The ‐oriented BaTiO3 ceramics were fabricated using BaCO3 matrix and H1.08Ti1.73O4.nH2O (HTO) template particles, and the mechanism of BaTiO3 phase formation was investigated. The dielectric, ...ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties were also investigated. The transformation of the HTO phase into the TiO2 bronze or TiO2 (B) phase was observed at 600°C, where the BaTiO3 nucleation was accompanied by the formation of a Ba2TiO4 phase. The TiO2 phase reacted with the Ba2TiO4 phase at 800°C to give a BaTiO3 phase, whereas its reaction with the BaTiO3 resulted in the formation of BaTi2O5 phase that got decomposed into BaTiO3 and Ba6Ti17O40 phase at sintering temperature ≥1300°C. Sintering with samples’ embedding in BaTiO3 powders prevented the formation of the Ba6Ti17O40 secondary phase. The crystallographic orientation along the direction (F110) was developed by the epitaxial grain growth mechanism. In addition to the contribution of the grain‐size increment for enhancing the F110, the preservation of the platelike structure was also found to have a significant impact. The ceramics prepared by the embedded sintering (grain size ≈12.4 µm and F110 = 83%) exhibited the room‐temperature dielectric constant of 1708 and piezoelectric strain constant of 445 pm/V, which are higher than those of the BaTiO3 ceramics with randomly oriented grains.
Conservation conflict over livestock depredation is one of the key drivers of large mammalian carnivore declines worldwide. Mitigating this conflict requires strategies informed by reliable knowledge ...of factors influencing livestock depredation. Wild prey and livestock abundance are critical factors influencing the extent of livestock depredation. We compared whether the extent of livestock predation by snow leopards Panthera uncia differed in relation to densities of wild prey, livestock, and snow leopards at two sites in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. We used camera trap‐based spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate snow leopard density; double‐observer surveys to estimate the density of their main prey species, the blue sheep Pseudois nayaur; and interview‐based household surveys to estimate livestock population and number of livestock killed by snow leopards. The proportion of livestock lost per household was seven times higher in Upper Dolpa, the site which had higher snow leopard density (2.51 snow leopards per 100 km2) and higher livestock density (17.21 livestock per km2) compared to Lower Dolpa (1.21 snow leopards per 100 km2; 4.5 livestock per km2). The wild prey density was similar across the two sites (1.81 and 1.57 animals per km2 in Upper and Lower Dolpa, respectively). Our results suggest that livestock depredation level may largely be determined by the abundances of the snow leopards and livestock and predation levels on livestock can vary even at similar levels of wild prey density. In large parts of the snow leopard range, livestock production is indispensable to local livelihoods and livestock population is expected to increase to meet the demand of cashmere. Hence, we recommend that any efforts to increase livestock populations or conservation initiatives aimed at recovering or increasing snow leopard population be accompanied by better herding practices (e.g., predator‐proof corrals) to protect livestock from snow leopard.
Conservation conflict over livestock depredation is one of the key drivers of large mammalian carnivore declines worldwide. We compared whether the extent of livestock predation by snow leopard differs at two sites in relation to the density of wild prey blue sheep, livestock, and snow leopard. The number of livestock lost per household to snow leopards was seven times higher in Upper Dolpa, the site which had higher snow leopard density (2.51 snow leopards per 100 km2), higher livestock density (17.21 livestock per km2) than Lower Dolpa (1.21 snow leopards per 100 km2; 4.5 livestock per km2). Our results suggest that livestock predation levels may largely be determined by the abundance of the predator and the livestock.
Livestock depredation by snow leopards Panthera uncia poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of pastoral communities and engenders negative attitudes towards the species, threatening its ...survival. We conducted 104 semi-structured interviews within local communities (livestock herders and owners) in the Nyesyang valley of Manang District, in the Annapurna Conservation Area, western Nepal, to assess the status of livestock depredation and community attitudes towards snow leopards. During February 2016–January 2018, respondents reportedly lost 279 livestock to snow leopards (mean loss of 1.3 livestock per household), comprising 3.7% of the total stockholding in 2018. This loss amounts to a monetary loss of USD 319 per annum for each household. Only half of the households who lost livestock to snow leopards in the previous 2 years received compensation from the Conservation Area. Almost an equal proportion of respondents held positive (42%) and negative (41%) attitudes towards snow leopards. An ordered logistic regression analysis revealed that being a woman, being illiterate, owning a high number of large-bodied livestock and relying primarily on agropastoralism were factors associated significantly with negative attitudes towards snow leopards. We recommend focusing conservation education on illiterate community members and engaging more women in conservation programmes, along with a community-based insurance scheme for large-sized livestock to mitigate losses and improve local community attitudes towards snow leopards.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behavior (SB) are the major public health problems in adolescents. Despite the increased focus on these phenomena, there exist no reliable data in Nepal. ...This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NSSI and SB among adolescents. Furthermore the study identified the relationship between these two behaviors and assessed demographic, behavioral, and psychological risk factors of NSSI and SB in Nepalese adolescents in a representative sample of the general population.
The study was conducted among 730 adolescents studying in grade 9 to 12 of public and private schools of Pokhara Metropolitan city, Nepal. Data were collected through self administered standard tools- Functional Assessment of Self Mutilation (FASM) tool, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Descriptive statistical measures such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, range were used to assess demographic characteristics and adolescent's behavior regarding NSSI and suicide. For inferential analysis chi-square and one way ANOVA test was used. Furthermore, to determine the predictors of NSSI and SB, multiple logistic regression analysis was used.
Regarding behavioral characteristics, nearly half of the sample 327 (44.8%) reported a history of NSSI in past 1 year. Furthermore, 25.8% (n = 188) of the overall sample engaged in minor NSSI only and 3.42% (n = 25) engaged in at least one act of moderate/severe NSSI. The mean number of type of NSSI performed was 2.63 ± 1.71. The most common type of NSSI method used were picking at wound (27.3%), biting self (20.3%), pulling hair out (11.8%), cutting self (11.1%). Boys (52.6%) were more likely to be engaged in NSSI than girls (47.4%) (χ
= 10.298, p = 0.002). Furthermore, among 730 adolescents who completed the SBQ-R questionnaire, 131 (17.9%) had suicidal behaviors (SB) (as defined by SBQ-R a total score ≥ 7). Regarding sex differences female were significantly higher in life time prevalence of suicidal behavior than male (χ
= 30.26, p = 0.001). Simple Chi-square tests indicated that NSSI was significantly associated with SB (χ
= 58.16, P < .001). Logistic regressions identified the four significant predictors of NSSI behavior: male, low-level of self-esteem (SE), moderate to severe form of depression and SB. Similarly, significant predictors of SB were: female, low-level of SE, moderate to severe form of depression and NSSI behavior.
The prevalence of both NSSI and SB is high in adolescents. Despite the differences between NSSI and SB a significant number of adolescents reported a history of both behaviors. Lower level of SE and moderate to severe depression were the significant predictors of both NSSI and SB. Furthermore, male and adolescents with the history of SB were at risk of NSSI behavior whereas female sex and adolescents with the history of NSSI were at risk of SB.
Protected areas are key to preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services. However, their ability to ensure long-term survival of threatened andendangered species varies across countries, ...regions and landscapes. Distribution surveys can beparticularly important for assessing the value of protected areas, and gauging their efficacy incatering to species-specific requirements. We assessed the conservation value of one such reserve for a charismatic yet globally endangered species, the red panda Ailurus fulgens,in the light of on-going land-use transformation in Nepal. We conducted field surveys forindirect signs of red pandas along forest trails in 25-km2 sampling grid cells (n = 54) of Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, and confronted a set of ecological hypotheses to the data using hierarchical occupancy models. We estimated overall occupancy at Ψ(SE) = 0.41 (0.007), with relatively high site-level detectability p = 0.93 (SE = 0.001). Our results show that despitebeing a subsistence form of small-scale resource use, extraction of bamboo and livestock grazing negatively affected panda occurrence, albeit at different intensities. The amount of bamboo cover,rather than the overall proportion of forest cover, had greater influence on the panda occurrence. Despite availability of bamboo cover, areas with bamboo extraction and anthropogenic disturbances were less likely to be occupied by pandas. Together, these results suggest that long-term persistence of red pandas in this reserve and elsewhere across the species' range will require preventing commercial extractionof bamboo, coupled with case-specific regulation of anthropogenic exploitation of red panda habitats.
The 〈100〉 grain‐oriented 0.11(Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3–0.23BaTiO3–0.02Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3–0.64BiFeO3 piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by a reactive templated grain growth method using a platelike ...H1.08Ti1.73O4·nH2O (HTO) template and Bi2O3–KHCO3–MgO–Fe2O3–BaCO3 matrix particles. The high degree of texturing (a Lotgering orientation factor of 80%) and high density (95%) were achieved by employing weight‐pressing treatment during the binder‐removal and sintering treatment along with optimizing the sintering temperature. The water‐quenching treatment has a significant impact on the enhancement of dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties with the increase of dielectric constant, remanent polarization, and piezoelectric strain constant from 764, 13.6 μC/cm2, and 384 pm/V for the as‐sintered ceramics to 812, 29.9 μC/cm2, and 526 pm/V after the water‐quenching treatment at 850°C, respectively. The obtained piezoelectric strain constant with a 1.8 times enhancement compared to that of the ceramics with randomly oriented grains is significantly higher than those reported for other lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics with Curie temperature >300°C. This study suggested the strong potentiality of this material system for high‐temperature actuator application.
BaTiO3 ceramics with grain sizes of 4.7–26.1 µm were fabricated using 100 and 300 nm BaTiO3 powders by employing a two-step sintering (TSS) or conventional one-step sintering (CS) method. Polished ...and cut BaTiO3 samples were annealed for the recovery and relaxation of mechanical-processing-induced surface damage and lattice strain, and the piezoelectric properties were investigated. TSS-BaTiO3 ceramics annealed at 1000°C for 1 h with a grain size of 4.9 µm exhibited an excellent piezoelectric property of d33 = 529 pC/N, while the d33 value of CS-BaTiO3 ceramics annealed at 1200°C for 8 h with a grain size of 26.1 µm was 272 pC/N. Besides the excellent piezoelectric properties of the fine-grained BaTiO3 ceramics, the performance of the coarse-grained ceramics was higher than previously reported. The observed superior piezoelectric and electromechanical properties in annealed samples despite the increase in grain size suggested that the effect of annealing was more crucial than that of grain size.
Adolescence is characterized by unique, multiple physical, psychological and social development. Understanding the well-being of adolescents and the factors that contribute to it will help towards ...clarifying and defining ways to better help adolescents prepare for adult life. Therefore, the present study aims to find out the relationship between Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Psychological Well-Being (PWB) among Nepalese adolescence based on mediating role of Self-esteem (SE).
The study was conducted among 348 adolescents studying in grade 9 and 10 of government secondary level schools of Pokhara Metropolitan city, Nepal. Data were collected through self-administered standard tools-Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). For statistical analysis descriptive statistics, correlation, regression and mediation analyses were used. The statistical significance of mediating effect of the tested model was examined through a path proposed by Baron and Kenny and Bootstrap method.
Overall, the finding suggests that PSS indirectly affects PWB of adolescents through mediating variable SE. Adolescents who perceive good social support had higher SE, which in turn contributed to their PWB. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender difference for PSS, SE and PWB. Also among various sources of PSS, both boys and girls were more oriented towards family for social support than friends and others.
Adolescents who experience higher social support are likely to have higher SE and are more likely to have better PWB. The findings of the study will be useful to the parents, teachers, counselors, psychologist and researchers to develop strategies to enhance adolescent's mental health.
Hexagonal-tetragonal co-existing barium titanate powders were prepared by reducing commercial barium titanate powders with their particle size of about 100 nm in a hydrogen atmosphere for 1 h at ...several temperatures, and the microstructures were observed. It was found that the hexagonal-tetragonal barium titanate powder had a co-existing hexagonal and tetragonal phase in a particle rather than a mixture of two phases in the powder. The hexagonal contents of about 0, 25, 50, 70, 85, and 100 wt % were obtained at temperatures of 1310, 1315, 1320, 1324, 1330, and 1333 °C, respectively. The hexagonal phase was returned to the tetragonal phase by annealing at 1200 °C in air. A model for the mechanism of a complete transformation of barium titanate polymorph from tetragonal/cubic to hexagonal phases is proposed.
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