Leveraging Assessment Information for Enhancing Professional Learning in Educational Contexts

This article endeavors to provide a conceptual exploration of the multifaceted utilization of assessment information to enrich the sphere of professional learning. Employing a methodical review of secondary sources such as scholarly journal articles, authoritative reports, and pertinent online resources, the study adopts a foundation of content and thematic analysis. The findings of this study underscore the cyclical nature of assessment, encapsulated within the plan-do-check-act paradigm, and emphasize the paramount significance of assessment information for the continuous development of educators. Moreover, a central revelation of this inquiry pertains to the indispensable role of systematically collected assessment information in bolstering the quality of education through informed and tailored professional learning initiatives within educational institutions

Unruptured left ventricular pseudoaneurysm following inferior wall myocardial infarction

Left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm is a rare but potentially lethal complication of acute myocardial infarction (MI). We report a very rare case of a 60 year-old woman with a ruptured myocardial wall, and a non-ruptured LV pseudoaneurysm. The patient presented with acutely worsening shortness of breath and exertional dyspnea of one month’s duration, and palpitation. She had an inferior wall MI nine months previously. Coronary angiography showed severe stenosis at right coronary artery. Echocardiography, LV angiography, and computed tomography angiography revealed a large pseudoaneurysm postero-inferior to the LV. Surgical resection of the pseudoaneurysm was performed and repair of the ruptured LV wall done, with good results. (Cardiol J 2012; 19, 5: 539-542

Local Values in Governance: Legacy of Choho in Forest and School Management in a Tamang Community in Nepal

The political modernization in Nepal accelerated since 1951 when the country changed its course owing to a popular movement that was acclaimed as the beginning of democracy in the country. However, the governments continued cultural and political homogenization.  This has been so in the case of local governance practices as well. Modern governing structures/institutions are guided by the state formed policies and elite-based power structures despite the fact that different ethnic groups in Nepal have their own traditional self-governance systems. In this context, this article unfolds the inheritance of traditional practices of the Tamang community (one of the major ethnic groups of Nepal), in a village, in the district adjoining Kathmandu valley, within the modern structures of governance of forest and school management systems. The paper argues that there is a legacy of the traditional institution, the Choho, though the system of Choho itself has now largely disappeared. This paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork, presents the accounts of Choho and examples of how the particular norms, values, beliefs, and practices are still in practice challenging and denying the modern/state formed mechanisms of governing the forests and schools in the village. The paper further argues that given the modern governance system, the traditional souvenir exchange practice that was rooted in the notion of honour and respect has now shifted towards the practice of giving and receiving gifts based upon the principle of reciprocal benefits that could be described as a bribe

Storability of sweet potato genotypes under ordinary ambient storage conditions

Saabunud / Received 26.04.2021 ; Aktsepteeritud / Accepted 30.08.2021 ; Avaldatud veebis / Published online 30.08.2021 ; Vastutav autor / Corresponding author: Prakash Bhattarai [email protected] study was carried out to evaluate the storage performance of sweet potatoes in different conditions under ordinary ambient temperature (10.11–17.49 °C) at Khumaltar, Lalitpur (1350 masl) district of Nepal from December, 20 to March, 13 during the years 2018/19 and 2019/20. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Tuberous roots of three sweet potato genotypes (CIP 440015, CIP 440267, and Local White) harvested at 4-month maturity were stored inside an ordinary room in dry sand, sawdust, thin jute sack, natural mud pot, and open crates (control). Data were taken on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th weeks of storage. The pooled results showed a significant effect of storage conditions on physiological loss in weight and rotting (%) of sweet potato genotypes. With the progression of the storage period, physiological weight loss (PLW) and rotting (%) were significantly increased in all treatments. At the 12th week of storage, the highest PLW was recorded in the tubers stored in open crates (70.2%) followed by natural mud pot (65.2%) whereas the lowest PLW was observed in tubers stored inside the dry sand (50.2%). Genotype CIP 440015 showed good storability with minimum PLW. No weevil infestation and sprouting were observed during the experimental period. The lowest percentage of tuber rotting was recorded in the genotype CIP 440015 (55.3%) and inside dry sand (48.7%) at the 12th week of storage while it was the highest up to 85.9% in CIP 440267. The highest rotting 76.7%) was recorded in thin jute bags which is statistically at par with natural mud pot (76.5%). The interaction effect of storage conditions and genotypes was found not significant. The results showed an increment in dry matter and reducing sugar content while the reduction in ß-carotene and starch content of tubers after 3 months of storage inside dry sand. There was positive and strong correlation of storage duration with dry matter (r = 0.750) and reducing sugar (r = 0.658) whereas, negative correlation with starch (r = –0.918) and ß-carotene (r = –0.352) content of sweet potato genotypes. The study concluded that sweet potato tuber can be kept for 8 to 10 weeks in dry sand with minimum postharvest loss in ordinary room condition and the genotype CIP 440015 has good storability among the tested genotypes in similar conditions

Ossifying fibroma of nasal cavity: A rare case report

Ossifying fibroma (OF) is considered a rare benign fibro-osseous lesion that occurs most commonly in female patients. It mainly involves the mandibular and maxillary bones, although in rare cases, it may develop within the nasal cavity. Here, we present a rare case report of OF of the nasal cavity in a 30-year-old female. OF is usually diagnosed by histopathological examination and treated by enucleation. However, larger lesions require radical resection

Variability of French Bean in the Western Mid Hills of Nepal

ABSTRACT Variability was studied among 18 exotic and indigenous French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes collected from research centers, agro-vets and traditional farming villages of the western hills of Nepal. The collected genotypes were field evaluated at the Agriculture Research Station, Malepatan, Pokhara at 848 m above sea level during the summer season of 2010 with the objectives to assess the variability in the exotic and indigenous genotypes and their potential for utilization in improvement programs. The results of the study showed that the variability was higher in adaptation, vegetative growth, floral and pod characteristics. The plant survival at harvest was higher in pole-type than in bush-type beans ranging from 97.92 to 54.17% with means of 83.71% and 79.80%, respectively. Bush-type beans were earlier in flowering than pole-type beans ranging from 32 to 174.33 d with a mean of 35.76 and 76.61 d, respectively. Pod length and width were higher in pole-type beans than in bush-type beans ranging from 20.45 to 7.67 cm in length and 33.53 to 7.37 mm in width. The variability indicated that the collected genotypes were distinctly different. The results revealed that the French bean genotype in the mid hills of Nepal is highly diverse and could be considered as the secondary center of genetic diversity. The diverse genotypes should be conserved and utilized for varietal improvement

Bacteriological profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of wound infections among adult patients attending Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal

Introduction: Wound infections are significant group of infections in the hospitals worldwide. The wide spread uses of antimicrobial agents lead to emergence of resistant pathogens contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Accurate and prompt antimicrobial therapy is required to reduce the complications. This study was aimed to investigate pyogenic bacterial pathogens and their susceptibility patterns. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital from July to December 2018. Wound specimens obtained from adult patients were inoculated onto appropriate media and pathogens were identified using standard microbiological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method following the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). Results: A total of 264 specimens were included in the study of which 167 (63.3%) were positive for bacterial growth. Of these, polymicrobial growth was observed in two specimens. Gram positive bacteria (119, 70.4%) were the leading cause of infections, Staphylococcus aureus (102, 85.7%) being the most dominant. Among the Gram negative pathogens (50, 29.6%), Escherichia coli (31,62%) was found to be the predominant followed by Pseudomonas aeurogenosa (10, 20%). Overall, the isolates were resistance to Ampicillin (90.7%), Amoxycillin (64.9%), Cloxacillin (68%), Ofloxacin (61.5%) and Cotrimoxazole (55.6%). Lesser rates of resistance were observed to Doxycycline, Erythromycin, Amikacin, Gentamicin and Imipenem. Conclusion: This study revealed the most common pathogens causing pyogenic wound infections in our setting. Again, these pathogens are resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Therefore, this study could be helpful to develop proper guidelines of antibiotics to be used for prophylactic and empiric treatment

Health System Capacity and Access Barriers to Diagnosis and Treatment of CVD and Diabetes in Nepal

Background: Universal access to essential medicines and routine diagnostics is required to combat the growing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Evaluating health systems and various access dimensions – availability, affordability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality – is crucial yet rarely performed, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: To evaluate health system capacity and barriers in accessing diagnostics and essential medicines for CVD and diabetes in Nepal. Methods: We conducted a WHO/HAI nationally-representative survey in 45 health-facilities (public sector: 11; private sector: 34) in Nepal to collect availability and price data for 21 essential medicines for treating CVD and diabetes, during May–July 2017. Data for 13 routine diagnostics were obtained in 12 health facilities. Medicines were considered unaffordable if the lowest paid worker spends >1 day’s wage to purchase a monthly supply. To evaluate accessibility, we conducted facility exit interviews among 636 CVD patients. Accessibility (e.g., private-public health facility mix, travel to hospital/pharmacy) and acceptability (i.e. Nepal’s adoption of WHO Essential Medicine List, and patient medication adherence) were summarized using descriptive statistics, and we conducted a systematic review of relevant literature. We did not evaluate medicine quality. Results: We found that mean availability of generic medicines is low (<50%) in both public and private sectors, and less than one-third medicines met WHO’s availability target (80%). Mean (SD) availability of diagnostics was 73.1% (26.8%). Essential medicines appear locally unaffordable. On average, the lowest-paid worker would spend 1.03 (public sector) and 1.26 (private sector) days’ wages to purchase a monthly medicine supply. For a person undergoing CVD secondary-prevention interventions in the private sector, the associated expenditure would be 7.5–11.2% of monthly household income. Exit interviews suggest that a long/expensive commute to health facilities and poor medicine affordability constrain access. Conclusions: This study highlights critical gaps in Nepal’s health system capacity to offer basic health services to CVD and diabetes patients, owing to low availability and poor affordability and accessibility. Research and policy initiatives are needed to ensure uninterrupted supply of affordable essential medicines and diagnostics

Adapting and piloting a social contact-based intervention to reduce mental health stigma among primary care providers:Protocol for a multi-site feasibility study

Stigma among primary care providers (PCPs) is a barrier to successful integration of mental health services in primary healthcare settings globally. Therefore, cross-culturally adaptable and feasible strategies are needed to reduce stigma among PCPs. This protocol is for a multi-site pilot study that aims to adapt and evaluate cross-cultural feasibility and acceptability of a social contact-based primary healthcare intervention in 7 sites in 5 low-and-middle-income countries. A mixed methods pilot study using an uncontrolled before-after study design will be conducted in China (Beijing, Guangzhou), Ethiopia (Sodo), India (Bengaluru, Delhi), Nepal (Syangja), and Tunisia (Testour). The intervention, entitled REducing Stigma among HealthcAre ProvidErs (RESHAPE), is a collaboration with people with lived experience of mental health conditions (PWLE), their family members, and aspirational figures (who are PCPs who have demonstrated high motivation to integrate mental health services). PWLE and their family members are trained in a participatory technique, PhotoVoice, to visually depict and narrate recovery stories. Aspirational figures conduct myth busting exercises and share their experiences treating PWLE. Outcomes among PCPs will include stigma knowledge, explicit and implicit attitudes, and mental healthcare competencies. To understand the feasibility, and acceptability of the intervention, qualitative interviews will be carried out with PWLE, family members, and aspirational figures, PhotoVoice trainers, mental health specialists co-leading the primary care trainings, and PCPs receiving mental health training. The sites will also generate evidence regarding feasibility, acceptability, recruitment, retention, fidelity, safety, and usefulness of the intervention to make further adaptations and modifications. The results will inform cross-cultural guidelines for collaboration with PWLE when conducting mental health training of primary healthcare workers. The results will be used to design future multi-site hybrid trials focusing on effectiveness and implementation