Impact of Agricultural Credit on Agricultural Production: Evidence from Bangladesh

This article aims to portray the impact of agricultural credit on agricultural production in Bangladesh using the Johansen co-integration method. However, the Johansen co-integration test requires the concerned variables to be in the same order of integration. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF), Phillips Perron (PP), and Kwiatkowski, Phillips, Schmidt and Shin (KPSS) tests have been performed to check whether the variables contain a unit root. ADF, PP, and KPSS tests suggest that all variables- the natural logarithm of agricultural production, agricultural credit, fertiliser use, and agricultural employment- follow the integration of order one. The test results show that credit disbursed in agriculture and fertiliser usage significantly increase agricultural production in the long run. Nonetheless, the findings disclose that agricultural employment has a negative long-run effect on agriculture production. Regarding post-estimation, we did not find any serial correlation in the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) model, and residuals of the VECM model are also normally distributed. Our findings suggest that credit disbursed in the agricultural sector facilities needs to be augmented to increase and sustain agricultural output

Long-term strategies to control COVID-19 in low and middle-income countries: an options overview of community-based, non-pharmacological interventions

Abstract: In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), strict social distancing measures (e.g., nationwide lockdown) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are unsustainable in the long-term due to knock-on socioeconomic and psychological effects. However, an optimal epidemiology-focused strategy for ‘safe-reopening’ (i.e., balancing between the economic and health consequences) remain unclear, particularly given the suboptimal disease surveillance and diagnostic infrastructure in these settings. As the lockdown is now being relaxed in many LMICs, in this paper, we have (1) conducted an epidemiology-based “options appraisal” of various available non-pharmacological intervention options that can be employed to safely lift the lockdowns (namely, sustained mitigation, zonal lockdown and rolling lockdown strategies), and (2) propose suitable application, pre-requisites, and inherent limitations for each measure. Among these, a sustained mitigation-only approach (adopted in many high-income countries) may not be feasible in most LMIC settings given the absence of nationwide population surveillance, generalised testing, contact tracing and critical care infrastructure needed to tackle the likely resurgence of infections. By contrast, zonal or local lockdowns may be suitable for some countries where systematic identification of new outbreak clusters in real-time would be feasible. This requires a generalised testing and surveillance structure, and a well-thought out (and executed) zone management plan. Finally, an intermittent, rolling lockdown strategy has recently been suggested by the World Health Organization as a potential strategy to get the epidemic under control in some LMI settings, where generalised mitigation and zonal containment is unfeasible. This strategy, however, needs to be carefully considered for economic costs and necessary supply chain reforms. In conclusion, while we propose three community-based, non-pharmacological options for LMICs, a suitable measure should be context-specific and based on: (1) epidemiological considerations, (2) social and economic costs, (3) existing health systems capabilities and (4) future-proof plans to implement and sustain the strategy

Constrained Spaces for Islamic Feminism: Women\u27s Rights and the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan

The recent drafting and ratification of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004 sparked contentious debates over the compatibility of democratic governance, Islam, and Islamic law in Afghanistan as well as the impact of these institutions on women\u27s rights. Many women\u27s rights advocates struggled to secure the inclusion of constitutional provisions promoting sex and gender equality and reserving over twenty percent of all seats in the Afghan Parliament for women. While they succeeded in this regard, advocates have since expressed concern that the impact of these provisions will be undermined by existing interpretations of Islamic law that treat women differently-and less favorably-than men. They point to the potential tension between Article 22 of the constitution, which explicitly states that [a]ny kind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall be forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man or woman, have equal rights and duties before the law, and Article 3, which mandates that no law shall contravene the tenets and provisions of the holy religion of Islam in Afghanistan and empowers the unelected jurists on Afghanistan\u27s Supreme Court to strike legislation for incompatibility with the latter provision. While the constitution falls short of requiring Islamic law to form the basis of all legislation in Afghanistan, it opens the possibility that a judiciary long-dominated by hard-line Islamist jurists will use its power to subvert gains or women\u27s rights won in the battlefield of the Afghan Parliament

Characterization of healthy and diseased human ascending aorta tissue

Little information is available on the structure or mechanical properties of the human ascending aorta (AA). Most studies to date have assumed homogeneous tissue mechanical properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the local variation in AA tissue structure and mechanics. Healthy and pathologic tissue samples of human AA were obtained at autopsy and surgical pathology. Each aortic ring was sectioned into quadrants; anterior, posterior, medial (inner curvature) and lateral (outer curvature). Samples from each quadrant were processed for histological analysis and biaxial tensile testing. The results from this study indicate that regional differences are present in both healthy and diseased human AA tissue. Overall, the medial quadrant contained significantly more elastin and mechanically, it was the thickest, least stiff and most likely to fail in comparison to the other quadrants. The assumption of homogeneity in AA tissue properties may not be a valid one

The impact of non-performing loans on bank lending behavior before and amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from selected private commercial banks in Bangladesh

The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of non-performing loans on bank lending behavior before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this research we have chosen fifteen private commercial banks in Bangladesh and data were taken from the year 2012 to the year 2021. Credit growth as a component of bank lending behavior was selected as the dependent variable and independent variables are non-performing loans to total loans, provision for loan losses to total loans, gross domestic product (GDP) rate, inflation rate, unemployment rate, total loans to total customer deposit, total equity to total asset, tier 1 ratio, growth of customer deposits, the dummy variables are used for incorporating the effect of covid-19. The paper suggests that NPL to total loan, provision for loan losses to total loan, total equity to total asset, and dummy variables (effect of covid-19 on NPL) are found statistically significant and inversely related to credit growth. Another three variables namely total loan to total deposit, deposit growth, and inflation variables are statistically significant and positively related to credit growth. All of the significant variables are consistent with general economic theory except the case for total equity to the total asset. To reduce non-performing loans, the banks may concentrate on improving corporate governance, maintaining strong loan review, thoroughly reviewing the KYC form, must ensure safety principles before approving a loan, collecting information from the CIB, accepting adequate collateral, examining the five C’s, name lending and connected party lending should be strictly prohibited which are quite related with behavioral and judgmental issues, would be a matter of further research

The impact of non-performing loans on bank lending behavior before and amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of non-performing loans on bank lending behavior before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this research we have chosen fifteen private commercial banks in Bangladesh and data were taken from the year 2012 to the year 2021. Credit growth as a component of bank lending behavior was selected as the dependent variable and independent variables are non-performing loans to total loans, provision for loan losses to total loans, gross domestic product (GDP) rate, inflation rate, unemployment rate, total loans to total customer deposit, total equity to total asset, tier 1 ratio, growth of customer deposits, the dummy variables are used for incorporating the effect of covid-19. The paper suggests that NPL to total loan, provision for loan losses to total loan, total equity to total asset, and dummy variables (effect of covid-19 on NPL) are found statistically significant and inversely related to credit growth. Another three variables namely total loan to total deposit, deposit growth, and inflation variables are statistically significant and positively related to credit growth. All of the significant variables are consistent with general economic theory except the case for total equity to the total asset. To reduce non-performing loans, the banks may concentrate on improving corporate governance, maintaining strong loan review, thoroughly reviewing the KYC form, must ensure safety principles before approving a loan, collecting information from the CIB, accepting adequate collateral, examining the five C’s, name lending and connected party lending should be strictly prohibited which are quite related with behavioral and judgmental issues, would be a matter of further research

Does migration theory explain international migration from Bangladesh? a primer review

This is a primer review of international migration theory and international migration from Bangladesh. We first present a review of the theory of international migration. Regarding international migration from Bangladesh, we note that by the middle of 2020, about 7.4 million people of Bangladesh origin were staying overseas, the sixth-largest worldwide and second-largest in South Asia. Yet there are concerns about illegal human trafficking and smuggling of undocumented workers. Recently there has been the COVID-19 pandemic, starting from the end of 2019 to date. Bangladesh international migration ground realities are often uncertain and challenging, with new situations emerging now and then in many different host countries. In summary, we argue that recent models of migration theory (circular, onward and return migration models) have successfully incorporated issues of international migration from large source countries, such as Bangladesh

Comparison of deferasirox and deferoxamine effects on iron overload in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia

Introduction: Beta-thalassemias is autosomal recessive hematological disorder prevalent in the Mediterranean area due to defects in synthesis of β chains of hemoglobin. The aim of present study was to compare the effects of deferasirox and deferoxamine on iron overload in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major and intermedia. Patients And Methods: This study involved 100 patients with known cases of β-thalassemia major or intermedia that has been treated with blood transfusion and iron chelators from January 2020 to December 2023. Serum ferritin, serum iron, serum total iron binding capacity were assessed in deferoxamine and deferasirox-treated patients. Results: In deferoxamine-treated patients, serum ferritin levels were high (4600.56 + 119.2ng/dL) compared to deferasirox-treated patients (3000.261 ± 121.2 ng/dL; P< 0.0001), also there were significant differences in serum iron and total iron-binding capacity (P< 0.0001) in deferasirox-treated patients compared to deferoxamine-treated patients. Conclusion: This study indicated that deferasirox is more effective than deferoxamine regarding the iron overload in patients with blood transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia