Evaluating Management Strategies Of Integrated Water Resource Management: A Case Study On Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs), Bangladesh

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for Chittagong Hill Tracts is one the key future issues in Bangladesh forestry decision making of South Asia. Therefore a combined approach of criteria and indicators (C&I) and Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) have been used to formulate a clear and transparent picture of the current situation and to identify a potential and best compromise solution for the sustainable management of mountain watershed of Bangladesh

Evaluation of safety margins of Chenopodium album seed decoction: 14-day subacute toxicity and microbicidal activity studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sperm immobilizing activity and plausible mechanism of action of <it>Chenopodium album </it>seed decoction (CAD) have been elucidated in our earlier studies. The present study has been carried out to explore the safety standards of CAD along with microbicidal properties as prerequisite for its use as a topically applicable vaginal contraceptive.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The safety standards of CAD were assessed by a) Hemolytic index determination using rabbit erythrocytes, to set the doses of the other experiments, b) Dermal irritancy test using refined version of Draize scoring system on rabbits, c) Possible effect on local tissues and reproductive performance in female rats after fourteen daily single dose application, d) PCNA staining- to evaluate the effect of CAD on vaginal tissue proliferation, e) TUNEL assay- to examine its ability to induce <it>in situ </it>apoptosis in the vaginal tissue sections of the treated animals, and f) Microbicidal activity- to explore the effect of CAD on the growth of <it>Lactobacillus acidophilus </it>and <it>Candida albicans</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>In vitro </it>irritation studies on rabbit erythrocytes revealed the hemolytic index of CAD to be 8.2 mg/ml. The dermal irritation test showed it to be a non-irritant even at higher doses. Intra vaginal application of CAD in rat vagina for 14 consecutive days caused slight reversible inflammation on vaginal epithelial cells at doses as high as 82 mg/ml. However, at this dose level it neither had any adverse effect on vaginal tissue proliferation nor did it cause in situ apoptosis as evident from PCNA staining and TUNEL assay. Fertility and fecundity were restored 4-15 days after withdrawal of CAD application. At dose level 10 times that of its spermicidal MEC (minimum effective concentration), CAD did not block the growth of <it>Lactobacillus</it>, although the size of individual colony was marginally reduced. However, growth of the pathogenic fungus <it>Candida albicans </it>was completely inhibited with 20 mg/ml of CAD.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The overall result evolved from the study strengthens the candidature of CAD as a safe microbicidal spermicide. It is almost non-irritant to rabbit skin and rat vaginal tissues at doses 10 fold higher than its hemolytic index. The effect of CAD on <it>Lactobacillus </it>culture was not highly encouraging but it prevented the growth of the fungal pathogen <it>Candida albicans </it>at 20 mg/ml of CAD.</p

‘Wandering and settled tribes’: biopolitics, citizenship, and the racialized migrant

This paper argues that purportedly outdated racial categories continue to resonate in contemporary forms of racialization. I examine the use of metaphors of rootedness and shadows by a contemporary UK migrant advocacy organization and its allies to justify migrant regularization and manage illicit circulation. I argue that the distinction between rooted and rootless peoples draws on the colonial and racial distinctions between wandering and settled peoples. Contemporary notions of citizenship continue to draw upon and activate racial forms of differentiation. Citizenship is thus part of a form of racial governance that operates not only along biological but also social and cultural lines, infusing race into the structures, practices, and techniques of governance

Schoology-Supported Classroom Management: A Curriculum Review

Schoology is an online learning, classroom management, and social networking platform that attempts to improve learning through better communication, collaboration, and increased access to curriculum and supplemental content. In this article, the author evaluates different prospects of Schoology-supported classroom management using selected principles of students learning and literacy development from Cummin et al (2007). Innovative approaches and tools in the Schoology website facilitate both teachers, students, parents to build a collaborative community of learners to fulfill the educational goals in the 21st century. It can be expected that Schoology’s supported instruction has the strongest potentiality of connecting and collaborating school stakeholders at the same platform. These communal relationships may help to fulfill the demand of multi-literacies. Furthermore, different values of Schoology for individuals have the credibility to raise academic achievement and educational innovation of students

Evaluating management strategies of integrated water resource management : a case study on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs), Bangladesh

Eine integrale Bewirtschaftung der Wasserressourcen (IWRM) für das Bergland von Chittagong ist eine der zukünftigen Schlüsselausgaben in der Forstwirtschaft von Bangladesh in Südasien. Daher wird in dieser Arbeit ein kombinierter Ansatz aus Kriterien und Indikatoren (C&I) sowie der Multikriterien-Analyse (MCA) eingesetzt, um ein transparentes Bild der gegenwärtigen Situation zu gewinnen und mögliche Kompromißlösungen für eine nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung der Wassereinzugsgebiete von Bangladesh zu finden. Der Rahmen für das IWRM wurde in enger Zusammenarbeit mit relevanten Entscheidungsträgern für das Projektgebiet Bandarban in Chittagong entwickelt. Der MCA Ansatz erlaubte die Formulierung von 6 Prinzipien, 22 Kriterien, 56 Indikatoren und 192 Verifiern, um die gegenwärtige Lage des Projektgebietes zu charakterisieren. Die Ermittlung der Präferenzen der Stakeholder erlaubte die Bedeutung für die sechs Prinzipien Politikplanung, Einkommen, Erhaltung des Ökosystems, Risikofaktoren, Lebensunterhalt der Menschen und Bewirtschaftungsplanung zu identifizieren. Innerhalb des IWRM Ansatzes sind 6 Managementstrategien mit lokalen Experten entwickelt worden, um die gegenwärtigen Probleme im Projektbereich zu überwinden. Der Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) wurde eingesetzt um die Managementstrategien zu vergleichen. Dabei konnte die Strategie zur Erhaltung der Biodiversität in der Gesamtbeurteilung am besten abschneiden. Durch die Einbindung aller relevanten Stakeholder und Institutionen könnte das Bewusstsein für die gegenwärtigen Probleme in Chittagong verbessert werden. Im Rahmen der Strategie würden die sprachlichen Barrieren beseitigt, das Recht auf Land gestärkt und die Wasserqualität verbessert werden sowie das Risiko für Springfluten und die Gefahr der Bodenerosion vermindert werden.Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for Chittagong Hill Tracts is one the key future issues in Bangladesh forestry decision making of South Asia. Therefore a combined approach of criteria and indicators (C&I) and Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) have been used to formulate a clear and transparent picture of the current situation and to identify a potential and best compromise solution for the sustainable management of mountain watershed of Bangladesh. The IWRM framework was developed in close co-operation with relevant stakeholder groups for a specific watershed area at Bandarban of Chittagong hill tracts. The Multi-Criteria Analysis allowed to formulate a set of 6 principles, 22 criteria, 56 indicators and 192 verifiers to assess the current situation of the selected watershed area. The preferences of key informants have been elicitated in order to identify the relevance for the 6 principles policy planning, economic income, ecological maintenance, risk factors, livelihood of people and management planning and their criteria respectively. Within the IWRM framework, 6 management strategies have been designed with local experts out in order to overcome the current problems in the project area. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the management strategies according to the C&I set and the preferences of the stakeholders. The Bio-diversity conservation strategy is performing best according to overall priorities of IWRM framework among six management alternatives. The strategy has the potential to improve the existing current problems of mountain watershed in Chittagong hill tracts by multilevel participation and creating awareness about IWRM among local people. As a consequence, language barriers, ownership right of land and water quality are improved, the risk of flash floods and soil erosion is expected to be reduced.by Shampa BiswasWien, Univ. für Bodenkultur, Masterarb., 2007(VLID)112768

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON WRITING SUPPORT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Writing support for graduate students is one of the top concerns in the field of graduate writing education and research. The need of graduate writing support through communal writing practice opportunities has not been explored empirically yet. The main purpose of the study is to explore graduate student perception to develop and test a graduate writing support model. In the small-scale study, the development of a writing support model, using Exploratory Factor Analysis, was based on a total of 302 graduate students. This study suggests the reliability of the survey instrument for further data collection to confirm the validity of the model. In the large-scale study, the validity of the model was tested based on a total of 1095 graduate students across the USA. Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, this study verifies the five- factor structure of the hypothesized writing support model. The results confirm that the writing support model with a reduced 26-item scale fitted model meets the standard of goodness of fit criteria and confirms the validity of the final writing support model. Therefore, the study provides the conceptual background of the need of writing support for graduate students, develops a theoretical framework for supporting graduate writers in communal setting, develops a survey instrument, identifies a five-factor model, tests the internal structure of the model, confirms the validity of the model, and proposes a need assessment tool for promoting communal writing practices

Effect of Pelvic Endometrial Implants on Overall Reproductive Functions of Female Rats

The effects of pelvic endometrial implants on the overall reproductive potential of female rats were investigated. After homologous transplantation in the peritoneum, the ectopic endometrium developed into highly vascularized nodes that gradually increased in mass until the 9th week postsurgery and then plateaued. In the presence of these implants, overall reproductive function was adversely affected. The effect was of greatest magnitude during 50–70 days posttransplantation. As compared with values in corresponding controls, ovulation was reduced by 43% (6 of 14) (p , 0.05), mating rate was reduced by 44% (12 of 27) (p , 0.025), and premature termination of pregnancy occurred in 34% (5 of 15) of rats. Wastage of pregnancy, which included complete termination or reduction of fetal number, occurred during the postimplantation course of gestation. Furthermore, 100% of the rats with transplants failed to respond to the copulomimetic stimulation for the induction of pseudopregnancy (p , 0.01, compared with corresponding controls). However, on exposure to vasectomized males, 46% (6 of 13) of these rats exhibited development of pseudopregnancy (p , 0.05, compared with corresponding group receiving copulomimetic stimulation). Increased rate of mating failure and differential pseudopregnancy rates after copulomimetic and natural cervical stimulation suggest that the rats with endometrial explants possibly had an absence or a short appearance of behavioral estrus. Hormonal assessment during the preovulatory phase showed a tendency toward lower mean levels of preovulatory estradiol and significantly lower LH (p , 0.01) and progesterone (p , 0.01) concentrations. The adversely affected reproductive functions may be a secondary consequence of these altered endocrine milieus

Immotilin, a novel sperm immobilizing protein

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Exosome-sheathed porous silica nanoparticle-mediated co-delivery of 3,3′-diindolylmethane and doxorubicin attenuates cancer stem cell-driven EMT in triple negative breast cancer

Abstract Background Therapeutic management of locally advanced and metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is often limited due to resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Metastasis is responsible for more than 90% of breast cancer-associated mortality; therefore, the clinical need to prevent or target metastasis is immense. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a crucial determinant in metastasis. Doxorubicin (DOX) is the frequently used chemotherapeutic drug against TNBC that may increase the risk of metastasis in patients. After cancer treatment, CSCs with the EMT characteristic persist, which contributes to advanced malignancy and cancer recurrence. The latest developments in nanotechnology for medicinal applications have raised the possibility of using nanomedicines to target these CSCs. Hence, we present a novel approach of combinatorial treatment of DOX with dietary indole 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) which is an intriguing field of research that may target CSC mediated EMT induction in TNBC. For efficient delivery of both the compounds to the tumor niche, advance method of drug delivery based on exosomes sheathed with mesoporous silica nanoparticles may provide an attractive strategy. Results DOX, according to our findings, was able to induce EMT in CSCs, making the breast cancer cells more aggressive and metastatic. In CSCs produced from spheres of MDAMB-231 and 4T1, overexpression of N-cadherin, Snail, Slug, and Vimentin as well as downregulation of E-cadherin by DOX treatment not only demonstrated EMT induction but also underscored the pressing need for a novel chemotherapeutic combination to counteract this detrimental effect of DOX. To reach this goal, DIM was combined with DOX and delivered to the CSCs concomitantly by loading them in mesoporous silica nanoparticles encapsulated in exosomes (e-DDMSNP). These exosomes improved the specificity, stability and better homing ability of DIM and DOX in the in vitro and in vivo CSC niche. Furthermore, after treating the CSC-enriched TNBC cell population with e-DDMSNP, a notable decrease in DOX mediated EMT induction was observed. Conclusion Our research seeks to propose a new notion for treating TNBC by introducing this unique exosomal nano-preparation against CSC induced EMT. Graphical Abstrac