A Ricardian analysis of the climate change impact on Nepalese agriculture

This paper applies Ricardian approach to measure the effect of climate change on crop production in Nepal using cross-section data of Nepal Living Standard Survey 2003/04 and climate data from Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Nepal. The study examines the relationship between net farm revenue and climate variables using 656 households of 14 districts covering all climatic zones of Nepal. Net farm revenue is regressed on climate and socio-economic variables. The findings show that these variables have significant impact on the net farm value per hectare. More specifically, relatively low precipitation and high temperature seem to have positive impact on net farm income during the fall and spring seasons. Net farm income is likely to be increased by summer precipitation, but not by temperature. Marginal impacts are mostly in line with the Ricardian model, showing marginally increasing precipitation during summer and winter would increase net farm income, but reduce by the quarter terms and temperature of these seasons. Moreover, marginally increasing precipitation would increase farm income in the hilly region, but reduce in Terai region. Other variables such as ratio of irrigated farm land and obtaining credit are found to be positive impact on net farm value but not by farm size. Conclusively, the impact of climate change on agriculture seems to be varied with the temperature and precipitation in different climatic zones.climate change, agriculture, Ricardian approach, marginal impact, Nepal

Ethnobotanical Studies on Some Lower Plants of the Central Development Region, Nepal

Forty-eight lower plants used by the local communities of the villages of the Central Development Region, Nepal are reported based on a field survey. Local people have remarkable detailed knowledge of species identity, characteristics and their specific uses. At present, some species are under serious threat due to habitat destruction and over exploitation indicating urgent need of documentation and conservation of the useful plants and their habitats

Plant diversity and Ethnobotanical notes on tree species of Syabru Village, Langtang National Park, Nepal

In the course of the survey of the useful plants of Nepal, 25 tree species belonging to 20 genera representing 17 families have been documented with their indigenous uses from the Syabru village and adjoining areas of the Langtang National Park, Nepal. At present, these useful plants and their habitats are under serious threat due to anthropogenic pressure. In this paper, an attempt has been made to enumerate these plants with their present status and local traditional knowledge as well as practices and to recommend some strategies for integrated management of the useful species and their habitats

Ethnomedicinal Plants Used Against Skin Diseases in Some Villages of Kali Gandaki, Bagmati and Tadi Likhu Watersheds of Nepal

The paper enumerates the traditional uses of 73 plant species belonging to 62 genera representing 47 families, which are used by the village communities of Kali Gandaki, Bagmati, and Tadi Likhu watersheds of Nepal for the treatment skin diseases. Some of useful species are under serious threat due to unsustainable activities. Hence, a proper documentation of useful plants with their present status and local traditional knowledge as well as practices is urgently needed. Effort should also be initiated to implement appropriate conservation measures for preservation and sustainable uses of these useful species

Determining the Interruption of Services While Performing V2I Communication Using the SPMD Prototype

The use of Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle to Roadside Unit (V2R) and Vehicle to Other (V2X) communications are increasingly applied over existing and upcoming transportation means by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and other federal agencies. From previous statistical data, these technologies would primarily avoid or mitigate vehicle crashes and would provide more safety, mobility and various other benefits on the roads (“Traffic Safety Facts 2012,” 2013; “Traffic Safety Facts 2013” 2014). During the communication processes between vehicles, infrastructures and roadside units’ various sensitive data such as positions and speed of the vehicles, are transmitted which are currently highly vulnerable. These facts are generated from this research experiment results performed on the provided data sets from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). An interference to the vehicular communications is possible by intentional or unintentional malicious users or other elements which puts drivers at greater risk with the upcoming vehicular technology. Moreover, different agencies and private companies are utilizing collected data from the USDOT to improve the operational volume of roads and services while avoiding accidents. They are also trying to provide other third-party Internet-based services to the consumers based on the live streaming information. This research paper gives a detailed description of all aspects of the vehicular communications protocol (i.e. DSRC, CA, 802.11p protocol, smart infrastructure, etc.). This research paper will provide details of all identified security features (i.e. encryption methods, certificate management, physical securities, data management lifecycles, etc.) that have been applied to these mechanisms to protect the safety of drivers (Cronin, 2013). The USDOT has currently approved the implementation of a 5.9 GHz band, along with the 802.11p standard wireless protocol for dedicated short-range communications used in vehicular communication (Shankland, 2014). This research paper will also provide details of current standards and regulations which will be in effect for the upcoming vehicular technologies in the future in the US along with the susceptibilities to the interruptions of services. Finally, this research will utilize the actual data sets compiled using the actual safety pilot model deployment (SPMD) provided by the UMRTI researchers. The analysis of these results will validate that this protocol is susceptible to interference during communications. This will be shown by plotting the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates and thus demonstrating the occurrence of gaps within communication (i.e. interference to the vehicular communication) in the existing SPMD prototype data sets

Machine-Learning and Meta-Analysis Techniques to Quantify and Predict Soil Organic Carbon, N\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eO-N and CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e-C Emissions in Cover Crop Systems

People worldwide are challenged by multiple threats including climate change, growing populations, and soil degradation. Addressing these challenges requires understanding of the local environment, farming systems and modern technologies. These technologies include new ways to process information that include artificial intelligence, machine learning and meta-analysis. Models produced using these technologies may be useful for predicting the consequences of implementing conservation practices that reduce GHG emissions as well as for determining the carbon footprint of cropping systems that include environmentally friendly conservation technologies such as growing cover crop. Therefore, our objectives of this study were to: 1) provide an overview of conservation agriculture technology as strategy to minimize soil degradation, climate change challenges, and food insecurity issues in developing countries like Nepal, 2) conduct global meta-analysis to quantify the impact of cover crops as one of conservation agriculture technique, on soil organic carbon (SOC) and crop yield in a corn (Zea mays L.) cropping system and 3) assess different machine learning based algorithms to predict the daily N2O-N and CO2-C emission from a decomposing rye (scientific name of rye) cover crop. For the first objective, historical data analysis indicated that air temperatures in Nepal have been increasing since 1901 at a rate of y 0.016 oC yr-1, whereas precipitation has been decreasing at a rate of -0.137 mm yr-1. Increasing air temperature, when combined with decreasing precipitation, are interacting to reduce crop growth and yield, diminishing Nepal’s food security. We proposed conservation agriculture practices such as planting cover crop as farmer and environment friendly approach to mitigate and adopt the climate change impact and enhance food security. In second objective, I used meta- analysis approach to measure the effect of cover crop on SOC values in corn at a global scale. During the meta-analysis, data from 62 globally published peer reviewed literature showed that cover crops in the corn production system increased SOC by an average of 7.8%. The SOC increased at rates of 0.46 and 0.80 Mg/ha/year at the 0-15 and 0-30 cm soil depths respectively, due to cover crop planting. To meet the third objective, several different machine learning prediction models were tested, which included multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least square regression (PLSR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and artificial neural network (ANN), on daily N2ON and CO2-C emission data which were measured from a decomposing cover crop in 2019 and 2020 at Aurora, SD, USA. Each models’ performance was accessed using coefficient of determination (R2) (higher values close to one were deemed ‘best’), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE), where lowest values were ‘best’. Out of all models, the RF model accounted for 73% and 85% of the variability explained in N2O-N and CO2-C emissions, respectively. Across the three objectives, we found that new analysis approaches such as machine learning and meta-analysis can be used to determine the carbon footprint and prediction of GHG emission from conservation agriculture practices such as planting cover crops

Open Reduction of Complex Metacarpo-phalangeal Joint Dislocations

The metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint is resistant to injury due to its strong capsuloligamentous structures, which include the volar plate, deep transverse metacarpal and collateral ligaments. Complex MP joint dislocations are, by definition, irreducible by closed means and require open reduction, as the volar plate becomes entrapped between the metacarpal head and proximal phalanx. Two cases of isolated closed & one case of open complex dislocation of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the three different fingers are presented. Such dislocations require open reduction, and the dorsal approach is simple and effective

EFFECTIVENESS OF SEISMIC BEARINGS ON A TYPICAL ISOLATED TWO-COLUMN RC BRIDGE PIER LOCATED IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI

The 2020 ASCE infrastructure report card has assigned a letter grade of D- for bridges in Mississippi based on poor to fair condition ratings with many approaching the end of their useful service lives. Bridges in northern Mississippi lie up to 100 miles from the New Madrid Fault and fall into the Region 3 Seismic Performance Category defined by AASHTO. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of commercially available bridge bearings on a common bridge pier type used in northern MS under the combined action of superstructure gravity and lateral seismic loads. The use of bearings as seismic isolation devices to limit the inelastic deformations in bridge substructures is a common practice in high seismic regions (Region 4) but their benefits in moderate ones (Region 3) have not been fully explored in MS. Analytical formulations under lateral load at the bearing levels are first used in the study to characterize modal characteristics and response of the bearing/pier subsystem idealized as a 2DOF oscillator. Effective linear properties of the bearing/pier system defined based on AASHTO provisions are used to determine expected overall behavior. Non-linear pushover analysis is then performed of an existing two-column pier recently designed to satisfy AASHTO criteria. The pier is modeled as a frame using beam and link elements available in a commercial finite element software (SAP2000). The analysis is used to capture the plastic hinge formation sequence, damage limit states in potential hinge locations, and the overall frame response up to the formation of a collapse mechanism. Lastly, non-linear time history analysis is performed using the software to obtain lateral deck/pier displacement histories in the transverse direction. The effectiveness of two common isolation bearings (laminated rubber and disc type) in isolating the pier from the deck motion and reducing the base shear is then demonstrated

Current approaches to soft contact lens handling training – Global perspectives

Purpose All neophyte contact lens wearers require training on how to handle contact lenses. Currently, almost no published information exists describing the most common approaches used by those involved in such training in soft contact lens wearers. This study aimed to gather information on the approaches taken by those conducting this training worldwide. Methods An online survey was created in English and translated to Spanish and distributed internationally via social media, conference attendees, and professional contacts. The anonymous survey included information on workplace setting of respondents, information about the typical approaches used for application and removal of soft contact lenses, length of the appointment, and success rate with their approach. Survey responses were received between May 2021 and April 2022. Results A total of 511 individuals completed the survey and responses were received from 31 countries with 48.7% from the UK. The most common approach taught for application was to have the patient hold the upper eyelashes (84.7%) and to hold the lower eyelid with the same hand as the lens (89.4%). Lenses were applied directly to the cornea by 57.7% of the respondents. The most common approach taught for lens removal was to drag the lens inferiorly from the cornea prior to removal (49.3%). Most respondents did not use videos to aid the teaching appointment (62.0%); however, they felt that their approach was successful in most cases (90). Application and removal training sessions lasted a median of 30 min and contact lenses were typically dispensed after the instructor witnessing successful application and removal three times. Conclusion Various methods are adopted globally for training of application and removal of soft contact lenses, with many advising a patient-specific approach is required for success. The results of this survey provide novel insights into soft contact lens handling training in clinical practice

A Segmental Fracture of Humerus with Ipsilateral Forearm Fracture

Introduction: Simultaneous segmental humerus fracture with ipsilateral forearm is an uncommon injury and scarcely mentioned in the literature. Case report: We present a case report on such a complex injury in a 9-year old child after falling down from the first floor of his house while playing. The injury pattern consist of ipsilateral supracondylar fracture humerus with distal humerus  and ipsilateral distal forearm fracture. Open reduction and pinning of the both injuries was obtained. Conclusion: Ipsilateral multiple fractures in children often result from high energy trauma and are associated with complications. Immediate reduction and fixation is required. If satisfactory reduction cannot be achieved by closed technique, open reduction should be considered to avert additional soft tissue injury and forthcoming complications