The Supply Side Gaps and Opportunities of Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh

The growth and development of SME is largely dependent upon cheap and quick access to financial resources. More than ever before, nowadays SME contribute enormously to the economic development of a country; emerging economies top the list. In Bangladesh, 80% of the industrial employment comes through SME and hence much effort is being given toward flourishing it further. However, growth has been affected a lot with contracting funds in the hands of the owners making them vulnerable to slowing down. The major source of finance- the commercial banks face increasing risks from inexperience of the SME owners, lack of well prepared financial statements, in-depth knowledge about the actual need and government bureaucracies. This study attempts to light on the less pronounced challenges of SME development- those faced by the lenders or financers in the process. It has been found that in Bangladesh the segment is underserved by the financial institutions (FI) with less focus on providing customer-tailored products, no specialized credit risk assessment system and huge time required for credit clearance information are some of the bigger challenges. With the knowledge we will be able to identify the risks inherent in lending by the prime commercial banks as well as find solutions to increase the credit flow in the sector. Keywords: SME, Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs), supply side, commercial banks

Distribution of Risk and Return: A Statistical Test of Normality on Dhaka Stock Exchange

The present study deals with the normal distribution of risk and return of the capital market of Bangladesh. Normal distribution of return is an essential assumption in the field of efficient market hypothesis which posits that the returns of a market must follow the random walk behaviour. Again it is an integral part of Capital Asset Pricing Model, which suggests that if an investor wants to get higher return then he must consider higher risk, this denotes to the normal distribution of risk and return. This study has used a set of parametric and non-parametric tools to examine the returns calculated from the three indices of Dhaka Stock Exchange: DGEN (from 2002 to 2010), DSE20 (from 2002 to 2010) and DSI (from 2006 to 2010). As positive skewness and kurtosis are evident in most of the cases, the returns are found to be suffering from some extremities. Daily, weekly and monthly returns are not normally distributed which shows the contra-evidence of random walk behaviour of market return. Besides the inconsistency between risk and return (daily and weekly) is found, which suggests that additional return may be achieved without having exposure to additional risk. Keywords: Dhaka Stock Exchange, Efficient Market Hypothesis, Kurtosis, Non-parametric Test, Normal Distribution, Parametric Test, Risk and Return, Skewness

Intersection of labour and employment market in private further and higher education colleges in the United Kingdom

While past literature identified that the unskilled workers tend to accept nonstandard works, the literature has not explained adequately the reasons for accepting nonstandard work by highly skilled academics. This study addresses this literature gap by examining various reasons for accepting non-standard work by academics in private further and higher education colleges in the United Kingdom. Based on self-determination motivation theory, the study categorizes different reasons according to push factors and pull factors where push factors are the controlled choices and pull factors are autonomous choices. A mixed methodology is employed in this study. The quantitative data are utilized to draw the trends and patterns of nonstandard work in this context, where the qualitative data are used to give an in-depth discussion about the context. Influences of both push and pull factor have been identified as a reason for accepting non-standard contract. However, the links between push factors are stronger than pull factors. We argued that when the push factors become powerful, the pull choice intersects with push factor, and in that situation the pull factors become less important to employees. We also argued that due to strong presence of push factor, the academics in this sector have less control over different aspects of job including wages, training, employment benefits, career progression, and job security

CD4 receptor is a key determinant of divergent HIV-1 sensing by plasmacytoid dendritic cells

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are innate immune cells that sense viral nucleic acids through endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/9 to produce type I interferon (IFN) and to differentiate into potent antigen presenting cells (APC). Engagement of TLR7/9 in early endosomes appears to trigger the IRF7 pathway for IFN production whereas engagement in lysosomes seems to trigger the NF-κB pathway for maturation into APC. We showed previously that HIV-1 (HIV) localizes predominantly to early endosomes, not lysosomes, and mainly stimulate IRF7 rather than NF-κB signaling pathways in pDC. This divergent signaling may contribute to disease progression through production of pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory IFN and inadequate maturation of pDCs. We now demonstrate that HIV virions may be re-directed to lysosomes for NF-κB signaling by either pseudotyping HIV with influenza hemagglutinin envelope or modification of CD4 mediated-intracellular trafficking. These data suggest that HIV envelope-CD4 receptor interactions drive pDC activation toward an immature IFN producing phenotype rather than differentiation into a mature dendritic cell phenotype

Policy priorities for strengthening smokeless tobacco control in Bangladesh:A mixed-methods analysis

Introduction Smokeless tobacco (ST) remains poorly regulated in Bangladesh. This study describes the prevalence and trends of ST use in Bangladesh, presents ST-related disease burden, identifies relevant policy gaps, and highlights key implications for future policy and practice for effective ST control in Bangladesh. Methods We analyzed secondary data from the two rounds (2009 and 2017) of The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, estimated ST-related disease burden, and conducted a review to assess differences in combustible tobacco and ST policies. In addition, we gathered views in a workshop with key stakeholders in the country on gaps in existing tobacco control policies for ST control in Bangladesh and identified policy priorities using an online survey. Results Smokeless tobacco use, constituting more than half of all tobacco use in Bangladesh, declined from 27.2% (25.9 million) in 2009 to 20.6% (22 million) in 2017. However, in 2017, at least 16947 lives and 403460 Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were lost across Bangladesh due to ST use compared to 12511 deaths and 324020 DALYs lost in 2010. Policy priorities identified for ST control have included: introducing specific taxes and increasing the present ad valorem tax level, increasing the health development surcharge, designing and implementing a tax tracking and tracing system, standardizing ST packaging, integrating ST cessation within existing health systems, comprehensive media campaigns, and licensing of ST manufactures. Conclusions Our analysis shows that compared to combustible tobacco, there remain gaps in implementing and compliance with ST control policies in Bangladesh. Thus, contrary to the decline in ST use and the usual time lag between tobacco exposure and the development of cancers, the ST-related disease burden is still on the rise in Bangladesh. Strengthening ST control at this stage can accelerate this decline and reduce ST related morbidity and mortality

Smokeless tobacco and public health in Bangladesh

Despite the high prevalence of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among adults in Bangladesh, SLT was not included in the Tobacco Control Law till 2013. Information on SLT use among Bangladeshi people is inadequate for policymaking and implementing effective control measures. With the aim to identify the prevalence and trends of different SLT products, health and economic impacts, manufacture, and sale of and policies related to SLT in Bangladesh, we carried out a literature review, which involved literature search, data extraction, and synthesis. Evidence suggests that in Bangladesh, SLTs range from unprocessed to processed or manufactured products including Sada Pata, Zarda, Gul, and Khoinee. Over 27% of Bangladeshi adults aged 15 years and older use SLT in one form or other. SLT use is associated with age, sex, education, and socioeconomic status. SLT consumption has reportedly been associated with increased prevalence of heart diseases, stroke, and oral cancer and led to around 320,000 disability adjusted life years lost in Bangladesh in 2010. No cessation service is available for SLT users in public facilities. Compared to cigarettes, taxation on SLT remains low in Bangladesh. The amendment made in Tobacco Control Law in 2013 requires graphic health warnings to cover 50% of SLT packaging, ban on advertisement of SLT products, and restriction to sale to minors. However, implementation of the law is weak. As the use of SLT is culturally accepted in Bangladesh, culturally appropriate public awareness program is required to curb SLT use along with increased tax and cessation services

CD4 Receptor is a Key Determinant of Divergent HIV-1 Sensing by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are innate immune cells that sense viral nucleic acids through endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/9 to produce type I interferon (IFN) and to differentiate into potent antigen presenting cells (APC). Engagement of TLR7/9 in early endosomes appears to trigger the IRF7 pathway for IFN production whereas engagement in lysosomes seems to trigger the NF-κB pathway for maturation into APC. We showed previously that HIV-1 (HIV) localizes predominantly to early endosomes, not lysosomes, and mainly stimulate IRF7 rather than NF-κB signaling pathways in pDC. This divergent signaling may contribute to disease progression through production of pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory IFN and inadequate maturation of pDCs. We now demonstrate that HIV virions may be re-directed to lysosomes for NF-κB signaling by either pseudotyping HIV with influenza hemagglutinin envelope or modification of CD4 mediated-intracellular trafficking. These data suggest that HIV envelope-CD4 receptor interactions drive pDC activation toward an immature IFN producing phenotype rather than differentiation into a mature dendritic cell phenotype

Impact of Personal Characteristics on Intrapreneurs' Behaviours

The purpose of this research is to study the impact of personal characteristics on the intrapreneurs’ behaviour. This is to investigate the impact of personal competency, innovativeness, learning competency and previous experience on the formation of the intrapreneur behaviour. A total of 146 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents who meet the requirements through a standard self-administered online structured questionnaire. The data were analysed through the PLS-SEM approach. The findings have revealed the direct effect of personal characteristics on the intrapreneurs’ behaviour. The results of finding show a positive and significant impact of innovativeness and previous experience on the formation of intrapreneurs’ behaviour. However, the results also show that the personal competency and learning competency gives a negative impact on the formation of intrapreneurs’ behaviour however it results a high performance. The innovativeness and previous experience may influence the formation of intrapreneur’s behaviour however personal competency and learning competency will not affect the formation of intrapreneur’

Abrogation of CD4 phosphorylation (SA) targets CD4 and HIV to early/ recycling endosomes.

<p>CD4-transduced HEK cells incubated with GFP HIV for 2–4 hours. Confocal images showing representative staining of CD4-transduced HEK cells incubated with GFP HIV for (A) EEA1 and (C) TfR with GFP HIV for a single confocal z stack. Graphs depict % colocalization (Manders coefficient) for 50–100 cells of GFP HIV (HIV) with (B) EEA-1 mean ± SD WT 60.1% ± 18.20% as compared to SA 69.73% ± 13.47% as compared to SE 22.37% ± 16.15%, * unpaired Student’s t test p<0.001, (D) TfR mean ± SD WT 64.68% ± 16.63% as compared to SA 68.45% ±15.48% as compared to SE 18.89% ± 9.00%, unpaired Student’s t test *p<0.01 Data representative of 3 experiments. Magnification X100.</p