733 research outputs found
Service marketing overview of RFL export department
No full textThis internship report is submitted in a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of Internship reportIncludes bibliographical references (page 34)Md. Ariful Islam Bappy,M. Business Administratio
Configuring AI-guided sustainable competitive advantage for SMEs through business model innovation: A systematic literature review approach
No full textResearchers have been exploring an effective framework for achieving competitive advantage for many years, specifically tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure their long-term survival. The recent surge in advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has made their debates more challenging. Thus, the study proposes a conceptual framework specifically designed to leverage AI for long-term competitive advantage in SMEs, examining their business models through this lens. This study conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to cover a broad range of relevant literature within a final sample of 69 articles. The SLR method was chosen to integrate research in a systematic, transparent, and reproducible way. For qualitative analysis and framework derivation, the study draws on a thematic ontological analysis. The study identifies multiple research streams at the intersection of advanced technology and entrepreneurship aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. The primary outcome of this study is the development of a comprehensive business model framework, encompassing both external antecedents (namely, market and industry dynamics, technological infrastructure, government policies and support, strategic alliances, socio-cultural factors) and internal antecedents (digital leadership, dynamic capabilities/adaptability, entrepreneurial mindset, data strategy, growth/resilience), ultimately contributing to sustainable performance. Practically, the study provides a comprehensive avenue for SME owners and managers to adopt and use AI in business strategies and operations. Based on the results, SMEs can implement automation and machine learning to streamline business processes, minimize manual labor, and boost overall operational efficiency. More theoretical and practical implications, along with limitations and future directions, are also discussed, revealing multiple theoretical gateways and an agenda for subsequent empirical work
Alveolar macrophage phagocytic activity is enhanced with LPS priming, and combined stimulation of LPS and lipoteichoic acid synergistically induce pro-inflammatory cytokines in pigs
No full textThe objective of the present study was to investigate LPS and lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced TLRs, associated signaling molecules and inflammatory mediators, as well as to compare their combined effect in porcine alveolar macrophages. Macrophages were incubated for 24h with various concentrations of LPS, LTA, LPS+LTA or control. Multiple concentrations of LPS elicited marked up-regulation in mRNA for TLR2 and TLR4, CD14, MD2, MyD88, IRAK-4 and TRAF6 compared with the control. LTA had no effect on TLR4 and MD2; only higher doses up-regulated TLR2, CD14, MyD88, IRAK-4 and TRAF6 mRNA. LPS-activated cells released IL1-, IL12-, TNF-, IL-6, IL-8, IFN- and IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner, while LTA had no effect on IL-1, IL-6 and IFN-. Higher doses of LTA induced IL-12, TNF-, IL-8 and IL-10. Combined stimulation augmented TLR2, CD14 and MyD88 mRNA, and subsequently produced elevated levels of IL-6, TNF- and IL-8 when compared with LPS and LTA alone. Additionally, phagocytosis of macrophages was significantly increased following low concentration of LPS treatment. Only low levels of NO (nitric oxide) were detected in the LPS group. Overall, compared with LPS, LTA was a relatively weak inducer, and co-stimulation accelerated gene and cytokine production associated with pulmonary innate immune function.The objective of the present study was to investigate the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipotechoic acid (LTA)-induced TLRs, associated signaling molecules and inflammatory mediators, as well as to compare their combined effect in porcine alveolar macrophages. Macrophages were incubated for 24 h with various concentrations of LPS, LTA, LPS plus LTA or control. Multiple concentrations of LPS elicited the marked up-regulation in mRNA for TLR-2 and-4, CD-14, MD-2, MyD-88, IRAK-4, TRAF-6, as compared to control. LTA had no effect on TLR-4 and MD-2; only higher doses up-regulated TLR-2, CD-14, MyD-88, IRAK-4 and TRAF-6 mRNA. LPS-activated cells released IL1-ß, IL12-ß, TNF-?, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-? and IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner while LTA had no effect on IL-1ß, IL-6 and IFN-?. Higher doses of LTA induced IL-12ß, TNF-?, IL-8 and IL-10. Combined stimulation augmented TLR-2, CD-14 and MyD-88 mRNA, and subsequently produced elevated levels of IL-6, TNF-? and IL-8 when compared to LPS and LTA alone. Additionally, phagocytosis of macrophages was significantly increased following low concentration of LPS treatment. Only low levels of nitric oxide were detected in LPS group. Overall, compared to LPS, LTA was a relatively weak inducer, and co-stimulation accelerated genes and cytokines production associated with pulmonary innate immune function.</p
Development of Storage Allocation Models in a Warehouse
No full textThis thesis is submitted to the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Management, December 2011.Cataloged from PDF Version of Thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-66).The developments in warehouses have significantly influenced the existing paradigms in
inventory research. Unfortunately, the attention paid by researchers in inventory theory to
the management of storage systems such as warehouses has been relatively limited. Often,
it was considered mainly to be a technical issue and therefore belong to a different area,
i.e., material handling research. The warehouse problems can be classified mainly into two
groups i.e., the design problem and the operational problem. The design problem deals
with the issues such as over all structure, sizing and dimensioning, department layout,
equipment selection, and operation strategy of the warehouse. On the other hand, the
operational problems deal with receiving and shipping, and storage and retrieval (order
picking). Chapter 2 provides a brief description of the literature related to operational
problems. Maintenance environment warehouse is very similar to production warehouse
where spare parts are stored and retrieved. In such an environment, allocation of space and
assignment of spare-parts in a warehouse is a vital problem for sound operation of a
warehouse. Miss-allocation of spare-parts takes huge time to find out parts. This problem
causes extra time consumption and money expenditure for the involvement of labor for
long time and creates risk of unavailability of spare parts that lead to improper maintenance
or repair of machines. Generally, allocations of items are done in alphanumerical order
without regard to issue frequency, size, weight or volume. As a result, it will be creates
problems in issuing/retrieving the spare parts with minimum waste of time & effort.
The objective of this research is to study the developments of operational problems related
to production warehouse especially for maintenance environment. Chapter 3 is devoted to
develop an efficient methodology to identify the similar parts i.e., sparepart_set (SPS) that
can be grouped together and be kept in one place. Doing so, it may increase the efficiency
of the storage and retrieval. The weight (popularity index) is used to identify the
Spare_part_set as slow moving or fast. The weight of a spare_part_set is the summation of
all item's frequency of usages in year. By considering weight, higher weight SPS (fast
moving) should be kept near to issue counter and less weight (slow moving) SPS is to be
placed far from counter.
In chapter 4, the model is simulated for hypothetical warehouses. The objective of the
experiment is to investigate the performance of the methodology described in the previous
chapter in terms of travel distance to collect all the items of a demand. For this purpose,
three hypothetical warehouses are considered. The first one, in which the spare parts are
stored in alphanumerical order and the second one, in which the spare parts are stored
according to the algorithm described in chapter 3 and in the third one, spare part are stored
randomly. The details of the experiment and the results of the experiment are presented in
chapter 4. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated in terms of the average travel
distance needed to collect an order of SPS. It is found that the average travel distance is
minimum (20%) less for our proposed methodology.
Lastly, in chapter 5, conclusions and some recommendations are presented.Syed Ariful IslamMaster of Science in Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Managemen
‘BARI Masur-9’: An extra-early lentil cultivar for a rice-based cropping system in Bangladesh
No full textLentil (Lens culinaris Medik) is the third-most important grain legume in the world. In Bangladesh, it is important for human food and nutrition, animal feed, and sustainable rice-based cropping systems. However, lentil area is declining due to competition with other winter and spring crops, particularly irrigated spring rice (boro rice; Oryza sativa L.). To increase lentil production, the extra-early (<95 d) lentil line LRIL-22-70 was selected to grow in the short fallow period between monsoon and spring rice under a proposed new cropping pattern. LRIL-22-70 was identified from a recombinant inbred line population through rigorously evaluated in diverse agro-ecological conditions of Bangladesh and released for commercial cultivation by Pulses Research Centre, BARI, as ‘BARI Masur-9’ (Reg. no. CV-36, PI 700307) in 2018. BARI Masur-9 is a transgressive segregant for earliness (matures in <93 d) and fits well in the new monsoon rice–lentil–spring rice cropping pattern. It is a medium-seeded (2.38 g 100–1 seed) cultivar with high tolerance to Stemphylium blight. The average seed yield of BARI Masur-9 was 1,201 kg ha–1, with higher concentrations of Fe (73 mg kg−1) and Zn (61 mg kg−1) compared with other genotypes; thus, BARI Masur-9 contributes to combatting micronutrient malnutrition in Bangladesh. BARI Masur-9, the first extra-early lentil cultivar, can successfully be grown to replace fallow between rice as a new cropping pattern monsoon rice–lentil (BARI Masur-9)–spring rice in about 8 million ha in Bangladesh, eastern Indian states, and eastern Nepal
Effect of External Shading and Window Glazing on Energy Consumption of Buildings in Bangladesh
No full textThis thesis is submitted to the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, September, 2014.Cataloged from PDF Version of Thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 56-59).Energy efficiency of buildings is attracting significant attention from the research
community as the world is moving towards sustainable buildings design. Energy efficient
approaches are measures or ways to improve the energy performance and energy
efficiency of buildings. This study investigated various energy-efficient approaches for
residential building. External shading controls the solar energy on a window and the
energy transfer within the room through the window. In the present study, the effect of
overhang and fin on single clear glazing window as well as the effect of advanced glazing
on the solar energy transmitted into or lost from the room through the fenestration areas
have been evaluated for typical residential buildings in Bangladesh, using EnergyPlus
software in different frontage wall orientation. Four types of glazing (single clear, double
low-E opaque, double layer argon gapping, and double clear glazing) and six types of
window shading ( with different dimensions of overhang and fin) are used in this project.
It was found that appropriate overhangs or side fins in the north, south, west and east
windows would lead to the optimal reduction of the annual energy transferred into the
buildings and can have an energetic behavior equivalent to high performance glazing. As
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well as the energy consumption for north facing window with overhang and side fin in left
side is the lowest and generously shaded (like north facing) south-facing window can also
be used for residential building with considering cp index i.e., ener
11 gy consumption can be reduced by proper window shading. In addition, double low-E opaque glazing in window
is more efficient for energy saving in building. But with considering illuminance and
energy consumption Double low-E clear (Argon) is best selection for Bangladeshi climate.Md. Jahangir AlamMaster of Science in Energy Technolog
Towards sustainable ICT procurement : impacting data based decision-making in B2B green ICT adoption
No full textThe rapid growth of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, with its expanding economic output and escalating environmental and social impacts, including significant energy usage and waste production, necessitates a shift towards sustainable procurement practices within the business-to-business (B2B) context. This study addresses this challenge by developing and validating the Sustainable ICT Device Acquisition (SIDA) framework and tool, integrating a Supplier Selection Questionnaire (SSQ) and Sustainability Guidelines offers a structured approach for integrating sustainability criteria into ICT procurement decisions. Through the utilization of design science research methodology and a mixed-methods approach, which includes a systematic literature review, interviews, and a survey, this study identifies the key barriers and enablers to sustainable ICT procurement within the European landscape. An application operationalizing the SIDA framework was proposed including features such as a sustainability assessment dashboard, supplier evaluation module (integrating the SSQ), and total cost of ownership (TCO) calculator, empower decision-makers with comprehensive information and data-driven insights. Workshops on the proposed tool’s design and functionality with industry practitioners and academic experts indicate its potential to raise awareness, streamline supplier evaluation, and enhance decision-making in alignment with sustainability goals. It is firmly believed that this research contributes to the field by providing a theoretically grounded and empirically validated framework and tool, promoting responsible ICT procurement decisions that benefit both businesses and the environment
ORGANIC MANAGEMENT OF WILT COMPLEX AND TOMATO YELLOW LEAF CURL VIRUS IN SUMMER TOMATO USING BIO-AGENTS, BOTANICAL AND AGRO BIO-PRODUCTS FORTIFIED SOIL
No full textA Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Agriculture,
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN
PLANT PATHOLOGYA pot and a lab experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of selected bioagents
(Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma harzianum, Verticillum lecanii,
Beauveria bessiana), botanicals [Clerodendrum infortunatum (Vat) leaf extract,
Lantana camara leaf extract, Azadiracta indica (Neem) leaf extract] and agro bioproducts
(Tea
wastage,
Garlic
powder,
Mustard
oil
cake)
against
the
wilt
complex
and
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in summer tomato cultivation. The
experiment was conducted at net house in the Department of Plant Pathology, Shere-Bangla
Agricultural
University
(SAU),
Dhaka,
Bangladesh,
during
the
period
of
July
to
October,
2021.
The
experiment
was
carried
out
in
a
complete
randomized
design
(CRD)
with
three
replications
and
each
of
the
treatment
contains
3
pots.
The
total
number
of
unit
pots
was
30.
Summer
variety
‘BARI
hybrid
tomato-4’
was
used
as
a tested
cultivar.
Data
on disease
incidence
and disease
severity
of
wilt
complex
and
TYLCV
was
recorded
at
30,
45
and
60
DAT.
Fungal
pathogen
was
isolated
by
tissue
planting
method. Bacterial pathogen was isolated by dilution and streaking
method. In case of wilt complex, among the selected bio–agents, the lowest disease
incidence (33.33%) and severity (15%) was found in T
1
(Metarhizium anisopliae +
Trichoderma harzianum) and the highest disease incidence (66.67%) and severity
(20%) was found in T
3
(Metarhizium anisopliae + Beauveria bessiana). In case of
TYLCV, the lowest disease incidence (66.67%) and severity (20%) was found in T
3
(Metarhizium anisopliae + Beauveria bessiana) and the highest disease incidence
(100%) and severity (30%) was found in T
2
(Metarhizium anisopliae + Verticillum
lecanii). From the present study, it was found that the wilt complex of tomato
caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici and Ralstonia solanacearum that
was confirmed by morphological characteristics of macro and micro conidial
structures and biochemical tests viz. gram staining, motility, KOH solubility,
catalase and simon’s citrate test, respectively. The performance of the treatments in
respect of yield and yield contributing characters against wilt complex and TYLCV
of summer tomato varied significantly. However, from the present study it may be
concluded that mustard oil cake and neem leaf extract can be used as ecofriendly
approach for effective management of wilt complex and Tomato Yellow Leaf curl
Virus (TYLCV) in summer tomato cultivation
SEARCH FOR RESISTANCE AND CHEMICAL CONTROL AGAINST STEMPHYLIUM BLIGHT DISEASE OF LENTIL
No full textA Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Agriculture,
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka,
in Partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN
PLANT PATHOLOGY
SEMESTER: JANUARY-JUNE, 2014Experiments were carried out to search for resistant source
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