Knowledge for Competitive Advantage: Putting Knowledge at the Core of the Business

In recent years, the words - knowledge and managing knowledge are at the core of management thinking. Scholars and business strategists are trying to explore the real nature of knowledge and its management from the organizational competitiveness point of view. Organizations, irrespective of the nations and regions are facing a difficult problem in making their businesses more competitive and sustainable. In the changing business context, organizations need to adopt a dynamic approach which can make them flexible and self-motivated. Knowledge-based view proposes that knowledge can make an organization more adaptable through developing new competencies. Eventually, the ability of developing new competencies provides a competitive advantage in the long-term. This paper is exclusively involved in developing a knowledge strategy framework. This framework focuses on a strategic linkage between knowledge creation and business processes. This thematic paper equally emphasizes the people dimension of a business

Impact performance of steel-concrete-steel sandwich structures

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Behavior of steel-concrete-steel sandwich structures with lightweight cement composite and novel shear connectors

10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.05.023Composite Structures94123500-350

Exploring the factors contributing to increase in facility child births in Bangladesh between 2004 and 2017-2018

Although Bangladesh has gained rapid improvement in births at health facilities, yet far behind to achieve the SDG target. Assessing the contribution of factors in increased use of delivery at facilities are important to demonstrate. To explore the determinants and their contribution in explaining increased use of facility child births in Bangladesh. Reproductive-aged women (15-49 years) of Bangladesh. We used the latest five rounds (2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017-2018) of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHSs). The regression based classical decomposition approach has been used to explore the determinants and their contribution in explaining the increased use of facility child birth. A sample of 26,686 reproductive-aged women were included in the analysis, 32.90% (8780) from the urban and 67.10% (17,906) from the rural area. We observed a 2.4-fold increase in delivery at facilities from 2004 to 2017-2018, in rural areas it is more than three times higher than the urban areas. The change in mean delivery at facilities is about 1.8 whereas, the predicted change is 1.4. In our full sample model antenatal care visits contribute the largest predicted change of 22.3%, wealth and education contributes 17.3% and 15.3% respectively. For the rural area health indicator (prenatal doctor visit) is the largest drivers contributing 42.7% of the predicted change, hereafter education, demography and wealth. However, in urban area education and health contributed equally 32.0% of the change followed by demography (26.3%) and wealth (9.7%). Demographic variables (maternal BMI, birth order, age at marriage) contributing more than two-thirds (41.2%) of the predicted change in the model without the health variables. All models showed more than 60.0% predictive power. Health sector interventions should focus both coverage and quality of maternal health care services to sustain steady improvements in child birth facilities. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peat Resources, its Quality and Condition of Deposition, Bijoynagar Upazila, B’Baria District, Bangladesh

The report is prepared on the basis of peat exploration at 4000 hectre areas of Bijoynagar Upazila at B’Baria district which is in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh. It has been studied extensively for the exploration of peat resources, particularly areal extent, reserve, quality and their condition of deposition. Nine peat bearing areas were identified in the studied area are covering six unions of Paharpur, Haraspur, and Chompoknagar and Uttar Singair beel. Peat was randomly found in surface to near surface at different places of investigated area. The total reserve of peat is about 32.61 million tons in wet condition or 13.044 million tons in dry condition. The chemical analysis of the peat shows average fixed carbon-20.5%, Ash content-32% and calorific value-7000 B.T.U. The quality of this peat is good. Geology, tectonics and environment of any area are controlling parameter for peat deposition. Fluvial and deltaic plain with area of active subsidence are suitable for peat deposition. The peat of the area may deposit from plant material that accumulated insitu (Autochthonous) and transported from short distance (Hypoautochthonous). The peat layers of the study area are found at surface or at shallow depth ranging from few centimeters to 7 meters below surface. Present of clay and silt of the upper part of the deposits indicating that the sediments are deposits usually in the winter season when the current of the water become weak. Moreover, the sediment may also be laid down in stagnant water after the recession of the flood

Differential Response of Sugar Beet to Long-Term Mild to Severe Salinity in a Soil-Pot Culture

Attempts to cultivate sugar beet (Beta vulgaris spp. vulgaris) in the sub-tropical saline soils are ongoing because of its excellent tolerance to salinity. However, the intrinsic adaptive physiology has not been discovered yet in the sub-tropical climatic conditions. In this study, we investigated morpho-physiological attributes, biochemical responses, and yield of sugar beet under a gradient of salinity in the soil-pot culture system to evaluate its adaptive mechanisms. Results exhibited that low and high salinity displayed a differential impact on growth, photosynthesis, and yield. Low to moderate salt stress (75 and 100 mM NaCl) showed no inhibition on growth and photosynthetic attributes. Accordingly, low salinity displayed simulative effect on chlorophyll and antioxidant enzymes activity which contributed to maintaining a balanced H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, relative water and proline content showed no alteration in low salinity. These factors contributed to improving the yield (tuber weight). On the contrary, 250 mM salinity showed a mostly inhibitory role on growth, photosynthesis, and yield. Collectively, our findings provide insights into the mild-moderate salt adaptation strategy in the soil culture test attributed to increased water content, elevation of photosynthetic pigment, better photosynthesis, and better management of oxidative stress. Therefore, cultivation of sugar beet in moderately saline-affected soils will ensure efficient utilization of lands

Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Effect of Scoparia dulcis in Alloxan induced Albino Mice

Abstract: Herbal drugs are frequently considered to be less toxic and also free from side effects, than synthetic ones. Hence, the present study was designed to evaluate antidiabetic and antioxidant principle of the ethanolic extract of Scoparia dulcis (EESD) for its antidiabetic and antioxidant potential against alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Hypoglycemic effect was evaluated in normal and alloxan induced diabetic mice The oral administration of plant extract at a dose of 100 & 200 mg/kg body weight were given to fasting glucose loaded (200 mg/kg body weight) mice with regard to normal control during 3 hr. study period and in alloxan-induced (150 mg/kg body weight) diabetic mice in comparison with reference drug, Metformin (600µg/kg) during 2 weeks study period. Considerable fall in elevated blood glucose level was observed in the normoglycemic (p<0.05) and alloxan induced diabetic (p<0.001) mice. The extract, at a dose of 100 & 200 mg/kg body weight showed glucose level reduction of 31.87% & 46.97% respectively in alloxaninduced diabetic mice while 50.74% was found for Metformin after 2 weeks. The antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract of plant was assessed by DPPH (1, 1-Diphenyl, 2-picryl-hydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay at 517 nm and total antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdenum method at 695 nm.The extract showed petite free radical scavenging capacity (IC 50 value 243.82 μg/ml for plant extract and 58.92 μg/ml for Ascorbic acid) and moderate total antioxidant capacity compared with Ascorbic acid. These results demonstrate the antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of ethanolic extracts of Scoparia dulcis and suggests that the plant may have therapeutic value in diabetes and related complications

A new estimate of carbon for Bangladesh forest ecosystems with their spatial distribution and REDD+ implications

In tropical developing countries, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is becoming an important mechanism for conserving forests and protecting biodiversity. A key prerequisite for any successful REDD+ project, however, is obtaining baseline estimates of carbon in forest ecosystems. Using available published data, we provide here a new and more reliable estimate of carbon in Bangladesh forest ecosystems, along with their geo-spatial distribution. Our study reveals great variability in carbon density in different forests and higher carbon stock in the mangrove ecosystems, followed by in hill forests and in inland Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the country. Due to its coverage, degraded nature, and diverse stakeholder engagement, the hill forests of Bangladesh can be used to obtain maximum REDD+ benefits. Further research on carbon and biodiversity in under-represented forest ecosystems using a commonly accepted protocol is essential for the establishment of successful REDD+ projects and for the protection of the country’s degraded forests and for addressing declining levels of biodiversity