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

An Isospectral Flow on Banded Matrices and Its Optimality

In this talk, we discuss an isospectral flow in the space of matrices, which deforms any given real banded matrix with a simple real spectrum to a symmetric matrix. We prove that if the initial condition A0 is banded matrix with lower bandwidth p = 2 and upper bandwidth q = 0 with simple real spectrum and second subdiagonal elements different from zero, then its omega-limit set is a pentadiagonal symmetric matrix isospectral to A0 and it has the same sign pattern in the second subdiagonal elements as the initial condition A0. We provide some simulation results to highlight some aspects of this nonlinear system. As an application, we prove that this flow provides the solution of an infinite-time horizon optimal control problem

INTEREST MARGIN AND AGRICULTURAL BANK PERFORMANCE: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Agricultural Finance,

Learning in the Public Sector: Evaluation of the SSA Title IV-E Intervention Program of Virginia Department of Social Services

Organizational learning has attracted both scholars and practitioners for decades, but the public sector has rarely been the focus for empirical investigation. We conducted a summative evaluation of the Social Security Act Title IV-E program to take stock of organizational learning in local level public sector service organizations in Virginia. We chose this case for scholarly investigation because it affords an opportunity to uniquely contribute to discovering learning constraints in public sector organizations. We used mixed methods to collect quantitative data on the monthly penetration rate (ratio of federal to state funding) from 2001 to 2006 and qualitative data generated from in-depth interviews of seven informants and a focus group. The quantitative analysis could not detect evidence of the learning that should have been institutionalized in the Local Department of Social Services. The qualitative analysis revealed that complex organizational structure, distorted economic incentive system, and rapid staff turnover are some factors inhibiting learning and retention of knowledge in this public sector organization. Generalizing from these results, these findings can contribute to both theory and practice in the public sector by enriching the understanding of public sector organizations’ learning constraints

Trends and predictors of appropriate complementary feeding practices in Nepal: An analysis of national household survey data collected between 2001 and 2014.

There is evidence that suboptimal complementary feeding contributes to poor child growth. However, little is known about time trends and determinants of complementary feeding in Nepal, where the prevalence of child undernutrition remains unacceptably high. The objective of the study was to examine the trends and predictors of suboptimal complementary feeding in Nepali children aged 6-23 months using nationally representative data collected from 2001 to 2014. Data from the 2001, 2006, and 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys and the 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey were used to estimate the prevalence, trends and predictors of four WHO-UNICEF complementary feeding indicators: timely introduction of complementary foods (INTRO), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD). We used multilevel logistic regression models to identify independent factors associated with these indicators at the individual, household and community levels. In 2014, the weighted proportion of children meeting INTRO, MMF, MDD, and MAD criteria were 72%, 82%, 36% and 35%, respectively, with modest average annual rate of increase ranging from 1% to 2%. Increasing child age, maternal education, antenatal visits, and community-level access to health care services independently predicted increasing odds of achieving MMF, MDD, and MAD. Practices also varied by ecological zone and sociocultural group. Complementary feeding practices in Nepal have improved slowly in the past 15 years. Inequities in the risk of inappropriate complementary feeding are evident, calling for programme design and implementation to address poor feeding and malnutrition among the most vulnerable Nepali children

A Case Control Study on Risk Factors Associated with Low Birth Weight Babies in Eastern Nepal

Background. This study was done to assess the maternal and sociodemographic factors associated with low birth weight (LBW) babies. Methods. An unmatched case control study was done involving 159 cases (mothers having LBW singleton babies) and 159 controls (mothers having normal birth weight singleton babies). Results. More than 50% of LBW babies were from the mothers with height ≤145 cm while only 9.43% of NBW babies were from the mothers with that height. Finally, after multivariate logistic regression analysis, maternal height, time of first antenatal care (ANC) visit, number of ANC visits, iron supplementation, calcium supplementation, maternal education, any illness during pregnancy, and hypertension were found as the significant predictors of LBW. However, maternal blood group AB, normal maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), mother’s age of 30 or more years, and starting ANC visit earlier were found to be protective for LBW. Conclusion. Study findings suggest that selectively targeted interventions such as delay age at first pregnancy, improving maternal education and nutrition, and iron and calcium supplementation can prevent LBW in Nepal

On the examination of the reliability of statistical software for estimating regression models with discrete dependent variables

The numerical reliability of statistical software packages was examined for logistic regression models, including SAS 9.4, MATLAB R2015b, R 3.3.1., Stata/IC 14, and LIMDEP 10. Thirty unique benchmark datasets were created by simulating alternative conditional binary choice processes examining rare events, near-multicollinearity, quasi-separation and nonlinear transformation of variables. Certified benchmark estimates for parameters and standard errors of associated datasets were obtained following standards set-out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The logarithm of relative error was used as a measure of accuracy for numerical reliability. The paper finds that choice of software package and procedure for estimating logistic regressions will impact accuracy and use of default settings in these packages may significantly reduce reliability of results in different situations

PCR Based Genotyping of Lulu Cattle of Nepal for A1, A2 Type Beta-caseins

Lulu is an indigenous breed of cattle (Bos taurus) found in high altitude regions of western Nepal. Population of Lulu cattle has been declining due to introgression with other exotic breeds to increase milk productivity. Here we aimed at finding potential approach for conserving Lulu cattle and its assets by studying the milk contents and investigating which variant of beta-casein protein is present in this breed. Beta caseins are an abundant protein in cow milk with A1 and A2 being the most common genetic variants of this protein. Consumption of A1 type of milk has numerous health-related complications whereas A2 type of milk has numerous human health promoting factors. We used restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for determining the A1 and A2 variant of beta casein in Lulu cattle. For performing DNA extraction, we collected (n = 18) blood samples of Lulu from Mustang and (n=17) Nepal Agriculture research council farm. The amplified fragments in 3% agarose at 251bp and 213bp respectively confirmed the presence of both A1 and A2 gene in Lulu; however, A2 was of greater abundance. Our study indicated that Lulu has A2 variant of beta-casein predominantly. The gene frequency of A1A1 is 0, A1A2 is 0.06 and A2A2 is 0.94. We further found that the allele frequency of A1 and A2 is 0.03 and 0.97 respectively. We designed special primer for sequencing CSN2 genes since A2 type beta casein gene was predominantly seen on Lulu. The sequencing result further supports our RFLP result as most of our samples have “C” nucleotide SNP in amplified CSN2 gene sequence. The Chi-square value of the current study is 0.04 which supports Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium inferring that Lulu cattle are still in the pure state, where there is no genetic introgression with the exotic breed for the sake of improvement of productivity

Counselling-based psychosocial intervention to improve the mental health of abused pregnant women: A protocol for randomised controlled feasibility trial in a tertiary hospital in eastern Nepal

© 2019 Author(s). Published by BMJ. Introduction The strong correlation between domestic and family violence (DFV) and mental health has been well documented in studies. Pregnancy is a period when both DFV and mental distress tend to occur and/or accentuate. Although limited, available evidence from developed countries has shown continual support and education as psychological first aid that can reduce DFV and improve mental health. However, there is significantly less number of studies from resource-constrained countries; thus, there continues to be a substantial gap in knowledge and awareness regarding effective interventions for DFV. Methods and analysis A two-arm randomised trial with a nested qualitative study has been planned to assess feasibility and treatment effect estimates of a counselling-based psychosocial intervention among pregnant women with a history of abuse. A total of 140 pregnant women who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited into the study. Block randomisation will be used to allocate women equally into two groups. The intervention group will receive a counselling session, an information booklet and continuous support by a researcher, while women in the control group will receive contact information of local support services. Feasibility measures, such as rates of recruitment, consent and retention, will be calculated. Qualitative interviews with participants and healthcare providers will explore the acceptability and usability of the intervention. Outcome measures, such as psychological distress, quality of life, social support and self-efficacy, will be measured at baseline, 4 weeks postintervention and 6 weeks postpartum. Ethics and dissemination This study has obtained ethical approval from the Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee, the Nepal Health Research Council and the Institutional Review Board of a tertiary hospital in Dharan, Nepal. The findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations and will be used to inform a future multicentre trial

'We don't see because we don't ask': Qualitative exploration of service users' and health professionals' views regarding a psychosocial intervention targeting pregnant women experiencing domestic and family violence.

INTRODUCTION:Given the relative recency of Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) management as a field of endeavour, it is not surprising that interventions for addressing DFV is still in its infancy in developing countries. In order to maximise the success of an intervention, it is important to know which aspects of the intervention are considered important and helpful by service providers and service users. This study, therefore, examined the acceptability of an antenatal-based psychosocial intervention targeting DFV in Nepal and explored suggestions for improving the program in future. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Intervention participants and health care providers (HCPs) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data were audio-recorded and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Final codes and themes were identified using an iterative review process among the research team. RESULTS:Themes emerging from the data were grouped into domains including perceptions towards DFV, impact of the intervention on women's lives and recommendations for improving the program. DFV was recognised as a significant problem requiring urgent attention for its prevention and control. Intervention participants expressed that they felt safe to share their feelings during the counselling session and got opportunity to learn new skills to cope with DFV. The majority of the participants recommended multiple counselling sessions and a continued provision of the service ensuring the intervention's accessibility by a large number of women. DISCUSSION:This is the first study to document the perspectives of women and HCPs regarding an antenatal-based intervention targeting psychosocial consequences of DFV in Nepal. There was a clear consensus around the need to engage, support and empower victims of DFV and the intervention was well received by the participants. Ensuring good mental health and wellbeing among victims of DFV requires work across individual, organisational and community levels