Application In Bangladesh Research Articles

Development of a Quality Assurance Assessment Tool to meet accreditation standards for midwifery education: A Delphi study

BackgroundEnsuring the quality of midwifery education is critical for producing a qualified and competent midwifery workforce for sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn care services. While global standards advocate for quality enhancement and accreditation systems, challenges persist, particularly in low-income countries like Bangladesh. AimTo validate and culturally adapt a Quality Assurance Assessment tool aligned with global midwifery education standards for application in Bangladesh. The goal of the tool is to guide and assess an internal quality education assurance process tailored to meet the national accreditation standards. MethodsA modified Delphi technique was conducted with a panel of 55 experts, including educators, principals, and researchers from Bangladesh, India, and Sweden. The study underwent three rounds: tool development, field testing, and consensus building. ResultsThe first round was completed by 25 workshop panel members, the second was completed by 30 participants during field testing, and the third was completed by the 25 workshop panel members from the first round. The developed Quality Assurance Assessment Tool demonstrated face and content validity through expert consultation and field testing, aligning with both global education and national accreditation standards. Minor revisions enhanced clarity and feasibility. ConclusionThe Delphi rounds resulted in a validated Quality Assurance Assessment Tool that offers a robust framework for assessing and enhancing midwifery education quality, aiding progress towards meeting national accreditation standards. This study provides a valuable resource for countries seeking to develop similar tools aligned with global and national education priorities.

Isolation, Molecular Characterization, Optimization and Purification of Amylase Enzyme from Locally Isolated Bacillus Species in Different Regions of Munshiganj, Bangladesh

Amylase is a kind of enzyme that facilitates the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body. This enzyme has many applications in different industries. Generally, in pharmaceutical sector it is used for the treatment of pancreatic disorder, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and as a digestive aid. In this study, the bacterial strain was isolated from soil samples collected from potato dumpsites in different areas of Munshiganj, Bangladesh. After subculturing on the nutrient agar plate, 31 colonies were obtained, of which 9 isolates were found as amylase producer on starch agar medium. Of these, 2 isolates (MC-04 and MC-15) were selected based on the starch hydrolysis clear zone ratio. The isolate MC-04 showed crude enzyme activity of 2.82 IU/ml and specific enzyme activity of 3.42 IU/mg, and isolate MC-15 showed crude enzyme activity of 3.16 IU/ml and specific enzyme activity of 3.77 IU/mg. The best isolate, MC-15, was then identified by morphology, biochemical and molecular characterization and confirmed by 16S-rRNA gene sequencing. After 16S-rRNA sequencing, the isolate (MC-15) was identified as Bacillus subtilis. This amylase production of this strain had also been optimized under certain conditions such as different incubation periods, pH, temperatures and different carbon sources. We found that the best incubation period was 48 h, the optimum pH-7.0, the optimum temperature at 40°C and 2% starch was considered as the best source of carbon. Finally, the crude amylase enzyme was purified by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, dialysis, and single-step gel filtration chromatography. The enzymatic activity of the purified amylase was found to be 8.91 IU/ml, that was 2.82-fold greater enzymatic activity than the raw enzyme. The experiments confirmed that Bacillus subtilis may be a good source of amylase enzyme for industrial application in Bangladesh. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 22(2): 147-154, 2023 (December)

Socioeconomic and Demographic Determinants of Using Modern Reversible and Permanent Contraceptive for Limiting Family Size in Bangladesh

Birth control, often known as contraception, is the deliberate reduction of the number of live births by the use of techniques that temporarily or permanently prevent conception by disrupting the ovulatory, fertilization, and implantation phases of a woman's reproductive cycle. Countries with rapid population growth are more likely to have a high prevalence rate of contraceptives. For the sake of policy application in Bangladesh, knowledge of the socioeconomic and demographic variables that affect contraceptive prevalence is also valuable. For this purpose the study extracted data set form the Bangladesh national representative survey BDHS 2017-18. The study employed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify the important determinants of using modern contraceptive method. Educated women were more likely to use modern reversible method (OR: .147-1.773) and less likely to use permanent contraception (OR: 0.574-0.831) for limiting family size than illiterate women in Bangladesh. Moreover, women from higher age group were using more likely permanent and traditional contraception than women from lower age group. The other identified determinants of using modern method are husbands’ education, working status of women, age at first marriage, place of residence, division, socioeconomic status, parity, mass media, and religion of women. Findings of this research provide evidence-based guidance for developing a pragmatic strategy to improve modern contraception usage among low socioeconomic status, older age group, and rural women in Bangladesh.

Enhancing bovine tuberculosis screening at Dhaka city in Bangladesh: Integrating gamma interferon blood test as ancillary testing with tuberculin skin test

Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the standard method for screening of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). However, gamma interferon blood test has been introduced in the bTB control program as an ancillary testing with TST in many countries of the world. The objective of this study was to recommend this screening test as an ancillary testing with TST for field application in Bangladesh. In this study 577 cattle of different age, sex and breeds from twenty nine (29) cattle herds were examined to determine skin response against bTB through single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SICTT) that comprised of positive (n = 81), inconclusive (n = 44) and negative (n = 452) animals. Of which 74 animals that included positive (n = 63), inconclusive (n = 8) and negative (n = 3) animals were taken under this study. Blood samples were collected in heparinized tube and stimulated overnight with bovine and avian purified protein derivatives (PPDs) for the secretion of gamma interferon, and measured via sandwich ELISA. Cohen’s kappa statistics was performed for the evaluation of agreement between the two tests. The agreement obtained between two tests was fair (Kappa agreement, K = 24.0%, 95% CI = 16.9−30.5%, P = 0.037). Of positive (n = 63), inconclusive (n = 8) and negative (n = 3) status of animals at SICTT, 82.54% (n = 52), 62.50% (n = 5), and 33.33% (n = 1) were found to be bTB positive respectively through this ancillary test. This test notably corroborates to TST result. A considerable number of inconclusive TB status animals were found to be positive through this gamma interferon assay. Therefore, this test could be used as an ancillary test with TST to maximize the proportion of bTB estimation in the infected cattle herd for early detection of zoonotic tuberculosis in Bangladesh before transmission at the animal-human interface.

Lease Certificate (Sukuk) Application in Bangladesh: Analysis From The Perspectıve of Islamic Law

İslâmî bankalar, İslâmî tahviller, İslâmî yatırım fonları, İslâmî sigorta gibi varlıklar açısından İslâmî finans sektörü küresel bir endüstri olarak kabul edilmektedir. 2008'den bu yana küresel finansal kriz tetiklenmiş olsa da bu sektör hem risk paylaşımı hem de kapsayıcılık ve fiilî varlık temelinde küresel olarak büyümektedir. Bangladeş'teki İslâmî bankacılık sektörü de Bangladeş Bankası'nın politik desteği ve güçlü kamu talebi nedeniyle küresel eğilimlere paralel olarak güçlü bir büyümeye tanık olmuştur. Finansman ve yatırım ihtiyaçlarını karşılamayı, kâr ve zararı paylaşmayı içeren yeni bir vizyon getirmek için İslâmî finans, küresel finansal krizden daha az etkilenen bir alternatif olarak görülmeye başlamıştır. İslâmî finansta faiz yasaklanmış, bir kira sertifikası olan sukuk ürünü ise Batı bankacılığındaki tahvile (Bond/bono) mukabil talep edilen bir İslâmî finansal araç olmuştur. Sukuk, kendine has özelliklerinden dolayı birçok ülkede ekonomik koşulların gelişmesi için finansman sağlamak amacıyla kullanılmış ve şu anda dünya çapında en çok konuşulan İslâmî uygulamalardan biri haline gelmiştir. Bangladeş’te de yakın zamanda bu alternatif yatırım aracı kapsamında sukuk ihracına başlanmıştır. İlk olarak 29. Sermaye Piyasası Düzenleme Kurulu 2019 yılında Bangladeş Menkul Kıymetler ve Borsa Komisyonunun (BMKBK ) sukukuna ilişkin bir duyuru yapmıştır. Ardından 2020 yılında hükümet, Maliye Bakanlığı Maliye Departmanından sukuk ihraçları ve yönetimi hakkında bir rehber yayınlamıştır. Ayrıca Bangladeş 23 Aralık 2020'de "Tüm Ülke İçin Güvenli Su Temini" (Safe Water Supply for the Whole Country) adlı bir projeye nakit toplamak amacıyla ilk bağımsız yatırımı olan sukuku çıkarmıştır. Ülkede ilk sukuk ihalesi 28 Aralık 2020'de gerçekleştirilmiş, İslam hukukuna uygun birçok özelliklerinden dolayı tüm İslâm âlimlerinin dikkatini çeken bu müzayedeye konvansiyonel bankalar, İslâmî bankalar ve diğer otuz dokuz finans kuruluşu katılmıştır. Söz konusu gelişmelerin izini süren ve Bangladeş özelinde alanında öncü olan bu araştırma, sukuk kavramını ve türlerini inceleyerek Bangladeş'te sukukun piyasaya çıkışını ele almakta, İslâm âlimleri tarafından sukuk uygulamasına İslâm hukuku perspektifinden yapılan itirazları konu edinmekte ve ülkedeki İslâmî bankacılık yasalarının mevcut durumunu tartışmaya açmayı hedeflemektedir.

Software Engineering Methodology for Smart Healthcare Security and its Application in Bangladesh

Software Engineering Methodology for Smart Healthcare Security and its Application in Bangladesh

Understanding end-users’ perspectives on koha usage in selected university libraries of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Purpose: The research aims to figure out the present state of Koha usage and application in Bangladesh. Methodology: The Survey method was employed with the help of a structured questionnaire. A total of 60 (Sixty) respondents were randomly selected who were getting services through Koha from the libraries. We gathered data from the participants of BRAC University Library; BUET Central Library; Eastern University Library; EWU Library; IUB Library; DIU Library; SAU Library; and Green University of Bangladesh Library. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS (20.0 version) and general statistics. Findings: Findings indicated that most of the respondents (65%) reported Koha was easy to use, while 35% of them had a negative impression. The study explored that users expressed their highest satisfaction level with the statement ‘notifications of new arrival materials (M=3.88), Self-renewal’ (M=3.83), while the lowest M=3.40 with the statement ‘understanding user interface’’ regarding day-to-day usage of Koha. Research limitations: The study covered the perspectives of students as users only for some selected university libraries of Dhaka City. It would be better to include the university libraries of other cities in Bangladesh as well as the perspectives of faculty users. Practical implications: The results will be helpful to the university libraries of Bangladesh which are planning to adopt Koha in near future. Originality/value: This is original research that empirically assesses the use and application of Koha at selected university libraries. Keywords: Koha, university libraries, user's perceptions, Dhaka city, integrated library management system.

Energy, Exergy, Exergoeconomic, and environmental (4E) analyses of thermal power plants for municipal solid waste to energy application in Bangladesh

With a population of 165 million, Bangladesh is undergoing rapid industrialization and urban development, and is well on track to move out from the group of least developed countries by 2024. This results in a significant increase in the urban energy needs and the amount of generated waste. Most of the municipal solid waste in Bangladesh is currently deposited in landfills, thereby contaminating nearby cultivable soils. It is desirable to have a system that recovers energy from the municipal solid waste in order to satisfy the increasing energy needs, while simultaneously addressing the land scarcity and pollution issues. This paper proposes using incineration to recover energy from municipal solid waste to produce electricity in the urban areas of Dhaka and Chattogram. A detailed technical analysis involving energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and emission is presented. The power plants in these two cities show potential capacities of 169 MW and 83 MW respectively, with exergoeconomic factors of 61 %. The results indicate energy and exergy efficiencies of 32 % and 27 %, respectively, and a production cost in the range of 53.9–56.7 USD/MWh which is comparable to the production cost from the current power plants in Bangladesh. The proposed plants also result in a reduction in the greenhouse emissions and exhibit ecological efficiencies of over 87 %.

Developing low-cost methane gas concentration measuring device

In every aspect of Engineering more advanced, efficient and progressive solutions are required. The modern age of science requires innovative minds. The field of environmental engineering is also advancing with modern science and technology innovations. Measuring of methane concentration and flow rate is nothing new, yet a complicated process. The need for more accurate measurement is a necessity in proper operation of bio digesters for methane generation. The traditional process of the measuring methane content in biogas is time consuming yet complicated. The need for development and application of methane measurement techniques is not only limited to biogas but has other monitoring value as well in other health and safety applications in built environments. Winsen Electronics and Hanwei Electronics are two of the leading sensor-manufactures of China who are providing a wide range of gas detecting sensors that are locally available in Bangladesh and yet has not been applied to methane content measurement in biogas operations. In This paper we are reporting on the application of a purpose-built propane, butane detector for methane gas detection within the range of accuracy for it to be applied in methane detection in a biogas stream. This paper, reports on application and calibration of the methane detecting sensor MQ-4 with promising result. Based on the study we postulate that the sensor can be used to detect methane for an on-line monitoring of many environmental, industrial purposes such as bio digesters, integrated waste management facility. The cost of fabrication of the sensor system is only $18 making it a viable sensor with respect to cost for application in Bangladesh.

The Use of Telemedicine in Bangladesh during COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper presents the impact of telemedicine use among patients and healthcare professionals during the epidemic due to COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh. According to our findings, as the coronavirus outbreak quickly surges worldwide, many countries are adapting non-therapeutic preventative measures. Telemedicine is the exchange of medical information from one location to another using electronic communication. Telemedicine refers to the use of information and communication technology to provide healthcare support. During the pandemic, it is safer not to visit a hospital physically for consultation until and unless it is of utmost emergency. In this scenario, Telemedicine plays a vast role in developing both the quality and access to healthcare services during a pandemic. The current (COVID-19) scenario has shown us the significance of using Telehealth to deliver healthcare, especially as a means of decreasing the risk of cross-contamination caused by close contact. Bangladesh, like every other nation, has started using telemedicine as a means of providing digital healthcare services. As the outbreak continues, this paper finds that several telemedicine service providers in Bangladesh have increased their operation for serving the general mass. This paper finds the role of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic as a bridge between providing safe healthcare consultation while keeping social distance as advised. The current situation of COVID-19 in Bangladesh has also been discussed in this paper. Despite some challenges of a telemedicine application in Bangladesh, the role of telemedicine is quite impactful during the pandemic.

Design and Analysis of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Highway Application in Bangladesh

Design and Analysis of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Highway Application in Bangladesh

A multi-criteria decision-making approach for quantification of accessibility to market facilities in rural areas: an application in Bangladesh

The available approaches for measuring accessibility are rigid and complex in nature, and mostly impractical for decision-makers as they require a large number of data, logistics support, and technical knowledge. Therefore, this study seeks to propose a flexible and practical approach for quantifying and ranking the accessibility to market facilities in rural areas. A three-stage multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is proposed to fulfill the objective. The first stage involves the identification of factors that influence the accessibility to rural market facilities. The next stage involves the use of the Constant-Sum Paired-Comparison Method (CSPCM) to determine the priority of each identified factor. The third stage adopts the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to quantify and rank the accessibility to market facilities of rural areas. To illustrate a real-world application, accessibility to market facilities in ten sub-districts of Bangladesh have been quantified and ranked by using this proposed approach. Results of this application support the claim that MCDM approach is a practical, flexible, and reliable approach that would better assist the policy-makers to identify poor accessible rural areas.

Modification of 80-100 penetration grade bitumen

Bangladesh is facing severe problem in using 80-100 penetration grade bitumen for flexible pavement construction due to its high temperature susceptibility, e.g. lower penetration index, insufficient viscosity and lower moisture resistance. To improve these properties bitumen modification is essential. Present work describes the modification of general 80-100 penetration grade bitumen by incorporating natural rubber latex and an organic polymeric additive, polyaniline. Mixing parameters, such as amounts of natural rubber and polyaniline, mixing time and temperature and stirring speed were controlled and investigated carefully. Six bituminous aggregate binders were prepared by varying amounts of natural rubber latex into bitumen by wet process. Physical tests, e.g. penetration, softening point, ductility and viscosity were performed on all samples and compared with unmodified base bitumen. Modified bitumen samples showed better properties compared to ordinary 80-100 penetration grade bitumen. Spectral, thermal and scanning electron microscopic tests were performed on control and bitumen-natural rubber-polyaniline blend samples. Result showed better mixing efficiency of the constituents and thus improved physical, thermal and anti-stripping properties suitable for paving application in Bangladesh and like countries. All findings were discussed in details.
 Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res.54(4), 307-320, 2019

Way of compost application for organic farming

Application of composts is an alternative of synthetic agrochemicals for eco-friendly farming. Work is limited on the effective and economic way of compost application in Bangladesh. A study was done at the Field Science Center, Saga University, Japan with green tea waste – rice bran compost (GRC) application. Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. pervidis) were used as test plants. GRC was applied at 1.0 kg m-2 by mulching on soil after seeding. It enhanced seed germination, seedling growth and improved crop yield of spinach and radish grown in a controlled condition. Among the two application methods, post-sowing mulching (PSM) reduced water loss from upper soil surface, thus enhanced seed germination and better growth compared to pre-sowing incorporation (PSI) system. This study also suggests that improper compost incorporation to soil may impair seed germination, seedling growth and likely crop yield.
 SAARC J. Agri., 17(1): 211-217 (2019)

Cumulative psychosocial risk and early child development: validation and use of the Childhood Psychosocial Adversity Scale in global health research

BackgroundEvidence suggests that cumulative early psychosocial adversity can influence early child development (ECD). The Childhood Psychosocial Adversity Scale (CPAS) is a novel measure of cumulative risk designed for use in global ECD research. We describe its development and assess validity from its first application in Bangladesh, where it predicts cognitive development scores among young children.MethodsItems were generated from literature review and qualitatively assessed for local relevance. Two-hundred and eighty-five mother–child dyads from an urban slum of Dhaka completed the CPAS at child ages 18, 24, 48, and/or 60 months. The CPAS was assessed for internal consistency, retest reliability, and convergent, incremental, and predictive validity.ResultsThe CPAS includes subscales assessing child maltreatment, caregiver mental health, family conflict, domestic violence, and household/community psychosocial risks. In Bangladesh, subscales had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α > 0.70). Full-scale score had good 2-week test–retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.89; F(38,38) = 8.45, p < 0.001). Using multivariate regression, 48-month CPAS score significantly predicted 60-month intelligence quotient, accounting for more variance than socioeconomic status or malnutrition.ConclusionsThe CPAS is a novel tool assessing cumulative childhood psychosocial risk. Evidence supports validity of its use in ECD research in Bangladesh, and ongoing work is applying it in additional countries.

Micro financing management and its prospects: A case study analysis on Bangladesh perspective

Microfinance's worldwide recognition has been credited to Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus who is the founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Most microfinance studies in Bangladesh are limited to either one or two major MFIs or to the overall impact on clients’ poverty reduction, improvement in health and social status, enhancement of women entrepreneurship and empowerment, etc. This study aims at understanding the management part of micro finance and its prospect of application in Bangladesh. The article also looks into the contribution of micro finance in Bangladesh economy together with sources of fund for such micro finance institutes. Different types are: savings and credit cooperatives, NGOs, programs established by international organizations, legally-recognized micro-finance institutions, and micro-finance banks, and their sizes greatly vary, from 100 clients to over 6 million clients for the largest. MFIs offer not only basic financial services but also savings accounts, loan products and insurance.

A techno-economic feasibility of a stand-alone hybrid power generation for remote area application in Bangladesh

A techno-economic feasibility of a stand-alone hybrid power generation for a remote community in Bangladesh is carried out in this study. The proposed system integrates a combination of biogas generator, PV modules, diesel generators, wind turbines, and lead acid battery to meet the electric load requirements using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software tool. The designated system would satisfy the energy requirements of 248 kWh/day primary load with 44.41 kW peak load. The optimized hybrid system consists of a biogas generator (9 kW), PV modules (10 kW), 2 diesel generators (10 kW each), 72 batteries (390Ah each), and 15 kW inverters. This configuration gives the COE of $0.28/kWh and total Net Present Cost (NPC) of $612280 with a renewable fraction of 60%. Additionally, the system has potential benefit to reduce CO2 emission by nearly 59.6% per year as compared to a diesel-based system and by 40.5% compared to the grid electricity. Furthermore, the results also indicate that it is fairly impossible to reach grid electricity price parity even with full government support for the project capital cost. However, the proposed system is found as an economical option than supplying electricity to the remote community with solar home systems (SHSs).

Micro Financing Management and its Prospects: A Case Study Analysis on Bangladesh Perspective

Microfinance's worldwide recognition has been credited to Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus who is the founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Most microfinance studies in Bangladesh are limited to either one or two major MFIs or to the overall impact on clients’ poverty reduction, improvement in health and social status, enhancement of women entrepreneurship and empowerment, etc. This study aims at understanding the management part of micro finance and its prospect of application in Bangladesh. The article also looks into the contribution of micro finance in Bangladesh economy together with sources of fund for such micro finance institutes. Different types are: savings and credit cooperatives, NGOs, programs established by international organizations, legally-recognized micro-finance institutions, and micro-finance banks, and their sizes greatly vary, from 100 clients to over 6 million clients for the largest. MFIs offer not only basic financial services but also savings accounts, loan products and insurance.

Public sector leadership development in Bangladesh: present state and future prospect

Purpose – The story of the Bangladesh public sector is not a happy one as it has often failed to uphold efficiency and equality in delivering services to the people. Hence leadership has a critical role to play to ensure equality, effectiveness and efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the present condition and future prospect of leadership development in the Bangladesh public sector by focusing on the efforts initiated both by the government of Bangladesh and international organizations during the last ten years. Design/methodology/approach – This paper has reviewed available literatures on theories of public sector leadership development and its application in Bangladesh to identify the state and future prospect of public sector leadership development utilizing available theories. Findings – The analysis shows that partisan politics, dominance of generalists, absence of long-range feedback and monitoring systems and lack of efficient and knowledgeable trainers are the major impediments to public sector leadership development. International organizations provide proposals, frameworks, technical assistance along with funds to develop the public sector leaders but in implementing the schemes they have a very limited role in the implementation process. Research limitations/implications – This paper does not offer much empirical evidence on public sector leadership development in Bangladesh, but creates the platform for further research on public sector training and leadership development with empirical data. Significant variables can be drawn out of this piece of work to design future research on this very important issue. Originality/value – This paper will help the interested individuals involved in the public sector leadership development in Bangladesh to understand the divergence between the efforts put in by the government and international agencies in developing public sector leadership.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of Wuchereria bancrofti infection using urine samples and its application in Bangladesh

In Sri Lanka, urine ELISA showed high sensitivity and specificity in detecting filaria-specific IgG4. It also produced much higher positive rates than antigen tests in prevalence studies with young children. In this study, we have confirmed the usefulness of urine ELISA in the field of Bangladesh. The ELISA detected 89 of 105 (85%) ICT antigen test positive subjects in endemic areas. With both ICT and microfilaria positives, the sensitivity was 97% (30/31). All of 104 ICT negative people in a non-endemic area were ELISA negative (100% specificity). In a prevalence study with 319 young children (5–10years) from a low endemic area after five rounds of MDA, seven (2.2%) were detected by the present urine test, but only one (0.3%) by ICT (P=0.075). The satisfactorily high sensitivity, 100% specificity and effective case detection among young ages along with scope for analyzing the titers will indicate urine ELISA to be an effective tool in the post-MDA surveys to confirm elimination or to detect resurgence in Bangladesh.