Impacts of \u3ci\u3eYartsa Gunbu\u3c/i\u3e Harvesting on Alpine Ecosystems in the Barun Valley, Makalu-Barun National Park, Nepal

Around 2003, the highly valuable medicinal fungi Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Nepali: yartsa gunbu) began to be commercially harvested in the remote Barun valley of the Makalu-Barun National Park and Buffer Zone, eastern Nepal. Since then, an estimated 3,000 collectors per year have visited the valley each harvesting season, placing new pressures upon its subalpine and alpine landscapes. A review of the yartsa gunbu literature suggested that its harvesting throughout highland India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China has brought important economic benefits, but that it has often been accompanied by a corresponding increase in negative environmental impacts such as alpine shrub destruction, wildlife poaching, and improper garbage disposal. Adverse social impacts reported have included an increase in violence, occasional murder, and the erosion of traditional values. In an attempt to determine if similar phenomena were occurring within the Barun valley, east Nepal, we conducted a month-long study of yartsa gunbu harvesting practices between May and June of 2016. Unlike other regions of the Himalaya, we found that violence and social unrest due to harvesting competition were unheard of in the Barun, which we link to the (a) lower market value of yartsa gunbu harvested there when compared to other regions, and (b) the recognized role of yartsa gunbu as a supplemental and livelihood diversifying income generation opportunity instead of a sole source of new income. Since its collection and sale were legalized by the Government of Nepal in 2001, the concurrent development of locally responsive yartsa gunbu harvesting policies and practices can also be linked to the general absence of environmental disturbance that we found

Impacts of Yartsa Gunbu Harvesting on Alpine Ecosystems in the Barun Valley, Makalu-Barun National Park, Nepal

Around 2003, the highly valuable medicinal fungi Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Nepali: yartsa gunbu) began to be commercially harvested in the remote Barun valley of the Makalu-Barun National Park and Buffer Zone, eastern Nepal. Since then, an estimated 3,000 collectors per year have visited the valley each harvesting season, placing new pressures upon its subalpine and alpine landscapes. A review of the yartsa gunbu literature suggested that its harvesting throughout highland India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China has brought important economic benefits, but that it has often been accompanied by a corresponding increase in negative environmental impacts such as alpine shrub destruction, wildlife poaching, and improper garbage disposal. Adverse social impacts reported have included an increase in violence, occasional murder, and the erosion of traditional values. In an attempt to determine if similar phenomena were occurring within the Barun valley, east Nepal, we conducted a month-long study of yartsa gunbu harvesting practices between May and June of 2016. Unlike other regions of the Himalaya, we found that violence and social unrest due to harvesting competition were unheard of in the Barun, which we link to the (a) lower market value of yartsa gunbu harvested there when compared to other regions, and (b) the recognized role of yartsa gunbu as a supplemental and livelihood diversifying income generation opportunity instead of a sole source of new income. Since its collection and sale were legalized by the Government of Nepal in 2001, the concurrent development of locally responsive yartsa gunbu harvesting policies and practices can also be linked to the general absence of environmental disturbance that we found

Invertebrate communities of Bay of Fundy salt marsh pools: comparison of a natural and recovering marsh

Disturbed salt marshes may recover with little additional management once tidal inundation is restored. We assessed the success of such recovery by comparing the invertebrate biota of Bay of Fundy salt marsh pools in a reference site at Dipper Harbour to that of Saints Rest marsh that had been drained for over a century and to which tidal flooding had been returned ~50 years prior to our study. The sediments and vegetation of salt marsh pools were sampled seasonally throughout one year. Average biomass of pool invertebrates ranged from 1.8 to 4.0 g dry wt m−2, depending on the amount of vegetation cover in the pools. The most abundant organisms of the pools were the gastropod Ecrobia truncata (=Hydrobia tottentei), Tubificidae (=Naididae) oligochaetes, and Chironomidae (=Chironomini). We compared overall abundance and biomass of the invertebrates in the pool communities, assessing the month of sampling, pool elevation, and source marsh as explanatory variables. Our analyses revealed that marsh origin of pools seldom explained a significant amount of variance, and when it did, the proportion of variance explained was usually lower than elevation of pools and month of sampling. Diversity of invertebrates found in all pools was higher at the recovering site with species richness >40% higher than in the reference site. We conclude that after an estimated 50 years since dyke failure and return of tidal flooding to Saints Rest marsh, that the ecosystem function represented by pools and their fauna has recovered

A SURVEY OF KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS REGARDING ANTIBIOTICS USE AND RESISTANCE AMONG NEPALESE PATIENTS

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is an under-appreciated threat to public health in nations around the globe. The unchecked usage of antibiotics in dentistry can also contribute to emerging antibiotic resistance. With the current rampant usage of antibiotics in the global scenario, it is important to know about the knowledge and awareness of patients regarding various aspects of antibiotics. However, relatively few works have been published on the effect of knowledge of antibiotics on its use, even lesser in context to Nepalese dental patients. This study aims to assess the knowledge about antibiotic treatment and awareness of antibiotic resistance among dental patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during world antibiotic awareness week from November 13-19, 2017 in dental patients visiting Kantipur Dental College Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. We explained the aim of the study. Patients seeking dental services who were willing to participate signed an informed written consent were enrolled in the study. Pretested questionnaires were distributed among patients attending dental OPD. The responses in the questionnaire were used to assess the knowledge about various aspects of antibiotic treatment and antibiotic resistance in dental patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: In this study, 136 patients responded out of 203 (with a response rate of 66.7%) that were valid for analysis. The knowledge about antibiotics use was found significantly low based on their actual practice though they had followed doctors and medical professional’s instructions. Our study showed that patient’s knowledge of antibiotics had a positive association with their attitude and had a negative association on awareness of the importance of the public education about antimicrobial resistance. Conclusion: The dental patients did not have adequate knowledge of antibiotic treatment, use, and resistance. To prevent antibiotic resistance, more efforts should be made to educate the general public regarding the appropriate dispensing of antibiotics

Anxiety among Nursing Students towards Clinical Placement during COVID-19 in a Tertiary Hospital of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The world is facing the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the corona virus since December 2019 and has caused millions of death throughout the world. Exposure of nursing students in clinical placement during pandemic is fearful and stressful with high risk of infection which can cause anxiety and different levels of psychological crisis to individuals. The main objective of the study is to find out the prevalence of anxiety among nursing students during clinical placement in the pandemic of COVID-19. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 144 nursing students enrolled in different clinical placement of a tertiary hospital of Nepal from 20th January 2021 to 2nd February 2021. Ethical approval was received from the Institutional Review Committee. Demographic, COVID-19 related and Beck Anxiety Inventory questionnaires was used for assessing anxiety. Whole sampling was done. Descriptive statistics was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 2016 version. Results: Out of 144 females enrolled in the study, all the nursing students 144 (100%) having clinical placement had anxiety. Among them, 117 (81%) had mild anxiety and 27 (19%) had moderate level of anxiety. All the students used coping strategies for the anxiety. The most commonly used strategy to cope with anxiety was religion (5.03±1.78). Conclusions: All the nursing students had anxiety during the clinical placement and all the students used the coping strategies for the anxiety. Majority of the nursing students had mild anxiety. Religion was most common method of strategy to cope with anxiety.</jats:p

Anxiety among Nursing Students towards Clinical Placement during COVID-19 in a Tertiary Hospital of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The world is facing the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the corona virus since December 2019 and has caused millions of death throughout the world. Exposure of nursing students in clinical placement during pandemic is fearful and stressful with high risk of infection which can cause anxiety and different levels of psychological crisis to individuals. The main objective of the study is to find out the prevalence of anxiety among nursing students during clinical placement in the pandemic of COVID-19. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 144 nursing students enrolled in different clinical placement of a tertiary hospital of Nepal from 20th January 2021 to 2nd February 2021. Ethical approval was received from the Institutional Review Committee. Demographic, COVID-19 related and Beck Anxiety Inventory questionnaires was used for assessing anxiety. Whole sampling was done. Descriptive statistics was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 2016 version. Results: Out of 144 females enrolled in the study, all the nursing students 144 (100%) having clinical placement had anxiety. Among them, 117 (81%) had mild anxiety and 27 (19%) had moderate level of anxiety. All the students used coping strategies for the anxiety. The most commonly used strategy to cope with anxiety was religion (5.03±1.78). Conclusions: All the nursing students had anxiety during the clinical placement and all the students used the coping strategies for the anxiety. Majority of the nursing students had mild anxiety. Religion was most common method of strategy to cope with anxiety

Heat-bodied Oils make Good Industrial Lubricants

Petroleum-based industrial lubricants present undesirable environmental and health effects, including toxicity to wildlife and humans, as well as poor biodegradability. Therefore, there is a growing interest in developing bio-based lubricants that are comparable to petroleum-based products and that are as good or better in performance and cost.Ope

CO2 emitted from peat use in horticulture supports a lower emission factor

Peat extracted for horticulture is used for growing food, ornamental plants and for soil augmentation. Peatlands are large carbon (C) stores, and the use of extracted peat in aerobic, off-site conditions have implications on the accounting of CO2 emissions. The IPCC (2006, 2013) emission factor for peat use assumes instant oxidation i.e., all extracted peat is mineralized to CO2 in the same year. This is reasonable for peat used for fuel, but horticultural peat takes several decades to decompose. Using historical and present peat extraction data in Canada we calculate a time-integrated emission based on a first-order decomposition model of peat since 1940; when horticultural peat extraction approximately started. Our data compilation shows 36 Mt of peat C has been removed from peatlands (1994–2022) for horticultural use with extraction increasing at the rate of 10.93Kt/year. We calculate approximately 11.9 Mt CO2-C (95% CI= 10.7-12.7) has been released into the atmosphere from the decomposition of the extracted peat between 1940–2022, an estimate that is 2.8 to 3.4 times lower than what the IPCC default would suggest. Our findings have implications for comparing the impacts of peat-based growing media to other alternatives and to C taxes that could apply to horticultural peat users

An Online Survey on Usability, Acceptability, Attitude and Knowledge of Herbal and Synthetic Cosmetic Among Sikkimese Population

In recent years, the global cosmetics industry has witnessed a notable shift in consumer preferences towards natural and organic products, leading to an increased demand for herbal cosmetics derived from plant-based ingredients. This research survey presents a comparative analysis of herbal and synthetic cosmetics, exploring distinctions in formulation, efficacy, safety, and environmental impact. Herbal cosmetics incorporate natural elements like plant extracts, essential oils, herbs, and fruits, while synthetic counterparts are developed using chemical compounds in laboratories to replicate specific properties. The main objective is to find out the preferences between herbal and synthetic cosmetics among individuals in Sikkim. The methodology adopted for mini survey was pre-prepared questionnaires were developed by using Google forms and shared through the online platforms such as Mail, Whatapps and facebook. An online survey conducted in different districts of Sikkim revealed that 42% of respondents favoured herbal cosmetics, while 31% preferred synthetic products and 23% had no specific preference. Factors influencing those leaning toward synthetic cosmetics included perceived effectiveness, availability, and affordability. Despite the clear interest and preference for herbal cosmetics, the survey also highlighted limited choice and availability in comparison to synthetic alternatives. This suggests a substantial opportunity for growth in the herbal cosmetic industry, emphasizing the need for increased accessibility to meet the growing demand in Sikkim and beyond. Keywords: Knowledge of Herbal, An Online Survey, Herbal Cosmetics, Acceptability, Usability, Sikkimese Peopl