Jenis Laba-Laba (Araneae) Di Taman Wisata Alam Baumata Kecamatan Taebenu Kabupaten Kupang Nusa Tenggara Timur

Penelitian terkait laba-laba di Taman Wisata Alam Baumata (TWAB) berlangsung selama dua bulan yaitu bulan Agustus 2017. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui jenis laba-laba. Manfaat dari penelitian ini yaitu dapat berkontribusi bagi pihak pengelolah TWAB dalam melestarikan biodiversitas yang tersedia. Manfaat lain yaitu sebagai database keanekaragaman hayati laba-laba Nusantara khususnya di TWAB Kupang. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berupa metode belt transek (transek sabuk) yang dikombinasikan dengan transek kuadran. Hasil penelitian dianalisis berdasarkan pada buku kunci determinasi serangga oleh Subyanto (1991) dan jurnal. Analisis keanekaragaman jenis dan kelimpahan jenis laba-laba menggunakan rumus Shannon-Wiener. Adapun spesies laba-laba yang ditemukan yakni: Gasteracantha cancriformis, Argiope appensa, Menemerus bivittatus, Latrodectus hesperus, Polcus phalangioides,  Nephila  inaurata, Nephila clavipes, Parasteatoda tepidorium, Hogna lenta, Scytodes thoracica, dan Heteropoda jugulans. Ke-sebelas spesies tergolong dalam famili :Araneidae, Salticidae, Theridiidae, pholcidae, Nephilidae, Lycosidae, Scytodidae dan Sparassidae. Nilai keanekaragaman laba-laba yang diperoleh 2,338 sedangkan tingkat kelimpahan spesies laba-laba adalah 0.118/m2. Berdasarkan Indeks keanekaragaman dan kelimpahan maka distribusi laba-laba di TWAB tergolong sedang.The research related to Spider at Baumata Nature Tourism Park (BNTP) lasted for one months that was August 2017. The purpose of this research is to know the type of spider. The benefit of this research is: it can contribute to the management of BNTP in preserving the available biodiversity. Another benefit is as a database of biodiversity of spider Archipelago, especially in BNTP Kupang. The used method in this research was the belt transect method (belt transect) which was combined with quadrant transect. The results were analyzed based on the key book of insect determination by Subyanto (1991) and the journal. The analysis of species variety and the profusion of the spider species used the Shannon-Wiener formula. The found spider species were: Gasteracantha cancriformis, Argiope appensa, Menemerus bivittatus, Latrodectus hesperus, Polcus phalangioides, Nephila inaurata, Nephila clavipes, Paratezati tepidorium, Hogna lenta, Scytodes thoracica, and Heteropoda jugulans. The eleven species belong to families of  Araneidae, Salticidae, Theridiidae, pholcidae, Nephilidae, Lycosidae, Scytodidae and Sparassidae. The obtained spider variety value was 2,338 while the profusion extent of spider species was 0.118/m2. Based on the variety and profusion index, the spider distribution in BNTP is moderate

Impact of Innovative Menstrual Technology and Awareness on Female Empowerment Outcomes in Rural Nepal

In developing countries, menstruation poses two significant challenges for females. First, the resources required for periods are expensive for those in low-income communities. Hence, the absence of such menstrual products lowers females’ access to schooling and employment. Next, periods are also heavily stigmatized – especially in poorer or rural areas. Such taboos surrounding menstruation negatively impacts females’ psychological development and hamper their prospects of socialization. Thus, to analyze this issue, we ran a randomized control trial in Nepal, where we provided reusable menstrual pads and / or health seminar to 312 schoolgirls and 100 of their mothers. Our outcomes demonstrate that the reusable pads cause a significant decline in school absenteeism for schoolgirls in our sample. However, we are also able to find a heterogeneous impact of our treatment, where females from poorer households seem to benefit disproportionately from our menstrual resource. In contrast, the health seminars do not impact school attendance, but do create statistically significant increases in the social and psychological wellbeing of the schoolgirls. Finally, we are unable to identify any impact of our treatments on mothers in the sample

Can culture beat Covid-19? Evidence that exposure to facemasks with cultural symbols increases solidarity

Facemasks have become integral to everyday life. We propose that exposure to facemasks with a solidarity-related cultural symbol can activate cultural values such as mutual trust and increase corresponding interpersonal perceptions, thereby enhancing collective resilience in the Covid-19 pandemic. In three (two of which preregistered) studies, we examined whether exposure to facemasks with a solidarity-related cultural symbol predicts positive interpersonal perceptions, and whether this depends on death awareness. Across studies, exposure to facemasks with a cultural symbol (either pride flag or National Health Service) increased positive interpersonal perceptions, an index of solidarity, in people for whom this symbol represents a meaningful social identity. This was found whether participants were reminded of death, a neutral experience, or a negative experience. Importantly, in Study 3, exposure to facemasks with a solidarity-related cultural symbol (vs. surgical) led to greater increases in positive interpersonal perceptions when death awareness was high. Together, our findings suggest that wearing facemasks with a cultural symbol that relates to solidarity can be a vehicle for shaping people's personality impressions of others. Applied directions for the activation of people's social identities via facemask selection to promote collective resilience in the Covid-19 pandemic are discussed

From monarchy to the republic: European Union democracy promotion in Nepal

The study evaluated the role played by the European Union in facilitating the swift transition of Nepal from a monarchy to a democratic republic where the people exercised control over the leadership and governance of the country through their elected representatives. Nepal had been trying to shift from centralized absolute power of a kingdom to the decentralized distributive power of the people through a democracy for quite some time, but failed in most attempts, as the leadership of the kingdom would not allow for the integration of democratic ideologies in the governance of the country. The study used qualitative secondary reviews, with a particular focus on case studies, to identify and establish the significance of the EU’s involvement in facilitating the democratization of Nepal. The results obtained from this study indicated that the European Union was actively involved in the process of democratization of Nepal, whereby it provided humanitarian assistance, and financial aid, in addition to interfering as a member of the international community in calling out the injustices of the government, especially human rights injustices. The results established that the EU formally began supporting the democratization process in the country in the year 2006, during the II People’s Movement, which resulted in a successful regime change in Nepal, and a transition in the style of governance, with preference for a democracy over a monarchy, as this was the best political solution of protecting human rights in Nepal, while promoting economic growth and development.O estudo avaliou o papel desempenhado pela União Europeia na facilitação da rápida transição do Nepal de uma monarquia para uma república democrática onde o povo exercia o controle sobre a liderança e governança do país por meio de seus representantes eleitos. O Nepal vinha tentando mudar do poder absoluto centralizado de um reino para o poder distributivo descentralizado do povo por meio de uma democracia por algum tempo, mas falhou na maioria das tentativas, pois a liderança do reino não permitiria a integração de ideologias democráticas na governança do país. O estudo utilizou análises secundárias qualitativas, com um enfoque particular em estudos de caso, para identificar e estabelecer a importância do envolvimento da UE na facilitação da democratização do Nepal. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo indicaram que a União Europeia esteve ativamente envolvida no processo de democratização do Nepal, através do qual prestou assistência humanitária e financeira, além de interferir como membro da comunidade internacional na denúncia das injustiças do governo, especialmente as injustiças de direitos humanos. Os resultados estabeleceram que a UE começou formalmente a apoiar o processo de democratização do país no ano de 2006, durante o II Movimento Popular, que resultou em uma mudança de regime bem-sucedida no Nepal, e uma transição no estilo de governança, com preferência por uma democracia sobre uma monarquia, pois esta era a melhor solução política para proteger os direitos humanos no Nepal, ao mesmo tempo em que promove o crescimento e o desenvolvimento econômico

Nepal after the Constitution: an expert discussion

On 11 February the LSESU Nepalese Society hosted an expert panel to discuss Nepal’s long-awaited new Constitution, and to explore where the Himalayan nation is likely to go from here. Sangita Thebe Limbu, who chaired the event, offers an overview of the insights provided by Professor Michael Hutt, Dr Mara Malagodi, Dr Punam Yadav and Dr Chandra Laksamba

Nepal's house of cards: are women included or co-opted in politics?

The recently concluded local elections in Nepal resulted in 40.9 per cent of female representation at the local level. Sangita Thebe Limbu writes about the power dynamics, lived experiences of women, gender quotas and women's political engagement

What works? Breaking silence on menstrual stigma and taboos

The evidence suggests that changing age-old traditions and social attitudes requires more than legal reforms and guidelines. Sangita Thebe Limbu looks at the issue of stigma around menstruation with particular reference to Nepal and highlights the wide ranging impacts which make it both a pressing human rights and development issue. She writes that a two-pronged approach which aims to break the taboo creatively and enable good menstrual hygiene is key to progress