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PurposeThis paper aims to assess the performance of achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by aligning with the recent initiatives taken by different ministries and divisions in Bangladesh. It also examines the institutional challenges associated with the implementation of SDGs.Design/methodology/approachBoth primary and secondary data were analysed by applying different techniques. The initiatives taken by various ministries and divisions of Bangladesh resonated partially with 84 targets of SDGs.FindingsAmbiguous mandates of different ministries and divisions have caused overlapping jurisdiction, followed by conflicts of interest and lack of cohesion. Inaccurate stakeholder analysis, data unavailability, lack of competency and accountability, and a top-down policy approach can be considered as the major institutional bottlenecks in achieving SDGs.Originality/valueThis paper advocates revising the map to incorporate the right stakeholders to avoid erroneous monitoring, evaluation, and finally, inaccurate reporting. The reallocation of business for ministries and divisions is warranted to abolish jurisdictional overlapping and conflict of interests and make SDGs friendly. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic recession, Bangladesh may be able to multiply its achievement with the same resources and efforts by addressing those drawbacks.

The aim of this study was to prepare a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded double-walled microspheres using a fast degrading glucose core, hydroxyl-terminated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (Glu-PLGA) and a moderate-degrading carboxyl-terminated PLGA polymers to reduce the initial burst release and to eliminate the lag phase from the release profile of PLGA microspheres. The double-walled microspheres were prepared using a modified water-in-oil-in-oil-in-water (w/o/o/w) method and single-polymer microspheres were prepared using a conventional water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method. The particle size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, thermal properties, in vitro drug release and structural integrity of BSA were evaluated in this study. Double-walled microspheres prepared with Glu-PLGA and PLGA polymers with a mass ratio of 1:1 were non-porous, smooth-surfaced, and spherical in shape. A significant reduction of initial burst release was achieved for the double-walled microspheres compared to single-polymer microspheres. In addition, microspheres prepared using Glu-PLGA and PLGA polymers in a mass ratio of 1:1 exhibited continuous BSA release after the small initial burst without any lag phase. It can be concluded that the double-walled microspheres made of Glu-PLGA and PLGA polymers in a mass ratio of 1:1 can be a potential delivery system for pharmaceutical proteins.

How doctoral researchers (and their supervisors) experience and conceptualise the process of becoming a researcher and the identifications that are enacted during the process has hitherto been researched only in terms of disciplinary and professional identities. Yet, within Europe, the creation of a common Higher Education Area has a potential impact on the doctoral experience and there is a declared intention to encourage doctoral students to see themselves as European researchers. The University of Luxembourg has policies and characteristics which might be expected to support this direction of development, and this study analyses the nuances of doctoral researcher experiences, at this University, of European and wider international identifications comparing these with policies at European and local levels. The opportunities offered to researchers in Luxembourg to ensure the policies are implemented are considered by participants to be significant. Whether the level of expenditure needed is possible in other countries and universities is an open question but remains a crucial condition for policies to be successful.

This study aims at exploring the consumers' perceptions of organic foods. Additionally, this paper attempts to explore the existing problems to promote organic production. The significant issues include lack of awareness about organic technology and consumers' trust in products and marketing systems. It is revealed that multi-factors influenced the choices of purchasing organic food. Educational qualification had a positive relationship with health and environmental awareness. However, there is a great potential to produce organic foods, particularly in a hilly region, and collect wild honey as organic foods from Sundarbans in Bangladesh. The cheaper wage is an opportunity for Bangladesh to intensify organic food production, generating decent jobs concomitantly. Lack of awareness, ecological consciousness, consumers' trust, certification, quality control mechanism, modern technologies, information literacy, storage capacity, and crop insurance were identified as the hindrances of flourishing the organic markets. In addition, the agricultural market chain is fragile, which is full of several intermediary groups. Furthermore, the availability of cheaper labor forces is a significant advantage of producing organic products that need intensive care.

A new bioenzymatic glucose biosensor for selective and sensitive detection of glucose was developed by the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) onto selenium nanoparticle-mesoporous silica composite (MCM-41) matrix and then prepared as a carbon paste electrode (CPE). Cyclic voltammetry was employed to probe the catalytic behavior of the biosensor. A linear calibration plot is obtained over a wide concentration range of glucose from 1 × 10−5 to 2 × 10−3 M. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor exhibits high sensitivity (0.34 µA·mM−1), low detection limit (1 × 10−4 M), high affinity to glucose (Km = 0.02 mM), and also good reproducibility (R.S.D. 2.8%, n=10) and a stability of about ten days when stored dry at +4°C. Besides, the effects of pH value, scan rate, mediator effects on the glucose current, and electroactive interference of the biosensor were also discussed. As a result, the biosensor exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic response to glucose as well as unique stability and reproducibility.

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The purpose of this study was to fabricate insulin-loaded double-walled and single-polymer poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres using a fast degrading glucose core, hydroxyl-terminated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (Glu-PLGA), and a moderate degrading carboxyl-terminated PLGA polymers. A modified water-in-oil-in-oil-in-water (w/o/o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation technique was employed to prepare double-walled microspheres, whereas single-polymer microspheres were fabricated by a conventional water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsion solvent evaporation method. The effect of fabrication techniques and polymer characteristics on microspheres size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release, and insulin stability was evaluated. The prepared double-walled microspheres were essentially non-porous, smooth surfaced, and spherical in shape, whereas single-polymer microspheres were highly porous. Double-walled microspheres exhibited a significantly reduced initial burst followed by sustained and almost complete release of insulin compared to single-polymer microspheres. Initial burst release was further suppressed from double-walled microspheres when the mass ratio of the component polymers was increased. In conclusion, double-walled microspheres made of Glu-PLGA and PLGA can be a potential delivery system of therapeutic insulin.