Improving competitiveness of readymade garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh - analysis of supply chains

This study attempts to develop a model of improving competitiveness through analysing the supply chain (SC) of RMG industry in Bangladesh. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of external stakeholders’ of RMG SC to the demand side and supply side issues for improving competitiveness. Mixed method research is adopted in this study and data are analyzed by Partial Least Square-based Structural Equation Modelling. This study revealed that stakeholders have influence to improve competitiveness

Common interests, private gains: a study of co-operative floodplain aquaculture

In recent years a number of floodplain aquaculture projects have sprung up in the Daudkandi area of Comilla District. Key to this development are a number of unique organisational and financing arrangements which facilitate the development of necessary infrastructure through issuing shares to farmers who have land in the targeted floodplain area. In February 2007, a short review was carried out to better understand how floodplain aquaculture was affecting a range of local social, economic and environmental issues.Fishery management, Flood plains, Aquaculture

Observability and scientific realism

The goal of this thesis is to explore the debate between Bas van Fraassen’s constructive empiricism and scientific realism. For this purpose I discuss the existence of observable and unobservable entities, the observation/theoretical dichotomy, inference to the best explanation, the no miracles argument, pessimistic induction, and epistemic risk. I strive to show that, contrary to the view of constructive empiricism, there is no clear demarcation line between observable and unobservable entities, and that not only naked eye observation but also the instrument-based observation plays an important role in acquiring knowledge. I agree with scientific realists that there is no highest point to the human power of observation; it is open-ended for further development. Moreover, naked eye observations are not themselves beyond doubt, as sometimes even naked eye observations deceive us. In that context, theoretical explanations help us to understand the real situation. As such, there is no reason to give more credit to naked eye observations than to instrument-mediated, theory-informed observations. Scientific realists are confident in their knowledge of unobservables, and reject the epistemic significance of the observable/unobservable distinction. To justify their knowledge of unobservables, they use inferences to the best explanation. Such inferences play an important role in choosing the best theory amongst a group of theories. For their part, constructive empiricists use what is called the ‘bad lot’ argument to refute these inferences. I try to show that such ‘bad lot’ arguments fail to succeed at undermining inferences to the best explanation. Following scientific realists, I assert that nothing is miraculous in the domain of science, and that we can be assured of the approximate truth of successful scientific theories. It is true that many contemporary scientific theories contradict previously successful scientific theories, but that does not compel us to be pessimistic about such contemporary theories. Instead of pessimism, we can have an optimistic attitude about the progress of science. Considering the different arguments of constructive empiricism and scientific realism, this thesis gives more credit to scientific realism than to constructive empiricism

A modified laboratory approach to determine reaeration rate for river water

It is reported that reaeration rates determined from laboratory investigation may not suit well in predicting reaeration rate of natural streams. Sampling method during reaeration experiment is a potential source of error in laboratory estimation of reaeration rate coefficient for river waters, which has been addressed in this research. A modified method based on sampling procedure in a flume was adopted to develop a reaeration rate equation for Pusu River in Malaysia,which is demographically a very important river. An important feature including several culverts along the course of the river was also considered to model dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration.DOwas calibrated and validated using water quality analysis simulation program (WASP) considering appropriate kinetic rate coefficients for Pusu River. Performance of the new reaeration rate equation and other process equations in the calibration and validation data was assessed in terms of root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean error between observed and predicted data and R2 value. Study results revealed that the equation developed in B Abdullah Al-Mamun [email protected] Md Nuruzzaman [email protected] http://waterzaman.weebly.com/ Md Noor Bin Salleh [email protected] 1 Department of Civil Engineering, Rangpur Engineering College, Rangpur 5403, Bangladesh 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3 Bioenvironmental Engineering Research Center (BERC), Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this research considering the impact of culverts on reaeration rate predicted DO in Pusu River with improved accuracy as compared to the other equations. RMSEs were found to be 0.083 and 0.067 mg/L for calibration and validation data, respectively. Mean errors of observed and model-predicted data were 0.06 and 0.05 mg/L for calibration and validation,respectively. The R2 value was 0.99 in both cases. The study results facilitate accuracy in future studies on DO of Pusu River

Metal Removal Kinetics, Bio-Accumulation and Plant Response to Nutrient Availability in Floating Treatment Wetland for Stormwater Treatment

Floating treatment wetland (FTW) is a recent innovation to remove nutrients from stormwater, but little is known about its effectiveness for metal removal. This study aims to test the hypothesis that the metal removal performance of FTWs will be affected by nutrient (NH3-N, NO3-N, and PO4-P) availability in stormwater. Two experiments were carried out in nutrient-deficient tap water, and two experiments were carried out in nutrient-rich lake water using four native Australian plants, namely Carex fascicularis, Juncus kraussii, Eleocharis acuta, and Baumea preissii. Up to 81% Cu and 44.9% Zn removal were achieved by the plants in 16 days in tap water. A reduction in Cu and Zn removal of 28.4–57.3% and 1.0–19.7%, respectively, was observed in lake water compared with tap water for the same duration. The kinetic analysis also confirmed that plant metal uptake rates slowed down in lake water (0.018–0.088 L/mg/day for Cu and 0.005–0.018 L/mg/day for Zn) compared to tap water (0.586–0.825 L/mg/day for Cu and 0.025–0.052 L/mg/day for Zn). A plant tissue analysis revealed that E. acuta and B. preissii bioaccumulated more than 1000 mg/kg of both metals in their tissue, indicating high metal accumulation capacities. To overcome the slower metal uptake rate problem due to nutrient availability, future studies can investigate multi-species plantations with nutrient stripping plants and metal hyper-accumulator plants

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of floating treatment wetland retrofitted stormwater pond: Investigation on design configurations

Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) is a cost-effective and easy-to-retrofit device for stormwater treatment. Its treatment efficiency largely depends on the fraction of inflow entering FTW and the residence time within it. Thus hydrodynamics play a crucial role, which is affected by the design configurations of FTW and stormwater pond. Despite a spike in research on FTWs, very little is known about how various design configurations affect treatment efficiency by an FTW. Our study hypothesizes that relative positions of FTW geometry, FTW position and pond inlet–outlet have impact on the hydrodynamics and as a consequence, treatment efficiency. To explore these design features, we employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling conducted in ANSYS Fluent, validated by experimental data to examine the impact of the aforementioned design features. The results revealed that circular FTW geometry positioned near inlet coupled with center inlet–side outlet configuration achieved the highest removal (94.8%) for a non-dimensional removal rate of krtHRT = 20 (kr is the first order removal rate in per day, tHRT is the nominal hydraulic residence time of the pond in days). Far side inlet–side outlet configuration performed the worst due to profound promotion of short-circuiting. FTW positioned near inlet performed better (61.8% mass removal on an average) than center (42.7%) and near outlet positions (54.1%) for krtHRT = 20. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the treatment efficiency is most sensitive to inlet–outlet configurations. The design implications of this study will help practitioners achieving better water quality and ecological improvement goals

Lead time management in the garment sector of Bangladesh: an avenues for survival and growth

Bangladesh has emerged as an important supplier of quality readymade garments in the global market. The spectacular growth of garment sector in Bangladesh in recent years has dramatically changed the landscape of export composition of the country. Once heavily dependent on exports of primary products lead by Jute, the economy of Bangladesh is now experiencing almost 76% export contribution from readymade garments (RMG). The sector has now occupied an important place in Bangladesh national economy. Nevertheless, all is not well in this sector. It faces numerous challenges and it is now on the crossroad with the phasing out of quota system, GSP facilities and new provisions of WTO. In this study attempts have been made to find out the ways to face the competitive business environment by the efficient management process towards the lead time reduction. The main purpose of this article is to analyse the business process of the garment sector to find out it’s lead time minimization process. The study has been concluded by the development of a new diagram of business process with the outcome that the other management process in the supply chain is an important factor rather than process management in the lead time minimization process

A study of co-operative floodplain aquaculture: Daudkandi model

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Development Studies, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of dissertation.Includes bibliographical references (page 61-63).Md. NuruzzamanM. Development Studie

A population-level data linkage study to explore the association between health facility level factors and unintended pregnancy in Bangladesh

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of health facility-level factors, including the availability of long-acting modern contraceptives (LAMC) at the nearest health facility and its distance from women’s homes, on the occurrence of unintended pregnancy that resulted in a live birth. We analysed the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data linked with the 2017 Bangladesh Health Facility Survey. The weighted sample comprised 5051 women of reproductive age, who had at least one live birth within 3 years of the survey. The outcome variable was women’s intention to conceive at their most recent pregnancy that ended with a live birth. The major explanatory variables were the health facility level factors. A multi-level multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the association of the outcome variable with explanatory variables adjusting for individual, household, and community-level factors. Nearly 21% of the total respondents reported that their most recent live birth was unintended at conception. Better health facility management systems and health facility infrastructure were found to be 14–30% protective of unintended pregnancy that resulted in a live birth. LAMC availability at the nearest health facility was associated with a 31% reduction (95% CI 0.50–0.92) in the likelihood of an unwanted pregnancy that resulted in a live birth. Health facility readiness to provide LAMC was also associated with a 14–16% reduction in unintended pregnancies that ended with a birth. The likelihood of unintended pregnancy that resulted in a live birth increased around 20–22% with the increased distance of the nearest health facility providing LAMC from the women’s homes.The availability of health facilities near women’s homes and access to LAMC can significantly reduce unintended pregnancy. Policies and programs to ensure access and affordability of LAMC across current health facilities and to increase the number of health facilities are recommended