Influence of Advertisements on Consumer Behavior: A Study of Graduate and Postgraduate Students

Purpose: This research investigates the effect of advertisements in broadcast media (TV, radio), print media (newspaper, magazine), and online (internet) media on consumers' awareness (AWR), interest (INT), conviction (CON), purchase (PUR), and post-purchase (PPUR) behavior. Method: A quantitative research approach based on primary data was applied in this study. This study conducted surveys using a structured questionnaire in both electronic and paper formats among the graduate and post-graduate students located in Chattogram, Bangladesh. 404 usable responses were used for data analysis using Kruskal-Wallis (K-W) test. Results: The study reveals that advertising in broadcast, print, and online media has a statistically significant effect on customers' awareness (AWR), interest(INT), conviction(CON), and buying behavior(PUR). Implications: The research provides insights to marketers regarding the preference toward media selection and promotional efforts

Effect of Thiazolidinediones on the Erythropoeitic and Germinal Cells in the Male Wistar Rats

Hyperglycemia is the main determinant of long term diabetic complications mainly through induction of oxidative stress responsible for secondary defects including cancer, infertility etc. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are known to posses the antioxidant potential against the reactive oxygen species. The ability of clinically used TZDs like Rosiglitazone (RSG) and Pioglitazone (PIO) in diabetic complications is still need to be studied extensively in the literature. In this study, the role of RSG and PIO on the frequency of nuclear and germinal cell damage was studied using bone marrow micronucleus (MN) test, sperm shape abnormality and sperm count in normal animals. The drugs were tested in the three doses (1, 10 and 100 mg/kg) after acute (48 hrs and 72 hrs) and chronic (4 weeks) treatment. The results indicated that RSG has produced significant (p < 0.01) decrease in P/N (polychromatic and normochromatic erythrocytes) ratio at 10 and 100 mg/kg without affecting the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes, sperm shape morphology and sperm count. PIO in the tested doses did not induce any change in P/N ratio and sperm count but the higher dose (100 mg/kg) showed suppression of MN in normochromatic erythrocytes and % sperm shape abnormality compared to the control group

Health risk assessment of metals transfer from soil to the edible part of some vegetables grown in Patuakhali province of Bangladesh

This study was conducted to investigate the contamination and chemical speciation of six heavy metals like Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb in soil, their transfer to the edible parts of vegetables i.e. Brinjal (Solanum melongena), Green amaranth (Amaranthus hybridus), Red amaranth (Amaranthus Gangeticus), Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), Chili (Capsicum annuum&nbsp;L), Carrot (Daucus carota), Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), Onion (Allium cepa), Potato (Solanum tuberosum) and Lentil (Lens culinaris). The ranges of heavy metals in soil were 3.7-41, 3.9-36, 7.6-46, 2.3-26, 0.61-13 and 4.5-32 mg/kg for Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb, respectively. The metals were mainly associated with the residual fractions of 39%, 41%, 40%, 40%, 34% and 41% for Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb, respectively. In the edible tissues of vegetables, the concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in most vegetable samples exceeded the maximum permissible levels, indicating not safe for human consumption. Target hazard index (HI) value indicates people would experience health risk due to consumption of vegetables. The carcinogenic risk (TR) of As and Pb through consumption of vegetables were higher than the USEPA threshold level (10−6), indicating potential cancer risks

Chromatographic estimation of maturity based phytochemical profiling of Ipomoea mauritiana

Collection of herbs at right maturity is one of such parameter which affect afficacy of medicinal plants. Standard reference markers used in quality control of herbal drugs mostly authenticate identity and not efficacy. In order to derive bioactive markers, knowledge regarding appropriate collection time for each herb is essential. Traditional medical knowledge is bioactivity-oriented and informs about best time of collection for certain medicinal species, as observed in case of Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq. (Vidari–Sanskrit). Only mature (bigger size) tubers of Ipomoea mauritiana are used by Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMP) for preparing galactagogues and immunomodulatory herbal medicines (Rasayan).Microscopy of transverse sections revealed structural variation between mature and immature tubers and girth of tubers determine the maturity of plant, the difference in phytochemical profiles of mature and immature tubers was observed.Variation in phytoconstituents of mature and immature tubers was confirmed through proximate analysis, phytochemical screening, qualitative HPLC and HPTLC analysis revealed the variation in phytoconstituents in mature and immature tubers.Keywords: Microscopy, HPLC, HPTLC, proximate analysis, phytochemical screening

Chromatographic estimation of maturity based phytochemical profiling of Ipomoea mauritiana

Collection of herbs at right maturity is one of such parameter which affect afficacy of medicinal plants. Standard reference markers used in quality control of herbal drugs mostly authenticate identity and not efficacy. In order to derive bioactive markers, knowledge regarding appropriate collection time for each herb is essential. Traditional medical knowledge is bioactivity-oriented and informs about best time of collection for certain medicinal species, as observed in case of Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq. (Vidari–Sanskrit). Only mature (bigger size) tubers of Ipomoea mauritiana are used by Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMP) for preparing galactagogues and immunomodulatory herbal medicines (Rasayan).Microscopy of transverse sections revealed structural variation between mature and immature tubers and girth of tubers determine the maturity of plant, the difference in phytochemical profiles of mature and immature tubers was observed.Variation in phytoconstituents of mature and immature tubers was confirmed through proximate analysis, phytochemical screening, qualitative HPLC and HPTLC analysis revealed the variation in phytoconstituents in mature and immature tubers.Keywords: Microscopy, HPLC, HPTLC, proximate analysis, phytochemical screening

Dystonia: A Leading Neurological Movement Disorder

Dystonia is the third leading movement disorder arising mainly from the damage of basal ganglia or other parts of the brain that control movements. The objective of this review is to represent the detailed profile of dystonia. A computerized literature review was conducted in authentic scientific databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and National Institutes of Health (NIH) etc. Terms searched included dystonia, risk factors, etiologies, clinical features, classification, pathology, guidelines, treatment strategies, primary and secondary dystonia. Initially, 97 articles and 9 books were extracted but finally, 64 articles and 7 books were used. After analysis, we found that causes of dystonia could be acquired or inherited and dystonia can be classified based on age at onset, etiology, and distribution of the affected body parts. The risk factors of this heterogeneous disorder could be trauma, thyroid disorder, hypertension, life habits, occupation, use of drugs and genetics. A significant number of articles were found which signify the ability of brainstem and cerebellar pathology to trigger the symptoms of dystonia. Since antipsychotic drugs are the most commonly prescribed among the people with intellectual disability (ID), therefore they possess a greater risk to experience antipsychotic drugs-induced movement side effects including acute dystonia, parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, and akathisia. Depending on various manifestations and causes, there are several treatment options including oral medications, intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin, neurosurgical procedures and occupational therapy

How Does Maize-Cowpea Intercropping Maximize Land Use and Economic Return? A Field Trial in Bangladesh

Cultivating multiple crops together can provide numerous benefits, including improved soil health and crop yield. The objective of our study was to determine the optimum planting techniques in intercropping systems, and to maximize their benefits by mitigating competition for resources such as land, space, light interception, and nutrition. The performance of successively planted maize (Zea mays L.) grown with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) was evaluated with a field trial in Bangladesh. The treatments in our study were: (a) sole maize, (b) sole cowpea, (c) crops sown simultaneously, and (d) crops sown with different time lags (1, 2, and 3 weeks) between the maize-sowing and cowpea-sowing dates. Data on the crops&rsquo; physiological parameters were recorded. These included light interception, leaf area index (LAI), Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD), harvest index, and yield. Simultaneously, canopy coverage was measured using camera-based photo analysis. In addition, an economic analysis of intercropping maize with soybean or cowpea was conducted using gross margin analysis and benefit-cost ratio. In our results, the below-canopy photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was significantly higher in intercropping treatments when maize was sown three weeks after cowpea. In contrast, the LAI value of the maize and cowpea was significantly greater when sown on the same day than in other intercropping treatments. As a result, the maize yield reduced when intercropped with cowpea. This reduction maximized when both species were sown simultaneously due to higher competition for resources, including nutrients and light. Intercropping was more beneficial in terms of land equivalent ratio than both sole cropping of maize and cowpea, especially when maize was planted three weeks later. However, this benefit was not retained when calculated as maize equivalent yield since the contribution of cowpea was small in the overall maize yield, suggesting the importance of the relative economic value of the component species. Among all treatments, the lowest maize equivalent yield (6.03 &plusmn; 0.14 t ha&minus;1) was obtained from sole cowpea, and the largest land equivalent ratio (1.67 &plusmn; 0.05) was obtained from intercropping with maize sown three weeks after cowpea. This treatment provided a net income of USD 786.32 &plusmn; 25.08 ha&minus;1. This study has shown that together, maize&ndash;cowpea intercropping with a temporal niche difference of three weeks may be a better option for sustainable crop production in Bangladesh, maximizing land use. However, it may not provide a significantly greater maize equivalent yield and economic return

Cellular and Cytokine Responses to Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhi Proteins in Patients with Typhoid Fever in Bangladesh

We assessed interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) responses via enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) to a number of S. Typhi antigens in samples from humans with S. Typhi bacteremia and typhoid fever in Bangladesh. Compared with responses in healthy endemic zone controls, there were significantly increased IFN-γ responses at the time of clinical presentation (acute phase) and at convalescence 14–28 days later. The majority (80–90%) of IFN-γ expressing T cells were CD4+. We observed a significant increase in interleukin-17 (IL-17) positive CD4 + T cells at convalescent versus acute stage of infection using an intracellular cytokine staining assay. We also found that stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) produced significantly increased levels of a number of cytokines at the convalescent versus acute phase of infection, including IFN-γ, MIP-1β, sCD40L, TNF-β, IL-13, and IL-9. These results suggest that S. Typhi antigens induce a predominantly Th1 response, but that elevations in other cytokines may be modulatory

Localization of Lipid Droplets in Embryonic Axis Radicle Cells of Soybean Seeds under Various Imbibition Regimes Indicates Their Role in Desiccation Tolerance

Desiccation tolerance allows plant seeds to remain viable during desiccation and subsequent re-hydration. In this study, we tried to develop an experimental system to understand the difference between desiccation tolerant and desiccation sensitive radicle cells by examining excised embryonic axes after re-desiccation and subsequent imbibition under various regimes. Embryonic axes excised from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seeds imbibed for 3 h to 15 h which remained attached to the cotyledons during imbibition would grow normally after 24 h of desiccation and re-imbibition on wet filter paper. By contrast, when the embryonic axes excised after 3 h imbibition of seeds were kept on wet filter paper for 12 h to 16 h, their growth was significantly retarded after 24 h of desiccation and subsequent re-imbibition. Numerous lipid droplets were observed lining the plasma membrane and tonoplasts in radicle cells of desiccation tolerant embryonic axes before and after desiccation treatment. By contrast, the lipid droplets lining the plasma membrane and tonoplasts became very sparse in radicle cells that were placed for longer times on wet filter paper before desiccation. We observed a clear correlation between the amount of lipid droplets lining plasma membranes and the ability to grow after desiccation and re-imbibition of the excised embryonic axes. In addition to the reduction of lipid droplets in the cells, a gradual increase in starch grains was observed. Large starch grains accumulated in the radicle cells of those axes that failed to grow further