The Social-Ecological System of Farmers' Current Soil Carbon Management in Australian Grazing Lands.

Soil carbon sequestration programmes are a way of offsetting GHG emissions, however, it requires agricultural landholders to be engaged in such initiatives for carbon offsets to occur. Farmer engagement is low in market-based programmes for soil carbon credits in Australia. We interviewed long-term practitioners (n = 25) of rotational grazing in high-rainfall lands of New South Wales, Australia to understand their current social-ecological system (SES) of soil carbon management (SCM). The aim was to identify those components of the SES that motivate them to manage soil carbon and also influence their potential engagement in soil carbon sequestration programmes. Utilising first-tier and second-tier concepts from Ostrom's SES framework, the interview data were coded and identified a total of 51 features that characterised the farmers' SES of SCM. Network analysis of farmer interview data revealed that the current SES of SCM has low connectivity among the SES features (30%). In four workshops with interviewed farmers (n = 2) and invited service providers (n = 2) the 51 features were reviewed and participants decided on the positioning and the interactions between features that were considered to influence SCM into a causal loop diagram. Post-workshop, 10 feedback loops were identified that revealed the different and common perspectives of farmers and service providers on SCM in a consolidated causal loop diagram. Defining the SES relationships for SCM can identify the challenges and needs of stakeholders, particularly farmers, which can then be addressed to achieve local, national and international objectives, such as SCM co-benefits, GHG reduction, carbon sequestration targets and SDGs.

Defining Household Typologies Based on Cropland Use Behaviors for Rural Human-Environment Systems Simulation Research: A Case Study in Southwest China.

The dynamics of rural human-environment systems in developing countries have increasingly been attracting attention. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a valuable simulation tool for detecting complex feedback loops in rural human-environment systems with a 'bottom-up' approach. However, such models require the prerequisite analysis of household typology to simulate households' decision-making process, where a gap exists between having accurate classification criteria and a simplified modeling framework. This study aimed to develop a household typology for two selected counties in southwest China based on multivariate analysis techniques and the classification tree method. Four categories of socioeconomic variables, including labor conditions, resource endowments, economic status, and social connections, were screened as possible factors impacting agriculture practice decisions. The results showed that household diversification in the study area was mainly determined by diversified livelihood strategies of off-farm work, livestock breeding, subsidy dependence, and traditional planting. Five distinct household types were identified: non-farm households, part-time households, livestock breed households, subsidized households, and traditional planting households. The household types were associated with specific cropland use behaviors, and their decision-making behaviors were verified with bounded rationality theory (where the maximization of profits is the primary goal). The quantitative classification criteria obtained in this study were clear and could be easily identified and used by ABMs. Our study provides a basis for further simulation of the complicated rural human-environment systems in southwest China.

Public perceptions and attitudes toward urban wildlife encounters - A decade of change.

Europe is currently undergoing dynamic land use changes causing the expansion of urban habitat, which is driving wildlife species to colonise conurbations, resulting in an increased likelihood of human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Understanding people's attitudes toward wildlife is essential to manage these conflicts. This study assessed people's attitudes toward urban wildlife, the types of conflicts that existed, preferences for managing conflict situations, and determined any changes in perceptions of urban wildlife over a decade. A questionnaire survey of residents of Krakow, the second-largest city in Poland, was conducted in 2010 (n = 721) and repeated in 2020 (n = 887). We found that encounters with certain urban wildlife such as wild boars, red squirrels, roe deer, brown hares, and red foxes had increased significantly in 2020 compared to 2010. Respondents reported that wild boar and beavers did not show fear when encountering humans. Stone martens were considered the most nuisance wildlife species in 2010, while in 2020 wild boar were the most conflictual wildlife species. There were additional reports of conflicts with roe deer and red foxes. The most frequent HWC responses were personal anxiety, intrusion into property and destruction of crops, which increased significantly over the decade, independent of respondents' gender. Respondents preferred nonlethal methods to mitigate conflicts. The study provides valuable information and knowledge on changes in people's attitudes toward urban wildlife that can help with wildlife management in urban areas. Incorporating perception and attitude data from the public, along with a multi-stakeholder approach that includes wildlife professionals, in the planning and design of future urban environments is critical to minimise HWC.

Animal-vehicle collisions during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020 in the Krakow metropolitan region, Poland.

The interrelations between human activity and animal populations are of increasing interest due to the emergence of the novel COVID-19 and the consequent pandemic across the world. Anthropogenic impacts of the pandemic on animals in urban-suburban environments are largely unknown. In this study, the temporal and spatial patterns of urban animal response to the COVID-19 lockdown were assessed using animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) data. We collected AVC data over two 6-month periods in 2019 and 2020 (January to June) from the largest metropolis in southern Poland, which included lockdown months. Furthermore, we used traffic data to understand the impact of lockdown on AVC in the urban area. Our analysis of 1063 AVC incidents revealed that COVID-19 related lockdown decreased AVC rates in suburban areas. However, in the urban area, even though traffic volume had significantly reduced, AVC did not decrease significantly, suggesting that lockdown did not influence the collision rates in the urban area. Our results suggest that there is a need to focus on understanding the effects of changes in traffic volume on both human behaviour and wildlife space use on the resulting impacts on AVC in the urban area.

A coupled human and landscape conceptual model of risk and resilience in Swiss Alpine communities.

Disasters induced by natural hazards or extreme events consist of interacting human and natural components. While progress has been made to mitigate and adapt to natural hazards, much of the existing research lacks interdisciplinary approaches that equally consider both natural and social processes. More importantly, this lack of integration between approaches remains a major challenge in developing disaster risk management plans for communities. In this study, we made a first attempt to develop a conceptual model of a coupled human-landscape system in Swiss Alpine communities. The conceptual model contains a system dynamics (e.g. interaction, feedbacks) component to reproduce community level, socio-economic developments and shocks that include economic crises leading to unemployment, depopulation and diminished community revenue. Additionally, the conceptual model contains climate, hydrology, and geomorphic components that are sources of natural hazards such as floods and debris flows. Feedbacks between the socio-economic and biophysical systems permit adaptation to flood and debris flow risks by implementing spatially explicit mitigation options including flood defenses and land cover changes. Here we justify the components, scales, and feedbacks present in the conceptual model and provide guidance on how to operationalize the conceptual model to assess risk and community resilience as well as determine which shocks overcome the buffering capacity of Swiss Alpine communities.

Estrogen Signaling in Alzheimer's Disease: Molecular Insights and Therapeutic Targets for Alzheimer's Dementia.

Estrogens play a crucial physiological function in the brain; however, debates exist concerning the role of estrogens in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Women during pre-, peri-, or menopause periods are more susceptible for developing AD, suggesting the connection of sex factors and a decreased estrogen signaling in AD pathogenesis. Yet, the underlying mechanism of estrogen-mediated neuroprotection is unclarified and is complicated by the existence of estrogen-related factors. Consequently, a deeper analysis of estrogen receptor (ER) expression and estrogen-metabolizing enzymes could interpret the importance of estrogen in age-linked cognitive alterations. Previous studies propose that hormone replacement therapy may attenuate AD onset in postmenopausal women, demonstrating that estrogen signaling is important for the development and progression of AD. For example, ERα exerts neuroprotection against AD by maintaining intracellular signaling cascades and study reported reduced expression of ERα in hippocampal neurons of AD patients. Similarly, reduced expression of ERß in female AD patients has been associated with abnormal function in mitochondria and improved markers of oxidative stress. In this review, we discuss the critical interaction between estrogen signaling and AD. Moreover, we highlight the potential of targeting estrogen-related signaling for therapeutic intervention in AD.

A systematic review of soil carbon management in Australia and the need for a social-ecological systems framework.

Research efforts, on soil carbon management in agricultural lands, over the last two decades have sought to improve our understanding in order to increase soil productivity, soil carbon sequestration and to offset greenhouse gas emissions. This systematic review aims to identify the research gaps and future direction of soil carbon management in Australia. We explored and synthesized the use of social-ecological systems (SES) both in the global and Australian context, before making the first attempt to develop a conceptual SES framework for soil carbon management. Both quantitative and qualitative assessment of articles were used to identify and synthesise research trends, challenges and opportunities for improved soil carbon management. The results provide valuable insight into the SES components examined, the research gaps and the methodological challenges for research into soil carbon management conducted over the last two decades. The review revealed that research has predominately focused on the ecological component of soil carbon management in agricultural practices and has been conducted from a scientist's perspective. The sustainability of carbon-building soil management practices will require integration of social components into future research, particularly from a farmer perspective. The proposed conceptual SES framework is designed to identify and investigate SES components in soil carbon management in order to increase the process of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions as required by Sustainable Development Goals 2, 13 and 15.

Spectrum of Disease and Prescription Pattern for Outpatients with Neurological Disorders: An Empirical Pilot Study in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Neurological disorders represent one of the most prominent causes of morbidity and mortality that adversely affect the lifestyle of patients and a major percentage of these diseases exists in developing countries. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and prescription pattern for outpatients with neurological disorders in Bangladesh. METHODS: The study was conducted on 1,684 patients in 6 hospitals (National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College, and Apollo Hospitals Dhaka) of the Dhaka City from March 2014 to June 2015. Data were collected through a predesigned questionnaire from the patients that contain information about gender, age, marital status, occupation, residential status, affected disease, self-medicated medicines, and prescribed medicines. RESULTS: Out of 1,684 patients, 28.38% patients were aged 51-60 years and male, 57.19% predominance. The study exposed headache and migraine for 29.75% patients, followed by stroke for 23.93% patients and seizure for 7.07% patients. Genetic reason for the neurological disorders was seen only among 12.35% patients. In this study, 16.98% patients had been affected by neurological disorders for more than 2 years and 19% of patients for less than 6 months. Most extensively prescribed medicines were multivitamins and multiminerals used by 17.89% of patients followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other analgesic by 14.84%; afterwards antiulcerants were used by 12.62%, subsequently anticoagulants were used by 11.61% followed by antihyperlipidemic medicines by 10.26% and antiepileptic drugs by 8.08% of patients. The crucial reasons for the selection of prescribed medicines were the confidence that patients had with the physician's prescribed medicines, which was shown for 40.97% patients and knowledge of the medicines was reported for 35.04% patients. The period of prescribed medicine usage was 1-3 months for 39.73% patients and 3-6 months for 29.16% patients. The patient's compliance for prescribed medicines was satisfactory for 34.56% patients, good for 28.15% patients, and side effects were reported for 23.22% patients. CONCLUSION: In Bangladesh, it is not surprising to note that neurological diseases are more prevalent than other different diseases among different age groups and genders. Headache and migraine, stroke and seizure are most frequently encountered neurological disorders here. Treatment procedure of these disorders is not quite suitable due to the anomalies of health care management systems. Appropriate management of the health care system, especially the placement of hospital and community pharmacy can overcome the existing inconsistencies as well as increase the knowledge, awareness, and perception of the patients about health and neurological disorders.

Restoring water quality in the polluted Turag-Tongi-Balu river system, Dhaka: Modelling nutrient and total coliform intervention strategies.

River water quality in rapidly urbanising Asian cities threatens to damage the resource base on which human health, economic growth and poverty reduction all depend. Dhaka reflects the challenges and opportunities for balancing these dynamic and complex trade-offs which goals can be achieved through effective policy interventions. There is a serious problem of water pollution in central Dhaka, in the Turag-Tongi-Balu River system in Bangladesh with the river system being one of the most polluted in the world at the moment. A baseline survey of water chemistry and total coliforms has been undertaken and shows dissolved oxygen close to zero in the dry season, high organic loading together with extreme levels of Ammonium-N and total coliform in the water. Models have been applied to assess hydrochemical processes in the river and evaluate alternative strategies for policy and the management of the pollution issues. In particular models of flow, Nitrate-N, Ammonium-N and indicator bacteria (total coliforms) are applied to simulate water quality in the river system. Various scenarios are explored to clean up the river system, including flow augmentation and improved effluent treatment. The model results indicate that improved effluent treatment is likely to have a more significant impact on reducing Ammonium-N and total coliforms than flow augmentation, but a combined strategy would greatly reduce the pollution problems in the Turag-Tongi-Balu River System.

Operationalizing safe operating space for regional social-ecological systems.

This study makes a first attempt to operationalize the safe operating space concept at a regional scale by considering the complex dynamics (e.g. non-linearity, feedbacks, and interactions) within a systems dynamic model (SD). We employ the model to explore eight 'what if' scenarios based on well-known challenges (e.g. climate change) and current policy debates (e.g. subsidy withdrawal). The findings show that the social-ecological system in the Bangladesh delta may move beyond a safe operating space when a withdrawal of a 50% subsidy for agriculture is combined with the effects of a 2°C temperature increase and sea level rise. Further reductions in upstream river discharge in the Ganges would push the system towards a dangerous zone once a 3.5°C temperature increase was reached. The social-ecological system in Bangladesh delta may be operated within a safe space by: 1) managing feedback (e.g. by reducing production costs) and the slow biophysical variables (e.g. temperature, rainfall) to increase the long-term resilience, 2) negotiating for transboundary water resources, and 3) revising global policies (e.g. withdrawal of subsidy) that negatively impact at regional scales. This study demonstrates how the concepts of tipping points, limits to adaptations, and boundaries for sustainable development may be defined in real world social-ecological systems.

Exploring the Effect of Phyllanthus emblica L. on Cognitive Performance, Brain Antioxidant Markers and Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Rats: Promising Natural Gift for the Mitigation of Alzheimer's Disease.

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in the progressive degeneration of nerve cells, which affect the cognitive activity. Currently, as a result of multiple studies linking Alzheimer's disease (AD) to oxidative damage, the uses of natural antioxidant to prevent, delay, or enhance the pathological changes underlying the progression of AD has received considerable attention. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the effect of ethanolic extracts of Phyllanthus emblica (EEPE) ripe (EEPEr) and EEPE unripe (EEPEu) fruits on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in rat. The effects of EEPEr and EEPEu fruits (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) were examined in Swiss albino male rats for 12 days and its effect on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and AChE activity determined. Learning and memory enhancing activity of EEPE fruit was examined by using passive avoidance test and rewarded alternation test. Antioxidant potentiality was evaluated by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase, and the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in entire brain tissue homogenates. AChE activity was determined using colorimetric method. Administration of the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.01) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.05, p < 0.001) increased step-through latency in rats on 6th, 11th, and 12th day with respect to the control group. For aforementioned doses, the percentage of memory retention (MR) was considerably (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats on 10th, 11th, and 12th days with respect to the control group. The extract, particularly highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit markedly (p < 0.05) and lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit significantly (p < 0.01) increased the correct responses in rats on 6th, and 12th day related to the control group. In case of this test, the percentage of MR was significantly (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats treated with aforementioned doses on 12th day with respect to the control group. The highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit suggestively (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit suggestively (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001) increased the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, GSH-Px and expressively (p < 0.01) decreased the TBARS level compared to the control group. Treatment with the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.01, p < 0.001) decreased the level of AChE activity compared to that of the control group. The present study shows that EEPE fruit possesses an excellent source for natural cognitive enhancer which could be developed in the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Evaluation of antinociceptive activity of methanolic extract of leaves of Stephania japonica Linn.

ETHNAPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Stephania japonica is a common plant, widely distributed in all over Bangladesh. Traditionally, this plant is considered as one of the important ingredients in treatment of a variety of ailments including inflammation, pain, rheumatism, cancer, bone fracture, fever etc. However, the scientific reports regarding the antinociceptive effect of this plant are very limited. This study evaluated the antinociceptive effect of methanolic extract of S. japonica (MESJ) leaves. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antinociceptive effect of MESJ was investigated using both heat- and chemical-induced nociceptive models such as hot plate, tail immersion, acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and glutamate tests at the doses of 50, 100 and 200mg/kg. Morphine (5mg/kg) and diclofenac sodium (10mg/kg) were used as reference drugs in thermal and chemical models, respectively. Moreover, naloxone (2mg/kg) was used in the thermal models to justify the possible role of the opioid receptors. RESULTS: MESJ produced a significant and dose-dependent increase in the hot plate and tail immersion latencies which were reversed by the treatment with naloxone, suggests the possible involvement of opioid receptors in this activity. Moreover, MESJ inhibited acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and glutamate-induced lickings in a dose-dependent manner. In parallel, the reference drugs also produced desired antinociceptive effects in this study. CONCLUSION: These results strongly support the antinociceptive activity of the leaves of Stephania japonica and rationalize the traditional use of the leaves in treatment of different painful conditions.

Soil salinity, household wealth and food insecurity in tropical deltas: evidence from south-west coast of Bangladesh.

As a creeping process, salinisation represents a significant long-term environmental risk in coastal and deltaic environments. Excess soil salinity may exacerbate existing risks of food insecurity in densely populated tropical deltas, which is likely to have a negative effect on human and ecological sustainability of these regions and beyond. This study focuses on the coastal regions of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh, and uses data from the 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey and the Soil Resource Development Institute to investigate the effect of soil salinity and wealth on household food security. The outcome variables are two widely used measures of food security: calorie availability and household expenditure on food items. The main explanatory variables tested include indicators of soil salinity and household-level socio-economic characteristics. The results of logistic regression show that in unadjusted models, soil salinisation has a significant negative effect on household food security. However, this impact becomes statistically insignificant when households' wealth is taken into account. The results further suggest that education and remittance flows, but not gender or working status of the household head, are significant predictors of food insecurity in the study area. The findings indicate the need to focus scholarly and policy attention on reducing wealth inequalities in tropical deltas in the context of the global sustainable deltas initiative and the proposed Sustainable Development Goals.

In vitro antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities of methanolic fruit extract of Phyllanthus acidus.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by loss of memory and cognition. Cholinergic deficit and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD. Therefore, inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and oxidation are the two promising strategies in the development of drug for AD. Phyllanthus acidus, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae, is a tree and has been used in traditional medicine to treat several pain, inflammatory and oxidative stress related disorders such as rheumatism, bronchitis, asthma, respiratory disorder, also important to promote intellect and enhance memory, thus supporting its possible anti-Alzheimer's properties. In this study, P. acidus was evaluated for its cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant potential and neuroprotective activity of P. acidus by assessing total phenol content (FCR assay), total flavonoid content, total antioxidant capacity, Fe (3+) reducing power capacity, DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, lipid peroxidation inhibition activity & metal chelating activity. In addition acetylcholinestrase (AChE) and butyrylcholinestrase (BChE) inhibitory activities were performed using Ellman's method. RESULTS: Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of the extract were 116.98 mg of gallic acid equivalent and 168.24 mg of quercetin equivalent per gm of dried extract. The methanolic extract of P. acidus (MEPA) showed considerable total antioxidant activity and reducing capacity. In DPPH scavenging assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay, the MEPA showed 84.33 % and 77.21 % scavenging having IC50 of 15.62 and 59.74 µg/ml respectively. In lipid peroxidation inhibition activity MEPA showed moderate inhibition of peroxidation at all concentrations with IC50 value of 471.63 µg/ml and exhibited metal chelating activity with IC50 value 308.67 µg/ml. The MEPA exhibited inhibition of rat brain acetylcholinesterase and human blood butyrylcholinesterase in a dose dependent manner and the IC50 value was found to be 1009.87 µg/ml and 449.51 µg/ml respectively. CONCLUSION: These results of the present study reveal that MEPA has considerable amount of antioxidant activity as well as anti-acetylcholinesterase and anti-butyrylcholinesterase activity which suggest its effectiveness against Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.