Impact of Fiscal Decentralization on Economic Growth in the Districts of Nepal

This paper focuses on the evolving pattern of fiscal decentralization and its impact on the growth of per capita GDP of the districts in Nepal. The dependent variable is the growth of the per capita district agricultural GDP, which is, used as a proxy for the annual growth of per capita district GDP growth. The revenue and expenditure indices have been used as the fiscal decentralization variables. The paper also uses a dummy variable for the Local Self Governance Act (LSGA) as a fiscal decentralization variable. From the various regressions, it is found that fiscal decentralization has positively influenced the per capita district GDP growth. The coefficient of fiscal decentralization variables and dummy variable for the LSGA are statistically significant and positive. The relationship is robust. It is conclude that, ceteris paribus, fiscal decentralization is supportive to district per capita GDP growth in Nepal

Can Gender and Major Explain College Students’ Performance in Business Statistics?

Recent discussions in education, industry, and government have focused on the need for growth and diversity in STEM fields. STEM education and practice directly contribute to the economic vitality of a nation and benefit its citizens. Yet, STEM education and employment growth seem lopsided concerning both gender and diversity. While researchers have studied various dimensions of this phenomenon, this paper seeks to add to the knowledge base by analyzing the effects of gender and college major on performance and attitudes in statistics-related courses. T-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression were used to investigate the effects of gender, major, and attitude on performance in business statistics courses. Results indicate that, in the business statistics course, there were no significant differences between the average score of male students and female students in 2 of 3 semesters. In the marketing research course, where similar statistical concepts as taught in the business statistics course were adopted, results were similar. However, there were differences in the students’ scores when their academic majors were considered. Findings from this study can contribute to developing effective and innovative pedagogical methodologies to teach statistics and related subjects

Damage Assessment of a Sixteen Story Building Following the 2017 Central Mexico Earthquake

The 2017 M7.1 Central Mexico Earthquake caused significant infrastructural damage in the Mexico City area. The earthquake contained a significant pulse in the long period, resulting in numerous buildings severely damaged or collapsed. This paper discusses a reinforced concrete building which was still partially occupied post-earthquake. The building’s interior walls were examined to have substantial damage, including some extensive cracking. In January 2018, the authors visited the structure and collected detailed assessment data. The data collection included ground-based lidar scans and recorded ambient vibrations of the damaged structure using accelerometers. Eleven scans were collected from the four exterior facades to create a three-dimensional point cloud of the building. The collected point cloud data were used to measure and quantify the permanent deformation of the structure at three corners as well as to generate depth maps of two parallel exterior walls. The measurements based on the lidar point cloud data are accurate with an error of 2 mm at 10 meters, enabling high resolute and accurate assessments. As for the accelerometers, one setup with sixty minutes of ambient vibrations data collection was performed. Twenty unidirectional accelerometers were installed on the basement, ground, second, fourth, eighth, tenth and roof floors at southwest and northeast corners to capture the torsional and translational acceleration structural response. The collected data can be used to perform system identification throughout operational modal analysis to demonstrate the dynamic and modal properties of the structures. Both the lidar and system identification sensing techniques provide essential input to establish and calibrate a detailed finite element model. The outputs are used to validate through the comparison of modal frequencies obtained in operational modal analysis method. Besides, the finite element model also provides a detailed response and insight to understand performance under future earthquakes

THE DRIVERS OF HOUSING PRICES AND THE IMPACT OF SCHOOLS: EVIDENCE FROM GEORGIA

This paper attempts to describe the drivers of housing prices in Cumming, Georgia, a rapidly growing suburban area in the southeast of the US. Data from123 single family homes were collected and analyzed using multiple regression methodology. The findings from correlation matrix indicate that the price of the house is positively associated with the number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, square footage of the house, the lot size, and the number of parking spaces available in the house, and negatively associated with the age of the house. The results from regression analysis suggest that number of bathrooms, square footage, parking spaces, and the dummy variables for Denmark High School, Forsyth Central High School, and North Forsyth High School are statistically significant predictors of the price of the house for Cumming, Georgia. Finally, about 80% of the variation in the prices of the houses is accounted for by our regression model. These findings may have important implications for decision-making by residents, real-estate agents, house buyers and sellers, financial institutions, policymakers, and scholars alike

Mental health issues in pregnant women in Nepal

Mental health of pregnant women and new mothers is a growing area of concern in both low- and high-income countries. This editorial highlights some of the key mental issues faced by women in rural Nepal and outlines an intervention based on training community health care workers by experienced UK volunteers

Nonpharmacologic Management of Orthostatic Hypotension in Older People : A Systematic Review. The SENATOR ONTOP Series

The research leading to these results was supported by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 305930 (SENATOR project). The sponsor did not play any role in the study design, methods, data collection and analysis, and preparation of the article.Peer reviewedPostprin

Invited perspectives: Mountain roads in Nepal at a new crossroads

In Nepal and many developing countries around the world, roads are vehicles for development for communities in rural areas. By reducing travel time on foot, opportunities are opened for quicker transportation of goods and better access to employment, education, health care and markets. Roads also fuel migration and numerous social changes, both positive and negative. Poorly constructed roads in mountainous areas of Nepal have increased erosion and landslide risk as they often cut through fragile geology, destabilizing slopes and altering local hydrological conditions, with costs to lives and livelihoods. The convergence of the newly constituted decentralized Nepali government with China's Belt and Road Initiative is likely to bring more roads to rural communities. The new provincial government administrations now have the opportunity to develop policies and practices, which can realign the current trend of poorly engineered, inefficient and hazardous road construction toward a more sustainable trajectory. This commentary provides an overview of some of the obstacles along the way for a more sustainable road network in Nepal and illustrates how good governance, development and landslide risk are intertwined. The opinion presented in this brief commentary lends little hope that Nepal's current pathway of unsustainable road construction will provide the country with the much-needed sustainable road network, unless checks and balances are put in place to curb noncompliance with existing laws and policies.</p

The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Nepal: Current Knowledge, Lacunae, and Opportunities

Nepal has an extreme altitudinal range from 60–8850m with heterogeneous topography and distinct climatic zones. The country is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with nearly a quarter of the land area located in protected areas. Nepal and the surrounding Himalayan region are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their abrupt ecological and climatic transitions. Tens of millions of people rely on the region’s ecosystem services, and observed and modeled warming trends predict increased climate extremes in the Himalayas. To study the ecological impacts of climate change in Nepal and inform adaptation planning, we review the literature on past, present, and predicted future climatic changes and their impacts on ecological diversity in Nepal. We found few studies focusing on organisms, while research on species and communities was more common. Most studies document or predict species range shifts and changes in community composition. Results of these few investigations highlight major lacunae in research regarding the effects of changing climate on species comprising the Himalayan biota. Further empirical work is needed at all levels of biological organization to build on information regarding direct ecological impacts of climatic changes in the region. Countries face an ever-increasing threat of climate change, and Nepal has strong physiographic, elevational, and climatic gradients that could provide a useful model for studying the effects of climate change on a mountainous, and highly biodiverse, area

Total and Methyl Mercury Contents and Distribution Characteristics in Cicada, Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius)

Total and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies, wings, and exuviae were investigated to study the mercury distribution characteristics. Results indicated that total and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies were 2.64 mg/kg and 123.93 ng/g on average, respectively. In cicada tissues, total mercury concentrations were found to increase in the order of exuviae (0.50 mg/kg on average) < wings (0.98 mg/kg on average) < cicada bodies (2.64 mg/kg on average) and methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies were 123.93 ng/g on average and were the highest. Methyl mercury concentrations accounted for about 4.69% of total mercury in cicada bodies and most mercury was in inorganic forms in cicada. Sex differences of total mercury concentrations were significantly great (F = 8.433, p < 0.01) and total mercury concentrations of the males, which were 3.38 mg/kg on average, were much higher. Correlation analysis showed that neither total nor methyl mercury concentrations of cicada bodies was significantly related to the corresponding contents of soil (r = 0.0598, p > 0.05)