: As childhood tuberculosis is difficult to identify and diagnose, the experiences of the caregivers and healthcare providers of childhood tuberculosis patients remain a potential area of study. This study aims to illustrate the challenges caregivers and healthcare providers encounter in identifying and diagnosing childhood tuberculosis in two sub-districts of Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight caregivers of childhood tuberculosis patients and key informant interviews with 36 healthcare providers from September 2020 to December 2020 from different levels of the tuberculosis control program in Keraniganj (with high childhood tuberculosis cases notification), Faridpur Sadar (with low childhood tuberculosis cases notification), and Dhaka city. Results: There is a dearth of understanding among caregivers about childhood tuberculosis. Passive case finding process and focus on cough during community mobilisation contribute to the delay in childhood tuberculosis identification. The stigmatisation that caregivers anticipate and experience has an impact on their mental health and implies that there are misunderstandings about tuberculosis in the community. Furthermore, diagnostic dilemma among healthcare providers accounts for diagnosis delays. Some, but not all, institutions in different geographical locations provide free diagnostic tests and have GeneXpert devices. Conclusions: Various factors, including caregivers' knowledge and experience, the process of case finding and community mobilization, healthcare providers' way of service provision and diagnosis, and the unavailability of required logistics at facilities challenge the identification and diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis that need to be minimized for childhood tuberculosis's early identification, diagnosis, treatment initiation, and successful completion of treatment. Awareness should also be raised in the community of childhood tuberculosis.

Summary: Background: With an impressive track record in expanding childhood immunization and an inclination to adopt digitalization in healthcare service delivery, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Bangladesh piloted the e-Tracker intervention in Moulvibazar district and Dhaka South City Corporation (Zone-5) from 2019 till the end of 2021. Methods: We retrieved and analyzed the digitalized e-Tracker data of 114,194 infants born between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020, with help from Health Management Information System (HMIS) and UNICEF Bangladesh. Childhood vaccination coverage and dropout rates were determined using a 'Traditional approach' traditionally used by WHO and a 'Conditional technique' with a modified denominator. Using a multiple logistic regression model, we examined the effects of COVID-19, birth-cohorts, mother education, and location on vaccination rates (coverages & dropouts) to aid with informed decision-making by the policymakers. Findings: The conditional estimation method yielded a lower full vaccination coverage during pre-COVID period than the national and global reported coverage derived using the ‘traditional method’ (73.4% vs. 89.0% & 81.0%). As expected, while the coverage has decreased, the dropout rate increased “during-COVID” compared to the “pre-COVID” period. However, dropouts were estimated lower in the ‘conditional method.’ The average age (in months) for getting BCG was higher in Moulvibazar (∼2.5 months) than that in Dhaka (∼1.4 months). All birth-cohorts from ‘the during-COVID period had about 30% lower odds of getting fully vaccinated than those from the ‘pre-COVID’ period. Interpretations: Age-cohort-specific analysis showed a decline in coverage rates before and during COVID, but e-Tracker didn't have enough data to draw additional conclusions. The server only stored the child's gender, the caregiver’s monthly salary, and the mother's education. It didn't track any other factors related to dropout rates. The e-Tracker is an excellent tool for measuring real coverage and should be scaled nationwide. Funding: UNICEF, Bangladesh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down economic growth and disrupted labor markets throughout the world, including Bangladesh. A significant proportion of people lost income sources in the formal and informal sectors, triggering them to return to villages, and the transition introduces us to the new phenomenon known as “reverse migration”. This study explores and synthesizes the COVID-19 induced changing patterns of migration and returnees' coping strategies based on their level of preparedness as well as resource mobilization. A mixed-method research approach was applied to conduct the research. The study area was Rangpur (Pirganj, Taraganj, and Kaunia). For collecting primary data, semi-structured survey questionnaires were used and conducted 84 field survey data, 12 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), 6 In-Depth Interviews (IDIs), 2 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and participant observations. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software were used to present the findings of this study. The findings of the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic fueled informal job holders’ returning to their homeland due to a low level of preparedness and mobilized resources. The study found that most respondents were in severe level unemployment. As a result, a lack of physical assets, they could not start new income-generating ventures and encountered food insecurity due to unexpected price hikes. The alarming result indicates that internal reverse migration is gendered, and the adverse impact is more prevalent among female migrants rather than male migrants. Along with the governmental organizations, the highlights of this study would be essential for non-governmental organizations and development practitioners.

Background: Insulin resistance is a major cause for developing type 2 diabetes. However, simultaneously pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction must coexist in for clinical occurrence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Hence, knowledge regarding residual beta-cell function and degree of insulin resistance is required while treating type 2 diabetic patients. Aims and Objectives: The present study was done to estimate degree of insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance - HOMA-IR) and pancreatic beta-cell functional capacity (HOMA-B%) among newly detected type 2 diabetics and correlation of these with anthropometric, glucose, and lipid parameters. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in 100 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. Detailed anthropometric and clinical examination were carried out. Venous blood samples were drawn for fasting plasma glucose, c-peptide, fasting insulin level, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), lipid profile, and postprandial glucose. HOMA-IR and HOMA-B% were calculated using HOMA 2 calculator and correlations were calculated between the study variables. Results: The mean age of the study population was 45.55±11.64 years and 58% of study participants were male. The mean HOMA-IR and HOMA-B% were 2.55±1.75 and 40.67±23.55%, respectively. HOMA-IR positively correlated with abdominal circumference, triglyceride to HDLc ratio, and negatively correlated with HDLc. There were statistically significant negative correlations between HOMA-B% and fasting glucose(r=−0.48, P

Abstract Background Delays in seeking timely maternity care from health care professionals are crucial to address among the Rohingya population where many preventable pregnancy-related deaths occur within the camps when care is not sought. To address the challenges related to the referral of emergency and routine Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) cases, United Nations Population Fund, through its partners, implemented a community-based referral transportation project called Referral hub. This paper presents the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of this referral transportation system from the perspectives of the beneficiaries and providers. Methods The research adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey among 100 women while the qualitative phase comprised of in-depth interviews with a total of 12 mothers who used the services and key informant interviews with 21 providers. Results The barriers identified for referral hub are discordant understanding of emergency, strict gender norms and practices, distrust in providers, poor roads and mobile phone networks. The facilitators are partnership with the community, within and other organizations. Conclusion The study observed that the referral hub has a high potential to increase the utilization of SRHR services. Despite the barriers, the facilitating factors show a scope of improvement for these services.

Capparis decidua belongs to family Capparidaceae in wastelands of India. The study aim was to determine the role of C. decidua fruits on the free fatty acids (FFA) profile in fat-rich diet (FRD) dyslipidemic rats. The methanolic extract of edible fruit of C. decidua (CD) was given orally to obese dyslipidemic rats at the dose of 125 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg for consecutive 28 days. CD treatment in FRD rats significantly restricts the body weight gains. Blood lipid profile was altered dose dependently and significantly after 4-week treatment with CD to FRD. rats. It significantly (p

Background: Insulin resistance is a major cause for developing type 2 diabetes but is not synonymous with the type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic beta cell dysfunction probably needs to be sets in for clinical occurrence of type 2 diabetes. So knowledge regarding residual beta cell function and degree of insulin resistance is essential. Aims and Objectives: The objectives are as follows: (1) To estimate degree of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and pancreatic beta cell functional capacity (HOMA-B %) among newly detected Type 2 diabetics and (2) to identify different clinical phenotypic presentations of type 2 diabetes on the basis of these parameters. Materials and Methods: This present study was conducted in newly diagnosed type 2 diabeticpatients. After obtaining informed consent, anthropometric and clinical examination was carried out in all patients. Venous blood samples were drawn for fasting plasma glucose,c-peptide,fasting insulin level,HbA1c,lipid profile, etc.HOMA-IR and HOMA-B% were calculated with HOMA 2 calculator. Results: A total 100 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients were studied. About 71% pt of study population had HOMA-B% value below 50% and half of study population had significant amount of insulin resistance. Three distinct clinical phenotypes had identified. Insulin resistance predominant group (30%), beta cell dysfunction predominant group (45%), and both abnormalities coexist group (25%). Conclusion: By the time of diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, more than two-third study population had

Abstract Background Slash and burn cultivators are a significant risk group for malaria in South-East Asia. As envisaged in the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination, Bangladesh aims to achieve zero indigenous malaria transmission by 2030. For the national plan to move from malaria control to malaria elimination, targeting the population of slash and burn cultivators is of overriding importance. Methods The study used an explorative mixed method design to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding malaria prevention and treatment in an endemic area of Bangladesh. Adult slash and burn cultivators in two sub-districts of the Rangamati District were selected and interviewed. Four focus group discussions were conducted, and this was followed by a cross-sectional quantitative survey with 200 participants. Results The respondents’ general knowledge about malaria transmission and modes of prevention and treatment was good. However, there were some gaps regarding knowledge about specific aspects of malaria transmission and in particular about the increased risk associated with their occupation. Despite a much-reduced incidence of malaria in the study area, the respondents perceived the disease as life-threatening and knew that it needs rapid attention from a health worker. Moreover, the specific services offered by the local community health workers for malaria diagnosis and treatment were highly appreciated. Finally, the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITN) was considered as important and this intervention was uniformly stated as the main malaria prevention method. Conclusions The findings from this study on promising KAP characteristics in the slash and burn cultivator population are reassuring that the goal of malaria elimination by the year 2030 can be achieved in Bangladesh.

Since 2008, Bangladesh has had a school-based deworming programme to combat soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection among school-aged children (SACs). Existing programmes have trouble reaching SACs, especially those out-of-school (OSCs). This study evaluated deworming coverage among school going children (SGCs) and OSCs in two Nilphamari sub-districts. It also evaluated community knowledge on STH control and deworming coverage in both areas for all SACs. Saidpur (intervention) and Kishoregonj (control) sub-districts, in Nilphamari, were surveyed in December 2019. The survey included SACs and their parents. Among SGCs, the intervention group (89.0%) had higher deworming coverage than the control group (75.5%). In the intervention group, 59.9% of OSCs received the deworming tablet versus 24.6% in the control group. Community involvement activities including door-to-door visits, courtyard gatherings, and miking benefited both SACs and their primary caregivers. SACs living in the intervention region, awareness of the last pill distribution date, and caregivers observing BRAC workers in action, were linked to SAC deworming coverage. Re-strategizing the deworming programme to include the OSCs is vital and suggests timely action. Building community awareness and periodic epidemiological assessment can further facilitate an improved drug intake.

Driven by the proliferation of DC energy sources and DC end-use devices (e.g., photovoltaics, battery storage, solid-state lighting, and consumer electronics), DC power distribution in buildings has recently emerged as a path to improved efficiency, resilience, and cost savings in the transitioning building sector. Despite these important benefits, there are several technological and market barriers impeding the development of DC distribution, which have kept this technology at the demonstration phase. This paper identifies specific end-use cases for which DC distribution in buildings is viable today. We evaluate their technology and market readiness, as well as their efficiency, cost, and resiliency benefits while addressing implementation barriers. The paper starts with a technology review, followed by a comprehensive market assessment, in which we analyze DC distribution field deployments and their end-use characteristics. We also conduct a survey of DC power and building professionals through on-site visits and phone interviews and summarize lessons learned and recommendations. In addition, the paper includes a novel efficiency analysis, in which we quantify energy savings from DC distribution for different end-use categories. Based on our findings, we present specific adoption pathways for DC in buildings that can be implemented today, and for each pathway we identify challenges and offer recommendations for the research and building community.

Building-level electrical distribution systems comprise a myriad of current-carrying equipment, conversion devices, and protection devices that deliver power from the utility or local distributed energy resources to end-use building loads. Electric power has traditionally been generated, transmitted, and distributed in alternating current (AC). However, the last decade has seen a significant increase in the integration of native direct current (DC) equipment that has elevated the importance of DC distribution systems. Numerous studies have comparatively examined the performance of various electrical distribution systems in buildings but have failed to achieve uniform conclusions, primarily because of a lack of consistent and analogous performance evaluation methods. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing a standard set of metrics and measurement boundaries to consistently evaluate the performance of AC, DC, or hybrid AC/DC electrical distribution systems. The efficacy of the proposed approach is evaluated on a representative medium-sized commercial office building model with AC distribution and an equivalent hybrid AC/DC and DC distribution model, wherein the AC distribution model is concluded to be the most efficient. The simulation results show variation in computed metrics with different selected boundaries that verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach in ensuring consistent computation of the performance of building-level electrical distribution systems. This paper provides an initial set of guidelines for building energy system stakeholders to adopt appropriate solutions, thus leading to more efficient energy systems.

Detrimental effects exerted by biomass-based traditional cookstoves on health, environment, hygiene, and the soaring price of gas makes it imperative to investigate the feasibility of electric cooking as a promising clean cooking fuel in the context of Bangladesh. However, the adoption of electric cooking is unlikely to be welcomed if the monthly cost of electricity consumed by the electric cooking appliances is not comparable to traditional cooking fuels. So far, no study has been reported in this respect. Therefore, this paper is aimed to assess the energy consumption of available electric cooking appliances for cooking typical Bangladeshi dishes. Estimated monthly electricity cost of electric cooking is also reported and then compared to that of traditional cooking fuels. For the study purpose, three respondent families were provided with a rice cooker, hot plate, induction cooker and electric pressure cooker for cooking their daily meals. After four months of use, data related to dish cooked, amount of food, cooking time, and energy consumption were collected which shows that hot plate and rice cooker were the least preferred appliances due to their poor workmanship and limited use respectively. On the contrary, despite the fact that electric pressure cookers cannot perform all types of frying, it was the most preferred appliance owing to its ability to significantly reduce the cooking time and its less energy consumption. Induction cooker was less preferred for the additional requirement of compatible cook pots. The study also reveals that monthly energy requirements for electric cooking varied from 72–87 kWh corresponding to a cooking electricity bill ranging from BDT 504–609 per month (USD 6–7.5) which is less expensive as compared with biomass and LPG based cooking. This paper also highlights the prospects and challenges associated with the adoption of electricity as the primary cooking fuel in Bangladesh.

BackgroundThe health status of Rohingya refugees or Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), especially women and children, is a significant challenge for humanitarian workers in Bangladesh. Though the Government of Bangladesh, in partnership with other organizations, is offering health care services to FDMNs, a comprehensive understanding of the program implementation is required for continuation in the future. This study explores the challenges and potential solutions for effective implementation of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) programs for FDMNs residing in camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study conducted in Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh, which involved 34 interviews (15 key informant interviews and 19 in-depth interviews) with relevant persons working in organizations responsible for MNCH services to FDMNs. We relied on both inductive and deductive coding and applied the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a guide to our thematic analysis and presentation of qualitative data.ResultsOur study identified some key challenges hindering the effective implementation of MNCH service delivery for the FDMNs. High turnover and poor retention of staff, overlapping of service, weak referral mechanism, complex health information system, and lack of security of the front line health providers were some of the key challenges identified. Motivating the health workers, task shifting, capacity building on emergency obstetric care, training CHW & TBA on danger signs, and ensuring the security of the workers are the potential solutions suggested by the respondents. Selecting a few indicators and the introduction of E-tracker can harmonize the health information system.ConclusionProviding healthcare in an emergency setting has several associated challenges. Considering the CFIR as the base for identifying different challenges and their potential solutions at a different level of the program can prove to be an excellent asset for the program implementers in designing their plans. Two additional domains, context, and security should be included in the CFIR framework for any humanitarian settings.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230732.].

Digital and intelligent buildings are critical to realizing efficient building energy operations and a smart grid. With the increasing digitalization of processes throughout the life cycle of buildings, data exchanged between stakeholders and between building systems have grown significantly. However, a lack of semantic interoperability between data in different systems is still prevalent and hinders the development of energy-oriented applications that can be reused across buildings, limiting the scalability of innovative solutions. Addressing this challenge, our review paper systematically reviews metadata schemas and ontologies that are at the foundation of semantic interoperability necessary to move toward improved building energy operations. The review finds 40 schemas that span different phases of the building life cycle, most of which cover commercial building operations and, in particular, control and monitoring systems. The paper’s deeper review and analysis of five popular schemas identify several gaps in their ability to fully facilitate the work of a building modeler attempting to support three use cases: energy audits, automated fault detection and diagnosis, and optimal control. Our findings demonstrate that building modelers focused on energy use cases will find it difficult, labor intensive, and costly to create, sustain, and use semantic models with existing ontologies. This underscores the significant work still to be done to enable interoperable, usable, and maintainable building models. We make three recommendations for future work by the building modeling and energy communities: a centralized repository with a search engine for relevant schemas, the development of more use cases, and better harmonization and standardization of schemas in collaboration with industry to facilitate their adoption by stakeholders addressing varied energy-focused use cases.

Diabetes among tuberculosis patients increases the risk of tuberculosis treatment failure, death, and development of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Yet, there is no data is available in Bangladesh on the prevalence of diabetes among tuberculosis patients. The objective of the current study was to estimate prevalence and identify factors associated with tuberculosis-diabetes co-morbidity among TB patients enrolled in the Directly Observed Treatment, Short course program.A community based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among 1910 tuberculosis patients living in six urban and eleven rural areas among whom Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (those who fasted) and Random Blood Sugar test (those who did not fast) were performed. Besides glucose levels, data on socio-demographic information, family history of diabetes and anthropometric measurements (height and weight) were also collected.Among the 1910 TB patients who participated in screening for diabetes, 245 (12.8%) were found to have diabetes and 296 (15.5%) to have pre-diabetes. Out of those who had diabetes, 34.7% were newly diagnosed through the current study and 65.3% already knew their status. Among those who were found to have prediabetes, 27 (9.1%) had impaired Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), 230 (77.7%) had Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), and 39 (13.2%) had both Impaired FBG and IGT. Older age, higher BMI, higher education (secondary level and above), being married, participation in less active work, and family history of diabetes are associated with higher prevalence of diabetes.We observed a higher prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in TB patients than reported previously in Bangladesh among the general population which may challenge TB and diabetes control in Bangladesh. Diabetes diagnosis, treatment and care should be integrated in the National TB Program.

Cultural Geomorphology attempts to find the relationships between cultural elements and geomorphological features of a region. Such studies have proven invaluable to understanding the interactions between culture and geomorphology and have formed an important part of the epistemology of nature-society studies. Using concepts of Cultural Geomorphology, the current study argues for the need to develop a Cultural Geomorphology of hazards. The study shows that such a work will be invaluable in preserving the knowledge of cultural heritage sites that are at risk of being permanently lost because of the changing landscape brought about by natural hazards or climate change related events.