Diet of Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

We studied the diet of the Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, by identifying 109 prey items from 85 tiger scats. Tigers in this region fed upon eight different mammal species. Chital (Axis axis) was the major prey with a frequency of 45% of the Tigers’ diet. The occurrence of other prey species included sambar (Cervus unicolor, 23%), wild pig (Sus scrofa, 15%), hog deer (Axis porcinus, 9%), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak, 4%), and gaur (Bos gaurus, 2%). Tigers also hunted livestock, but this prey comprised a small component of the relative biomass (buffalo 5% and cow 2%). Our study suggests that the tiger depends mostly upon wild prey for its subsistence in the Chitwan National Park, but will also sporadically hunt livestock

Nepal’s Community Forestry Funds: Do They Benefit the Poor?

Funds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural development in Nepal. This study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts to assess how large they are and how they are utilized. The study finds that the income from community funds increases local development resources by about 25%. This income is invested in schools, temples, roads, and water reservoirs, which bodes well for rural development. However, there are some critical problems with the 'pro-poor programme’, an effort to reduce poverty through the resources generated from community forestry. The study finds that timber is heavily subsidised and the subsidies accrue mainly to the non-poor. Furthermore, income spent on loans tends to favour the non-poor. Overall some 74% of the benefits of community forestry funds accrue to the non-poor while 26% accrue to the poor in rural communities in Nepal. The study concludes that two actions may increase the benefits accruing to the poor: a) allowing all households to have an equal share in timber that is harvested; and b) increasing the participation of poor and less advantaged members in the executive committees that manage forestry funds

Fate of mercury in tree litter during decomposition

We performed a controlled laboratory litter incubation study to assess changes in dry mass, carbon (C) mass and concentration, mercury (Hg) mass and concentration, and stoichiometric relations between elements during decomposition. Twenty-five surface litter samples each, collected from four forest stands, were placed in incubation jars open to the atmosphere, and were harvested sequentially at 0, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Using a mass balance approach, we observed significant mass losses of Hg during decomposition (5 to 23 % of initial mass after 18 months), which we attribute to gaseous losses of Hg to the atmosphere through a gas-permeable filter covering incubation jars. Percentage mass losses of Hg generally were less than observed dry mass and C mass losses (48 to 63 % Hg loss per unit dry mass loss), although one litter type showed similar losses. A field control study using the same litter types exposed at the original collection locations for one year showed that field litter samples were enriched in Hg concentrations by 8 to 64 % compared to samples incubated for the same time period in the laboratory, indicating strong additional sorption of Hg in the field likely from atmospheric deposition. Solubility of Hg, assessed by exposure of litter to water upon harvest, was very low (<0.22 ng Hg g<sup>−1</sup> dry mass) and decreased with increasing stage of decomposition for all litter types. Our results indicate potentially large gaseous emissions, or re-emissions, of Hg originally associated with plant litter upon decomposition. Results also suggest that Hg accumulation in litter and surface layers in the field is driven mainly by additional sorption of Hg, with minor contributions from "internal" accumulation due to preferential loss of C over Hg. Litter types showed highly species-specific differences in Hg levels during decomposition suggesting that emissions, retention, and sorption of Hg are dependent on litter type

Harsh Truth: Do Healthcare Providers Silence Women Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence

Background: Globally, one-third of women experience abuse from their intimate partners. Since intimate partner violence (IPV) creates a chronic stress environment, affected women suffer from several physical and mental stress-related disorders for which they seek healthcare services in higher proportion to that of non-abused women. Although affected women seek help for the consequences of IPV, addressing the cause, is an important responsibility of healthcare providers. This study aimed to explore how healthcare providers may contribute to silencing of women who have experienced IPV. Subjects and Methods: This was an integrative review. We performed a systematic search of eight databases for articles published between 2007 and 2018. We identified 4507 publications. We included the English language articles that focused on adult women between 18 and 49 years of age, explored the issue of silencing of women who have experienced IPV, and followed a primary research study design. Two reviewers screened the articles using the web application, Rayyan. Quality was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools. Results: Five articles were selected for analysis. The findings revealed that healthcare providers might play a significant role in silencing women’s suffering from abuse. Affected women’s unwillingness to act as their own agent in healthcare settings or disclose experiences of IPV was associated with healthcare provider’s inadequate or inappropriate response. Lack of affirmation, validation, and inability to make women feel accepted were the main factors which silenced women who experienced IPV. Both individual-level factors, such as shame, fear, humiliation, hope, and relationship dynamics, and community-level factors, such as cultural norms, and values, seemed to precede the factors related to healthcare providers. Conclusion:A socioecological understanding of the factors influencing silencing of women who have experienced IPV is required. A health care model which takes into consideration the contributing factors at various ecological levels of influence is imperative to guide healthcare providers towards the development of best practices in caring with women who have experienced violence in their intimate relationships. Keywords: intimate, partner, violence, health care, provide

Autophagy, TGF-β, and SMAD-2/3 Signaling Regulates Interferon-β Response in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infected Macrophages

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a lung tropic virus causing severe airway diseases including bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants, children and immuno-compromised individuals. RSV triggers transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-beta) production from lung epithelial cells and TGF-beta facilitates RSV infection of these cells. However, it is still unknown whether RSV infected myeloid cells like macrophages produce TGF-beta and the role of TGF-beta if any during RSV infection of these cells. Our study revealed that RSV infected macrophages produce TGF-beta and as a consequence these cells activate TGF-beta dependent SMAD-2/3 signaling pathway. Further mechanistic studies illustrated a role of autophagy in triggering TGF-beta production from RSV infected macrophages. In an effort to elucidate the role of TGF-beta and SMAD-2/3 signaling during RSV infection, we surprisingly unfolded the requirement of TGF-beta---SMAD2/3 signaling in conferring optimal innate immune antiviral response during RSV infection of macrophages. Type-I interferon (e.g. interferon-beta or IFN-beta) is a critical host factor regulating innate immune antiviral response during RSV infection. Our study revealed that loss of TGF-beta---SMAD2/3 signaling pathway in RSV infected macrophages led to diminished expression and production of IFN-beta. Inhibiting autophagy in RSV infected macrophages also resulted in reduced production of IFN-beta. Thus, our studies have unfolded the requirement of autophagy---TGF-beta---SMAD2/3 signaling network for optimal innate immune antiviral response during RSV infection of macrophages

Does Nepal’s Climate Change Adaptation Policy and Practices Address Poor and Vulnerable Communities?

Climate change (CC) impact, adaptation practices and policies are an emerging area of research and development in Nepal. Many households were deeply affected by, climatic variability and natural disasters coupled with a decade-long conflict, leaving them with few options to cope with CC in Nepal. The study was done through reviewed CC related policies and programs initiated at the national to local level.  Additionally, study was conducted to analyze different CC adaptation programs and practices in different eco-region from Himalaya to Inner Terai region of center and western Nepal through shared learning dialogue, field observation, key informant interview, regional and district level consultative workshop and focus group discussion. To address the issues of CC, different government and nongovernment institutions have initiated its adaptation programs in Nepal. NAPA and LAPA- Nepal highlighted the adaptation practices and adaptation framework from national to local level. These national programs initiatives have been endorsed by the GoN (Government of Nepal) through the promulgation of CC Policy Nepal 2011.  The policy has focused on interdisciplinary approach with 80% funds allocated at the local level particularly for poor and vulnerable groups. Some district level offices have initiated CC adaptation activities such as construction of water harvesting pond for irrigation, water source protection, agroforestry practices and training on CC adaptation and mitigation. Similarly, in some project supported districts, community level and VDC level five year local adaptation plans have been prepared. However, it is observed that there is a big gap in institutional arrangement, capacity to implement and mechanisms for adaptation programs at local level and poor communities. It was also observed that different GOs programs and NGOs were involved to improve the livelihood of the poor and vulnerable communities through pro-poor programs at local level which resulted improve CC adaptation capacity. It is suggested that CC policy in Nepal be formulated with holistic approach, institutionalized implementing mechanism and focus on livelihood improvement of the poor and vulnerable communities that have joint environmental, social or economic benefits. Keywords:  Community, Institutions, NAPA, no-regret approach, LAPA, Livelihood, Vulnerabilit

Do community forestry funds target the poor? : a study from Nepal

This policy brief is based on SANDEE working paper no. 31-08, "Nepal's community forestry funds : do they benefit the poor?"Funds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural development. A new SANDEE study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts in Nepal to assess how large they are, how they are utilized, and whether they target the poor

Innovative Techniques for 60-GHz On-Chip Antennas on CMOS Substrate

The 60-GHz band has a 7-GHz of bandwidth enabling high data rate wireless communication. Also, it has a short wavelength allowing for passive devices integration into a chip, that is, fully integrated system-on-chip (SOC) is possible. This chapter features the design, implementation, and measurements of 60-GHz on-chip antennas (OCAs) on complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. OCAs are the primary barrier for the SOC solution due to their limited performance. This degraded performance comes from the low resistivity and the high permittivity of the CMOS substrate. We present here two innovative techniques to improve the CMOS OCAs’ performance. The first method utilizes artificial magnetic conductors to shield the OCA electromagnetically from the CMOS substrate. The second methodology employs the PN-junction properties to create a high resistivity layer. Both approaches target the mitigation of the losses of the CMOS substrate; hence, the radiation performance characteristics of the OCAs are enhanced