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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.)

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 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]

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]

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]

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]

Urban river restoration efforts are growing worldwide. Along with restoring and conserving rivers, riverside land is slated for public recreation, property development, and infrastructure for adaptation to climate change. Riverine landscapes, embedded in larger watershed ecosystems and claimed by multiple communities, are sites of contested planning in contemporary cities. In this paper, we advance the scholarship on contestation over control and access of urban rivers and floodplains by analyzing the role of river restorative legislation and water-centered planning in managing Turag, an urban river in Bangladesh. While river degradation in urbanizing regions is often ascribed to lack of regulatory controls and enforcement, we argue that restorative legislation and interventions facilitate Turag River's ecocide by processes of territorialization. Territorialization refers to the co-constitutive dynamics of river restorative legislations and interventions as well as planned infrastructure and land use changes, which erase and displace river-based communities with reciprocal relations to the river. Riverine livelihoods and lifemaking, among fishing and farming communities in the case of Turag, are erased from planning and restoration practices, and are consequently expelled from the expanding city. Drawing on qualitative and counter-cartographic investigation of one severely polluted urban river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we show how territorialization materializes through five co-constitutive dynamics involving environmental legislation, encroachment reporting, river demarcation, encroachment evictions, and wetland to land conversions. We draw out critical implications of how river restoration can be just and advance a riverine urbanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Corporate corruption reporting (CCR) is an emerging issue of the corporation for measuring transparency, integrity and accountability to the stakeholders and society. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of CCR and financial management responsibility regarding the issue of corruption control. Design/methodology/approach: To explore the influences of corruption disclosure, this study considers the keywords-based content analysis of the listed financial firms of the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh for 2012–2016. The research considers stakeholders and theoretical legitimacy lens for discussing corporate corruption disclosure. This study identified 143 self-driven keywords by classifying, analyzing and selecting the appropriate large set of keywords from the prior literature. This study examines 247 firm-year observations of all financial firms in Bangladesh using secondary data sources. Findings: The results of the hierarchical regression analysis report that financial firms following Sharia principles have a negative and significant association with CCR, while Big4 has a positive and significant influence. Moreover, the interaction effect of Big4 on the relationship between Sharia principles and CCR is negative and insignificant. The findings reported that Islamic financial firms disclose less corruption information than conventional financial firms in Bangladesh. Practical implications: This study findings are expected to significantly impact corporate management and policymakers of developing and highly corrupted economies to enhance corporate accountability, transparency and reputation. The regulatory body can consider the findings to promulgate anti-corruption reporting rules and regulations. Originality/value: The authors believe the theoretical lens used to support the method and findings of this paper are unique and novel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper intended to evaluate the extent of corporate disclosure compliance and its effect on the financial performance of Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies listed on the DSE during a twelveyear period, from 2007 to 2020. The study explored the affinity between the Corporate Governance Disclosure Index (CGDI) and firm financial performance employing econometric techniques, such as fixed effect and random effect models. The study calculated the disclosure scores as a percentage of a given firm's overall score to the probable score it could achieve. The CGDI of the sample companies showed a positive and substantial effect on company performance as an accounting measure ROA and an insignificant effect as a market measure Tobin’s Q. The study also revealed that sample firms followed the BSEC guidelines partially. These findings have implications for companies that fail to comply with the full disclosure principle, which holds that a company must disclose all material information in its financial statements in order to touch the reader's comprehension of those statements. In addition, these results imply that the code of CG requires a thorough examination to make essential modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial development of a country plays a vital role in its overall progress and is closely tied to its capacity of electricity generation. However, the scarcity of natural resources and increasing costs of fuel in global markets pose significant challenges for developing countries like Bangladesh in managing the rising expenses of electricity generation. Consequently, the government of Bangladesh is exploring alternative energy resources such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, biomass, and biogas to supplement fossil fuels and optimize electricity generation cost. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current status of natural resources, including gas, coal, and oil, which are conventionally used for electricity generation in Bangladesh. It highlights concerns about dwindling resource availability and their impact on the country's energy landscape. Through numerical analysis, it demonstrates the detrimental effects of relying heavily on gas‐based power plants, leading to electricity supply instability. To address the ongoing energy crisis, the paper proposes the adoption of renewable energy sources as a viable solution. Additionally, it also acknowledges the challenges associated with implementing large‐scale renewable projects in distinct areas of the country, such as limited infrastructure, technical constraints, and the need for significant investment. Overcoming these barriers is crucial for achieving widespread utilization of renewable resources. This paper concludes by offering recommendations to overcome these challenges and maximize the contributions of renewable energy in meeting future energy demands. The suggestions include developing robust infrastructure, implementing policy reforms to attract investment, emphasizing research and development, and promoting community engagement in renewable energy initiatives. It also highlights the potential of renewable energy resources in shaping a more secure and sustainable energy future for Bangladesh, emphasizing the importance of electricity generation for socio‐economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn August 2017, over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to escape the Myanmar Army’s persecution and are now living in camps. Among them, about 200,000 are adolescent girls. This paper examines the impact of forced displacement, gender, age, and camp environment in shaping Rohingya adolescent girls’ realities in camps. It combines intersectional and phenomenological perspectives to understand the girls’ camp-life experiences from their viewpoints. The paper argues that Rohingya adolescent girls’ life in camps offers them a complex set of experiences of loss, unsafeness, uncertainty, and acceptance, representing their deepening vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of the community of inquiry framework on enhancing English as a foreign language proficiency in a blended learning context in Bangladesh. The primary aims are to examine how integrating teaching, social, and cognitive presences improves EFL speaking skills and to identify teachers' perspectives and recommendations on implementing blended learning and community of inquiry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a qualitative case study approach with ten teachers from a private university after a two-day professional development workshop and a subsequent four-week application of CoI principles in their classes. The findings reveal a positive influence on students' speaking skills, notably boosting motivation, confidence, and peer collaboration. However, challenges like better teacher training in technology and pedagogy and insufficient institutional support for online resources were identified. Despite these obstacles, the study emphasizes how the community of inquiry can revolutionize Bangladeshi education by promoting the idea that English should be viewed as a communication tool outside of the classroom. The paper concludes with recommendations for effective community of inquiry and blended learning implementation, stressing the importance of comprehensive training and institutional backing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines which institutions, ideas, and interests have shaped the position of Bangladesh in creating the norms of the United Nations (UN)'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Bangladesh's contribution to the SDGs norms creation process is examined in two distinct stages: drafting a position paper (June 2012–June 2013) and participating in UN Open Working Group (OWG) negotiations (March 2013–July 2014). Findings reveal how a small cohort of policy entrepreneurs played a key role in both stages. They gave prominence to ideas such as poverty alleviation, global inequality, and migrants' rights in structuring the SDGs agenda. In the final round of OWG negotiations, Bangladeshi delegates calculated that active participation in the norms creation process would best serve the interests of the Global South by challenging the Global North which wanted to impose its interests. This paper offers an important insight into the norms literature by showing convergence and divergence of interests and agendas of global and local actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, conservation of resource theory and job demands-resources model, this paper aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership on psychological empowerment and employee engagement of faculty members in Bangladesh and Thailand. This study also integrates Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory to justify whether transformational leadership could affect psychological empowerment of faculty members in these two countries differently. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from a total of 457 faculty members from two universities in Bangladesh (n = 243) and two universities in Thailand (n = 241). This study used partial least squares structural equation modeling for analyzing the proposed model. Findings: The evidence shows that faculty members who worked for department heads and who exhibited transformational leadership demonstrated high level of psychological empowerment and employee engagement. Psychological empowerment also mediates the effect of transformational leadership on employee engagement. Moreover, the degree to which transformational leadership positively affects psychological empowerment is stronger for faculty members in a higher power distance culture (Thailand) than for those faculty members in a lower power distance culture (Bangladesh). Practical implications: Because human capital plays a crucial role in determining the potential of universities to achieve superior performance, universities should provide leadership training to help department heads understand the key elements of transformational leadership and apply them in their management practices to promote empowerment and engagement of their faculty members. Originality/value: The finding provides new evidence that broadens the knowledge from existing research about the cross-cultural effectiveness of transformational leadership, which has not been explored in the area of psychological empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this research was to identify misinformation and other related online falsehoods i.e. dis-malinformation, fake news, rumor spreading in social media in Bangladesh associated with their threat and impact on human lives. Using a qualitative approach, the author randomly selected around 26 cases that happened in Bangladesh over the last 15 years. Both primary and secondary information resources (online and print newspapers, news archives, websites, blogs, TV channels, various social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc.; a series of conversations with journalists) were considered to collect the cases that were spreading as misinformation. The cases were then categorized into various aspects such as political, health, religious, social, crime, and entertainment. A number of research papers were browsed in Google, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar, and the newspaper was also scanned to find out the associated effects of each case on our society. Findings showed in Bangladesh, the adverse ramifications of such misinformation were in religious and political aspects resulting social insecurity to loss of life also. Moreover, health misinformation has led people to decline health measures and practice unproven treatments which would be a great threat to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate why multi-tier apparel suppliers integrate social sustainability practices into their supply chains and what barriers these suppliers encounter while embedding social sustainability practices. Design/methodology/approach: This study employs a qualitative research design, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 46 owners and managers from 33 multi-tier apparel suppliers in Bangladesh, an important outsourcing hub for the global apparel industry. To corroborate research findings, the views of owners and managers were triangulated by further interviewing 11 key representatives of institutional actors such as third-party auditors, a donor agency, industry associations, regulatory agencies and a non-governmental organisation (NGO). Findings: The authors' findings suggest a range of divergent institutional drivers and barriers – coercive, mimetic and normative – that determine the implementation of multi-tier suppliers' social sustainability practices. The key reported drivers were buyers' requirements, external stakeholders' expectations, top management commitment and competition. Conversely, cost and resource concerns and gaps in the regulatory framework were identified as key social sustainability implementation barriers. In particular, owners and managers of second-tier and third-tier supplier firms experienced more internal barriers such as cost and resource concerns than external barriers such as gaps in values, learning and commitment (i.e. compromise for mutual benefit and non-disclosure of non-compliance) that impeded effective social sustainability implementation. Research limitations/implications: Social sustainability in supply chain management has received significant attention from academics, business practitioners, governments, NGOs and supranational organisations. However, limited attention has been paid to investigating the drivers and barriers for social sustainability implementation from a developing country's multi-tier supplier perspective. The authors' research has addressed this knowledge gap. Practical implications: The evidence from the authors' study provides robust support for key assumptions of institutional theory and has useful implications for both managers and policy-makers. Originality/value: The authors' study contributes to the embryonic research stream of socially sustainable multi-tier supply chain management by connecting it to the application of institutional theory in a challenging institutional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been marked differences between many urban youths and the older generation in practising Islam in Bangladesh. In the contemporary expression of Islam, many urban youths in Bangladesh adopt an approach where they are inclined to explain various Islamic discourses in a modernistic way through adopting an Islamic code of life. Simultaneously negating the traditional idea of the incompatibility of Islam with modernity is also an essential phenomenon in this discourse. 'Self-conscious sense of collective identity' and the concept of belonging to a global Islamic community is motivating many of these contemporary urban youths in Bangladesh to search for the 'pure' form of Islamic practices. These new manifestations eventually affect their urban social sphere while they either reject many traditional Islamic norms or adopt 'more authentic' Islamic norms. Thus, this qualitative paper argues that the expression of Islam among many urban youths has to be seen as an adaptive strategy in an ongoing struggle to make sense of Islamic life in a more complex, modern and Westernised world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees often face structural inequities, a disproportionate share of environmental challenges, and receive inadequate risk information. In most cases, the host country, United Nations, and other humanitarian organizations provide critical weather and climate information and disaster risk management support. This is equally true for the Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh, who fled their home country Myanmar as a response to political violence. To provide critical humanitarian services to the Rohingya population, the in‐country United Nations agencies formed the Inter‐Sector Coordination Group (ISCG). This paper investigates the effectiveness of the ISCG's strategies for communicating monsoon risks in the Rohingya context. Particularly, it measures ISCG communication effectiveness by both the increased formalization of ISCG communication and the number of Rohingya refugees affected during the monsoon seasons in the years 2021–2022. The paper highlights the importance of the ISCG's existence in this humanitarian context as an effective coordinating institution. The ISCG provides impoartant environmental risk information to partner organizations that benefit the Rohingya's overall physical well‐being. Even though the geographical focus of this paper is on the Rohingya populations in Cox's Bazar, the discussions and findings have important policy implications in other parts of the world facing similar social, environmental, political, and humanitarian challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in the response to human displacement yet face competing pressures. One ongoing site of displacement is among the 1.1 million Rohingya persons living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. NGOs are party to the ongoing humanitarian response yet operate under competing demands by multiple stakeholders. To what extent do NGOs meet the various expectations among different groups of Rohingya refugee beneficiary stakeholders? We used UNHCR survey data from 31 refugee sites in Cox's Bazar to empirically examine the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic indicators with satisfaction levels of service provision. We find that female refugees and head of household disability (difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, remembering, or communicating) are indicators that present the most significant differences; NGO responses more often overlook the priority needs of females and persons with disabilities when compared to other refugees, a response gap that reduces their satisfaction and potentially heightens these groups' vulnerabilities. Although UNHCR and NGOs face pressures from competing demands within beneficiary populations, they also have opportunities to develop refugee-centered policies and practices that are more responsive to vulnerable groups. Overall, this paper adds dimension to understanding of various refugee stakeholder perspectives within a camp setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural differences represent significant trade barriers between transitional economies and their trading partners, which has been overlooked in recent studies. This paper investigates the effect of cultural distance (CD) on bilateral trade from Bangladesh. We conceptualize a research model by employing the extended gravity model as a theoretical base, where we amplify the theory by proposing that linguistic distance (LD) as a part of cultural distance has a profound effect on bilateral trade based on bilateral trade data from 1995 to 2019 and Hofstede's culture indices between Bangladesh and 157 trading partner countries. Using a pseudo‐poisson maximum likelihood model, we find that cultural distance has a significant and negative impact on Bangladesh's trade, with a significance level of 1%. Our empirical results indicate that one unit increase in cultural distance decreases trade by 40.84% and cultural distance has a greater impact on Bangladesh's exports than on its imports. Findings also reveal that the effect is substantial with high‐income nations than with low‐income nations, and for manufacturing products than primary products trade. Further, this study suggests that in addition to cultural distance (CD), linguistic distance (LD) from trading partners has a tantamount effect on bilateral trade, which is significant at 1%. Theoretically, this study suggests that linguistic distance (LD) should be added on gravity model for analyzing effects of cultural distance on bilateral and multilateral trade. Practically, this study contributes by providing valuable insights to policymakers to pay attention to cultural differences, especially during these economic transition periods to increase bilateral trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engaging in 'reflexive practice' throughout the research process (Benson and O'Reilly, 2022) and a 'reflexivity of discomfort' (Hamdan, 2009) through an intersectional lens, this article presents a reflective account of accessing and conducting observations and interviews at a South Asian women's organisation, in North England, to explore Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim (PBM) lone motherhood. It critically explores how researchers' own subjectivities and intersecting identities – in this case, my intersecting identities and positionalities as a young British Pakistani Muslim women, researcher and volunteer – impact interactions in different circumstances with different groups of participants and the importance of having continuous critical self-awareness. Moving beyond simplistic insider–outsider debates, the paper contributes towards further developing reflexivity debates taking an 'intersectional reflexivity' approach. It argues for thinking about the research process and engagements in the field as socially constructed, changing, adapting and negotiated overtime and to utilise intersectionality to unpick broader categories. Finally, it encourages researchers to adopt reflexivity in their research practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of university teachers regarding plagiarism in Bangladesh. An online questionnaire consisted of 20 knowledge questions, 23 attitude items, and 18 practice questions was created using Google Forms. The link to the questionnaire was sent via email to university teachers. The total correct answers for knowledge and practice questions, and the total attitude score were converted to percentile scores and categorized accordingly as poor (< mean – 1 SD), average (mean ± 1 SD), and good (> mean + 1 SD). Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare the total knowledge, attitude and practice scores based on demographic and academic variables. Multiple linear regressions were used to identify the association between knowledge, attitude and practice scores, and other covariates. The findings revealed an average level of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding plagiarism among the majority of university teachers. The knowledge, attitude and practice scores were significantly higher for teachers who attended academic writing workshops compared to those who did not attend such events. Demographic and academic variables did not impact knowledge and attitude scores. However, the number of papers published in the last two years and their indexing in Web of Science (WoS) or Scopus significantly impacted attitude and knowledge scores. The multiple regression analyses showed that the practice score was significantly associated with age, highest education, and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Haors in Bangladesh are saucer-shaped, low-lying land depressions that form deep basins; they remain submerged for approximately half of the year, typically from June onwards. This fragile ecosystem spans over 2.0 million hectares in the northeastern region of the country, accounting for roughly 14% of the total areas, where approximately 19.4 million people reside. Factors including floods, flash floods, and low winter temperatures constrain agricultural productivity in the haor areas. It is a great challenge to change the haor areas from less productive to more productive land. This is a comprehensive analysis of the biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics of haors which also highlights the constraints and opportunities in agricultural production. It explores strategies for significantly increasing crop, livestock, and fish production within the haor ecosystem, in alignment with government policies. Some of the proposed agricultural development strategies for the haor areas include the development of short-duration, cold-tolerant crop varieties, such as Boro rice, utilizing relatively flood-free elevated lands and homesteads for vegetable production and promoting agricultural mechanization, livestock rearing, fisheries, and agribusiness development. The recommendations presented in this paper focus on enhancing crop yields, increasing cropping intensity, and boosting livestock and fish production; ultimately, they contribute to food security, poverty reduction, and improved livelihoods for the inhabitants of the haor areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islamic source of human rights is one of the most basic sources. Throughout the paper researchers tried to focus on the basic aspects of human rights along with the three generation rights. Islam has fairly mentioned about Human Rights that, Islam is interrelated with humanity through Islamic Sharia. Universal Declaration of Human Rights has a great significance in recent times because it is the first document of human rights together. Right to life, right to freedom, right to justice, equality of human beings has been interpreted with the law of human rights. Human rights have also been resembled with Bangladesh legal system and it includes the law of crimes, Code of Civil Procedure, Code of Criminal Procedure and Constitutional law as well. Without the law of human rights it might not be possible to protect our human dignity and human life as well. The researchers also tried to explore the parallels between Islamic principles and Bangladesh's legislative framework regarding human rights, and to provide actionable recommendations for policymakers to integrate these principles effectively into policy-making processes, ensuring a harmonious alignment between religious values and legal norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidents due to defective railway lines and derailments are common disasters that are observed frequently in Southeast Asian countries. It is imperative to run proper diagnosis over the detection of such faults to prevent such accidents. However, manual detection of such faults periodically can be both time-consuming and costly. In this paper, we have proposed a Deep Learning (DL)-based algorithm for automatic fault detection in railway tracks, which we termed an Ensembled Convolutional Autoencoder ResNet-based Recurrent Neural Network (ECARRNet). We compared its output with existing DL techniques in the form of several pre-trained DL models to investigate railway tracks and determine whether they are defective or not while considering commonly prevalent faults such as—defects in rails and fasteners. Moreover, we manually collected the images from different railway tracks situated in Bangladesh and made our dataset. After comparing our proposed model with the existing models, we found that our proposed architecture has produced the highest accuracy among all the previously existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) architecture, with an accuracy of 93.28% on the full dataset. Additionally, we split our dataset into two parts having two different types of faults, which are fasteners and rails. We ran the models on those two separate datasets, obtaining accuracies of 98.59% and 92.06% on rail and fastener, respectively. Model explainability techniques like Grad-CAM and LIME were used to validate the result of the models, where our proposed model ECARRNet was seen to correctly classify and detect the regions of faulty railways effectively compared to the previously existing transfer learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]