Development of a Management Plan for Grey Goral: Lessons from Blackbuck and Cheer Pheasant Reintroduction Attempts

A study of grey goral (Nemorhaedus goral) in the Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan, was conducted to develop a management plan for this animal. Goral are listed as endangered in Pakistan and elsewhere. They are confined to the steep slopes and difficult terrain that cover 28 percent of the total park area. Another 21 percent of the park area has similar habitat, but currently no goral occur there. Forty to 60 animals are estimated to be living in the park. Groups of two to three animals are common. During observation, goral spent most of their time in feeding, moving, and surveillance . Juveniles spent less time in surveillance and more in resting and ruminating than the adults. Group size was inversely correlated with the time spent in surveillance. Goral foraged early in the morning and late in the evening and were rarely seen during the day. They changed their foraging activities from browsing during the winter to almost entirely grazing during the summer. The rutting period extended from October to December and the lambing period from March to May. Goral populations in the park were estimated to be increasing at a rate of 7 percent annually . They always escaped to a nearby ridge when danger was perceived. Adults and juveniles had dominant and subordinate interactions. In goral habitat, about 60 percent of the vegetation consists of plant species commonly eaten by the animals. These species include Themeda anathera, Chrysopogon aucheri, Carissa opaca, Acacia modesta, Mimosa rubicaulis, and Ipomoea hispida. Human and livestock populations differ significantly inside and outside goral habitat in the park. Lack of suitable habitat, predation, poaching, and human and livestock pressures affect the goral population and its range in the park. Reintroduction plans for blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) and cheer pheasant (Catreus vallichii) were analyzed to determine the commonalities: source of animals, poaching, predation, and insufficient staff and funds. A goral management plan based on my field studies and the analysis of the other reintroduction plans are discussed. A general wildlife management strategy for Pakistan is discussed. The government should have a well-defined policy about wildlife and park management. Habitat remains the critical factor. Strong legislation, well-educated and well-equipped staff, and proper funding are required for this purpose. In addition, education and economic development of the public, especially those living in and around parks, are essential

Human–Carnivore Conflicts in a Recently Established Pakistani National Park

Human–carnivore conflicts (HCCs) are increasing globally. These conflicts may encompass competition for food resources, crop and livestock depredations, and attacks on humans. Concerns over conflicts may result in retaliatory killings of carnivores and negative views of wildlife or landscape conservation. Yet, despite the economic and conservation implications of HCCs, data regarding the magnitude and severity of the conflicts may be lacking because many incidents are unreported. To better inform this issue, we compared HCC data for 2016 to 2018 obtained from official records of the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department for a newly established national park in the Punjab Region of Pakistan to data we obtained regarding HCCs based on a survey of 200 households from 25 villages abutting the park. The households surveyed reported 250 incidents of livestock lost to leopards (Panthera pardus), jackals (Canis aureus), and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) during the study period. Most of the losses (83%) were attributed to leopards. In contrast, official data reported 42 animals lost for the villages studied, with most losses attributed to leopards. Thus, official agency records underreported depredation losses by \u3e80%. Because of HCC, 19% of households supported eliminating leopards from the park, and 25% of households supported fencing the park to prevent leopards from entering human settlements. However, 47% of the households also supported increasing programs focused on improving herding practices and enhanced livestock infrastructure that might prevent attacks. Our results suggested new opportunities for wildlife officials to help residents mitigate HCCs while enhancing local support of carnivore conservation

Threats Affecting Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus) Population in Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan

Grey francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus) is a medium size game bird, also serving as biological control agent. Population of grey francolin has declined over the time mainly due to excessive hunting and habitat destruction. Research studies have not been carried out on Grey francolin in the Salt Range and data on their biological and ecological aspects is lacking. The current study was conducted in two protected areas i.e. Chumbi Surla Wildlife Sanctuary (CSWS) and Diljabba Domeli Game Resrve (DDGR) to generate information about major threats affecting Grey francolin population in the Salt Range. Data was collected through questionnaire survey (n=100) from hunters, local people and wildlife staffs. Major threat reported in CSWS included; 38% by illegal hunting , 18 % by agriculture activities, 18% by land clearing, 06% by trade, 06% by habitat destruction, 04% b

EDM of Ti6Al4V under nano graphene mixed dielectric: A detailed roughness analysis

Surface finish has an essential role in superior performance of machined products which becomes crucial for sophisticated applications like invasive biomedical implants and aerospace components. Ti6Al4V is popular in these applications due to its exceptional characteristics of weight-to-strength ratio. However, Ti6Al4V is a difficult-to-cut material, therefore, non-traditional cutting techniques especially, Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) are widely adopted for Ti6Al4V cutting. The engagement of nano powders are used to upsurge the cutting rate and surface quality. Among the different powders a novel nano-powder additive i.e. graphene has not been tested in EDM of Ti6Al4V. Therefore, the potential of nano-graphene is comprehensively investigated herein for roughness perspective in EDM of Ti-alloy. The experimental design is based on Taguchi L18 orthogonal framework which includes six EDM parameters. The experimental findings are thoroughly discussed with statistical tests and physical evidence. The surface quality achieved with an aluminum electrode was found best amongst its competitors. Whereas, the worst surface asperities were noticed when brass electrode was used under graphene mixed dielectric. Moreover, it is conceived that the positive tool polarity provides lower roughness for all types of electrodes. Furthermore, optimal settings have been developed that warrant a reduction of 61.4 in the machined specimen's roughness compared to the average roughness value recorded during the experimentation

Advanced Carbon Functional Materials for Superior Energy Storage

In the developing world, energy crisis is the main reason for less progress and development. Renewable and sustainable energy may be of bright future for scientific lagging and low-income countries; further, sustainability through smart materials got a huge potential; so, hereby keeping in view the energy crisis which the developing world is facing for many decades, we are proposing to write a chapter project for obtaining energy through cheap, sustainable, and functional advanced carbon materials. Carbon materials are the future of energy storage devices because of their ability to store energy in great capacity. The graphene is a material with amazing properties like no band gap, which turns graphene a wonderful candidate for use in the photovoltaic. Shortly, this chapter will discuss how superior energy storage may be obtained through various routes like using pyrrolic (N5) and pyridinic (N6) doping in advanced carbon functional materials, or superior energy by KOH activation in carbon materials, or through carbonization in organic matter, respectively. Further, for the advanced carbon functional materials, the superior energy storage using pyrrolic (N5) and pyridinic (N6) doping, or KOH activation, or through carbonization will be discussed one by one for lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and relevant energy devices, respectively

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative sars-cov-2 infection: An international cohort study

Background The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (740%) had emergency surgery and 280 (248%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (261%) patients. 30-day mortality was 238% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (512%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 380% (219 of 577), accounting for 817% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 175 [95% CI 128-240], p<00001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (230 [165-322], p<00001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3-5 versus grades 1-2 (235 [157-353], p<00001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (155 [101-239], p=0046), emergency versus elective surgery (167 [106-263], p=0026), and major versus minor surgery (152 [101-231], p=0047). Interpretation Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research