A Generalized Inflated Geometric Distribution

A count data that have excess number of zeros, ones, twos or threes are commonplace in experimental studies. But these inflated frequencies at particular counts may lead to over dispersion and thus may cause difficulty in data analysis. So, to get appropriate results from them and to overcome the possible anomalies in parameter estimation, we may need to consider suitable inflated distribution. In this thesis, we have considered a Swedish fertility dataset with inflated values at some particular counts. Generally, Inflated Poisson or Inflated Negative Binomial distribution are the most common distributions for analyzing such data. Geometric distribution can be thought of as a special case of Negative Binomial distribution. Hence we have used a Geometric distribution inflated at certain counts, which we called Generalized Inflated Geometric distribution to analyze such data. The data set is analyzed, tested and compared using various tests and techniques to ensure the better performance of multi-point inflated Geometric distribution over the standard Geometric distribution. The various tests and techniques used include comparing the parameters obtained through method of moment estimators and maximum likelihood estimators. The two types of estimators obtained from method of moment estimations and maximum likelihood estimation method, were compared using simulation study, and it is found after the analysis that the maximum likelihood estimators perform better

Instability of black hole formation under small pressure perturbations

We investigate here the spectrum of gravitational collapse endstates when arbitrarily small perfect fluid pressures are introduced in the classic black hole formation scenario as described by Oppenheimer, Snyder and Datt (OSD) [1]. This extends a previous result on tangential pressures [2] to the more physically realistic scenario of perfect fluid collapse. The existence of classes of pressure perturbations is shown explicitly, which has the property that injecting any smallest pressure changes the final fate of the dynamical collapse from a black hole to a naked singularity. It is therefore seen that any smallest neighborhood of the OSD model, in the space of initial data, contains collapse evolutions that go to a naked singularity outcome. This gives an intriguing insight on the nature of naked singularity formation in gravitational collapse.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, several modifications to match published version on GR

Economics of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production and marketing in Darchula district of Nepal

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a popular root vegetable that is grown all over the world. Potato production is popular in Nepal because of its greater adaptability, high yield potential, and high demand, contributing 6.57 percent to AGDP and 2.17 percent to GDP. In Nepal, it is grown on 197,037 hectares (ha) with a yield of 13.13 metric tons per hectare and a total production of 2,586,287 metric tons. The major objective of our research was to analyze the economics and marketing state of potatoes in Api-Himal rural municipality Darchula, Nepal where a survey on potato production and marketing was conducted. A total of 60 households were randomly sampled and interviewed as the primary source of information for the research. For the residents of Api-Himal RM, there are few options for sustenance and revenue generation. The area is ideal for potato farming, and potato trading has a direct impact on rural communities' livelihoods. The B/C ratio was found to be 1.62 in the research area. The average cost of potato production was Rs. 2,67,319 while the average return was Rs. 4,32,804. The research focuses on the marketing and production of potatoes from the growers to the final customers. Low yield, insect and disease infestation, and a lack of government support are among the issues. To promote the production and marketing of potatoes, availability of improved technology, an extension of technical knowledge, efficient management of marketing channels and substantial financial support by the government as well as local bodies are recommended

Selective activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in dopaminergic neurons of Substantia nigra leads to nuclear translocation of p53 in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-treated mice

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Activation of the mixed lineage kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) has been reported in models of PD. Our focus was to discern whether distinct pathways were activated in cell-specific manner within the SNpc. We now demonstrate the selective phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase within the dopaminergic neurons, whereas JNK activation occurs predominantly in the microglia. p38 activation results in downstream phosphorylation of p53 and increased p53 mediated transcription of Bax and Puma in the ventral midbrain. Treatment with p38 inhibitor, SB239063 protected primary dopaminergic neurons derived from human progenitor cells from MPP+ mediated cell death and prevented the downstream phosphorylation of p53 and its translocation to the nucleus in vivo, in the ventral midbrain. The increased staining of phosphorylated p38 in the surviving neurons of SNpc in human brain sections from patients with PD and in MPTP treated mice but not in the ventral tegmental area provides further evidence suggesting a role for p38 in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons of SNpc. We thus demonstrate the cell specific activation of MAP kinase pathways within the SNpc after MPTP treatment emphasizing the role of multiple signaling cascades in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease. Selective inhibitors of p38 may therefore, help preserve the surviving neurons in PD and slow down the disease progression

Regional variation in pig farmer awareness and actions regarding Japanese encephalitis in Nepal : implications for public health education

The objective was to explore regional variations in farmer awareness and actions towards Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Nepal; the association of awareness and actions with farm and farmer variables; and the implications for public health education and extension services. Social factors such as literacy, gender, and cultural practices were associated with farmer attitudes, knowledge and practices for JE control. The low uptake of vaccine and lack of infrastructure or financial capacity to house pigs adequately suggest that farmer personal protection should be a priority for education. JE is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease with pigs as the amplifying hosts