Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous condition featured with a continuous low mood, feeling of sadness, lack of interest to perform daily activities. Genetic, physiological, biological, social, and environmental factors are associated with the pathophysiology of depression. Though several human studies failed to identify the suitable biological markers for depression, some animal studies showed phospholipids play a vital role in the alteration of emotion. Thus, the current study aimed to measure the serum levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) to explore their roles and relationship with depression. Methods This case-control study enrolled 53 MDD patients and 50 HCs matched by age, gender, and body mass index. Based on the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5 th edition, a qualified psychiatrist diagnosed patients and assessed HCs. We applied the Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) to measure the severity of depression. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits to measure serum lysophosphatidic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine levels. Results We found no alterations of these parameters in serum levels of MDD patients compared to HCs. We also observed a significant positive correlation between LPA and LPC levels in MDD patients. Moreover, the present study showed no significant associations between target markers and either diagnosis of depression or Ham-D scores, or management of depression. Conclusion The present study suggests that LPA and LPC levels probably would not serve as potential biomarkers of MDD. Thus, we recommend further studies with large and more homogeneous populations to explore the exact relationship between serum lipids and MDD.

This book is about understanding the value of environmental services in South Asia. It provides an overview of different environmental problems in South Asia and examines how economic valuation techniques can be used to assess these problems. It brings together multiple case studies on valuation undertaken by economists and environmental scientists from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka under the aegis of the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). The book addresses the challenges of valuing environmental changes that are unique to developing countries. Each chapter starts with a description of an environmental problem and the valuation strategy used, followed by a discussion of estimation methods and results. It is designed to serve as a reference book for students, teachers, researchers, non-government organizations and practitioners of environmental valuation. Those interested in development and environmental economics, and natural resource management policies, will also find it useful.

The Gini Index suggests that income inequality is a highly prevalent phenomenon in Southeast Asia (The World Bank, 2012a). As Zaman and Akita (2012) points out, differentials in income is especially prominent in Bangladesh. Our article investigates which factors create differentials in income in Bangladesh. Using data from the Household Income Expenditure Survey published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, we estimated two separate models—one for daily wage and one for annual salary. We found that education, age (which was used as a proxy for labour market experience), gender and place of work significantly brought about differentials in daily wage rates. We also observed that all four of the above variables, along with different types of occupations, caused differentials in annual salary. We conclude by making several policy recommendations to address these findings.

There is no doubt that the adverse impacts of climate change will affect a large proportion of the world's population, especially in South Asia which is home to over 25% of the world's population. The vulnerability of the region is even greater because 33% of the world's poor live in this region (Alam and Rabbani 2007; World Bank 2017). However, for a country to fulfil the commitments made by the national government in the 2015 Paris Agreement (UNFCCC 2015), there is a need for coordinated action among all the stakeholders (government agencies, academia, the business organisations, and civil society organisations (CSOs). For coordination to occur, awareness and cooperation among stakeholders regarding the proposed Nationally Determined Contributions NDCs is essential (Averchenkova and Bass 2016). It is not self-evident that the NDC pledges of the six South Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) were decided based on a bottom-up approach or even well communicated by the government to all the stakeholders. It is also not clear if the pledges made by the governments match feasible sets of climate change mitigation actions by stakeholders in South Asia.

Community-based approaches are becoming increasingly widespread in climate change adaptation initiatives in developing countries. These approaches have been adopted in programs dealing with natural disasters, promoting sustainable agriculture, ensuring water and food security, and developing resilient livelihood solutions in climate vulnerable communities. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)and the principles of resilience offer additional tools to explore opportunities for integrative, cost-effective, and resource-efficient models of climate change adaptation. This chapter deconstructs key concepts and definitions related to community-based climate change adaptationand community resilience and presents an integrative framework to foster the development of locally relevant, culturally appropriate, and resource-efficient solutions.