Neighbourhood Characteristics and Adjacent Ravines on House Prices

Land Economics/Use,

Socio-Demographic Factors Differently Associate with Contraceptive Use Among Older Women in Comparison with Younger Women in Bangladesh.

This paper examined that socio-economic factors were differently associated with younger and older married women in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Madhabde , a municipality in Narsingdi district of Bangladesh and data were collected through face to face interview. Chi square test and logistic regression was applied to identify the factors that were related to contraceptive use both younger and older married women. The results showed that contraceptive prevalence rate was lower among younger women compared with older women. The finding showed that women skilled occupation and current living children were associated with younger people contraceptive use while women education, skilled occupation, husband approval of family planning,spousal communication, knowledge on contraceptive were associated with older married women contraceptive use. So, this study reveals that socio- economic factors were more associated with older married women contraceptive use than younger married women. So, family planning program in Bangladesh should give more emphasize on younger people to use contraceptive. Keywords: contraceptive, younger women, older women, family planning, Bangladesh

Peridocity, Change Detection and Prediction in Microarrays

Three topics in the analysis of microarray genomic data are discussed and improved statistical methods are developed in each case. A statistical test with higher power is developed for detecting periodicity in microarray time series data. Periodicity in short series, with non-Fourier frequencies, is detected through a Pearson curve calibrated to the null distribution obtained by computer simulation. Unlike other traditional methods, this approach is applicable even in the presence of missing values or unequal time intervals. The usefulness of the new method is demonstrated on simulated series as well as actual microarray time series. The second topic develops a new method for detection of changes in DNA or gene copy number. Regions for DNA copy number aberrations in chromosomal material are detected using maximum overlapping discrete wavelet transform (MODWT). It is shown how repeated application of MODWT to a series can be used to confirm the presence of change points. Application to simulated as well as array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization) data confirms the excellent performance of this method. In the third topic, it is shown that an improved class predictor for tissue samples in microarray experiments is developed by incorporating nearest neighbour covariates (NNC). It is demonstrated that this method reduces the mis-classification errors in both simulated and actual microarray data

User acceptance studies for LED office lighting: light spectrum and correlated colour temperature

During the last decade, lighting technology based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has advanced rapidly and is paving the way for the application of LED lighting in offices. Two experiments were carried out to study user preference for different LED light spectra and correlated colour temperature (CCT), and to determine user acceptance for LED office lighting. In a lighting booth experiment, twenty one different LED spectral power distributions (SPDs) were realised considering colour quality scale (CQS) gamut area scale Qg, CQS Colour preference scale Qp, feeling of contrast index (FCI) along with the CIE colour rendering index (CRI) at the CCTs of 2700K, 4000K, and 6500K. The observers evaluated the lit scenes under different light spectra at 500 lux for different factors such as brightness, visual comfort, and pleasantness. The observers preferred the LED SPDs which had higher values of a reference-based metric (Qp) or higher values of an area-based metric (Qg). The chromaticity difference (Duv) values also influenced the user preference of the light spectra. The observer preferred the CCT of 4000K and 6500K to the CCT of 2700K at 500 lux. The findings of the lighting booth experiment were used as the base line for the office room experiment where six different LED SPDs were realised at the CCTs of 4000K and 6500K considering Qp, Qg, and FCI. The observers evaluated the lit environments under different SPDs for brightness, visual comfort, glare, and pleasantness of colour of light along with other lighting aspects at illuminance levels of 300 lux and 500 lux. At 4000K, the observers preferred the LED light spectra which had higher values of Qp and Qg to the fluorescent lamps in the office environment at 500 lux. The preferred LED SPDs had negative Duv values, whereas the fluorescent lamp had positive Duv values. The observers preferred the CCT of 4000K to 6500K, under which the observers felt more comfortable and found the colour of light more pleasant than under 6500K at 500 lux. It was also found that the lit environment should be able to provide good quality lighting for visibility and the observers should feel visually comfortable in that lit environment if the illuminance level is varied. The results indicate the need to develop LED light spectra for office lighting considering Qp and Qg with negative Duv values within the recommended limit. As the Duv values affected the observers' preferences, colour of white light should be characterised not only by CCT but also by Duv values

DIVIDEND PRACTICES IN LISTED BANKS OF BANGLADESH

Corporate dividend behaviour is looked upon in many ways by the experts in the area of financial literature. To examine the dividend practices in banking sector in Bangladesh, it is taken secondary data and the views of dividend policy makers’ covering the divergent aspects of dividend practices. The parametric test, non-parametric test and percentile are used for inferring the result. In the banking sector, the maximum payouts are in large size firm, earlier listed bank, low leveraged firm, high risk’s firm, medium PE ratio’s firm. The survey results reveal that the banks prefer both cash & stock dividend most but majority shareholders prefer stock. The most of the companies follow stable payout with increasing trend in dividend payment but no satisfactory research is done to justify the investors’ preference. The decision maker, investors and other stakeholders should follow these findings for taking decision

A critical study on the strategy for capital machinery manufacturing SMEs in Bangladesh

This study presents the results of a research programme carried out on small and medium sized enterprises (SME) of manufacturing industrial capital machinery in Bangladesh. The study is intended to establish the market potential of industrial capital machinery (ICM), barriers to growth and government policy support issues towards the development of ICM manufacturing SMEs. This research involved the study of manufacturing industries, case studies on the manufacture of capital machinery and designing a postal survey questionnaire which was mailed to industries, government departments and raw material suppliers in Bangladesh. The questionnaire was designed with an aim to collect, information on opportunities, barriers to manufacturing, strategy of procurement and sales of ICM, use of locally available industrial indigenous resources, strength of AMT, size and performance of the SMEs and the impact of government policy on the growth of ICM manufacturing SMEs. Based on the result of the study, a number of models have been developed for ICM in Bangladesh in terms of demand, market growth, factors affecting the manufacturing cost, government policies, contribution of the national engineering sector to the manufacturing industries and barriers to the growth. The key findings of the study show that the locally available industrial resources based strategic plan for industrial development and government policies are the dominant factors for the growth of ICM manufacturing SMEs through which engineering industries could contribute to the economy of the developing countries in general and Bangladesh in particular. The work concludes with recommendations to overcome the barriers and constraints to the growth of ICM manufacturing SMEs

銀行業における利ざや、利益率、および不良債権の決定要因：南アジア地域のパネルデータからのエビデンス

Tohoku University西山慎一課

Evaluating Suppliers/Consultants and Procuring Entities in the landscape of Public Procurement in Bangladesh

Promoting good corporate governance to the business community (suppliers/ consultants) and procuring entities in order to build professionalism about procurement issues is a latest challenge in the field of Public Procurement in Bangladesh. This paper discusses on application of Public Procurement Rules to develop a transparent, accountable and efficient procurement for better overall value for money and sustainable development of all sectors of the Government of Bangladesh. The purpose of this study is to identify various implementation bottlenecks to the Public Procurement in Bangladesh