Linking Agriculture Research Extension Education and Farmer (Areef) In Local Level: Municipal Perspectives

Purpose: The main research issue of study is to identify the nature of existing linking mechanisms among AREE institutions at municipality level affecting the agriculture service delivery. Study also focused to explore the possibilities of university-community engagement to strengthen the linkage gaps. Design/Methodology/Approach: Convergent parallel mix methods design along with systematic review was employed to attain the study objective. Ten observation of service delivery embedded with KIIs were conducted in five Rural-Municipalities and five Municipalities. The theoretical framework was discussed to improve the current linkage interface at local level Findings: The literature from systematic review showed, top-down research and extension management, fragmented research, extension, and academic institutions, lower perception of the value of linkage, poor infrastructure of basic services, absenteeism of human resource, and with inadequate competencies were the main causes of weak research, extension, education, and farmer linkages at the local level. Implications/Originality/Value: The paper discussed and conceptualize various linkage modalities that are being practiced over the country must be contextualize based on the characteristics of agriculture research, extension and education institutions existing and working in municipalities

Unlocking the Origin of Superior Performance of a Si–Ge Core–Shell Nanowire Quantum Dot Field Effect Transistor

The sustained advancement in semiconducting core–shell nanowire technology has unlocked a tantalizing route for making next generation field effect transistor (FET). Understanding how to control carrier mobility of these nanowire channels by applying a gate field is the key to developing a high performance FET. Herein, we have identified the switching mechanism responsible for the superior performance of a Si–Ge core–shell nanowire quantum dot FET over its homogeneous Si counterpart. A quantum transport approach is used to investigate the gate-field modulated switching behavior in electronic current for ultranarrow Si and Si–Ge core–shell nanowire quantum dot FETs. Our calculations reveal that for the ON state, the gate-field induced transverse localization of the wave function restricts the carrier transport to the outer (shell) layer with the p_<i>z</i> orbitals providing the pathway for tunneling of electrons in the channels. The higher ON state current in the Si–Ge core–shell nanowire FET is attributed to the p_<i>z</i> orbitals that are distributed over the entire channel; in the case of Si nanowire, the participating p_<i>z</i> orbital is restricted to a few Si atoms in the channel resulting in a smaller tunneling current. Within the gate bias range considered here, the transconductance is found to be substantially higher in the case of a Si–Ge core–shell nanowire FET than in a Si nanowire FET, which suggests a much higher mobility in the Si–Ge nanowire device

Perceptions and experiences of the public regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: a qualitative study using phenomenological analysis

Objectives Perceptions of people regarding COVID-19 influences their health behaviour in terms of seeking public health services. This helps the government in planning appropriate public health strategies. Therefore, this study intends to explore the perceptions of people towards COVID-19 and their experiences during the pandemic in Nepal. Design, setting and participants This qualitative study was conducted among the public in Kathmandu, Kanchanpur, Bajura and Jhapa districts of Nepal. Eight focus group discussions and 40 in-depth interviews were conducted by using a maximum variation sampling method. Results The findings were organised into the following themes: General understanding of COVID-19, Disease prevention, Source of information and misconceptions, Expectation and challenges; and Personal and societal consequences of COVID-19, social distancing and lockdown. There was a good general understanding among respondents about COVID-19, personal preventive measures and population-level strategies. They responded that the use of masks, sanitisers, handwashing and proper lockdown would help to prevent the disease. The respondents acknowledged the vital role of media in increasing awareness. Participants also expressed concerns over the misleading news spread by some media. The lack of social interaction, isolation and loss of income were raised as pertinent issues by the participants as potentially leading to psychological consequences. Health workers and public both raised concerns over inadequate Personal Protective Equipment, under-prepared health system, unorganised public quarantine centres, and public violation of lockdown Conclusions This study reports participants’ views on disease prevention measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, adhering to physical distancing, and using personal protective equipments. Additionally, it illuminates the confusion among public due to conflicting public health messages from different sources of information which was deemed as misleading by the participants. This research sheds light on people’s perspectives and experiences that can inform population-targeted policies in the future