FORECASTING CARBON EMISSION AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION WITH VECM: THE CASE OF BANGLADESH

ABSTRACT The key objective of this study is to forecast and analyse the causality and long run association between carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions and industrial production using Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Other econometric techniques, such as unit root test and Granger causality test have also been used to achieve the objective in a comprehensive way. The empirical results reveal that for Bangladesh there is no Granger causality between industrial production and CO 2 emission in any direction. The results from VECM reveal for Bangladesh that any disequilibrium between CO 2 emission and industrial production could take approximately 54 years to converge to the long-run equilibrium. The adjustment rate for the country"s industrial production is positive, as it should be, as well as relatively faster at the rate of 83 percent a year. So any disequilibrium will be corrected mostly by the adjustment in the country"s industrial production. The study concludes that the current CO 2 emission in Bangladesh is below the equilibrium level, which is an advantageous situation for the country. Therefore, it is expected that the Bangladesh"s industrial sector will not face stricter CO 2 emission controlling policies and regulations in the near future. JEL Classifications: Q510, Q530, Q56

Clinical and Biochemical Evaluation of Subacute (De Ouervain's) Thyroiditis

Background: Subacute thyroiditis is an important cause of thyrotoxicosis, often misdiagnosed as Graves’ disease and given anti-thyroid drugs. Etiological diagnosis can yield proper guideline of management and a good result. Objectives: To see the clinical, biochemical and isotope profile of subacute thyroiditis. Methods: A total of 45 cases [36 females, 9 males; age (mean ± SD): 33± 4.7 yr] were recruited from Endocrine outpatient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to see thyroid hormones and isotope scan. Results: Most of the patients had a history of sore throat (84.4%). All had painful thyroid gland with or without dysphagia, palpitation (93%), fever (91%), sweating and heat intolerance (80%) and IBS like symptoms was 46%. Among 36 females, 16 patients (44.4%) presented with oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea. Clinically palpable thyromegaly was present in 33 cases (73%), which was diffuse in 24 patients (73%), resting tachycardia in 35(78%) while anaemia in 23(51%). A few cases (13/45) had raised blood pressure. Elevation of thyroid hormone was found in 44(97.7%), but in most cases it was mild; little reduction of TSH (0.1-0.3mIU) was present in 43 (95%). Characteristically, low radio-iodine uptake (< 5%) in 2 hours and 24 hours was found in 100% and thyroid scan revealed uniform uptake in all cases. ESR was raised in 100% cases and leucocytosis was present in 9(20%). Conclusion: It is concluded that subacute thyroiditis can be diagnosed on careful clinical examination. As it is a self limiting disease and does not usually need any anti-thyroid medication, subacute thyroiditis should be excluded in thyrotoxic patients before initiating anti-thyroid drugs. Key words: Subacute thyroiditis; clinical and biochemical profile DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v3i2.7057BSMMU J 2010; 3(2): 82-8

Vitamin D status in Pulmonary Tuberculosis : a case control study

Pulmonary tuberculosis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. In South Asia, 80% of the apparently healthy population have vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL). An association between vitamin D levels with tuberculosis has been described in several studies. But there are scarcities of studies carried out in Bangladesh to determine the association. This study, a case-control study with 2 years duration, determined and compared vitamin D concentration between pulmonary tuberculosis patients and healthy controls. Patients were recruited from the department of internal medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. All newly diagnosed patients of pulmonary tuberculosis who fulfiled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected as case; equal number of healthy subjects without pulmonary TB as control. Vitamin D level less than 20 ng/ml was considered deficiency; 21 to 29ng/ml as relative insufficiency and >30ng/ml as normal. Thirty partici- pants in each group were enrolled, from whom serum vitamin D concentration was measured, analyzed and interpreted. Mean serum vitamin D level was significantly low in case group than control group (p <0.05). The odds ratio corresponding to vitamin D deficiency in case group compared to control was 5.21 [95% CI (1.12 –27.53), (p= 0.015)]. Result indicates patients having vitamin D level <20 ng/ml has 5.21 times more risk to develop pulmonary tuberculo- sis. In conclusion, Vitamin D deficiency was significantly low in pulmonary tuberculo- sis patients and supplementation is required for them. BSMMU J 2021; 14(3): 85-9

Motor Imagery Detection Toward Non-Invasive Brainwave Based Typing

Electroencephalography (EEG) signals can be captured non-invasively with the help of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). These EEG signals contain many essential information that can serve a great purpose when used correctly. By the appropriate interpretation of this EEG signal, we can provide people with limited ability to perform certain actions which they are unable to do due to their current condition. Paralyzed and semi-paralyzed people who are often found struggling to express themselves due to their medical condition can greatly benefit from the application of EEG. Typing or writing a letter requires functional motor movement. If we can detect the motor imagery movement from the EEG signal and determine the intent of the subject who is unable to perform motor functions but is imagining them, we can apply it to determine what they are trying to express in typed textual format. However, extracting features from EEG signals is incredibly challenging as EEG is susceptible to noise. Due to the absence of any informative association between the signals and the activity of the brain detecting motor movements and classifying them is difficult. Deep neural networks are proficient in understanding complicated features and performing computation which is very demanding. In this paper, we utilize the potential of deep neural networks to develop a model which is able to identify the motor imagery movement from the EEG signal of a subject. We envision to use this motor imagery obtained from the non-invasive brainwave to move the cursor using user thought to write letters and form words

Clinical and Biochemical Evaluation of Subacute (De Ouervain's) Thyroiditis

Background: Subacute thyroiditis is an important cause of thyrotoxicosis, often misdiagnosed as Graves’ disease and given anti-thyroid drugs. Etiological diagnosis can yield proper guideline of management and a good result. Objectives: To see the clinical, biochemical and isotope profile of subacute thyroiditis. Methods: A total of 45 cases [36 females, 9 males; age (mean ± SD): 33± 4.7 yr] were recruited from Endocrine outpatient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to see thyroid hormones and isotope scan. Results: Most of the patients had a history of sore throat (84.4%). All had painful thyroid gland with or without dysphagia, palpitation (93%), fever (91%), sweating and heat intolerance (80%) and IBS like symptoms was 46%. Among 36 females, 16 patients (44.4%) presented with oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea. Clinically palpable thyromegaly was present in 33 cases (73%), which was diffuse in 24 patients (73%), resting tachycardia in 35(78%) while anaemia in 23(51%). A few cases (13/45) had raised blood pressure. Elevation of thyroid hormone was found in 44(97.7%), but in most cases it was mild; little reduction of TSH (0.1-0.3mIU) was present in 43 (95%). Characteristically, low radio-iodine uptake (< 5%) in 2 hours and 24 hours was found in 100% and thyroid scan revealed uniform uptake in all cases. ESR was raised in 100% cases and leucocytosis was present in 9(20%). Conclusion: It is concluded that subacute thyroiditis can be diagnosed on careful clinical examination. As it is a self limiting disease and does not usually need any anti-thyroid medication, subacute thyroiditis should be excluded in thyrotoxic patients before initiating anti-thyroid drugs. Key words: Subacute thyroiditis; clinical and biochemical profile DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v3i2.7057 BSMMU J 2010; 3(2): 82-8

Acromegaly Presenting as Cardiac Failure - A Case Report

Acromegaly is characterized by chronic hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) and is associated with increased mortality rate because of the potential complications such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, or malignancy, which are probably caused by the long-term exposure of tissues to excess GH, for at least 10 years, before diagnosis and treatment. Here we are reporting a case of acromegaly who initially presented with features of left ventricular failure for which she got herself admitted in CCU and was treated conservatively. Later on, after clinical examination and investigations she was diagnosed as a case of mitral regurgitation due to cardiomyopathy caused by acromegaly. After the successful transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary microadenoma, the level of GH was normalized and heart failure improved. Key words: acromegaly; heart failure; Pituitary microadenoma. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v4i2.8644 BSMMU J 2011; 4(2):122-12

Acromegaly Presenting as Cardiac Failure - A Case Report

Acromegaly is characterized by chronic hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) and is associated with increased mortality rate because of the potential complications such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, or malignancy, which are probably caused by the long-term exposure of tissues to excess GH, for at least 10 years, before diagnosis and treatment. Here we are reporting a case of acromegaly who initially presented with features of left ventricular failure for which she got herself admitted in CCU and was treated conservatively. Later on, after clinical examination and investigations she was diagnosed as a case of mitral regurgitation due to cardiomyopathy caused by acromegaly. After the successful transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary microadenoma, the level of GH was normalized and heart failure improved. Key words: acromegaly; heart failure; Pituitary microadenoma. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v4i2.8644 BSMMU J 2011; 4(2):122-12

Familial and socio-cultural barriers in maintaining tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh: a comparative cross-sectional study

Objectives: Children, pregnant women and the elderly at a global level are all being dangerously exposed to tobacco use in the household (HH). However, there is no understanding of the familial and socio-cultural factors that provide barriers to ensuring tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh either in urban or rural areas (U&RAs). This study therefore investigates those barriers to help enable a move towards tobacco free homes in Bangladesh. Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Settings: Data were collected from both urban and rural settings in Bangladesh. Participants: A probability proportional sampling procedure was used to select 808 participants in U&RAs out of a total of 3,715 tobacco users. Results: The prevalence of tobacco use at home was 25.7% in urban areas and 47.6% in rural areas. In urban areas: marital status (AOR=3.23, 95%CI=1.37-6.61), education (AOR=2.14, 95%CI=1.15-3.99), the smoking habits of elderly family members (AOR=1.81, 95%CI=0.91-2.89), offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=1.85, 95%CI=.94-2.95), and lack of religious practices (AOR=2.39, 95%CI=1.27-4.54) were identified as significant socio-cultural predictors associated with tobacco use at home. In rural areas: age (AOR=5.11, 95%CI=2.03-12.83), extended family (AOR=3.08, 95%CI=1.28-7.38), lack of religious practices (AOR=4.23, 95%CI=2.32-7.72), using children to buy or carry tobacco (AOR=3.33, 95%CI=1.11-9.99), lack of family guidance (AOR=4.27, 95%CI=2.45-41 7.42), and offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=3.81, 95%CI=2.23-6.47) were identified as significant determinants for tobacco use at home. Conclusion: This study concludes that socio-cultural traditions and familial norms in Bangladesh provide significant barriers for enabling tobacco-free homes. The identification of these barriers can aid policy makers and programme planners in Bangladesh in devising appropriate measures to mitigate the deadly consequences of tobacco use in the home. The consequences also include the dangers involved in family members being exposed to second48 hand smoke

How can Proactive Behavior be Encouraged in Hospitals of Bangladesh? A Three-Time Lags Study

Proactive behavior helps an individual in improving the work setting. Based on the JD-R theory and Borden and build approach, this research proposes and tests a serial mediation relating the strengths used with proactive behavior sequentially through work authenticity and self-resilience. A sample of 256 employees of hospitals in Bangladesh was approached in three-time lags. The Process Marco of Preacher and Hayes was applied to investigate the proposed hypotheses. The indirect effects of the proposed hypotheses were measured by applying the bootstrap procedure. The results showed that work authenticity mediated the relation among strengths use and self-resilience, self-resilience mediated the association between work-authenticity and proactive behavior, and work-authenticity and self-resilience sequentially judged the connection between forces use and assertive behavior. Through an investigation of self-resilience, the outcomes provide proof supporting combining the JD-R and Borden and building theories in the research stream. Future research should add potential moderators that can impact the paths and apply longitudinal design to permit solid causal relationships. Considering the role of work authenticity and self-resilience in positive psychology, organizations must stimulate employees to become more authentic and self-resilient on the job. This increases proactive behavior and leads to the success of an organization