Financing behavior of R&D investments in the emerging markets : the role of alliance and financial system

This paper examines the financing behaviour of R&D investments in emerging markets. Drawing on institutional theory and using panel data of generalized methods of moment (GMM) estimation for a sample of 302 firms from 20 countries during the period 2003-2015, we find that emerging market firms tend to use internal funds for financing R&D investments. Interesting results emerged when the sample was divided as alliance and non-alliance firms, and bank-based and market-based financial systems. The results show that R&D financing behaves differently for alliance and non-alliance firms. Alliance firms use both internal and external funds for R&D investments, while non-alliance firms do not use external funds. We also document that a country’s financial system influences the choice of available sources of finance. Firms from countries that follow a bank-based financial system tend to rely on external funds while firms from countries that follow a market-based financial system depend more on internal funds for financing R&D investments. This study is important as it provides new evidence on financing R&D investments in emerging countries taking into account the institutional arguments of financing choices, and so should guide stakeholders about appropriate sources of R&D financing

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Child Malnutrition in Bangladesh: Do They Differ by Region?

Socioeconomic inequality in child malnutrition is well-evident in Bangladesh. However, little is known about whether this inequality differs by regional contexts. We used pooled data from the 2011 and 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey to examine regional differences in socioeconomic inequalities in stunting and underweight among children under five. The analysis included 14,602 children aged 0-59 months. We used logistic regression models and the Concentration index to assess and quantify wealth- and education-related inequalities in child malnutrition. We found stunting and underweight to be more concentrated among children from poorer households and born to less-educated mothers. Although the poverty level was low in the eastern regions, socioeconomic inequalities were greater in these regions compared to the western regions. The extent of socioeconomic inequality was the highest in Sylhet and Chittagong for stunting and underweight, respectively, while it was the lowest in Khulna. Regression results demonstrated the protective effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on child malnutrition. The regional differences in the effects of SES tend to diverge at the lower levels of SES, while they converge or attenuate at the highest levels. Our findings have policy implications for developing programs and interventions targeted to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in child malnutrition in subnational regions of Bangladesh

Screening of Different Tomato Varieties in Saline Areas of Bangladesh

A field study was conducted to screen out a number of Bangladeshi Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) varieties for salinity tolerance. Three levels of salinity were 2.0-4.0 dS m-1, 4.1-8.0 dS m-1 and 8.1-12.0 dS m-1. Significant varietal and or salinity treatment effects were registered on plant height, leaf area, plant growth, yield, dry matter plant-1, Na+ and Claccumulation in tomato tissues. Variety BARI Tomato 14, BARI Hybrid Tomato 5 and BARI Tomato 2 consistently showed superior biological activity at moderate salinity (4.1-8.0 dS m-1), based on dry matter biomass production thus displaying relatively greater adaptation to salinity. Under saline condition, all plant parameters of tomato varieties were reduced compared to the control except number of fruits of BARI Tomato 14, BARI Hybrid Tomato 5 and BARI Tomato 2. Thus, BARI Tomato 14, BARI Hybrid Tomato 5 and BARI Tomato 2 can be regarded as a breeding material for development of new tomato varieties for tolerance to salinity in saline areas of Bangladesh. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v2i1.13989 Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 2 (1): 13-18, June, 201

Survey of Hypertension in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Changing Prescribing Patterns

Purpose: To assess changes in the prescribing pattern of antihypertensive drugs and lifestyle factors associated with hypertensive patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 hypertensive patients in various heart disease hospitals and the consulting rooms of 10 cardiologists in the city of Dhaka to determine changes in prescribing patterns of antihypertensive drugs. Respondents were distributed more or less equally between males and the females.Results: Female patients aged 30 to 40 years (8 %) as well as male patients aged 50 to 60 years (54 %) and 60 to 70 years (12 %) were prone to hypertension. However, patients of both sexes whose age ranged from 40 to 50 (40 %) and 50 to 60 (36 %) were more prone to hypertension. It was observed that 46 % of the patients were overweight. A majority of the patients had diabetes with hypertension (28 %). Moreover, most of the patients (80 %) did not indulge in any physical exercise and were non-smokers but had a family history of hypertension. Combined antihypertensive drugs, especially thiazide diuretics with angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium antagonists, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were the first choice of drugs by physicians. The prescribing rate of β-blockers (28.36 %) and combined antihypertensive preparations (40 %) was higher than that of older antihypertensives, viz loop diuretics, propranolol and enalapril.Conclusion: Combination therapy is favored by all doctors who compared with the past prescribing practice of a single medication for hypertension.Keywords: Hypertension, Prescribing pattern, Antihypertensive drugs, Lifestyle factors, Family histor

The Resilience of the British and European Goods Industry: Challenge of Brexit

This is a study of the volume flexibility of the British and European goods industry, and its relative ability to cope with exogenous shocks, using the case of the Brexit process in a comparative context. It is located within the literature on comparative capitalism, and what it tells us in terms of how different institutional orders may be equipped to deal with such events. Using data for goods firms across 27 EU countries and the UK, we find that the UK goods industry has coped poorly with the shocks related to the Brexit process: its volume flexibility has declined. Brexit also has had an, albeit lesser, impact on the volume flexibility of their European firms counterparts. In particular, smaller firms in the EU coped better, a possible reflection of stronger institutional supports. However, firms that investing more in R&D, provide training to improve management efficiency, and apply innovation to improve asset efficiency, seem to be coping better. This study illustrates how the withdrawal of Britain from supra-national European institutions seems to have accentuated any negative effects of domestic institutions on firms, and, indeed, has had even worse consequences than the 2008 economic crisis for the British goods industry. The latter would suggest it is ill equipped to cope with further shocks, such as the 2020 pandemic. We draw out the implications for theorizing, policy and future research

Varietal preference of okra jassid, Amrasca devastans (Dist.) under field condition of Bangladesh

An experiment was conducted in the Field Laboratory, Department of Entomology, (BAU), Mymensingh on the varietal preference of okra jassid, Amrasca devastans (Dist.) using 14 okra varieties viz. F1 Tamanna, Hybrid Okra Gunyon, Okra F1 Green Soft, OK 285, Okra F1 Green Star 33, F1 Hybrid Fresh Power, F1 Hybrid Sarosh 3, Hybrid Okra (MDR), Okra Nabil, BARI-1 (Samrat), Hybrid Chamak and Local variety during March to June 2014. The results indicated that host preference of jassid differed significantly among the 14 varieties tested. Three varieties viz. Hybrid Chamak, Arka Anamika and Kolatia were the least preferred by jassid. Five varieties viz. Okra Nabil, Hybrid Okra (MDR), F1 Hybrid Fresh Power, Local variety, and OK 285 were comparatively highly preferred and rest of the six varieties viz. Okra F1 Green Star 33, BARI-1 (Samrat), F1 Tamanna, F1 Hybrid Sarosh 3, Hybrid Okra Gunyon, and Okra F1 Green Soft were moderately preferred by jassid. This variation of preference of okra jassid might be due to different morphological and physiological characters of selected varieties. It could be concluded that comparatively resistant varieties selected from the present study might be incorporated to develop of IPM package for jassid

Strategic orientation, strategic renewal, and the international performance of born global firms

Copyright © Crown / The Author(s) 2023. The international business environment is both dynamic and turbulent. Accordingly, a new venture’s strategic orientation (SO) and ability to undertake strategic renewal (SR) are of great importance to its survival, growth and international performance. Building on the dynamic capability perspective, we explore how SR capability mediates the relationship between SO and the performance of mature born global firms (BGFs). In particular, we examine the direct and indirect interplay between the SO of BGFs and their performance outcomes. We use a sample of 195 export-oriented BGFs, derived from the Bangladeshi apparel industry. We use a hierarchical regression analysis technique to test the direct effects. The mediation effect is examined using three statistical tests – Baron and Kenney’s (1986) causal steps approach, the Sobel test, and the Hayes indirect effect with bootstrapping method – to ensure the validity and reliability of our findings. The results reveal a positive association between SO and the performance of BGFs, and that this relationship is mediated by the firms’ SR capability. We contribute to a greater understanding of the drivers of mature BGFs’ international performance by demonstrating a direct link between their SO and SR capability, which in turn affects their performance outcomes

Estimation of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) reproduction number and case fatality rate: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and aims Realizing the transmission potential and the magnitude of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) aids public health monitoring, strategies, and preparation. Two fundamental parameters, the basic reproduction number (R0) and case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19, help in this understanding process. The objective of this study was to estimate the R0 and CFR of COVID-19 and assess whether the parameters vary in different regions of the world. Methods We carried out a systematic review to find the reported estimates of the R0 and the CFR in articles from international databases between January 1 and August 31, 2020. Random-effect models and Forest plots were implemented to evaluate the mean effect size of R0 and the CFR. Furthermore, R0 and CFR of the studies were quantified based on geographic location, the tests/thousand population, and the median population age of the countries where the studies were conducted. To assess statistical heterogeneity among the selected articles, the I2 statistic and the Cochran's Q test were used. Results Forty-five studies involving R0 and 34 studies involving CFR were included. The pooled estimation of R0 was 2.69 (95% CI: 2.40, 2.98), and that of the CFR was 2.67 (2.25, 3.13). The CFR in different regions of the world varied significantly, from 2.49 (2.08, 2.94) in Asia to 3.40 (2.81, 4.04) in North America. We observed higher mean CFR values for the countries with lower tests (3.15 vs 2.16) and greater median population age (3.13 vs 2.27). However, R0 did not vary significantly in different regions of the world. Conclusions An R0 of 2.69 and a CFR of 2.67 indicate the severity of the COVID-19. Although R0 and CFR may vary over time, space, and demographics, we recommend considering these figures in control and prevention measures

Management of bipolar disorder in the intercontinental region: an international, multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study in real-life conditions

Most of the existing data on real-life management of bipolar disorder are from studies conducted in western countries (mostly United States and Europe). This multinational, observational cohort study aimed to describe the management and clinical outcomes of bipolar patients in real-life conditions across various intercontinental countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Tunisia, and Ukraine). Data on socio-demographic and disease characteristics, current symptomatology, and pharmacological treatment were collected. Comparisons between groups were performed using standard statistical tests. Overall, 1180 patients were included. The median time from initial diagnosis was 80 months. Major depressive disorder was the most common initial diagnosis. Mood stabilizers and antipsychotics were the most common drugs being prescribed at the time of the study. Antidepressants (mainly selective serotonin uptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) were administered to 36.1% of patients. Patients with bipolar I disorder received higher number of antipsychotics and anxiolytics than those with bipolar II disorder (p < 0.001). Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in antidepressant use (p < 0.001). Bipolar disorder real-life management practice, irrespective of region, shows a delay in diagnosis and an overuse of antidepressants. Clinical decision-making appears to be based on a multidimensional approach related to current symptomatology and type of bipolar disorder