BRAC University Institutional Repository
Preserving Knowledge, Advancing Research, Sharing Scholarship
A digital platform for collecting, preserving, and sharing BRAC University’s scholarly, academic, and institutional outputs.
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Faculty members and students are invited to submit their research publications, theses, dissertations, and scholarly works to increase visibility, access, and long-term preservation.
Recent Submissions
Initiatives taken by NGOs and private companies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic
(Inderscience Publishers, 2021-01-01) Huda, S.S.M. Sadrul; Akhtar, Afsana; Maliha, Syeeda Raisa; BRAC Business School
In times where all other companies are on the verge of shutting down, app-based companies have found new meaning to their businesses through helping people. They have risen from the ashes like a phoenix and have set a marvellous example for all other companies about the meaning of life and how the goat of every company should be set. There is a saying that everything has a bright side, even a life-threatening pandemic like COVID-19 has a bright side to it. And one of those is the new definition of business and partnership. The outbreak of Coronavirus, countrywide lockdown and people in need has taught companies that making profit is not the only goal of business and partnerships. Helping people in times of crisis is even bigger than profit. You go after doing good for the people, profit will follow you anyway, and that trend has been initiated by app-based companies in Bangladesh. Copyright © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Multi-user non-orthogonal waveform transceiver in RIS-assisted UAV communication: Design and implementation
(Inderscience Publishers, 2025-01-01) Faruk, Md. Omor; Sabuj, Saifur Rahman; Kamal, S.K. Tamanna; Jabin, Fowzia; Sadique, Joarder Jafor; Ullah, Shaikh Enayet; Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) has evolved as an energy-efficient wireless communication technology and its anticipation with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has extended the millimetre wave range communications by enhancing wireless coverage. In this research article, we propose a downlink multi-user RIS-assisted Non-Orthogonal Waveform (NOW) transceiver system that is energy-efficient. A NOW approach for increasing spectrum efficiency through the integration of Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN) signalling in DFT-s-OFDM is provided. In addition, we have implemented QR-GSO pre-coding algorithm for reducing Multi-User Interference (MUI). The simulated system incorporates Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) and Repeats and Accumulates (RA) channel coding schemes along with various types of signal detection techniques such as Zero Forcing (ZF), Cholesky Decomposition (CD)-based ZF, Lattice Reduction-based MMSE (LR-MMSE) and Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) to improve Bit Error Rate (BER). Results from simulations demonstrate that the suggested system is effective with regard to of BER, energy efficiency and attainable spectral efficiency. The ground users achieve an improved BER performance with a value of 1 u 10-4 at 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio under RA with CD based ZF, 8 dB under RA with CD-based ZF, 10 dB under RA with LR-MMSE and 12 dB under RA with ZF. Copyright © 2025 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Entrepreneurial initiatives during pandemic in Bangladesh
(Inderscience Publishers, 2025-01-01) Huda, S.S.M. Sadrul; Akhtar, Afsana; Kabir, Md Humayun; Zubayer, Mahmud; Maliha, Syeda Raissa; BRAC Business School
This research aims to examine the growth and nature of small business entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify the learnings for such small businesses from the pandemic. This research has been conducted primarily on secondary research, including the articles in journals from other authors and newspapers containing any information regarding entrepreneurship initiatives during the COVID-19 period and social media sources. However, selected interviews have been conducted to understand the problem better. The research shows five significant reasons behind people opting for entrepreneurial activities in the pandemic and six major types of small business segments – food, protective gear, home delivery and online services, social entrepreneurship, online boot camps for learners, and rise in over-the-top (OTT) platforms. So far, there has yet to be such paper on Bangladesh that categorises the entrepreneurial activities of small businesses during the pandemic and discusses it at length. The learnings from this paper will help future entrepreneurs face similar challenges. Copyright © 2025 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Association between household food production diversity and minimum dietary diversity of women in rural Bangladesh: A secondary analysis from BIHS 2018-19
(BRAC University, 2026-06) Apu, Apurbo Aham; Ireen, Santhia; BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
Background: Despite advances in food production in the last decade, rural Bangladeshi women of reproductive age (15-49 years) still suffer from micronutrient deficiency due to inadequate dietary diversity. A growing number of literatures suggest a positive association between production diversity and dietary diversity of women in rural Bangladesh. However, evidence from Bangladesh remains limited on the association between production diversity and dietary diversity indicators, particularly at a national scale. This knowledge gap has important implications for national nutrition and agriculture policies and programmes.
Objectives: To investigate the association between household food production diversity and the dietary diversity among women of reproductive age 15-49 years in rural Bangladesh.
Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was done using the data from the third round of Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS, 2018-19). Non-pregnant, non-lactating rural women of reproductive age 15-49 years were included for the analyses (n=3687) with complete dietary, production and household level data. Women’s dietary diversity was measured by Minimum Dietary Diversity of women (MDD-W) and dietary diversity score (WDDS). Production diversity was measured by Minimum Food Group Production Diversity (MFGPD) and Food Group Production Diversity Score (FGPDS) based on the same 10 food group as MDD-W. The survey weighted descriptive, bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were done to assess the association between dichotomous minimum food group production diversity with Minimum Dietary Diversity, whereas a secondary analysis using their continuous counterparts was done to assess robustness.
Results: The dietary diversity was low among the women in rural Bangladesh, with only 37% women achieving minimum dietary diversity with a mean score of 4.24. However, household food group-based production diversity was positively associated with dietary diversity, though the strength of the association was modest. Factors such as gender of the household head, household size, and wealth index were significant predictors of dietary diversity in both models, with land type and women’s education emerging as additional significant predictors in secondary analysis.
Conclusions: Food consumption diversity among women in rural Bangladesh is low, suggesting persistent inadequate micronutrient intake. The relationship between dietary diversity of women and household food-group production diversity was positive but modest. This suggests that household food production diversification is not enough to enhance women's nutritional status. An integrated approach is required, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture programmes should combine production diversification with efforts to improve other associated factors, including women's access to nutritious foods, household consumption of produced foods, market access, financial affordability and women's involvement in food decision making.
Assessing the prevalence and impact of KRAS-rs712 polymorphism in breast cancer development among Bangladeshi women: A case-control study
(BRAC University, 2026) Hasan, Abid Al; Rifa, Fatima Akter; Tasnim, Sadia; Choudhury, Shahjin; Haque, Md. Aminul; School of Pharmacy
Breast cancer affects Bangladeshi women especially poor women. The fact that diagnosis and treatment have improved means that even though people can no longer die due to lack of tests, some individuals still end up dying owing to the time-consuming nature of tests. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are a form of genetic mutation that increases the probability of an individual developing breast cancer by a considerable margin. To determine whether there was any relationship between the higher probability of getting breast cancer among Bangladeshi women and the KRAS gene, scientists examined the KRAS gene polymorphism (rs712). There were 124 healthy people and 112 people with breast cancer in the case-control study. These findings should be validated and how this difference influences the course of breast cancer should be established through more studies. The distribution of genotypes of rs712 was tested by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. TT genotype was linked with reduced risk of breast cancer with an Adjusted Odds Ratio of 0.065 (95% CI:0.009-0.504) and GT was associated with a potential risk of breast cancer with an Adjusted Odds Ratio of 1.870 (95% CI:1.071-3.263, p-value:0.028). However, following subsequent consideration of multiple testing and restricted covariate regulation, such associations are to be approached with caution. These results are to be supported by larger research studies with complex adjustment of confounders and categorization of multiple tests.