Design and Implementation of Automated Ankle Foot Orthosis for Foot Drop Patients Using Gait Cycle EMG Analysis

Foot drop is known as gait abnormality in which the dropping of the forefoot happens due to the weakness of Tibialis Anterior Muscle for the damage of the common fibular nerve in the anterior portion of the lower leg. In this research, those patients are considered who have foot drop for Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is a peripheral nerve disorder for which bilateral foot drop happens to the patients. So, the aim of this research is to develop an automated Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) which will aid the GBS patients in their gait cycle while walking. For the development of this AFO, an EMG analysis has been conducted on both normal people (20 persons, Male 20-45 years) and GBS patients (10 patients, Male 20-45 years) and compared to find out the deviation of the patient’s one from the normal people. The findings of the EMG study show that the stance phase of the gait cycle is not affected by the GBS as correlation coefficient values are in between 0.95 to 1 where the swing phase very much deviates from the normal pattern as the coefficient values are in between 0.6 to 0.7 as well as short swing phase and no heel strike during walking. Considering these, automated AFO has been developed and implemented to test the feasibility and effectiveness on patients. The experimental results show that the effect of GBS on swing phase can be lessened as the value of correlation coefficient increases to 0.85 to 0.9 with long swing phase and proper heel strike on terminal swing phase

Influence of Word of Mouth on Consumer Buying Decision: Evidence from Bangladesh Market.

The purpose of this study is to define how word of mouth influence consumer’s buying behavior.  Word of mouth is becoming a strong tool for building brand in present time. The research used primary and secondary data for analysis. In primary data, 500 respondents’ data were collected and Microsoft excel used for analysis. The findings recommend that word of mouth has impact on consumer buying behavior. The results suggest that word of mouth built by trust and loyalty. The findings are based on small sample size however; the framework may be used for future research. The significance of word of mouth, particularly consumer buying behavior, is increased rapidly. The paper will give marketers a better understanding of word of mouth as well as consumer perceptions. Keywords: Word of mouth, Network marketing, Consumer buying behaviour, Consumer trust, Consumer loyalty

Estimation of population structure, growth and condition of Parastromateus niger in the Bay of Bengal : suggestions for catchable sizes

Black pomfret (Parastromateus niger) is one of the major commercial species of pomfret fishery in Bangladesh. This study illustrates the population structure (Length Frequency Distribution, LFD), relationship between length and weight (LWR), relationships between length and length (LLRs), Fulton’s condition factor (KF) and relative weight (WR) of P. niger in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). A total of 225 P. niger were collected from the four locations during January to December 2020. LFD analysis indicates three length classes 21-27 cm, 30-32 cm and 35-37 cm, respectively. This species showed isometric growth pattern (b = 2.981) that indicates that the size and weight increases proportionally and the surrounding habitat provides favourable environment for the growth. LWR between TL and BW were highly correlated (r² = 0.951). LLRs also showed significant correlation between TL and SL (r² = 0.845) and TL and FL (r² = 0.861). The mean value of KF was found as 1.60 which indicates that the BoB provides healthy environment for this species. The mean value of WR (101.09) indicates that the relationship between prey and predator was in balanced condition. This study suggests optimum catchable length for P. niger at 27 cm. Therefore, these findings could provide important information to design effective conservation and management planning for this species

Review of Agri-Food Chain Interventions Aimed at Enhancing Consumption of Nutritious Food by the Poor: Bangladesh

Bangladesh is primarily an agrarian nation. Most of the people of the country directly or indirectly depend on agriculture. Rural people are more involved in this sector compared to urban people. Agriculture is the single largest producing sector of the economy. The performance of this sector has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives like employment generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development and food security. The acceleration in economic and agricultural growth has made a positive impact on the diversity of food intake, away from the rice- and vegetable-based diet in favour of quality food. However, nearly 20 per cent of the population is still calorie deficient and the gender disparity in calorie intake still persists. Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing under nutrition of children. However, progress in reducing stunting, the indicator of chronic malnutrition, shows a less encouraging picture. A review on existing agriculture value chain-based interventions that focus on enhancing the availability, affordability, acceptability and/or consumption of nutritious foods in households beyond the farm gate in Bangladesh has been undertaken. This review covers: interventions focused on foods that are naturally nutrient-dense interventions focused on enhancing the nutritional value of foods, including staples and prepared foods, whether directed at particular nutritional uses or for consumption by the general population food distribution programmes that might incorporate foods in either of the preceding categorie

Assessment on Social Vulnerability and Response Towards Natural Disaster in A Disaster-Prone Coastal Village: An Example from Bangladesh

Due to geographical locations, the Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh is frequently experiencing climate change induced disasters such as cyclones, floods, and tidal surges. However, local communities at this region have a long history of coping with the adverse effects of these disasters. Consequently, this research assessed the social vulnerability towards natural disasters through local peoples’ perception and identified the existing immediate response against natural disasters at Kazirchar village in Muladi Upazila of Barishal district of the coastal region. In this study, a well-structured questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions were conducted to collect primary data. The collected data were processed and analysed to present the existing impacts of natural disasters. Besides, the immediate responses were categorized into different sectors. The study found that, the most prevalent coastal disaster in Kazirchar village was cyclone. About 48% of surveyed respondents opined that high cost of living was the main reason for increasing the vulnerability towards disasters. To adapt with disaster impacts, 58% respondents of this village need to travel long distances to collect drinking water. On the other hand, during flood, 26% people took shelter on government-owned high lands, whereas 40% shifted temporarily to their neighbors who are living in house with a high land elevation. This research concludes that the village has a low prior preparedness against various disasters, less knowledge about disaster, less coordination and poor collaboration between government organization (GOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) regarding disaster risk reduction. It is expected that this study will act as a source of information for taking natural disaster management initiatives and the findings of this study will push the policy makers to develop and implement long term adaptation strategies in coastal areas of Bangladesh particularly in Barishal district

Prevalence of low back pain among the bankers at selected banks in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Purpose: Prevalence of low back pain among the bankers at some selected banks in Chittagong. Objectives: To measure the severity of pain according to vas scale, to identify the prevalence of LBP among the bankers, to determine the primary risk factors of low back pain among the bankers and to inspect the socio- demographic information among the bankers. Methodology:A quantitative (cross sectional) research model in the form of a prospective type survey design is carried out in this study. Conveniently 100 participants among the bankers were collected from various banks of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The instruments used included direct interview, a body discomfort assessment tool that consist of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and a questionnaire. Data was collected by mixed type questionnaire and confidentiality of information and voluntarily participation were ensured by the researcher. Data were numerically coded and captured in Excel, using an SPSS 17.0 version program. Results:The findings of the study provide a baseline of information about prevalence of Back pain among the bankers. In percentage 44% have suffered from back pain and male (81.82%) are more vulnerable than female (18.18%).The most affected age range 31-50years of age (68.18%). This age group is the largest proportion of the work force and with this part of the population affected to such a large degree it could affect the productivity of the company in a negative manner. The study revealed that the prevalence of back pain is most frequent who had job experience of 1-8 years 36%, followed by 21% were 9-16 years, 18% were 17-24 years, and 25% were 25-32 years.  Conclusion:Prevention of LBP is beneficial for workers, employers, and society. To prevent work relate LBP should focus on working conditions rather than individual life style , greater attention to other risk factors such as history of back injury and perception of health status. Bankers should be educated on ergonomics, posture, taking break in between work and relaxation as this will ultimately improve job satisfaction and performance

Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Some Rice Varieties and Their Performance in Bangladesh

This study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity for several rice features and their association with yields, as well as to identify genotypes of short-duration rice. The experiment was conducted in the field in a natural environment, and data were collected on several plant parameters for each genotype at various phases of plant development. Twenty genotypes of rice were examined based on their morphological and physiological characteristics. From July through December of 2020, the experiment was conducted at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute's regional station in Shyampur, Rajshahi. There was significant diversity among the twenty rice genotypes for all characteristics tested. The genotype BRRI dhan57 displayed the shortest days to flowering. In terms of days to maturity, the genotype BRRI dhan57 was the earliest, with a maturity time of 107.33 days, followed by BRRI dhan56 and BRRI dhan39. The days to blooming had the highest heritability (99.75%), followed by the days to maturity (99.58%), grain yield (85.30%), thousand grain weight (85.22%), grains per panicle (84.91%), plant height (82.21%), and tillers per hill (21.61%). High heritability scores indicated that the researched qualities were less influenced by the surrounding environment. As a percentage of the mean, the genetic gain was greatest for grain yield (36.33%) and lowest for tillers per hill (6.60%) among the yield-contributing factors. In days to flowering, days to maturity, grains per panicle, and plant height, high heritability and genetic progress were seen. According to the principal component analysis (PCA), the Eigen values of the first four components of the total variance accounted for 89.46% of the total variance, indicating that these components were mostly responsible for the genetic diversity of the current materials. It was the largest cluster, containing seven rice genotypes. Clusters II and V contained five and four genotypes of rice, respectively. Clusters III and IV were the smallest, with only two genotypes apiece. The pattern of distribution of genotypes among various clusters demonstrated the significant genetic variety present in the genotypes, which may be the result of adaptation of these genotypes to certain environmental conditions. The largest value of intercluster distance indicated that cluster III genotypes were extremely distinct from cluster IV genotypes. Negative values in both vectors for tillers per hill suggested that this feature contributed the least to the total diversity. The number of panicles per hill, panicle length, weight per thousand grains, and grain yield were all positive in both directions. According to these statistics, these four characteristics contributed the most to the variety. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2022.v09i12.00

Modeling the Impact of Pandemic-Induced Shocks and Support Measures with an Emerging Market Economy: A GUI-Model Approach

Purpose: This paper analyzes the impacts of COVID-19 shocks on an emerging market economy using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) model. Methods: Event study analysis has been adopted using secondary data for measuring the impacts and impulse responses of different shocks. Results:  The paper shows how the shocks affect the economy using graphical presentations of impulse responses of major macroeconomic indicators. The shapes and movements of the impulse response curves indicate how the effects pass through from one sector to another; how long the effects may persist in the economy, and how much time will be required for recovery. All these simulations suggest that immediate supportive measures from both fiscal and monetary sides help recover the economy, although marginally due to the required higher costs stemming mainly from the higher exchange rate volatility. Implications: Several policy implications such as sector-specific support measures, prioritization of sectors, rationing of credit facilities, efficient exchange rate management, etc., can be followed by the countries regarding fiscal and monetary policy measures towards reducing COVID-19-induced similar shocks