Economic Valuation of Small Scale Water Management Intervention in Barind Area, Bangladesh

An Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) project is being implemented by DASCOH in the north-western part called Barind tract in Bangladesh. The primary goal of the project is to help local government institutions to contribute to the increasing availability of water for disadvantaged people in the Barind area through sustainable, effective, and inclusive management and usage of water resources. This study is designed under the scope of this project and cross-checks the achieved objectives in terms of how much benefit the project drips down to the targeted population. For all of the interventions implemented by the project, health and household labor cost reduction is found to be very significant. However, some interventions have a skewed impact on some particular parameters while others have a partial impact

An Emperical Study on Human Resource Management practices of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh

Small and medium enterprises are playing a vital role for developing the economy of a nation as they play an essential role in poverty reduction through employment generation. So it is essential for SMEs to take human resources more seriously in this day and age as the good practice of HRM will maintain and attract highly qualified personnel therefore placing the organization at a competitive advantage. The aim of this study is to analyze the human resources practices of SMEs in Bangladesh. A sample of 160 respondents has been selected conveniently from Barisal City in Bangladesh to conduct this study. SPSS has been used to analyze collected data for descriptive statistics, t test, ANOVA, testing hypotheses and other general analysis. The result reveals that most of the enterprises are male oriented and educational level of 71.8% employees are up to SSC. In recruitment process, employers are relying on experienced but acquainted sources and 86.9% SMEs do not arrange any kinds of test for selection as well as 65.6% think that there is no necessity of training to perform their job. About 94.3% employees are working more than 8 hours in a day but among them only 15.60% get overtime facilities and 64.90% do not get overtime payment. But favorable colleagues’ behavior, overall job satisfaction, supervisor’s well behavior and convenient working environment are found as good human resource practices in SMEs. Study also found some drawbacks of the enterprises like lack of quality and expansion of product line, incapable of retaining skilled employees, to increase of investment, absence of modern technology, lack of convenient working environment and to increase of size and space of the organizations. Keywords: HRM, SME, Employees, SPS

Impact of gut microbiome on skin health : gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases.Peer reviewe

Orexin A in the central control of cardiorespiratory regulation

Thesis by publication."A thesis submitted to Macquarie University in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy."Includes bibliographical references.1. Literature review -- 2. General methods -- 3. Intrathecal orexin A increases sympathetic outflow and respiratory drive, enhances baroreflex sensitivity and blocks the somato-sympathetic reflex -- 4. Orexin A in rat rostral ventrolateral medulla is pressor, sympathoexcitatory, increases barosensitivity and attenuates the somatosympathetic reflex -- 5. Role of orexin A in rostral ventrolateral medulla in regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and reflexes in wistar-kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats -- 6. General discussion -- References -- Appendices.Presympathetic neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) provide a monosynaptic excitatory drive to sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPN) of the spinal cord and are involved in the differential regulation of sympathetic outflows to different target tissues. Neurons in the RVLM integrate information from the centre and periphery, including: respiration, and baro-, chemo- and somatosympathetic reflex afferent neurons. Metabotropic transmitters including neuropeptides, apart from basic neurotransmitters (e.g. glutamate and GABA), with long-term effects play important roles in the regulation of RVLM neurons. This thesis investigates the role of one such neuropeptide, orexin A (OX-A), in the control of blood pressure and breathing and to see if its role is altered in diseases such as hypertension. Results of this work will provide a better understanding of the way that the brain controls blood pressure and breathing, and may also lead to the development of new therapies for hypertension.In the first set of experiments (chapter 3, Shahid et al., 2011), the effects of OX-A in the spinal cord on vasomotor tone and adaptive reflexes were investigated. Intrathecal (i.t.) administration of OX-A caused a prolonged and dose-dependent increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (sSNA). OX-A also dose-dependently increased respiratory drive, as indicated by a rise in phrenic nerve amplitude (PNamp) and a fall in phrenic nerve frequency (PNf), an increase in neural minute ventilation, a lengthening of the expiratory period, and a shortening of the inspiratory period. All cardiorespiratory effects of OX-A were attenuated by the orexin 1 (OX1) receptor antagonist SB 334867. I.t. OX-A significantly reduced both the sympathoexcitatory peaks of somatosympathetic reflex but increased baroreflex sensitivity.In the second set of experiments (chapter 4, Shahid et al., 2012a), immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the presence of OX-A and it's receptors in the RVLM. Tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in the RVLM frequently expressed OX1 and orexin 2 (OX2) receptors and closely apposed to OX-A-ir terminals. OX1 receptor immunoreactivity was found in 78 ± 2% of TH-ir neurons in the RVLM and OX2 receptor in 77 ± 3% of TH-ir neurons. In addition, within the RVLM, about 51% of OX1 receptors and 56% of OX2 receptors were expressed in non-TH-ir or non-C1 neurons, suggesting that both C1 and non-C1 neurons in the RVLM contain both OX receptors.In the third set of experiments (chapter 4, Shahid et al., 2012a), OX-A was injected bilaterally into the RVLM of normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats and the effects on cardiorespiratory function and sympathetic reflexes were observed. Microinjection of OX-A into the RVLM elicited a pressor and sympathoexcitatory response. Responses to OX-A were attenuated by the OX1 receptor antagonist, SB 334867, and reproduced by the OX2 receptor agonist, [Ala11, D-Leu15]orexin B indicating that both OX receptors are involved in OX-A mediated response in the RVLM. OX-A increased baroreflex sensitivity but attenuated the somatosympathetic reflex. OX-A injection into the RVLM also increased or reduced sympathoexcitation following hypoxia or hypercapnia respectively.A fourth set of experiments (chapter 5) were conducted to investigate whether OX-A responses in the RVLM of normotensive rats are exaggerated in hypertensive animal models. OX-A injected into the RVLM elicited hypertension, tachycardia and sympathoexcitation in both hypertensive and normotensive rat models. The pressor and sympathoexcitatory responses evoked by OX-A were exaggerated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). OX-A also increased PNamp in both strains. The sympathoexcitatory peaks of somatosympathetic reflex were attenuated following OX-A injection in both SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The attenuation of the sympathoexcitatory peaks of the somatosympathetic reflex was potentiated in SHR. OX-A injection into the RVLM increased baroreflex sensitivity in both SHR and WKY. An interesting finding is that the extent of increase in the barosensitivity evoked by OX-A was reduced in SHR as compared to WKY.Taken together, the presence of OX receptors in C1 bulbospinal sympathoexcitatory neurons of the rostral RVLM and the effects of OX-A in the RVLM and spinal cord on basal cardiorespiratory parameters and adaptive reflexes suggest that OX receptor activation plays a key role in mediating the sympathoexcitatory responses. These data also suggest a role for OX-A in the development and maintenance of essential hypertension. The precise physiological circumstances in which OX-A is released to exert the effects described in this thesis remains to be established.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xv, 211 pages) illustration

Modeling and simulation of a split and recombination-based passive micromixer with vortex-generating mixing units

As a state-of-the-art technology, micromixers are being used in various chemical and biological processes, including polymerization, extraction, crystallization, organic synthesis, biological screening, drug development, drug delivery, etc. The ability of a micromixer to perform efficient mixing while consuming little power is one of its basic needs. In this paper, a passive micromixer having vortex-generating mixing units is proposed which shows effective mixing with a small pressure drop. The micromixer works on the split and recombination (SAR) flow principle. In this study, four micromixers are designed with different arrangements of mixing units, and the effect of the placement of connecting channels is evaluated in terms of mixing index, pressure drop, and mixing performance. The channel width of 200 μm, height of 300 μm, and size of mixing units are maintained constant for all the micromixers throughout the evaluation process. The numerical simulation is performed for the Reynolds number (Re) range of 0.1–100 using Comsol Multiphysics software. By categorizing the flow patterns into three regimes based on the range of Re, the fluid flow throughout the length of the micromixer is visualized. The micromixer with dislocated connecting channels provides a satisfactory result with the mixing index of 0.96 and 0.94, and the pressure drop of 2.5 Pa and 7.8 kPa at Re = 0.1 and Re = 100 respectively. It also outperformed the other models in terms of the mixing performance. The proposed micromixer might very well be used in microfluidic devices for a variety of analytical procedures due to its straightforward construction and outstanding performance

Is the economic uncertainty- human health relationship nonlinear? An empirical analysis for the China.

The health costs of economic uncertainty always remain a major concern among policymakers of China. The theoretical and empirical literature on the economic uncertainty-human health nexus is still in its infancy stage. This study is firmly rooted in the economic uncertainty theory advanced by Baker, Bloom, & Davis. In this study, the primary objective of the analysis is to estimate the asymmetric impact of economic uncertainty on human health in China's economy. In order to evaluate the short and long-run estimates of economic uncertainty on human health across various quantiles, we have employed the linear and nonlinear QARDL models. The linear QARDL model shows that the long-run relationship between economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is positive and significant at all quantiles, while the long-run relationship between economic uncertainty and the death rate is positive and significant at higher quantiles. The nonlinear QARDL model reveals that, in the long run, the relationship between the positive shock of economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is positive and significant at quantiles 0.30 to 0.95, while the long-run relationship between the positive shock of economic uncertainty and the death rate is positive and significant at higher quantiles. The relationship between the negative shock of economic uncertainty and the infant mortality rate is negative and significant at the highest quantiles, while the relationship between the negative shock of economic uncertainty and death rate is negative and significant at higher quantiles in the long run. The findings indicate a positive relationship between economic uncertainty in China and higher rates of infant mortality and death. Thus, adopting suitable policies for controlling economic uncertainty can help in improving human health in China

Nexus between human resource management practice and employees’ attitudes and behavior

This study aims to evaluate the impact of human resource management practices (HRMPs) on employee attitudes and behavior (EAB). The population of this study was all employees of cement manufacturing firms (CMC) in the southern region of Bangladesh. Data was gathered using structured questionnaires following convenient sampling technique. The data was analyzed using SPSS-23 statistical package program. A robust and significant linear association between HRMPs and EAB was found. Further, HRM practices, including compensation & rewards (CR) and motivation (MV) were discovered to be dominant predictors of EAB. According to the study, variations in EAB of 77.10% were caused by independent predictors such as recruitment and selection (RS), training and development (TD), performance appraisals (PA), compensation and rewards (CR), motivation (MV), and maintenance (MT) in CMC in the southern part of Bangladesh. Nevertheless, it is apparent from the study's findings that manufacturing organizations that have implemented progressive HRM practices in a systematic and integrated manner are having an enormous influence on EAB. This study only focused on one industry and one type of organizational structure. According to the study, findings should not be extensively generalized. Future research should incorporate other aspects, such as organizational learning and organizational capacity, to construct a new model of HRM practices

Impact of gut microbiome on skin health:gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases

Abstract The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases