University of Rajshahi

The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge and attitudes regarding seafood safety and consumption, along with preferences and environmental issues in coastal Bangladesh. A cross-sectional, consumer-based survey was conducted in Bangladesh from September to November 2023, targeting 1100 participants aged 18 years and older across seven coastal districts. Convenience sampling and in-person interviews were used for the data collection. The average knowledge and attitude scores toward seafood safety and consumption were 48.2% and 63.5%, respectively. Several factors influenced seafood safety and consumption knowledge, including age, education level, family size, religion, and residence in coastal areas (all P < 0.05). In contrast, attitudes toward seafood safety and consumption were shaped by education level, family size, employment status, seafood allergies, and history of seafood poisoning (all P < 0.05). The most commonly consumed seafood was rupchanda, followed by shrimp. Most participants consumed seafood for its health benefits, with no significant seasonal impact on seafood consumption. Overfishing and climate change were recognised as the most alarming environmental dangers identified by the participants. Coastal communities in Bangladesh have demonstrated moderate attitudes, but relatively low knowledge of seafood safety and consumption. Targeted educational programmes, including community workshops on safe handling and storage, school-based programmes on marine conservation, and digital campaigns via SMS/social media, are needed to improve seafood safety knowledge, while promoting sustainable consumption practices is crucial for addressing environmental concerns like overfishing. Additionally, improving market accessibility and highlighting the health advantages of seafood can drive more informed and healthier consumption choices.

Background A substantial body of evidence indicates an inverse correlation between the empowerment of women and fertility rates. Women’s empowerment is a central theme in global development initiatives, necessitating a thorough and updated evaluation of the current evidence regarding its relationship with fertility. This study sought to examine the correlation between women’s empowerment and fertility intentions—specifically, the desire for additional children among reproductive-aged women living with at least one child in South Asian nations, amidst a backdrop of declining fertility rates in the region. Methods Analyses utilize the latest standard Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan for the period ranging from 2015 to 2022, which are nationally representative of women aged 15 to 49 years. To construct an effective empowerment indicator, we utilized the survey-based women’s empowerment (SWPER) composite index established in the literature, which encompasses several dimensions, including decision-making participation, attitudes towards violence, and social independence. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship of interest. Results Findings indicate that approximately one-third of South Asian women (31.1%) with at least one child expressed a desire for additional children, with the lowest percentage in Nepal (19.4%) and the highest in Afghanistan (42.3%). Higher empowerment among women in South Asia concerning attitudes toward violence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74–0.88) and decision-making (AOR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.83–0.94) correlated with a lower likelihood to desire additional children. However, women with medium (AOR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.51–1.70) and high (AOR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.44–1.74) empowerment levels regarding social independence were more inclined to seek an additional child compared to those with low empowerment in this domain. Conclusions This research revealed that specific dimensions of women’s empowerment markedly reduce the desire for additional children in patriarchic and conservative South Asian settings. Strategies aimed at fertility regulation in South Asia must carefully assess and prioritize women’s empowerment.

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms, particularly Escherichia coli, poses a significant threat to global public health, necessitating the development of alternative treatments. This study investigates the antibacterial properties of methanolic Punica granatum (pomegranate) leaf extract (MPGL) against MDR E. coli and explores its potential as a source of natural inhibitors for the CTX-M-9 beta-lactamase enzyme, a key contributor to antibiotic resistance. The disc diffusion assay revealed that MPGL exhibited significant antibacterial activity, with the highest inhibition zone of 16.67 ± 0.29 mm at 100 µg/disc. Additionally, an in silico approach was employed to identify potential inhibitors from P. granatum phytochemicals. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding affinities of Epicatechin, Kaempferol, and Apigenin to the CTX-M-9 beta-lactamase protein (PDB ID: 1YLY), with binding energies of -6.25, -5.23, and − 5.21 kcal/mol, respectively. These compounds also showed favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles in ADMET analysis, indicating their potential as safe and effective therapeutic agents. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed the stability of these compounds in complex with the target protein over a 100 ns trajectory, with Epicatechin showing the most stable interactions. The study highlights the promising antibacterial activity of P. granatum leaf extract and identifies Epicatechin, Kaempferol, and Apigenin as potential lead compounds for developing novel therapies against MDR E. coli. These findings underscore the potential of plant-based compounds in combating antibiotic resistance and provide a foundation for further research into phytopharmaceuticals as alternative treatments for bacterial infections.

Background and Aims The burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is on the rise, even among university students, and is responsible for a high proportion of death and disability worldwide, especially in developing countries. Hence, this study aimed to identify the prevalence and distribution of risk factors for NCDs among university students in Bangladesh. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 460 students from different universities in Bangladesh from October to November 2023 using a validated and structured WHO STEPS Questionnaire. Results Of the 460 students, 63.7% were male, and most of the participants belonged to 21–25 years of age. A lower prevalence of smoking (10%) and alcohol consumption (2.8%) was observed among them. More than half of the students were involved in low physical activity ( < 600 metabolic equivalent tasks [MET] minutes/week). Insufficient fruit and vegetable intake (< 5 servings daily) was more prevalent (80%) among the respondents. Approximately two‐fifty of the participants were overweight/obese (Body mass index [BMI] ≥ 23 kg/m²). The prevalence of elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar, and raised cholesterol was 24.1%, 8%, and 10.2%, respectively. Only 5.2% of students were free from any NCD risk factors, and each student had an average of two risk factors. Conclusion The high prevalence of NCD risk factors among undergraduate and graduate university students warrants effective public health strategies to minimize the development of NCDs in their later lives.

Plants are occasionally exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses throughout their growth and developmental stages, which significantly impacts crop production and poses a significant threat to global food security. Among abiotic stresses, heat stress (HS) expressively affects growth and drastically reduces crop yield due to changing the morphology and physiology of plants. Cytokinin (CK) is a plant hormone that successfully activates stress-responsive regulatory genes and plays a critical role in protecting plants against HS. However, the processes of CK-alleviating stress vary across a diversity of stress interactions. To optimize CK utilization in agriculture and enhance crop yield, it is important to understand how CK functions in challenging environments. In this review, we addressed CK-regulated functions including their biosynthesis and metabolism, signaling pathways with related gene regulation, transport mechanisms, homeostasis, and diverse roles with a special focus on their contribution to plant growth, development, and HS resistance in rice and Arabidopsis. We have provided a comprehensive summary of recent findings on the CK-mediated processes of plant growth, development, and responses to HS, aiming to disseminate a comprehensive overview of how CK coordinates crucial signals in this process. Our review might lead to identifying key areas for further study and future potential application prospects in stress resistance research. Graphical Abstract

Aim The aim of this study is to interrogate the gross histopathological patterns, correlation between histological type with tumor location, treatment, and complications of patients with ameloblastomas seen at Khartoum Teaching Dental Hospital. Method This was a cross-sectional retrospective laboratory-based study using 390 patients identified histologically with ameloblastoma between the years 2010–2017. Information regarding age, gender, histopathologic type, anatomical site, tumour size, clinical and radiographic data as well as biological features of the types of ameloblastoma was obtained from laboratory demand outlines. Categorical and continuous variables were summarized in percentage and mean ± standard deviation, respectively. Continuous and categorical variables were summarized using mean ± standard deviation (SD) and percentages, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare-related variables were compared using the chi-square test, while economic status was analyzed using Duncan’s multiple range test. Results A total of 390 patients of ameloblastoma were included with a mean patient age of 30.74 ± 5.21 years (range: 9–68 years), male to female ratio of patients was 1.3:1. Maximum of approximately 68.46% (n = 267) patients presented with a painless swelling involving the mandible. Follicular pattern was the most predominant histopathological pattern 44.87% (n = 175) followed by plexiform pattern, accounted for 32.82% (n = 128) but in the recurrent cases, there was a relatively higher number of plexiform patterns 11.54% (n = 45), unlike other histopathological patterns. Patients that had recurrence, only 1.28% (n = 5) were treated by radical surgery compared to 23.32% (n = 91) who underwent conservative surgery. Conclusion This investigation reports a reasonably significant rate of recurrence in approximately a quarter 24.62% (n = 96) of the study patients. This is the largest histopathological study regarding ameloblastoma management from Sudan, and our results recommending radical surgery for the treatment of tumours.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that causes a substantial decline in cognitive functions and affects memory, thinking abilities, and daily behavior. The most prominent hallmark of AD pathogenesis is the formation of amyloid-β plaques, among other associated pathways such as neurofibrillary tangles, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), an acetylcholine-degrading enzyme, plays a critical role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, particularly through its involvement in amyloid-β plaque formation. Thus, the inhibition of BuChE is considered a valuable therapeutic strategy for the management of AD. The present study aimed to identify potential bioactive chemicals from naturally occurring dietary compounds that could improve neurocognitive function and appear as a viable treatment for AD by inhibiting the function of BuChE. A small library of 44 natural dietary chemicals from a variety of dietary plants was subjected to comprehensive in silico studies, including molecular docking, molecular mechanics generalized born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculations, pharmacokinetics assessments, toxicity profiles, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and density functional theory (DFT) analysis. These studies revealed that CID 129886986 and CID 115269 showed stronger binding affinities with drug-likeness and no toxicity than the FDA-approved standard drug, Donepezil. Additionally, they exhibited strong structural stability with fewer fluctuations throughout the simulation, making them promising candidates for Alzheimer’s disease treatment. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-98092-y.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms are the most prevalent type of DNA variation occurring at a single nucleotide within the genomic sequence. The AVPR1a gene exhibits genetic polymorphism and is linked to neurological and developmental problems, including autism spectrum disorder. Due to the difficulties of studying all non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) of the AVPR1a gene in the general population, our goal is to use a computational approach to identify the most detrimental nsSNPs of the AVPR1a gene. We employed several bioinformatics tools, such as SNPnexus, PROVEAN, PANTHER, PhD-SNP, SNP & GO, and I-Mutant2.0, to detect the 23 most detrimental mutants (R85H, D202N, E54G, H92P, D148Y, C203G, V297M, D148V, S182N, Q108L, R149C, G212V, M145T, G212S, Y140S, F207V, Q108H, W219G, R284W, L93F, P156R, F136C, P107L). Later, we used other bioinformatics tools to perform domain and conservation analysis. We analyzed the consequences of high‑risk nsSNPs on active sites, post-translational modification (PTM) sites, and their functional effects on protein stability. 3D modeling, structure validation, protein-ligand binding affinity prediction, and Protein-protein docking were conducted to verify the presence of five significant substitutions (R284W, Y140S, P107L, R149C, and F207V) and explore the modifications induced due to these mutants. These non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms can potentially be the focus of future investigations into various illnesses caused by AVPR1a malfunction. Employing in-silico methodologies to evaluate AVPR1a gene variants will facilitate the coordination of extensive investigations and the formulation of specific therapeutic approaches for diseases associated with these variations.

Toxicity measurement of doses of chemicals (DCs) is one of the most important tasks in toxicology studies and the drug discovery and development process. In this issue, toxicogenomic biomarkers are now playing a vital role in measuring the toxicity of DCs. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between DCs-treatment and control groups are considered toxicogenomic biomarkers, and associated chemicals are the regulators of DEGs. The co-clustering technique is now used extensively in toxicogenomic research to investigate co-clusters between genomic biomarkers and their chemical regulators. In the literature, there are few approaches to exploring co-clusters. The hierarchical co-clustering (HCoClust) approach is faster, simpler, and more flexible. Nevertheless, it is not robust against outlier data and there is no instruction about separating upregulatory or downregulatory co-clusters, a crucial goal of toxicogenomic data analysis. Therefore, in this article, we proposed a robust HCoClust (rHCoClust) approach and developed an r-package called “rhcoclust” for its implementation. Simulation results showed that the conventional HCoClust and the proposed rHCoClust performed equally well in detecting co-clusters in the absence of outliers, while rHCoClust performed much better than HCoClust in the presence of outliers. However, rHCoClust outperformed the bi-clustering approaches in detecting co-clusters, since bi-clustering methods only work when row and column clusters are equal, and they have no criterion for detecting upregulatory and downregulatory co-clusters. Then rHCoClust was compared with HCoClust through real data analysis and found that rHCoClust performed better than HCoClust. In the case of real data analysis, the proposed method rHCoClust identified top-ranked two DEGs-clusters (GSTA5, MGST2, GCLC, GCLM, G6PD) and (EHHADH, CYP4A1, ANGPT14, CPT1A) that were significantly expressed by the influence of top-ranked two DCs-clusters (acetaminophen_High _24.hr, nitrofurazone_High_24.hr, methapyrilene_High_24.hr) and (WY.14643_High_24.hr, clofibrate_High_24.hr, gemfibrozil_High_24.hr, benzbromarone_High_24.hr, aspirin_High_24.hr) through the glutathione metabolism (GMP) and PPAR signaling pathway (PPAR-SP) respectively. The literature review also supported these results. Thus, the proposed method would be useful to explore toxicogenomic biomarkers and their chemical regulators from the robustness point of view.

How to cite this paper: Begum, R., & Begum, F. (2025). Digitalization of management accounting in small and medium enterprises: Expansion of the technology acceptance model. Corporate Governance and Sustainability Review, 9(2), 91-99. Businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), need digital management accounting to manage finances, make decisions, cost control, time-saving, and control operations. This study investigates the willingness of SMEs in Bangladesh to adopt digital management accounting applications employed within the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework. Data was gathered from 225 SMEs across the service, product, and manufacturing sectors utilizing structured questionnaires. Using SmartPLS, a structural equation model (SEM) was used for the analysis. The perceived simplicity of use and self-efficacy substantially affect the selection of digital management accounting by SMEs. Consequently, there is no influence from perceived usefulness or self-awareness. This study augments the TAM framework by integrating self-efficacy and personal awareness, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of technology adoption in financial management.

The slogan ‘Joy Bangla’ has been historically emblematic of the collective resistance against socio-political and economic exploitation in Bangladesh. Emerging as the rallying cry during the Liberation War of 1971, ‘Joy Bangla’ encapsulates national identity, dignity, and the struggle for justice and self-determination. This article explores the conceptual, historical, and political significance of ‘Joy Bangla’ as an indomitable protest against exploitation, oppression, and neo-colonial structures. Through qualitative research methodologies, including archival analysis, literature review, and interpretive political discourse analysis, the study evaluates how ‘Joy Bangla’ continues to shape resistance narratives in postcolonial and postliberation Bangladesh. The findings indicate that the slogan transcends generational boundaries, functioning as both a cultural signifier and a call for justice against exploitation in modern political contexts.

Spectrum sensing in cognitive radio presents a challenge in overcoming the spectrum scarcity caused by the rapid growth of wireless devices. Deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) are trending approaches to enhance the spectrum sensing performance. This paper introduces the generalized additive model (GAM) as an ML-based spectrum sensing method for cognitive radio networks. In our proposed method, the received signals are transformed using fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the powers of both the real and imaginary components of the FFT signals are calculated separately to construct a dataset. In practical communication channels, spectrum sensing is a critical task for cognitive radio in the presence of non-Gaussian noise, such as noise with a heavy-tailed distribution.We consider the complex generalized Gaussian distribution (CGGD) as a noise model to evaluate the detection performance of the ML-based method in both Gaussian and non-Gaussian noise environments. Furthermore, generalized Gaussian distribution (GGD) noise is used to compare the results of the GAM algorithm with existing methods. As a channel model, the Nakagami- m fading distribution is used for its versatile characteristics, which enable it to model a wide range of fading channels by varying the value of a parameter m in its equation. The effectiveness and practical usefulness of the proposed method are validated through simulations. The simulation results exhibit higher performance compared to the state-of-the-art DL and existing conventional methods.

Biofilm formation by Staphylococcus gallinarum on food contact surfaces poses significant risks to food safety and human health due to the enhanced resistance of biofilms to antimicrobial treatments. This study investigates the effects of four simple sugars—glucose, galactose, mannose, and fructose—on the growth and biofilm formation of S. gallinarum strain wx190801, isolated from canned chickpeas. The impact of each sugar on bacterial growth and biofilm formation was assessed on stainless steel, aluminum, glass, and plastic surfaces. Fructose exhibited the strongest antibiofilm activity, reducing biofilm formation by up to 86% on glass surfaces and inhibiting bacterial growth in a dose‐dependent manner. Additionally, fructose suppressed the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and extracellular DNA (eDNA), both of which are critical for biofilm development and reduced bacterial motility. However, fructose was less effective at disrupting mature biofilms. These findings suggest that fructose has significant potential as an eco‐friendly and non‐toxic antibiofilm agent, particularly for preventing biofilm formation on food contact surfaces. Further research is needed to explore its long‐term efficacy and practical applications in food safety protocols.

Klebsiella pneumoniae, a key pathogen causing pneumonia, relies on fimbria adhesin protein to adhere to host tissues, initiating infection and producing virulence factors that damage lung tissue. This study aims to evaluate the inhibitory potential of Hylocereus undatus‐derived phytochemicals against the fimbria adhesin protein of K. pneumoniae through comprehensive in silico and in vitro analyses. The MD simulations analysis revealed quercetin, 6‐Methyl‐2‐(4‐bromophenyl)‐7‐phenylmethylindolizine, and dasycarpidan‐1‐methanol, acetate exhibited strong binding interaction with the target protein with binding energies of −8.9 kcal/mol, −8.1 kcal/mol, and −7.9 kcal/mol, respectively. These docking results were further validated by cross‐docking, and no significant changes were found in binding energies or the interactions between the ligands and the target protein. Molecular dynamic simulations using YASARA have demonstrated strong stability for all three complexes over 100 ns. ADMET predictions indicated quercetin was non‐toxic. In vitro assays, quercetin exhibited significant inhibitory activity against K. pneumoniae with a zone of inhibition of 24.08 ± 0.60 mm and MIC value of 8.0 ± 0.577 µg/mL. Quercetin, a phytochemical from H. undatus, demonstrated strong binding affinity, stability, and significant in vitro antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae, highlighting its potential as a novel antimicrobial agent targeting fimbria adhesin proteins.

In this study, we investigate wave solutions to the space–time fractional (1 + 1)-dimensional Sawada-Kotera equation, a nonlinear integrable evolution equation with noteworthy applications in shallow water waves and other fluid systems utilizing the extended modified auxiliary equation mapping method, an adaptable and specific analytical technique. We establish several novel solitary wave solutions, including trigonometric, rational, exponential, and hybrid solitary wave solutions to the stated model under two different sets of parameters. The solutions include a variety of waveforms such as kink, pulse, general, and other solitons, which hold numerous applications in nonlinear physics and engineering. We examine the effects of the beta fractional parameter on the obtained solitons analytically and graphically. The stability of these solutions under system parameters is also assessed. Graphical representations of the solutions are provided in 2D, contour, and 3D formats using MATLAB with appropriately selected parameter values. The method proves to be effective and efficient for explaining the fractional nonlinear model, demonstrating its potential for addressing the space–time fractional Sawada-Kotera equation.

The cottage textile dyeing industry discharges untreated effluent into water bodies, posing threats to the water quality and the environment in developing countries like Bangladesh. The study aimed to assess the impacts of untreated effluent on surface water in some selected areas of Bangladesh. A total of 96 surface water samples were collected from different locations in three seasons, covering two years from sixteen locations in the Sirajganj district. Most of the parameters exceeded the standards of the DoE-BD, WHO, and FAO. The FTIR analysis showed that the surface water samples contained toxic functional groups, like azo, cyano, etc., indicating a higher level of pollution. The study analyzed various indices, including the contamination factor (Cif) and ecological risk factors (Eir), indicating moderate to ultra-high contamination levels and a higher to serious ecological risk for Cd poisoning of the surface water in the areas. The study observed that the dyeing effluent must be treated before discharging, and a Central Effluent Treatment Plan (CETP) for each cottage industrial area or zone should be installed for building sustainable effluent management, and reducing environmental pollution.

The tandem solar cell (TSC) with top and bottom sub‐cells is able to absorb sunlight from visible to near infrared range and is promising for enhancing the photo‐conversion efficiency. We have proposed a TSC with a bandgap of 1.8 and 1.29 eV for carbon nitride (C2N) as a top sub‐cell and tungsten disulfide (WS2) as a bottom sub‐cell absorber layer, respectively. In this research study, 1D solar capacitance simulation software (SCAPS‐1D) is used to analyze the open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and photo‐conversion efficiency (ƞ) of the top and bottom sub‐cell for the design of two‐terminal (2‐T) C2N‐WS2 TSC. The current matching condition of Jsc has been determined at the absorber layer thickness of 450 and 790 nm for the top and bottom sub‐cells, respectively. The TSC device parameters such as defect density and doping density have been optimized at 10¹⁵ (C2N), 10¹⁴ (WS2) cm⁻³, and 10¹⁷cm⁻³ (C2N and WS2), respectively for achieving better performance of the proposed structure. The determined optimum values of Voc, Jsc, ƞ, and FF are 2.38 V, 17.40 mA, 37.60%, and 90.78%, respectively. The present research paves the path for the realization of the high efficiency TSC.

Geographically, Bangladesh is a low-lying country highly vulnerable to climate change, facing acute challenges from cyclones, floods, storm surges, droughts, riverbank erosion, and also deadly heatwaves. This susceptibility stems from its exposure to tropical cyclones and monsoon rains (June–October), which frequently cause severe flooding. ( INFORM Report. (2024). INFORM annual report 2024: Shared evidence for managing crises and disasters. European Union.) assigns Bangladesh high-risk scores: 8.2/10 for hazard exposure, 4.6/10 for vulnerability, and 4.8/10 for lack of coping capacity, highlighting the country’s susceptibility to extreme weather events. The August 2024 flash flood in the Gomti River basin, affecting eastern Bangladesh and Tripura (India), resulted from extreme rainfall exceeding 600 mm, cloudbursts, geomorphological factors, and high tides coinciding with the full moon stage in the Bay on Bengal. Despite the basin’s history of flash floods, no prior study has systematically mapped flood-prone areas in this region. This study is the first to apply an integrated GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (GIS-MCDM) model especially to the Gomti River basin, using nine critical flood risk determinants: rainfall, geomorphology, drainage density, flow accumulation, slope, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), and Stream Power Index (SPI). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) assigned the highest weights to rainfall (30%), geomorphology (21%), and drainage density (15%), with a validated consistency ratio (CR = 0.052). Results indicate that 24% (4,674 km²) of the basin is highly flood-prone, 59% (11,654 km²) faces moderate risk, and 17% (3,467 km²) is at low risk, with the most affected areas being Comilla, Feni (Bangladesh), and Sipahijala, Gomati, and South Tripura (India). Long-term LULC analysis (2000–2023) reveals a 16% rise in urbanization and an 18% decline in cropland, exacerbating flood susceptibility by reducing natural water retention. Validation using Sentinel-1 SAR imagery confirms strong agreement between predicted high-risk zones and actual flood extents, reinforcing the model’s accuracy. This study fills a critical gap in flood risk research by integrating remote sensing validation, land-use dynamics, and a transboundary approach. It provides a robust framework for flood risk mitigation, emphasizing the need for early warning systems, sustainable land-use planning, and cross-border diplomacy to enhance resilience in the Gomti River basin and other vulnerable regions.