31 research outputs found
First camera trap record of Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Hyaenidae) in Parsa National Park, Nepal
No full text© Regmi et al. 2022. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton.The Striped Hyena occurs in the Tarai and midhill regions of Nepal, where limited information is available on species distribution. A camera trap survey was conducted in Parsa National Park in 2016 (Feb–May) and 2016–2017 (Nov–Feb) to monitor tigers at 158 locations for 21 days (6,615 trap efforts in total). This study successfully captured the 15 hyena images in 5 grids of eastern part (named as extension area) of national park. A total of 17 mammal species were captured simultaneously in hyena captured grid during the survey period. The presence of hyenas in Parsa National Park indicates the collective efforts of the government, conservation organizations and local communities in hyena conservation. A detailed ecological study of this species has been recommended for designing hyena conservation plan in the regionpublishedVersio
Motional Feedback in a Bass Loudspeaker: Digital Implementation
No full textThis thesis describes the digital implementation of a motional feedback system for a bass loudspeaker. Motional feedback is used to suppress the linear and non-linear distortions produced by the loudspeaker, especially at the low frequencies. An accelerometer is mounted on the cone of the loudspeaker to provide the feedback signal. The controller which consists of a PI controller and an equalizer are implemented on an FPGA. The equalizer, which is the inverse of the linear model of the loudspeaker, is used to compensate for the linear distortion. The PI controller with negative feedback is used to suppress the non-linear distortion. Not all measurement results are available at the moment of submission of this thesis. However, simulations were carried out on the model of the loudspeakers which show that the linear distortion is fully suppressed. The reduction of the non-linear distortion due to the controller can not be seen in the simulations.Electrical Engineerin
Alternate Modes of Photosynthate Transport in the Alternating Generations of Physcomitrella patens
No full textabstract: Physcomitrella patens has emerged as a model moss system to investigate the evolution of various plant characters in early land plant lineages. Yet, there is merely a disparate body of ultrastructural and physiological evidence from other mosses to draw inferences about the modes of photosynthate transport in the alternating generations of Physcomitrella. We performed a series of ultrastructural, fluorescent tracing, physiological, and immunohistochemical experiments to elucidate a coherent model of photosynthate transport in this moss. Our ultrastructural observations revealed that Physcomitrella is an endohydric moss with water-conducting and putative food-conducting cells in the gametophytic stem and leaves. Movement of fluorescent tracer 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate revealed that the mode of transport in the gametophytic generation is symplasmic and is mediated by plasmodesmata, while there is a diffusion barrier composed of transfer cells that separates the photoautotrophic gametophyte from the nutritionally dependent heterotrophic sporophyte. We posited that, analogous to what is found in apoplasmically phloem loading higher plants, the primary photosynthate sucrose, is actively imported into the transfer cells by sucrose/H[superscript +] symporters (SUTs) that are, in turn, powered by P-type ATPases, and that the transfer cells harbor an ATP-conserving Sucrose Synthase (SUS) pathway. Supporting our hypothesis was the finding that a protonophore (2,4-dinitrophenol) and a SUT-specific inhibitor (diethyl pyrocarbonate) reduced the uptake of radiolabeled sucrose into the sporangia. In situ immunolocalization of P-type ATPase, Sucrose Synthase, and Proton Pyrophosphatase – all key components of the SUS pathway – showed that these proteins were prominently localized in the transfer cells, providing further evidence consistent with our argument.View the article as published at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01956/ful
New Evidence on Teacher Pay
No full textPrior research has shown that teachers receive lower pay compared to people with the same educational level who work in other occupations. This article challenges that literature and shows that by applying novel statistical approaches, the pay differentials are reduced, and even become pay premiums. In particular, these approaches provide unifying estimates that turn an earnings penalty between female teachers and non-teachers of approximately 10%—based on a standard approach in the literature—into an earnings premium of 5 to 10%. Likewise, estimates based on these approaches erase up to two-thirds of the earnings gap between male teachers and non-teachers. Moreover, going beyond the traditional focus on the mean, the author decomposes the pay gap across the entire earnings distribution. Estimates show that although teachers have a substantial earnings premium at the bottom of the distribution, they have a large earnings penalty at the top
Participatory identification of indicators for assessing options for climate compatible development of smallholder farmers in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
No full textWomen's Micro-business Creation for Women's Empowerment or Family's Welfare? Case of Nepalese Rural Women
No full textMicro-business creation in the less developed countries, particularly in South Asia, has been constantly promoted as a development strategy, mainly through microcredit projects. Women have been targeted by these projects as potential entrepreneurs who could contribute to household poverty reduction through business creation. Additionally, women’s empowerment and gender equality is assumed to be an eventual outcome of women’s micro-business creation. This assumption is of serious concern to gender and development advocates, and needs to be examined and analyzed through a gender lens. Analysis of the case study conducted by the author on rural Nepalese women who have been targeted by a microcredit project shows that women’s micro-business creation and the income derived from it may not necessarily bring gender-equal outcomes. The outcome of the case study shows that while families’ welfare has improved with women’s income contribution, women’s choices remain constrained by patriarchal norms and values that have a direct impact on their health and well-being. Moreover, women’s income is seen as supplementary and the
ir income-earner role, although appreciated, is often underestimated. It was noticed that although in some cases women’s “agency” was enhanced as they acquired bargaining power from their income contribution, in general women’s burden has not decreased but instead has multiplied, affecting their physical and mental well-being
Magneto‐chemical signature of the Lower‐to‐Middle Siwaliks transition in the Karnali River section (Western Nepal): Implications for Himalayan tectonics and climate
No full textFluviatile sediments comprising a 600‐m‐thick sequence of the Lower and Middle Siwaliks in the Karnali area in Nepal exhibit a distinct zonation revealed by magnetic and geochemical properties. Four magneto‐chemical zones (MCZ1–MCZ4), each about 150 m thick and 400 kyr in duration, provide new insights into Himalayan tectono‐climatic events during the Tortonian (Miocene) stage. They exhibit contrasting magnetic susceptibility and isothermal remanence due to differences in magnetic mineral types (magnetite, haematite, and goethite) and concentrations. Odd‐numbered zones with higher goethite/(goethite + haematite) ratio, a moisture proxy, indicate wetter conditions in the source area, while the even‐numbered zones, virtually without goethite, suggest drier conditions. Chemical indices of alteration/weathering and proxies for hydraulic sorting and mobility derived from the major element compositions also reveal contrasts among these zones. The middle of the MCZ2–MCZ3 zone, with a transitional magneto‐chemical signature, is the best candidate for the Lower‐to‐Middle Siwaliks contact, rather than the field‐based boundary placed 18 m up‐section at the base of the thick salt‐and‐pepper sandstone bed. The transition records an increase in river energy and associated accelerated erosion of the Himalayan gneiss zone as the source of coarse‐grained material. We suggest a scenario, whereby climate change from drier to wetter (with higher precipitation) conditions affects erosional processes (i.e., weathering, disaggregation and particle transport on the hillslope) prevailing in a large catchment and influencing the depositional modes
Identifying operational mechanisms for mainstreaming community-based adaptation in Nepal
No full textThis is an Open Access article. Non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, cited, and is not altered,
transformed, or built upon in any way, is permitted. The moral rights of the named author(s) have been asserted.Mainstreaming is a feasible and viable option for scaling up initiatives on community-based adaptation (CBA) to climate
change. However, there is little evidence on how to get CBA mainstreaming feasible and to work effectively. This paper
aims to investigate two major questions: (1) what kind of policies favour mainstreaming CBA; and (2) what kinds of
approaches or practices are required to operationalize CBA mainstreaming in the case of Nepal? The field research for
this paper was conducted in the Dhading, Nawalparasi and Pyuthan districts of Nepal. The research used a mix of
approaches and methods for data generation and analysis. The findings reveal that policies to operationalize CBA
mainstreaming should build on past policy successes and include community-centric provisions that empower local
institutions and encourage them to practice inclusive decision-making and benefit-sharing mechanisms. One lesson from
this analysis of the practices of mainstreaming in Nepal is that an integrated co-management approach to mainstreaming is
necessary to overcome the barriers related to knowledge, finance and technology. It is concluded that the operational
mechanisms of mainstreaming CBA in development should have an inclusive local structure and be responsive to national
policies and governance arrangements
Assessment of Community Knowledge and Practices towards Rabies Prevention: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal
No full textIn many developing countries, where rabies is prevalent among dog populations, humans are at risk of contracting the disease. Recent reports from Nepal suggest that around 30,000 cases of pet and more than 100 human rabies cases occur each year, with the highest risk being in the Terai, although these numbers may be underestimated. Knowledge and practices related to rabies prevention are crucial in combating the disease. However, there is not enough data on the understanding and preventive measures of rabies among the local population in Nepal. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practices regarding rabies prevention among the people of Bharatpur-12, Chitwan, Nepal. The study, conducted in February 2022, involved a cross-sectional survey of 271 respondents selected through systematic random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for one-on-one interviews. Among the surveyed respondents, a significant proportion (81.50%; n = 221/271) correctly understood rabies is zoonotic disease. Furthermore, 73.10% (n = 198/271) could correctly identify the animals susceptible to rabies, while 39.9% (n = 108/271) knew the causative agent. Additionally, 46.5% accurately listed the modes of transmission, and a majority (86.70%; n = 235/271) recognized the signs and symptoms of rabies in animals and humans. Overall, 42.06% (n = 114/271) of the respondents demonstrated satisfactory knowledge. Out of the 271 respondents, 22.9% (n = 62) owned pets, and 39.11% (n = 106) reported incidents of animal bites within their families, with dog bites being the most commonly mentioned (92.46%; n = 98/106). The majority (81.14%; n = 86/106) sought treatment on the same day as the incident occurred. About half of them (50%; n = 53/106) cleaned the wound with soap and water, while a small percentage (5.66%; n = 6/106) relied on traditional medicine as immediate first aid after an animal bite. The level of knowledge was found to be associated with gender (p = 0.04), educational status (p = 0.05), and family monthly income (p = 0.007). These findings highlight the importance of educating the community in Nepal about rabies control and prevention measures and underscore the need for targeted educational interventions to improve rabies awareness and the potential of effective awareness campaigns to save lives. Raising awareness about health-seeking behavior and community members’ role in controlling, preventing, and eliminating rabies is crucial
