مطالب

Background: Carrying capacity assessment is an important component of maintaining sustainability in the tourism sector. All the concerns in tourism are linked to the number of tourists that visit a particular spot. The study area has beautiful landscapes in the cold desert ecosystem as well as Buddhist distinctiveness, which attracts mass tourism. Nowadays, tourism development has introduced concerns about sustainability and establishing standards for tourist destination capabilities.Objectives: The present study aims to analyze the following objectives: 1) To assess the physical carrying capacity (PCC), real carrying capacity (RCC), and effective carrying capacity (ECC) of selected tourist spots in Nako village and 2) To calculate the parking capacity of the monastery.Methodology: The methods specified in the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) were used to measure the carrying capacities of particular tourist destinations in Nako. Three-level techniques were applied to assess the physical (28161 persons), real (4162 persons), and effective (2968 persons) carrying capacities.Results: Results indicate that ECC is the most suitable for the estimation, and the current situation of tourism is underexploited in the study area.Conclusion: There are very small to large types of systems found in Nako, and these systems also support different types of activities. Tourism is a highly practiced activity, and it has environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts. They are dependent on different parameters and also vary with the changing nature of the interaction. It is found that the present status of tourism activity in the study area is highly underexploited vis-a-vis it carrying capacity.

Purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disorder associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. It is often characterized by elevated liver enzymes, such as AST, ALT, and ALP, which are biomarkers of liver injury. Exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), has been shown to improve liver function by reducing these enzyme levels. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 6-week HIIT protocol on liver enzyme levels (AST, ALT, and ALP) in obese individuals with NAFLD. Method: This quasi-experimental study involved 20 obese participants diagnosed with NAFLD. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=10) and a control group (n=10). The experimental group participated in a HIIT protocol for 6 weeks, while the control group maintained their usual lifestyle. Blood samples were taken before and after the intervention to measure serum AST, ALT, and ALP levels. Data analysis was conducted using paired t-tests and independent t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention values within and between groups, respectively. Results: The experimental group showed a significant reduction in AST (p = 0.01), ALT (p = 0.03), and ALP (p = 0.04) after the intervention. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the control group for any of the enzymes (p > 0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed significant differences in enzyme levels post-intervention (p = 0.03 for AST, p = 0.04 for ALT, and p = 0.05 for ALP). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that HIIT may be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for improving liver function in obese individuals with NAFLD. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm the long-term effects of exercise on liver enzymes in this population.