Eco-branding: A Way to Sustainable Business Opportunities in Bangladesh

Eco-branding is a market instrument which helps both companies and consumers achieving sustainable goals and contributing to environmental protection and amelioration. This study identified the background and conceptual aspects of eco-branding from the manufacturers’ as well as the consumers’ end. Besides, the awareness and the perceptions of the marketing of eco-branded products among the consumers in Bangladesh were examined through interviewing regular customers in Noakhali city. Moreover, some basic information on eco-branded products and the role of different stakeholders were collected through intensive market observations and literature review. From the survey, only 45% respondents are found aware of the eco-branded products but 75% respondents are willing to pay up to 20% extra for these products. A number of local and international companies are coming up with substantial amounts of eco-branded products in the local market of Bangladesh. It is evident that growing social and regulatory pro-environmental concerns are responsible for such changes in production strategies of manufacturers and consumption patterns of informed consumers. Eco-branding, though is in its infancy, has enormous potential to sustain in Bangladesh’s marketplace. Keywords: Bangladesh eco-branding, Eco-label, Sustainable business, Eco-friendly business, Environmental protection

Nanoparticle shape effects on squeezed MHD flow of water based Cu, Al2O3 and SWCNTs over a porous sensor surface

Impact of nanoparticle shape on the squeezed MHD flow of water based metallic nanoparticles over a porous sensor surface in the presence of heat source has been investigated. In distinctly most paramount studies, three distinctive forms of nanoparticle shapes are employed into account, i.e. sphere ðm ¼ 3:0Þ, cylinder ðm ¼ 6:3698Þ and laminar ðm ¼ 16:1576Þ. The controlling partial differential equations (PDEs) are regenerated into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by manipulating consistent conformity conversion and it is determined numerically by handling Runge Kutta Fehlberg method with shooting technique. It is noticed that the solid volume fraction and nanoparticle shape have powerful outputs in squeezing flow phenomena, the sphere shape nanoparticle in Cu – water and cylindrical shape in SWCNTs-water in the presence of magnetic field along with thermal radiation energy has better improvement on heat transfer as compared with the other nanoparticle shapes in different flow regimes

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY, TOTAL FLAVONOIDS AND TANNINS CONTENT FROM THE ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF SPILANTHES PANICULATA LEAF GROWING IN

The crude ethanolic extract of the leaves of Spilanthes paniculata Wall.ex DC (Family: Asteraceae) was evaluated for its possible anti-inflammatory activity as well as total flavonoids and tannins content growing in northeast part of Bangladesh. The anti-inflammatory activity was studied using carrageenan and histamine-induced rat paw edema test at different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) of the ethanol extract. At the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight, the extract showed a significant anti-inflammatory activity both in the carrageenan and histamine-induced oedema test models in rats showing 55.63 % and 56.52 % reduction in the paw volume (P<0.01) comparable to that produced by the standard drug indomethacin (61.27 % and 63.35%) at 4h respectively. The percentage inhibition of the oedema paw volume by the 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract was also statistically significant (P<0.05; P<0.01) compared favorably with the indomethacin treated animals at 1, 2 and 3 h in both models. The total flavonoids and tannins content were calculated as quite high in ethanolic extract (112.98 mg/g of quercetin equivalent and 187.27 mg of gallic acid equivalent respectively). Acute toxicity test showed that the plant might be safe for pharmacological uses. Therefore, the obtained results tend to suggest the acute anti-inflammatory activity as well as total flavonoids and tannins content from the ethanolic extract of the leaves of Spilanthes paniculata and thu

Trends in use and cost of initial cancer treatment in Ontario: a population-based descriptive study

BackgroundCancer incidence and treatment-related costs are rising in Canada. We estimated health care use and costs in the first year after diagnosis for patients with 7 common types of cancer in Ontario to examine temporal trends in patterns of care and costs.MethodsWe selected patients aged 19-44 years who had received a diagnosis of melanoma, breast cancer (female only), testicular cancer or thyroid cancer, in addition to patients aged 45 years and older who had received a diagnosis of breast (female only), prostate, lung or colorectal cancer, between 1997 and 2007. Patients were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry. Using linked administrative databases, we determined use and costs of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cancer-related surgery, other admissions to hospital and home care. We adjusted all costs to 2009 Canadian dollars.ResultsWe identified 20 821 patients aged 19-44 years and 178 797 patients aged 45 years and older. The greatest increases in costs during the study period were for melanoma, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer (p < 0.05). For prostate and lung cancers, mean costs increased 50% (from $11 490 and$22 037 to $15 170 and$34 473, respectively). Mean costs doubled for breast (from $15 460 and$12 909 to $35 977 and$29 362 for younger and older patients, respectively) and colorectal cancers (from $24 769 to$43 964), and nearly tripled for melanoma (from $3581 to$8934). Costs related to hospital admissions accounted for the largest portion of total costs. The use of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and home care generally increased for all cancers.InterpretationThe significant increase in mean costs of initial cancer treatment among the patients included in this study was primarily due to more patients receiving adjuvant therapy and home care, and to the increasing expenditures for these services and cancer-related surgeries. Understanding trends in health care use and costs can help policy-makers to take the necessary measures to achieve a more accountable, high-performing health care system