Stretching the Parameters of Diplomatic Protocol: Incursion into Public Diplomacy

The end of the Cold War saw the United States retrenching its public diplomacy program. However, as the sole remaining superpower, it saw the opportunity to spread its values and ideals – particularly those of liberal democracy, human rights, and the free market economy – to those countries that were lacking in them. Paradoxically, intense public diplomacy efforts were required in pursuit of that objective. Traditional diplomats then began to take on public diplomacy functions, but, in so doing, often violated Article 41 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. They were mostly from the United States, while the rest were from Europe and regional powers, whereas the host countries were mostly developing nations complaining of interference in their internal political affairs. While some such interference may be expected, they are better done through traditional diplomats discreetly communicating with the host government. Cowboy diplomacy by traditional diplomats probably does more harm than good to both the home country aspirations in, and the internal political dynamics of, the host nation

Homolytic substitution in aromatic heterocycles

A radical is a species with an unpaired electron. The classical research papers of Gomberg1 on the triphenylmethyl radical (I) (reaction 1 and 2), and the study by Lund and [diagram] Bodenstein 2 (1906) of the H2 an Br2 hain reaction, mark thebeginning of organic free-radical chemistry. Radical kinetics openedup with the radical-mirror removal experiments of Paneth et. al. 3 (1929) (reaction 3) and others. 4. [diagram] (3) The pyrolysis of tetramethyl lead (900--1200&deg;K; 1 s, residence in quartz furnace) produced species (methyl radicals) which were capable of removing mirrors of lead, antimony and zinc. The rates and products observed made possible the first measurements of radical concentration and of radical reactivity.The Rice-HerzfieId mechanisms 5 (1934) gave a detailed scheme of elementary radical reactions to account for the rates and products of complex pyrolysis reactions.<p

Determinants of Male Internal Migration in Bangladesh: Is Due to Services Matter?

Migration is a common process where people move rural to urban area for better livelihood. The aim of this study is exploring the factors of rural to urban migration in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Sylhet City Corporation and 120 migrants were selected through two stage cluster sampling technique. Social survey method was used to collect the data from the respondents. Binary logistic regression was applied to determine the factors related to male migration due to services. The results show that level of education is positively associated with male migration due to services. The results also show that income, occupation before migration, family types also effects cause of migration due to services. Keywords: Rural-urban migration, Determinants, Migration status, Banglades

Dissecting the molecular function of neutral glycosphingolipids in ovarian cancer progression

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are essential structural components of each eukaryotic cell and comprise a heterogeneous group of membrane lipids covalently linked to a glycan moiety. GSLs play fundamental role in proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, protein and lipid trafficking, signalling events and binding ligands of bacterial toxin and viruses. Aberrant glycosylation on GSLs has been associated with malignant transformation. The presence of tumor associated GSLs has also been observed in epithelial ovarian cancer, which is the eight most common cause of cancer in the women worldwide bearing the highest mortality rate among all gynaecological cancers. Several studies from our group suggest a potential role of GSLs (Gb3 and P1) in ovarian cancer. Both are the members of neutral GSLs belonging to globo series (Gb3) and (neo-) lacto series (P1). The α1-4 galactosyltransferase (A4GALT) terminates both Gb3 and P1 in the GSLs biosynthesis pathway. Gb3 is expressed on different human cell types (erythrocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells of digestive tract and urogenital system, and various cancer cell lines) as well as in cancer tissues (primary lesions of metastatic colon cancer and the colon cancer metastases to liver) while the presence of P1 is only known to be on erythrocytes. The functional role of these neutral GSLs has not been well understood in general and particular in context of ovarian cancer. To address this question, here we utilized two strategies: 1) enzymatic inhibition of key glycosyltransferase glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) and 2) CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing to generate homozygous, stable, and heritable knockout cell lines to consequently establish an experimental tool depleted for specific glycan’s. The effects of inhibition and abolishment of these GSLs on cellular process is investigated with the appropriate assays. Our results displayed that ablation of (neo-) lacto series GSLs by CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing (ΔB3GNT5) leads an unexpected loss of α 2-6 sialylation on N-glycoproteins. Profiling of α 2-6 sialyltransferase encoding genes revealed that loss of α 2-6 sialylation is due to the silencing of ST6GAL1 expression. Another study reported that globoside glycosyltransferases are elevated in epithelial signature and depletion of globosides by CRISPR-Cas9 mediated A4GALT deletion induce epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and consequently enhance chemo resistances. Cells undergoing EMT lost E-cadherin expression through epigenetic silencing at the promoter of CDH1 via DNA methylation, however, in A4GALT deleted cells demethylation was only able to rescue E-cadherin expression while wild type A4GALT was provided. Our data demonstrated another class of biomolecules vital for epithelial homeostasis to maintaining cell integrity and function. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that GSLs, and in particular globosides, play an important role in the transition of ovarian cancer cells towards epithelial (MET) or mesenchymal (EMT) phenotypes. Thus, these data suggest that particular GSLs are involved in a complex network affecting molecular events such as alteration of α 2,6- sialylation on N-glycoproteins and influencing E-cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion in intermediate EMT ovarian cancer cell lines. In summary, this PhD thesis highlights a close relationship between the EMT process and GSLs, which allows a new direction for targeting new therapies

Glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors differentially affect expression of glycosphingolipids

Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) catalyzes the first committed step in the biosynthesis of glucosylceramide (GlcCer)-related glycosphingolipids (GSLs). Although inhibitors of GCS, PPMP and PDMP have been widely used to elucidate their biological function and relevance, our comprehensive literature review revealed that the available data are ambiguous. We therefore investigated whether and to what extent GCS inhibitors affect the expression of lactosylceramide (LacCer), neolacto (nLc4 and P1), ganglio (GM1 and GD3) and globo (Gb3 and SSEA3) series GSLs in a panel of human cancer cell lines using flow cytometry, a commonly applied method investigating cell-surface GSLs after GCS inhibition. Their cell-surface GSL expression considerably varied among cell lines and more importantly, sublethal concentrations (IC10) of both inhibitors preferentially and significantly reduced the expression of Gb3 in the cancer cell lines IGROV1, BG1, HT29 and T47D, whereas SSEA3 was only reduced in BG1. Unexpectedly, the neolacto and ganglio series was not affected. LacCer, the precursor of all GlcCer-related GSL, was significantly reduced only in BG1 cells treated with PPMP. Future research questions addressing particular GSLs require careful consideration; our results indicate that the extent to which there is a decrease in the expression of one or more particular GSLs is dependent on the cell line under investigation, the type of GCS inhibitor and exposure duratio

The Role of Microcredit Program on Women Empowerment: Empirical Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

The empowerment of women is the burning issues in developing countries. This study examined the impact of micro-credit on the empowerment of rural women in Bangladesh. A total of 120 respondents were selected as sample using stratified random sampling technique on Tuker bazar Union Parishad under Sylhet Sadar Upazilla in Sylhet district, Bangladesh and data was collected through face to face interview by using survey method. The women empowerment was measured by five dimensions .These dimension were (1) economic decision making, (2) household decision making,(3) freedom of  physical movement, (4) ownership of property,(5) political and social awareness. OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression was applied to understand the effects of microcredit program on each dimension of women empowerment and aggregate women empowerment. The results showed that microcredit program was positively associated with each dimension of women empowerment as well as aggregate measure of Empowerment. So, this study reveals that microcredit program improves the women empowerment in Bangladesh. Keywords: Microcredit, Empowerment, Effects, Rural Women, Bangladesh

The impact of board gender composition on loan covenant violations

Research Question/Issue We examine the role of board gender diversity in attenuating loan covenant violations. We also investigate whether the relationship is influenced by female independent directors. Finally, we examine the channels of this relationship. Research Findings/Insights Drawing on gender socialization and diversity theories, our findings show that firms with gender-diverse boards are less likely to violate loan covenants. We also find that boards with more female directors have a stronger impact on loan covenant violations than those with fewer female directors, consistent with critical mass theory. Our results also suggest that the negative relationship stems from female independent directors rather than from female executive directors. Our channel analyses indicate that the relationship is routed through covenant strictness, the financial performance of firms, and better corporate governance. Our further analysis demonstrates that the relationship is pronounced in female-dominated industries and financially distressed firms, as well as in firms whose directors have greater experience. Our results are robust across a series of sensitivity and endogeneity tests. Theoretical/Academic Implications We contribute to an emerging strand of literature that examines the link between board gender diversity and loan covenants. We fill a gap in this stream of literature by providing the first empirical evidence that female directors in the boardroom reduce loan covenant violations through their greater integrative bargaining skills during loan deals, improving firm financial performance, and ensuring good corporate governance. Our study also contributes to the growing literature on the differential effects on corporate policies of female directors (independent and executive) and critical mass. Practitioner/Policy Implications This finding offers significant policy implications for managers, investors, and policymakers. Given the growing frequency of loan covenant violations, the presence of a gender-diverse board should serve as a potent indicator to creditors who have a concern regarding loans. In addition, our study adds to the ongoing debate regarding the business case of board gender diversity

STR-931: TIMBER I-JOISTS WITH WEB OPENINGS: REINFORCEMENT, CAPACITY PREDICTION AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Timber I-joists are a popular product in light-frame wood construction in North America. The design with timber I-joists, however, has not yet achieved the same level of refinement compared to reinforced concrete or steel structures. One of the reasons is that timber I-joists have higher variability in their material properties than more homogeneous building materials. Additionally, although very commonly applied in practice, engineers and practitioners have limited knowledge and guidance for I-joists with web opening. As a result, in many cases the design of timber I-joists based on manufacturer’s specifications lead to very conservative solutions. The present research predicts the capacity of unreinforced and reinforced timber I-joists with openings from experimental results. A total of 100 unreinforced and 100 reinforced I-joists with opening were tested under four point loading. The capacity of the I-joists with opening was predicted from regression analysis. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the predicted equations using Meta-model of Optimal Prognosis (MOP) to evaluate the contribution of each parameter on the model responses. The research demonstrates that the reinforcement technique was efficient for I-joists with openings and the proposed equations were very accurate to predict the I-joists capacity

Comparative economic analysis of pond fish production in Mymensingh and Jessore Districts, Bangladesh

The study was conducted to determine the cost, return and relative profitability of pond fish production of Mymensingh and Jessore districts. A total of 75 ponds were selected on the basis of purposive random sampling technique from 7 villages under 2 Upazila (Trishal and Gouripur) of Mymensingh districts and 8 villages under 4 Upazila (Monimmpur, Jhikorgacha, Chowgacha and Sadar) of Jessore district. It was found that per hectare per year gross cost of pond fish production in Mymensingh and Jessore were Tk 333457.75 and Tk 54327.74, while gross return were Tk 434131.16 and Tk. 96640.00 and net return were Tk 100673.41 and Tk. 42312.26, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that the pond fish production in Jessore district was more profitable than that of Mymensingh district. Cobb-Douglas production function was applied to realize the specific effect of the factors on pond fish production. Out of six variables included in the function three variables had positive impact on return from pond fish production, in Mymensingh district but five variables had positive impact on return from pond fish production in Jessore distric

Determining overwintering performance and economic viability of monosex tilapia fingerling production in hapa cum cage aquaculture system for Bangladesh's haor fishers

Ensuring a consistent supply of uniformly sized fingerlings for tilapia cage aquaculture in Bangladesh's poses a significant challenge. This study assessed overwintering growth performance and economic viability of monosex tilapia fingerling production in haor waters. Nine hapas, each inside a designated treatment cage, were stocked with T1 (200), T2 (250) and T3 (300) tilapia fry, averaging 1.25±0.25 g, per m³ for 90 days. The most successful treatment continued for two subsequent crops over two years for economic viability assessment. Average final body weight gain was the highest at the lowest stocking density (T1, 58.86±7.23 g), but the most desirable biomass gain (222 kg cage⁻¹) occurred at medium stocking density (T2). Beyond biomass gain, T2 exhibited superior profitability, with 26% and 30% profitability in the second and third crops respectively, over total costs. In conclusion, overwintering tilapia fingerling production in the hapa-cum-cage system at a stocking density of 250 m⁻³ proved more profitable and sustainable than other treatments, offering a viable income-generating option for resource-poor haor fishers