Rebuilding Evolution: A Service Science Perspective

This paper explores a simple idea and asks a simple question: What determines the speed limit of evolutionary processes, and might there be ways to speed up those processes for certain types of systems under certain conditions? Or even more simply, how rapidly can complex systems be rebuilt? To begin with, the universe can be viewed as an evolving ecology of entities. Entities correspond to types of systems - from atoms in stars to organisms on Earth to ideas in the heads of people. Service science is the study of the evolving ecology of service system entities, complex socio-technical systems with rights and responsibilities – such as people, businesses, and nations. We can only scratch the surface in this paper, but our explorations suggest this is an important research question and direction, especially as we enter the cognitive era of smart and wise service systems. For example, it takes a child multiple years of experience to learn language and basic social interactions skills, but could machine learning algorithms with the proper data sets learn those capabilities in a fraction of the time

Perceptions of Information Professionals about Knowledge Management in the Information Institutions of Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study

The main purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions of information professionals about Knowledge Management (KM) in Bangladesh. The study was conducted through survey using a pre-structured questionnaire. A short, well-structured both open and close ended questionnaire was sent 80 information professionals who had been working in different libraries of Bangladesh by post. The respondents were selected from each division of Bangladesh (30 respondents from Dhaka division, 10 each in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet division). We received 40 responses and the response rate was 40 percent. The results of the survey show that 90 percent of the information professionals of Bangladesh first read about KM in literature, but none had taken any courses on KM. 43 percent of the responded information professionals of Bangladesh agreed that KM is just another fad like Total Quality Management (TQM), 50 percent of the information professionals strongly agreed that KM is a new term for what information professionals were already doing. The government of Bangladesh as well as the higher educational institutions should provide better educational opportunities on KM

Technology as Actors in Service Systems

Service systems are defined as dynamic configurations of resources (people, organizations, technology and shared information), interconnected internally and externally by value propositions with other service systems. Resources are constantly evolving, as are the capabilities and roles of resources in service systems. Cognitive technologies incorporate rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Therefore, their roles are on a trajectory of increasing agency and self-directed interactions with other resources and service systems. With this in mind, a framework for service systems in which AI- based cognitive assistants (CAs) become responsible actors is the current research challenge. Because AI- based CAs have already started to play different roles in service systems. One contribution of this research is to clarify that service system entities are responsible actors, and address the question: Under what conditions does a technology such as a Cognitive Assistant (CA) become a responsible actor

People’s Interactions with Cognitive Assistants for Enhanced Performances

When cognitive computing enabled smart computers are growing in our daily lives, there are not many studies that explain how people interact and utilize these solutions, and the impact of these smart machines to people’s performance to do things. In this paper, a theoretical framework for boosting people’s performance using cognitive assistants (CAs) was developed and explained using the data analysis from 15 interviews. The results show that people interaction with CAs enhance their levels of cognition and intelligence that help them to enhance their capabilities. Enhanced capabilities help people to enhance their performance

Assessment of the Carbon Footprint and VOCs Emissions Caused by the Manufacturing Process of the Footwear Industry in Bangladesh

Every industry has an impact on the environment, either good or bad, and leather and footwear industries are no exception. For the footwear industry, the main environmental impacts are the releasing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and solid wastes. The pressure of reducing harm to the environment is coming from both the consumers and the legislation. CO2 and VOCs are hazardous to human health and also trigger serious environment problems, such as ozone layer depletion, offensive odour, photochemical smog, acid rain and many others. Adhesives, finishing products and cleaners contribute to VOCs emissions in the footwear manufacturing industry. VOCs emission may also arise from primers, separating agents, printing inks or finishing pastes. Some most commonly produced VOCs in the footwear manufacturing industry are benzene, toluene, styrene, ethylene, xylene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, methyl ethyl ketone, chlorobenzene, phenol etc. All of these cause severe health problems in humans and have an adverse effect on the environment. An increasing number of footwear factories adversely affects the environment and human health. One of the largest environmental impacts of shoe industry comes from the manufacturing stages of the shoe’s life cycle. This study was carried out to measure the carbon footprint and VOCs emissions among ten selected footwear factories. The results revealed that the total energy footprint for one pair of shoes is 18.004826 MJ, the water footprint is 8.37167 litres and the carbon footprint is 9.174979 kg CO2 eq. The highest impact in terms of the carbon footprint lies in the shoe manufacturing process with a 5.85109 eq. CO2 (kg). The total VOCs consumption for a fashion shoe is around 36.5 g/pair on average. There should be an initiative taken with the aim of adjusting the choice of methods, materials, machines and the monitoring systems as well as the safety policy for the workers and the environment

(A-LIEP 2011)Exploring the Skills and Competencies of Information Professionals for Knowledge Management in the Information Institutions of Bangladesh / Md. Abul Kalam Siddike and Md Shiful Islam

The aim of the study is to explore the views of information professionals for knowledge management (KM) in the libraries/information institutions of Bangladesh. Research Questions-This paper seeks to address the following research questions: How the information professionals of Bangladesh perceive the views of KM? What are likely to be the skills required by the information professionals of Bangladesh for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh? and what are likely to be the critical success factors for encouraging KM in the information institutions of Bangladesh? The methodology includes a quantitative approach. The study has been conducted through a survey using a pre-structured questionnaire. A short and structured questionnaire was sent to 50 information professionals who had been working in different libraries of Bangladesh through email and/or by post. The respondents were selected from 6 divisions of Bangladesh (25 respondents from Dhaka division, 5 each in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet division). We received 30 responses, for a response rate 60%. The results of the study show that that 93.24% of the respondents first read about KM in the literature, but none had taken any courses on KM. Only 6.76% of the respondents had attended a workshop on KM. Findings also yield that most of the professionals believe that communication skills, facilitation skills, coaching skills, mentoring skills, networking skills, negotiating skills, consensus building skills and team working skills are inevitable for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh. This paper also suggests some critical success factors for encouraging the information professionals to KM in the libraries of Bangladesh. It investigates the original views of the library and information professionals of Bangladesh regarding the skills and competences of information professionals for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh. The department of Information Science and Library Management of Dhaka University and Rajshahi University should introduce KM course(s) either in the graduate level or in the post-graduate leve

Psychiatric morbidity among rural and slum female population: A comparative study

Background: Psychiatric disorders are more prevalent among women than men worldwide. The lifetime risk of depres­sion and dysthymia are twice as common in women as men. Rural women usually undergoes more stressful situations and also scores more on stress scale than that of urban and slum population. Objectives: The research objectives of this study are: 1) To find out the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among the study population. 2) To compare the disorders among the rural and slum female population. 3) To find out the influence of existing socio-demographic factors on psychiatric disorders. Method: This is a community-based study, which is also cross sectional and descriptive in nature. The sample for the main study constituted 366 randomly selected respondents. A two-staged screening procedure was carried in the study. First, the total population was studied by screening test-Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) to divide the sample into 'screen positive' and 'screen negative' subjects. In the second stage, full assessment of a mixture of all 'screen positive' and 25% 'screen negative' was carried out by structured clinical interview for diagnosis (SCID-NP). Later SCID filled by the respondents was assessed by consultant psychiatrists by using DSMIV in order to put exact clinical diagnosis. Stress was scored according to Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale (PSLE). The total duration of the study was from July 2010 to June 2011. Results: Higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was found among rural sample (22.8%) than slum (10.90%) population. Regarding pattern of psychiatric disorders among rural sample (22.8%) than slum (10.9%) population.See the PDF for the rest of the abstract

Prevalence of Behavioral and Emotional Disorders among the Orphans and Factors Associated with these Disorders

Background: Orphans are the special group of children who are generally deprived and prone to develop psychiatric disorders even reared in well run institution. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of the behavioral and emotional disorder among the children living in orphanage in Dhaka city, and to assess the possible factors associated with the presence of disorders among this study population. Methods: It was a cross sectional descriptive study conducted in selected orphanages. A Total 342 cases were included. One stage structured assessment of psychopathology was carried out by using a valid Bangla version of DAWBA (The Development and Well-Being Assessment). Data analysis was done by SPSS for windows 16.0 version. Results: The results indicate that overall prevalence of behavioral and emotional disorders were 40.35%, in which Behavioral disorder was 26.9%, Emotional disorder was 10.2% and both Behavioral and Emotional disorder were 3.2%. Higher length of stay and low level of education of foster mother were significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity of the respondents. Conclusions: It can be concluded that behavioral and emotional disorders are highly prevalent among orphan children and adolescents with residential care that needs to be addressed. Moreover, measure for early identification and intervention will improve the quality of life of the orphan population.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v5i1.10997 BSMMU J 2012; 5(1):29-3

Prevalence of Behavioral and Emotional Disorders among the Orphans and Factors Associated with these Disorders

Background: Orphans are the special group of children who are generally deprived and prone to develop psychiatric disorders even reared in well run institution. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of the behavioral and emotional disorder among the children living in orphanage in Dhaka city, and to assess the possible factors associated with the presence of disorders among this study population. Methods: It was a cross sectional descriptive study conducted in selected orphanages. A Total 342 cases were included. One stage structured assessment of psychopathology was carried out by using a valid Bangla version of DAWBA (The Development and Well-Being Assessment). Data analysis was done by SPSS for windows 16.0 version. Results: The results indicate that overall prevalence of behavioral and emotional disorders were 40.35%, in which Behavioral disorder was 26.9%, Emotional disorder was 10.2% and both Behavioral and Emotional disorder were 3.2%. Higher length of stay and low level of education of foster mother were significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity of the respondents. Conclusions: It can be concluded that behavioral and emotional disorders are highly prevalent among orphan children and adolescents with residential care that needs to be addressed. Moreover, measure for early identification and intervention will improve the quality of life of the orphan population.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v5i1.10997 BSMMU J 2012; 5(1):29-3

Association between contrast-induced nephropathy and CHA2DS2-VASc score in patient with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a recognized complication in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). CHA2DS2-VASc score, commonly employed in clinical settings, shares similar risk factors for CIN development. This cross-sectional observational study investigated the association between CHA2DS2-VASc score and CIN post-PCI in non-ST segment elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients. Methods: Over one year (April 2019 to March 2020), 100 NSTEMI patients undergoing PCI at the national institute of cardiovascular diseases (NICVD), Dhaka, were included. Patients were categorized into two groups based on CHA2DS2-VASc scores (≥4, group I; <4, group II). CIN assessment utilized post-procedural serum creatinine within 48 hours, with statistical analysis performed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Group I exhibited a significantly higher CHA2DS2-VASc score (4.15±1.35 vs. 2.25±0.92 in group II). Post-procedural serum creatinine was notably elevated in CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥4 (1.98±0.46 vs. 1.46±0.27, p<0.001). A CHA2DS2-VASc score cut-off ≥4 predicted CIN with 84.6% sensitivity, 55.2% specificity (AUC 0.83, CI: 0.743-0.90, p<0.001). Conclusions: This study establishes a significant association between CHA2DS2-VASc score and CIN in NSTEMI patients post-PCI, suggesting its potential utility in predicting CIN risk in this population.