Self-rating on Self-directed Learning: A Cross- Sectional Survey on a Cohort of Medical Undergraduates from Nepal.

Introduction: As medicine is an ever-changing field, it necessitates medical students to develop independent  learning skills for continuous learning process. Self-directed learning (SDL) is a learning strategy where students take the initiative to learn on their own. It is basically an independent study where the students use available resources and learn independently of the subject. Methods: This self-administered questionnaire study assessed five domains of SDL consisting of 60 items. The responses were made on a five-point Likert scale: from 5 = always to 1 = never. The level of self-directed learning was categorized as high, moderate and low if the scoring range was between 221-300, 141-220 or 60-140 respectively. Any student scoring in the range between 221 and 300 was considered an effective self- directed learner. Results: The present study found three out of four the students (74.7%, n=56) were active self-directed learners. However, one out of four students were half-way in becoming self-directed learners. Conclusion: SDL skill is crucial not only for the students but also for the clinicians in a complex learning process for continuous advancement of knowledge in medical profession. The findings of the present study showed that majority of the students were effective self-directed learners. The effectiveness of SDL process can be accomplished if the students are encouraged and motivated during Problem Based Learning (PBL) sessions. Identifying the factors that spark interest amongst the students to learn on their own can be achieved by active feedback sessions

Dynamic Model of Back-to-Back Converter for System-Level Phasor Simulation

The power system is expected to evolve rapidly with the increasing deployment of power electronic interface and conditioning systems, microgrids, and hybrid AC/DC grids. Among power electronic systems, back-to-back (BTB) converters can be a powerful interface to integrate microgrids and networked microgrids. To study the integration of such devices into large power systems, a balance between power electronics model fidelity and system-level computational efficiency is critical. In system-level simulations of bulk power systems dominated by synchronous generators, detailed electromagnetic models of back-to-back converters may be unnecessary and also computationally inefficient. This paper focuses on developing a simple phasor model for back-to-back converters that can be easily integrated into powerflow solvers to facilitate large-scale power system simulations. The model is implemented using C$^{++}$ language and integrated into GridLAB-D, an open source software for distribution systems studies, as a potential new capability. The GridLAB-D phasor domain model is validated against the electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation of the detailed switching model. Simulation results show that the phasor model successfully captures the dominant dynamics of the converter with significantly shorter simulation elapsed time

Traditional methods for vegetable and grain storage in Leh district of trans-Himalayan Ladakh

Cold, arid and high-altitude regions of Ladakh are exceptionally unique in the world and are characterized by extreme temperature variation, thin atmosphere with high UV radiation and less oxygen availability. Cultivation is not viable in Ladakh during the winter due to sub-zero temperatures, resulting in a severe shortage of fresh vegetables and an unbalanced diet. To combat the scarcity of fresh vegetables during the region's harsh winters, farmers have developed low-cost traditional methods for storing vegetables such as potato, cabbage, onion, radish, carrot, and grains such as wheat and barley that are compatible with the region's ecological and socioeconomic conditions. Indigenous knowledge and techniques are extremely valuable in the daily lives of Ladakh natives. In this study every traditional storage method been investigated from Leh district of U.T Ladakh. Hilly areas suffer various climate issues in the present scenario; thus, it is critical to promote the traditional strategy for sustainable agriculture and food security. This study discusses prevalent storage structures of Ladakh region such as Pang-Nga, Sadong, Tsodbang for keeping vegetables like potato, radish, carrot, cabbage, and grains. Charches, Thingches, and khygches method especially designed for winter storage of onions.

Simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of the TeV Blazar Mrk 421 during February - March 2003: X-ray and NIR correlated variability

In the present paper, we have reported the result of simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of the TeV blazar Mrk 421 during February $-$ March 2003. In this period, we have observed Mrk 421 using Pachmarhi Array of \v{C}erenkov Telescopes (PACT) of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at Pachmarhi, India. Other simultaneous data were taken from the published literature and public data archives. We have analyzed the high quality X-ray (2-20 keV) observations from the NASA Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). We have seen a possible correlated variability between X-ray and J band (1.25 $\mu$) near infrared (NIR) wavelength. This is the first case of X-ray and NIR correlated variability in Mrk 421 or any high energy peaked (HBL) blazar. The correlated variability reported here is indicating a similar origin for NIR and X-ray emission. The emission is not affected much by the environment of the surrounding medium around the central engine of the Mrk 421. The observations are consistent with the shock-in-jet model for the emission of radiations.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for Publication in ChJA

Democratic Middle Ground in Nepal: A Perspective from the North American Nepali Diaspora

The call of our time is to safeguard the accomplishments of the 1990 Peoples Movement, to restore sovereignty to the people, and to work towards the middle ground to resolve the nation\u27s core problems. History teaches us that recognizing, adopting and adhering to the middle path takes much vision and courage. The natural instinct is to stick to one\u27s own interpretation of the world (usually based on narrow self-interest) and to shun ideas and individuals that require a moderation of one\u27s views. However, success in politics and statecraft, more so than in any other area of human affairs, is hinged to the middle ground in a way that ultimately requires friend and foe to migrate sufficiently towards each other so that the peoples\u27 business can move forward and flourish. We urge all political forces in Nepal to recognize that great achievements in the affairs of nations come about when leaders practice the art of compromise. There is no dishonor for Nepal\u27s monarch and political leaders if they follow the path of the likes of Gandhi, Nehru and Mandela.\u2

Perception and practices of menstruation restrictions among urban adolescent girls and women in Nepal: a cross-sectional survey

Background Menstruation, a natural biologic process is associated with restrictions and superstitious beliefs in Nepal. However, factual data on women’s perspectives on menstrual practices and restrictions are scarce. This study aimed to assess socio-cultural perceptions of menstrual restrictions among urban Nepalese women in the Kathmandu valley. Methods Using a clustered random sampling, 1342 adolescent girls and women of menstruating age (≥15 years) from three urban districts in the Kathmandu valley completed a survey related to menstrual practices and restriction. This was a cross-sectional survey study using a customized program allowing pull-down, multiple choice and open-ended questions in the Nepali language. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of 13 demographic questions and 22 questions related to menstruation, menstrual hygiene, socio-cultural taboos, beliefs and practices. Univariate descriptive statistics were reported. Unadjusted associations of socio-cultural practices with ethnicity, education, four major social classes, three major religions, marital status and family type were assessed using logistic regression models. Results More than half (59%) of the participants were aged between 15- < 25 years. The majority were Hindus (84.5%), reported not praying during menstruation (83.1%) and were encouraged by their mothers (72.1%) to practice a range of menstrual restrictions. Purifying either the kitchen, bed, bedsheets or other household things on the fourth day of menstruation was reported by 66.1% of the participants, and 45.4% saw menstruation as a “bother” or “curse.” There were differences among social classes, where participants of the Janajati caste, an indigenous group, were more likely to enter places of worship [OR (95%CI): 1.74 (1.06–2.86)] and pray [OR (95%CI): 1.79 (1.18–2.71)] while menstruating, compared to the Brahmins. Participants with a master’s degree were more likely to pray while menstruating, compared to participants with less than a high school education [OR (95%CI): 2.83 (1.61–4.96)]. Conclusion This study throws light on existing social discriminations, deep-rooted cultural and religious superstitions among women, and gender inequalities in the urban areas of Kathmandu valley in Nepal. Targeted education and awareness are needed to make changes and balance between cultural and social practices during menstruation

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

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Not AvailableBiological informatics’ abbreviated to Bioinformatics, uses a massive number of computational approaches for the analysis, management and storage of vast range of biological data. The number of in-silico approaches is helping in generating and analysing the tuber crop data for the crop production enhancement and disease management by sequence alignment and analysis, drug discovery, gene-pathogen interaction and dynamic simulation. Here, in this article we have given a short glance at the role of bioinformatics in tuber crop improvement as well as given some databases containing specific tuber crops related genomic level information.Not Availabl