Impact of Indoor Air Pollution on Women’s Health: A Study on Sylhet City

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Indoor air pollution is a significant and often overlooked environmental concern that has far-reaching implications for human health. In Bangladesh, indoor air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health risks. The study aims to provide insights into the specific ways in which indoor air pollution affects women’s health and well-being, as well as to identify potential strategies for mitigating these effects. With a focus on the diverse sources of indoor pollutants and their potential health effects. This qualitative research paper describes the impact of indoor air pollution on women’s health, focusing on the experiences, perceptions, and challenges faced by women in relation to their indoor living environments. This research used a qualitative approach, descriptive type research, purposive sampling strategy, and utilizing semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. A sample size of 50 women is targeted, with data saturation as the criterion for stopping data collection. Thematic analysis is used to analyze the interview transcripts. A critical analysis of the health effects of indoor air pollution on women is presented, encompassing consequences. The effects include exacerbation of respiratory conditions, allergies, eye and skin irritations. In conclusion, this research paper emphasizes the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between indoor air pollution and women’s health. It underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration among public health experts, environmental scientists, policymakers, and advocates to develop effective strategies that safeguard women’s well-being.

Review of The Financial Health of Bank During Increasing Foreclosed Assets and The Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Selecting Strategies to Reduce Them

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PT Bank Laju International Tbk (the Bank) has struggled with its increased foreclosed assets, particularly those originating from mortgage loans, which could affect its financial health. The research assessed Bank’s financial health using Risk Based Bank Rating (RBBR) framework by analysing key financial ratios and investigating the root causes of rising foreclosed assets through Fishbone and Pareto analysis. Key factors include customer income instability, slow progress in selling foreclosed assets, and lack of insurance protection during economic downturns. To select effective strategies for managing foreclosed assets, the research utilized Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making method, to evaluate multiple alternatives based on various criteria, which were derived from Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with Bank’s officers, who directly involved in mortgage loans and foreclosed assets activities, also reference with Bank’s SWOT analysis. The research evaluated three alternatives strategy:

  1. Protection Insurance for Customer’s Mortgage Loans.
  2. Actively Partnering with property agents to accelerate sale of foreclosed assets as-is.
  3. Collaborating with property agents to renovate foreclosed assets.

The result showed that despite the increase in foreclosed assets, the Bank remains financially sound, with key financial ratios within acceptable regulatory limits. AHP analysis revealed that alternative 1 stands in first place to be prioritized, followed by alternative 2, however between both alternatives indicates a very small difference in prioritization weight, which means that both strategies are important to be executed and prioritized. Proposal to implement both alternatives in parallel would be a very effective strategy, where alternative 1 conduct as Preventive Strategy in preventing customer’s mortgage loans defaults, while alternative 2 as Corrective Strategy in lowering foreclosed assets volume. Alternative 3 acts as a complement strategy, where renovating foreclosed assets could facilitate quicker sales, however it’ll take longer time for renovation itself.

A Simplified Dynamic Model of DFIG-based Wind Generation for Frequency Support Control Studies

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In recent years, wind generation has been fast growing and become one of the major generation resources in power systems. Since the wind generation does not inherently equip with frequency support functions, the power system frequency response degrades as the wind penetration increases. Therefore, frequency support control of wind generation has gained increasing focus. However, the dynamic models of wind generation systems, which are required by the control design and analysis, are commonly very complicated and difficult to obtain, especially for the doubly-fed induction generator based wind turbine (DFIG-WT). In this paper, the authors propose a simplified dynamic model for the DFIG-WT. The proposed analytical model is derived from the detailed model by selectively neglecting very fast dynamics while keeping the critical ones. It is suitable for frequency control studies. The model accuracy is first validated against the detailed DFIG-WT model in Simulink. Then, the wind frequency control function is studied based on the proposed model.

Exploring Hubris in Ozymandias: Mortality, Power, and the Passage of Time

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This study examines Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” to identify examples of hubris and their wider contexts. Through an analysis of the narrative strategies Shelley used to highlight the topic and its consequences, the research seeks to pinpoint instances of hubris in the Ozymandias representation. The study also explores the relationships between hubris and more profound ideas like mortality, power, and the passage of time. Hubris is examined by the symbolic implications connected to the damaged statue and inscription. The investigation also looks at how Ozymandias’s conceit affects the poem’s overall meaning and moral lesson. The study uses literary analysis to improve our comprehension of Shelley’s examination of human pride and its effects in the literary classic “Ozymandias.”

Forecasting Cryptocurrency Markets: Predictive Modelling Using Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches

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The rapidly evolving landscape of cryptocurrency markets presents unique challenges and opportunities. The significant daily variations in cryptocurrency exchange rates lead to substantial risks associated with investments in crypto assets. This study aims to forecast the prices of cryptocurrencies using advanced machine learning models. Among seven models that were tested for their prediction and validation efficiency, Neutral Networks performed the best with minimum error. Thus, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks were used for predicting future trends. LSTM model is well-suited for analyzing complex dependencies in financial data. Starting with historical data collection, data preprocessing, feature engineering, normalization and integrative binning, a comprehensive Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) was conducted on 50 cryptocurrencies. Top performers were identified based on criteria such as trading volume, market capitalization, and price trends. The LSTM model was implemented using Python to predict 90-day price movements data to check intricate patterns and relationships. Model performance was validated by performance metrics such as MAE and RMSE. The findings align with the Adaptive Market Hypothesis (AMH) which suggests that cryptocurrency markets exhibit dynamic efficiency influenced by evolving market conditions and investor behavior. The study shows the potential of machine learning models in financial economics and their role in enhancing risk management strategies and investment decision-making processes.

Empowering Financial and Digital Literacy to Build Resilience of MSMEs: Proposed Implementation in Bandung City

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This study investigates the factors that influence financial and digital literacy among MSMEs in Bandung. Through semi-structured interviews with 5 key stakeholders, including banks, the MSMEs Agency, entrepreneurs, business incubators, and Financial Services Authority (OJK), the research revealed significant gaps in financial literacy, particularly in financial management and reporting, which hinder MSMEs’ access to credit and growth. Many entrepreneurs rely on simple calculations and struggle to create accurate financial reports. Digital literacy challenges, such as limited adoption of digital technology and uneven internet access, also hinder MSMEs participation in the digital economy. Key barriers include difficulty changing financial habits, limited mentorship, and limited budgets to support the program. The study emphasises the importance of financial education, noting that businesses with large lines of credit often lack comprehensive financial literacy. Based on these findings, targeted interventions are proposed, including comprehensive financial education program and digital skills training. The study emphasised the need for collaboration between the government and financial institutions to improve financial inclusion and literacy. The study proposes a Digital Creative Academy that aims to improve the digital marketing capabilities of MSMEs, particularly in video content creation and live streaming on e-commerce platforms. The program targets 750 micro-entrepreneurs in 30 sub-districts, addressing the need for digital skills in a growing market. This research contributes to understanding the challenges of MSMEs development in Indonesia and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and educators to strengthen MSMEs resilience in the digital age.

Negative Effects of Business-Driven Influence and Sequences in Vocational Education

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 Under the plausible pretext that vocational education should serve local businesses, certain negative effects are observed over time, especially where business has an extremely powerful influence on it. Problems detected are often defined as “brood parasitism” with mechanisms of hijacking the curriculum and pseudo technical and pseudo practical training, designed to serve employers’ needs. Thus, the VET lacks a significant amount of flexibility or transferability curriculum, dominated by concrete specific over the broad branch(sector) training, lacking broader theoretical vocational knowledge to enable participants transferable skills, than just knowing only a particular profession well-presented on the market. The combination of employer-centered curricula and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, the system of VET acts as a mechanism for the reproduction of social inequality with subsequent socio-economic imbalances, and even to some extent to spiritual degenerate tendencies with ambivalent manifestations.

Design and Application of Augmented Reality in Science Education to Develop Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

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The goal of this project is to create instructional materials based on augmented reality (AR) that will enhance students’ critical thinking abilities. There were 25 pupils enrolled in the public junior high school where the study was done. The ADDIE approach is being used in this development research study. The resulting product is AR-based media equipped with learning devices consisting of a Learning Implementation Plan, Student Worksheets, test instruments. Data collection was carried out using validation sheets, learning implementation sheets, student activity sheets, critical thinking tests and student response questionnaires. The percentage of each score attained was calculated in order to analyse the data. The findings indicated that the student worksheet’s validity scored 85.3 in the very valid category, the learning implementation plan’s validity scored 87.3 in the same area, and the learning outcome test’s average validity score was 90 very valid. With an average of 93.6%, learning implementation indicated very good outcomes; student activities in learning showed very good results with an average of 94.3%; and 88% of student responses fell into the very good category. The critical thinking test’s findings indicated that the critical thinking indicators of interpretation, analysis, and explanation had the biggest increases, and the conclusion indicator saw the lowest. The study’s conclusion is that teachers can use the augmented reality-based learning tool to teach the Life Organization System’s content since it is valid, practical, and effective.

Influence of Social and Cultural Factors on Adoption of Community-Led Total Sanitation in Laisamis Sub-County, Marsabit County, Kenya

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Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a behavior change approach that aims at promoting access to safe sanitation and hygiene. The approach empower communities to take collective action to eliminate open defecation practices, thus promoting a healthy population. Despite CLTS implementation in Kenya, open defecation is still rampant, in low-income communities particularly in pastoral areas. This study’s study was to examine the influence of social and cultural factors on adoption of Community-Led Total Sanitation in pastoral areas. The study was conducted in Laisamis Sub-County, Marsabit County, Kenya using a descriptive design with a mixed methods approach. The sample size was 393 household heads who were randomly selected from the five Wards in the Sub-County, which were treated as clusters. The data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed in descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was collected from a focus group and analyzed in themes. Findings showed that despite CLTS activities to impart communities with knowledge on toilet use, 63.3% of participants opined that open defecation practice was still rampant. The most cases of open defecation were reported among herdsmen whose livelihood was based in herding in grazelands where there were no toilets. Results also revealed that taboos and beliefs that surrounded toilet sharing between children and adults affected toilet utilization (OR 0.67 95% CI: 0.345-4.567, P=0.002). The impact of CLTS was thought to be minimal for a community that often interacted with animal faeces, which made over 90% of the participants believe that human faecal matter was not dangerous just like animal faecal matter. The role of women in household sanitation matters was appreciated as they were left in households to construct toilets while men went to look after cattle. However, herdsmen’s concerns regarding the essence of investing in improved latrines were minimal as most of their time was spent in the fields, and convincing them on the need for better toilets could have been impossible for the women. The study concluded that CLTS was an effective strategy in triggering behaviour change among communities if its execution was to be context-specific. Involvement of both women and men in CLTS triggering exercises is essential in reinforcing the importance of ending open defecation whether in bushes or at home.

Navigating Consumer Behavior in the Niche Market of Artisan Tea Blends: Insight from Indonesia’s E-Commerce Sector

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This research explores the factors that influence consumer behavior when purchasing artisan tea blends through e-commerce platforms. It investigates how aspects such as personal characteristics, cultural perceptions, trust endorsements, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and online shopping preferences affect purchase intentions, using quantitative methods. The findings from Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) indicate that cultural perceptions, personal traits, and trust endorsements significantly influence purchase intentions, while perceived usefulness and online shopping preferences have less impact. These results suggest that for niche products like artisan tea blends, online marketing strategies should focus on cultural relevance, building trust, and understanding consumer characteristics to drive engagement and purchases.