Evolution of behavioral research on E‐waste management: Conceptual frameworks and future research directions

The rapid growth of e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has garnered significant attention from scholars, particularly in the behavioral domain. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and content analysis to provide a systematic review of WEEE-behavioral research. Firstly, a bibliometric analysis was performed using Biblioshiny (R packages) on a sample of 293 articles from Scopus and WOS databases. This part addresses the research question: A) How has the WEEE-behavioral domain evolved over time in terms of key journals, institutions, countries, trending topics, and research streams? Secondly, a content analysis was conducted on 41 relevant articles that were able to address the following research questions: B) What are the main theories utilized and their implications in WEEE-behavioral research? and C) what are the potential directions for future research? The findings reveal two distinct research categories, namely circular economic behavior and behavioral spillovers, with seven underlying and emerging clusters followed by corresponding research streams. Additionally, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) emerged as the core theory that was extensively utilized and expanded upon. Consequently, this study contributes to 1) understanding the evolution of the WEEE-behavioral domain, 2) proposing an integrated theoretical framework, 3) identifying the primary research streams and their interconnections, and 4) suggesting avenues for future research, supported by a robust conceptual model for hypothesis generation

Riparian habitat and vegetation recovery of headwater streams after clearcut harvesting

In this thesis I examined two important aspects of clearcut harvesting along small headwater streams and their riparian zones. The objectives of the study were: 1) to investigate the impacts of clearcut harvesting on the morphological features of headwater systems and the pattern of recovery of those impacts over time, and 2) to explore the response of headwater riparian understory vegetation to clearcut harvesting over time

Effects of Photoperiod, Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature on the Northward Migration Potential of Jack Pine under the Scenario of Doubled Atmospheric CO2 Concentration

Climate envelope models predict that boreal trees can potentially migrate northward by as much as 10º by 2100 as a consequence of the predicted climate change associated with the doubling of atmospheric CO2 concentration, which might expose them to a new set of environmental conditions. The ability of the migrating trees to acclimate to the new set of environmental conditions may be critical for the actual scope and success of their migration or seed transfer. The changes in photoperiod, soil temperature and soil moisture associated with the migration will likely affect tree’s ecophysiological traits. Furthermore, the combined effects of several environmental factors may be substantially different from the total of their individual effects. In this study, I investigated the interactive effects of (1) photoperiod and soil temperature and (2) photoperiod and soil moisture on the ecophysiological responses of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings to elevated [CO2]. In the first set of experiments, jack pine seedlings were exposed to two [CO2] (400 and 950 μmol mol-1), two soil temperatures (soil temperature at seed origin and 5º C warmer) and three photoperiod regimes (photoperiod at seed origin, 5o and 10o north of the seed origin). It was found that the photoperiod regime associated with a 10º northward migration advanced the timing of budburst by 10 days under the doubled [CO2] and current soil temperature at the seed origin. Also the photoperiod regimes at higher latitudes prolonged the process of bud setting. Photoperiod regimes at latitudes higher than the seed origin increased seedling height growth but did not have significant impact on seedling biomass. The elevated [CO2] increased the total leaf area per seedling, but reduced shoot to root ratio. Elevated [CO2] also increased the photosynthetic rate and photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE). The maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) and triose phosphate utilization (TPU) were affected by interactions involving CO2 and photoperiod but no meaningful pattern could be discerned. Both CO2 elevation and soil warming reduced the cold hardiness of jack pine seedlings as indicated by the injury index tested at -15 and -30º C testing temperatures. The lack of photoperiod effects on cold hardiness suggests that jack pine may be plastic enough to acclimate to the new photoperiod regime associated with climate change induced northward migration. However, advanced budburst associated with long distance migration (e.g. 10º north) will likely expose the species to late-spring frost damage. In the second set of experiments, seedlings were exposed to two [CO2] (400 and 950 μmol mol-1), two soil moistures (60–70% and 30–40% of field capacity) and three photoperiod regimes (photoperiod at seed origin, 5o and 10o north of the seed origin). The results suggest that the responses of jack pine to climate change will become complicated under the interactive effects of the longer growing season photoperiod and faster rate of change in day length at higher latitudes, and soil moisture stress under elevated [CO2]. Longer photoperiods at higher latitudes advanced budburst at both high and low soil moisture regime, which will likely increase the risk of late spring frosts damage prior to and during budburst. Longer summer photoperiods with northward migration increased the WUE under elevated [CO2] and low soil moisture regime. However, the significant 2- and 3-way interactions suggest that drought and longer photoperiods associated with northward migration will limit the positive effects of elevated [CO2] on growth and physiological processes in the species. Hydraulic conductivity in jack pine seedlings was significantly increased under elevated [CO2] while it was reduced at low soil moisture regime. The interactions of [CO2] and photoperiod had significant effects on the stem xylem vulnerability to cavitation. Tendency to embolize was significantly greater in the seedlings grown under elevated [CO2] with the photoperiod regime 10º north of the seed origin compared to those grown under ambient [CO2] with photoperiod 10º north of the seed origin and elevated [CO2] at the photoperiod regime of the seed origin. This result suggests that 10º northward migration under elevated CO2 will affect the hydraulic behavior of the species and make it vulnerable to xylem cavitation

Social, Economic and Political Implications of Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh

Whether a global nuclear renaissance will usher or sustain, the affair hinges on a myriad of the socio-political and economic factors. In one hand, the consistent rise in the prices of oil, coal, fossil fuels and on the other, the lack of natural gas reserves has indicated the struggle of Bangladesh for energy demand, which is eventually going to persist in future. Consequently, due to the scarcity of oil and natural gas resource, nuclear energy surfaces as a palatable strategic option for Bangladesh’s future development agenda. However, a successful nuclear power program entails an extensive infrastructure. The control of nuclear energy is one of the prime concerns of science, industry, and politics. Henceforth, emancipating these issues, the paper will analyse the social and political implications regarding the incorporation of nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. The study of this paper is based on secondary sources where a qualitative research is conducted to analyse the socio, political and economic issues relating to the nuclear energy generation in Bangladesh. The study combines doctrinal and comparative socio-legal analysis. Consequently, one of the prime researches of the paper will skirt around the topic related to the public awareness and embroilment of such nuclear energy development in Bangladesh. The paper recommends Bangladesh to adopt a comprehensive energy law that should be realigned to consider noteworthy emphasis on sustainability, developing technical, financial and institutional constraints, and promoting public awareness and involvement associated with the generation of nuclear energy. Keywords: Reactor safety, Nuclear waste treatment, Nuclear Regulation

An Examination of Bangladesh’s Current Situation with Regard to Non- Performing Loans (NPLs) and Its Effect on the Banking Sector

The purpose of this article is to investigate the extent of non-performing loans (also known as "NPLs") in Bangladesh's banking sector. Non-performing loans (NPLs) with systemic levels require a complex and expensive resolution process. In structurally weak financial systems, bank NPL issues typically appear following credit booms or extended periods of slow growth. New lending is stifled by NPLs, which harms banks' capacity to make money and stay solvent. The financial system ceases to operate regularly when high NPL levels affect a sufficient number of banks, and banks are unable to continue lending to the economy. Market dysfunction and bank coordination issues may prevent a quick recovery. Authorities typically intervene in such situations to take control of the crisis response. They can use a range of resolution tools for this purpose, but they normally demand a lot of resources and take some time to produce results. Non-performing loans are one of the primary issues that commercial banks are currently dealing with. What exactly is a non-performing loan? Financial assets known as nonperforming loans (or "NPLs") are those from which banks no longer receive interest or installment payments on time. Since the loan no longer "performs," or brings in money for the bank, it is known as non-performing (Choudhury at al .2002). Keywords:Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), Commercial Bank, Financial System, Loan Recovery Measures, Bangladesh. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-22-01 Publication date: November 30th 2022

The Study of the Strength Properties of Galvanized Iron (GI) Fiber Reinforced Concrete

 The use of concrete with randomly distributed metallic or non-metallic fiber is now prominent in concrete engineering and metallic fiber has been reported to have a better contribution to concrete mechanical properties. The utilization of locally available galvanized iron or metallic fiber as a bridging material which is a new technique in Bangladesh has the ability to surprisingly improve concrete physical properties. This research was, therefore, conducted to compare the concrete performance of GI fiber and steel fiber using previous literature as well as the suitability of GI fiber as a supplant to steel fiber in the concrete industry. This was achieved through the evaluation of the compression, tension, and brittleness of concrete with ‘Galvanized Iron’ fiber using several cutting lengths of 20 mm and 40 mm with multiple mix proportions including 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5% by volume of the concrete. The results showed the fiber with a large cut length of 40 mm and proportion lesser than 2.5% performed well than 20 mm with proportion 2% in reference to the plain concrete. Moreover, the incorporation of a 2.0% proportion of galvanized iron fiber with 40 mm length was observed to have exhibited crowning increment for both concrete compression and tension by 16.1% and 89.2% correspondingly contrasted to the control specimen. A further increase in the percent of fiber content 2% led to a reduction in the compression and tension for both 20 mm and 40 mm lengths while a significant reduction in brittleness for galvanized iron fiber reinforced concrete was observed in contrast to the control specimen. Furthermore, the inclusion of 1.0%–2.5% GI fiber with a 40 mm length reduced concrete brittleness by 56.9% - 65.5 % in comparison with the control specimen. Therefore, the inclusion of galvanized iron (metallic) to enhance the physical properties of concrete was deduced to be one of the startling stratagem

Improvement of light intensity and efficiency of n-ZnO/NiO/p-GaN heterojunction-based white light emitting diodes using micro-/nanolens array

Our study proposes a technique to enhance light extraction efficiency of light emitting diodes (LEDs) by incorporating various micro-/nanolens arrays (MNLAs) on the substrate layer, which in turn increases the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the LEDs. To simulate the LEDs, we utilized the finite difference time domain method. To achieve a white LED, we inserted a thin layer of NiO at the interface between the n-type ZnO and the p-type GaN. The basic n-ZnO/NiO/p-GaN heterojunction-based LED exhibited an EQE of 10.99% where the effective refractive index of the LED structure was 1.48. The EQE was further increased by engraving various planoconvex or planoconcave MNLA on the top surface of the substrate layer. A maximum EQE of 12.4% was achieved for convex-1 type (lens height of 0.5  μm and radius of 0.4  μm) elliptical lens engraved LED where the effective refractive index was 1.4. In addition, the peak electroluminescence (EL) light intensity of convex-1 lens-based LED was twice than the light intensity observed in basic LED. Because of excellent EL spectrum and significant amount of light throughout the visible spectrum, the proposed convex-1 structure-based LED can be considered as a prospective candidate for white LED

Determinants of patients' satisfaction and trust toward healthcare service environment in general practice clinics

This study aimed to examine the healthcare service environment, patients' experience, and responses toward healthcare services in private general practice (GP) clinics. Self-administered questionnaires were used for collecting data from 367 respondents with prior experience in visiting the general practice clinics in Malaysia. SmartPLS statistical tool was used to test the underlying hypotheses. The results revealed that ambiance, service delivery, interior decor, and cleanliness had a significant influence on patients' trust and satisfaction while the exterior design is neither associated with satisfaction nor trust. Patients' satisfaction and trust had a higher significant effect on their repatronage intention, willingness to pay for a premium healthcare service, and engagement in word-of-mouth for healthcare services. In practice, both the service delivery and ambiance features of the healthcare services environment might be optimized by GP clinics. This research provides significant insights from the patients' perspective toward the GP clinics' healthcare services environment

Pharmacists’ perception of their challenges at work, focusing on antimicrobial resistance; a qualitative study from Bangladesh

Background Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is one of the major global health problems. The indiscriminate use of antimicrobial medicines has led to the development of resistance among various microorganisms. The growing resistance compromises the effectiveness of medicines and the WHO declared that controlling AMR is a top priority for global health. Bangladesh is a low- middle-income country, but despite the improved healthcare indicators, infectious diseases remain a prioritized public health problem. Shortage of physicians within the country, force patients to look for healthcare services from facilities without the supervision of qualified medical personnel, including retail pharmacists. Method A qualitative study design was employed to explore retail pharmacist’s perceptions and awareness regarding AMR, their challenges at work and their preference for antimicrobial medicine when used for patient’s treatment. Findings Twenty-four individual interviews of retail pharmacists in Bangladesh were conducted. The retail pharmacists described their motivations and challenges in their profession. They demonstrated a wide range of knowledge and concerns regarding AMR in Bangladesh. According to them, broad-spectrum antibiotics are frequently used, despite being a well-known cause for AMR. Old prescriptions, self-medication, lack of regulations and the easy availability of antimicrobial medications, were key factors which contribute to the misuse of antimicrobial treatment, found in the study. The pharmacists meant that these issues need to be addressed properly to control the AMR situation. Conclusion Knowledge and practice gaps among retail pharmacists and patients were identified in this study. Although, the pharmacists understood the reasons of the development of AMR, a need to understand the long-term impact is essential. Introducing proper knowledge of AMR in the pharmacists’ education, need to balance information provided by the pharmaceutical representatives and Internet, and this would be beneficial to control AMR. Innovative programs like ‘Model Pharmacy’ should be introduced to raise awareness in society

Pharmacists' perception of their challenges at work, focusing on antimicrobial resistance : a qualitative study from Bangladesh

Background: The indiscriminate use of antimicrobial medicines has contributed to the development of microorganisms' resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health problem and is most acute in countries that have a weak health care and regulatory system and a high burden of infectious diseases, such as Bangladesh. Due to shortages of physicians available to diagnose and prescribe appropriate antibiotics, people with ailments in Bangladesh are forced to contact various types of health care services, including retail pharmacies, that lack supervision by qualified medical personnel. It is unknown how pharmacists perceive the AMR situation and the related challenges they face. Objective: The aim of the study was to understand retail pharmacist's perceptions regarding AMR. Method: A qualitative study design was used, and in-depth interviews were held with retail pharmacists in Dhaka. Results: The participants demonstrated a variety of concerns regarding AMR. They considered that self-medication, old prescriptions, lack of regulations and supervision, and readily available antibiotics were the main factors that contributed to the misuse of antimicrobial medicines and the development of AMR. Conclusions: To control the further spread of AMR in Bangladesh, there is a need to work at several levels of the health system simultaneously. Initiatives could include establishment of the 'Model Pharmacy' programme nationwide, increasing and widening the focus on AMR in pharmacists' education, ensuring the implementation of government guidelines on AMR, increasing public awareness of the consequences of antimicrobial use, and surveillance and monitoring of regulations and progress. A multipronged strategy is necessary not only for better AMR control but also for investment in a system that is well equipped to provide equitable care in the face of both existing and new health challenges