user initialization like issue - descriptors

Problem description is: File descriptors that were set up in /etc/project does not take effect on a user

I have setup file descriptors to be 8192 to one of the projects and root. When i sudo su - db2user -c "/usr/bin/sh" db2user sees the descriptors set as 4096 but if i do sudo su db2user -c "/usr/bin/sh" ( just su without su - ) i see the 8192 getting in effect.Further, i tried removing the .profile of that user and logging in results were the same. I wonder if there are anyother initializations getting my way and which i'm obviously missing.
I tried creating another user and assigned it to the same project which the db2user is part of. That user does not have issues and the correct descriptor values (8192) are shown to him.
What other initializations takes place apart from the standard /etc/profile, .login, .profile, .bashrc, .kshrc, .cshrc ?
Is there a way of making a user login verbose to see what initilizations are taking place ?
what could it be the cause of the project settings not coming into place for the db2user when he logs in using a su - ?
thanks in advance.

Is there a ulimit statement in places like .profile or /etc/profile?

su - dbuser 

What does

ulimit -a
prctl $$

show?

If i do a su - it shows me 4096 if i do su it show me 8192. Removed the .profile but there was a .profile1 and tried su - db2user -c "/usr/bin/sh" still it picks 4096 from some where.
Other user i created and assigned to the same project gets 8192.
:wall:

is there a way i can trace to see what really is called and executed during user login ?