The Parliamentary Committee System in Bangladesh : An Analysis of its Functioning

This is s study on parliamentary committee system of Bangladesh. Drawing a theoretical framework this study examines how committee system works in a parliament where the political institutions, at least partly, have been imposed from outside rather than being fully indigenous. Though many favorable preconditions were adopted in the Constitution of Bangladesh, parliamentary system of government could not successfully work in the initial years of the independence. The political government was eliminated quickly through a bloody military coup in 1975. After the collapse of the military-authoritarian government, Bangladesh embarked upon a new democratic journey in 1990. Since the restoration of the parliamentary system of the government in 1991, committees have been serving as the extended working arms of the parliament. This study examines the pattern of performances of committees in the post-1990 parliaments. Examining the different dimensions of the working of committees, this study finds that they are now better poised to conduct their legislative and overseeing tasks. However, the absence of democratic principles within the party structure discourages the legislators from being proactive in the committees. Analyzing the committee structures and procedure of the selected developed and developing countries, it explores the lessons that Bangladesh can learn from them to make the committee system more effective

Government E-Service Delivery in Rural Bangladesh: A Public-Private Partnership Approach

This paper reviews and analyzes government e-service delivery through Union Digital Centers (UDCs), being identified as telecenters. With the emergence of e-governance, e-services delivery has become expedited across different countries in the world including Bangladesh to foster socio-economic development. However, the concept of ‘digital divide’ or ‘digital gap’ limits the ultimate success of e-delivery services by increasing the gap between rich and poor. In connection to the digital gap, literature evidence that telecenters have largely failed to reach targeted hardcore poor. This research has used a survey technique to collect data from 383 respondents located at 14 different UDCs and seven divisions. The findings of the paper contemplate a positive response in terms of availability, cost, convenience, and delivery of services. Nevertheless, strengthening the approach of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) remains a necessity to reach the success goal in e-governance. This study would be particularly helpful for practitioners or government policy-making agencies to identify perceptions on e-services at root level. Keywords: telecenters, e-governance, e-service delivery, socio-economic development, public-private partnership, Bangladesh DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-2-1

Selection of cemented carbide turning tools using EMF and optimization criteria

Tool life and quality of surface finish of the workpiece influence production rate and production cost. Cemented carbide tools have found wide application in the production arena of Bangladesh. In the absence of any testing facility in the country for the selection of cost-effective tools, poor quality carbide tools are frequently imported. A testing method and a selection criteria were developed for testing carbide tools of different shapes and sizes and for selecting the most cost-effective tool. For each tool cutting tests were performed to generate tool life data under different cutting conditions. Mild steel served as the work material. The relationship between tool life and cutting speed was developed using a curve-fitting software on a PC. From these relationships the values of the constants of the Taylor’s equation were determined. The cost equation was then derived for each tool for a given amount of work in a cutting speed range. Finally, the most cost-effective tool was selected on the basis of the relative location of the cost curves of the tools tested

Analisis Kemampuan Literasi Matematis Siswa SMP di Kabupaten Konawe dalam Perspektif Gender

Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh hasil tes literasi matematis siswa yang rendah.Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian deskriptif dengan subjek penelitian ini berjumlah 84 orang.Teknik pengambilan data yaitu pemberian tes tertulis dan wawancara.Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dan pembahasan diperoleh kesimpulan:(1) Kemampuan literasi matematis siswa masih rendah dengan rata-rata 26,89; siswa yang memiliki kemampuan literasi matematis dalam kompetensi tinggi dan sedang tidak ada, kategori rendah sebanyak 84 orang. (2)Kemampuan literasi matematis siswa laki-laki masih rendah pada kompetensi merumuskan dan merencanakan strategi dan lebih unggul pada kompetensi komunikasi dan penggunaan simbol, bahasa formal, teknik dan penggunaan operasi. (3)Kemampuan literasi matematis siswa perempuan juga masih rendah pada kompetensi merumuskan dan merencanakan strategi tetapi unggul pada kompetensi komunikasi dan penggunaan simbol, bahasa formal, teknik dan penggunaan operasi

Genetic variation in IRF4 expression modulates growth characteristics, tyrosinase expression and interferon-gamma response in melanocytic cells

A SNP within intron4 of the interferon regulatory factor4 (IRF4) gene, rs12203592*C/T, has been independently associated with pigmentation and age-specific effects on naevus count in European-derived populations. We have characterized the cis-regulatory activity of this intronic region and using human foreskin-derived melanoblast strains, we have explored the correlation between IRF4 rs12203592 homozygous C/C and T/T genotypes with TYR enzyme activity, supporting its association with pigmentation traits. Further, higher IRF4 protein levels directed by the rs12203592*C allele were associated with increased basal proliferation but decreased cell viability following UVR, an etiological factor in melanoma development. Since UVR, and accompanying IFNγ-mediated inflammatory response, is associated with melanomagenesis, we evaluated its effects in the context of IRF4 status. Manipulation of IRF4 levels followed by IFNγ treatment revealed a subset of chemokines and immuno-evasive molecules that are sensitive to IRF4 expression level and genotype including CTLA4 and PD-L1