Scope and challenges of mushroom production and their mitigations in Nepal: A review

This review paper aims to discuss and compile information regarding various scopes, challenges, and mitigating measures of mushroom cultivation in Nepal. Overall information on mushroom cultivation comprising its status, scope, and problems is vital for bringing positive change in this sector. Different secondary sources of information were reviewed and analyzed including journals like Elsevier and Springer. In Nepal, the production of mushrooms has increased about 8.23 times over a decade until 2020. Nepal is blessed with a range of ecosystems that really are ideal for mushroom production. Different mushroom species have been commercially cultivated in different parts of Nepal. Mushroom production can be used as an alternative source to overcome food and nutrition security problems and eventually leads to the livelihood improvement of people in developing countries like Nepal. The study revealed that mushrooms can be used to fight several diseases with their nutritional and medicinal properties. The demand for mushrooms is increasing nowadays more than ever. With the implementation of various measures with proper coordination and planning, mushroom cultivation can be proliferated. As a result, the mushroom industry has a lot of potentials to help the country's socioeconomic transition. Nepal can capitalize on this opportunity by enacting appropriate and concrete national mushroom policies and programs

Accuracy of point of care ultrasound in the diagnosis of long bone fractures in the emergency department.

Introduction: Long bone fractures account for a significant portion of injuries in the emergency department (ED). This study aimed to determine the accuracy of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) compared to x-ray in the diagnosis of long bone fractures in the ED. Method: This cross-sectional study assessed 147 patients presenting to the ED of Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), with suspected long bone fractures, from Oct 2021   through Jun 2022. In all patients, POCUS examination was done by emergency fellows and then standard plain x-ray was performed. Data were analyzed by SPSS 28.0 to determine sensitivity and specificity. Result: A total of 147 patients were included in the study. Compared with x-ray, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of POCUS in determining fractures was found to be 86%, 98.96%, 97.72% and 93.2%, respectively. Based on bone injured, the highest sensitivity and specificity were obtained with forearm fractures, which was equal to 97.22% and 100%, respectively. Based on age categorization, the highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) were obtained in pediatric age group i.e. up to 16 years. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that POCUS has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of long bone fractures, compared to x-ray

A review on soilless cultivation: The hope of urban agriculture

The cultivation of plants without using soil as a rooting medium is known as soilless farming. Depending on the requirement and type of crop, there are several soilless systems, including hydroponic, aeroponic, vertical farming, and others. The rate at which megacities are growing is worrying. As a result, urban agriculture needs to undergo a revolution in order to address the problem of food scarcity and hunger. These significant quantitative and qualitative food concerns can be solved by soilless farming in urban environments. In greenhouses and tunnels, about 3.5% of the world's crops are produced utilizing soilless, hydroponic farming methods. People who reside in deserts, the arctic, and other difficult-to-farm places can build up hydroponic farms. Since there is no soil, there are fewer insects and weeds. Vegetables, fruits, flowers, and medicinal plants are among the crops grown in soilless or hydroponic systems. Growth media is used in soilless culture methods in place of soil. As growth media, inorganic or organic substrates (barks, coconut coir, coconut soil, fleece, marc, peat) are used. Aquaponics in Nepal has a promising future because it is still in its early phases and is expected to thrive and expand well. As a result, a variety of crops are produced year, increasing income. Soilless cultures are thought of as a recently found approach to agricultural development, yet they are extremely difficult to put into practice

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

Collaborative exploration and collection of native plant genetic resources as assisted by agrobiodiversity fair

This article describes the agrobiodiversity fair aided exploration and collection expedition of native plant genetic resources in southern Lalitpur, jointly organized by the National Agriculture Genetic Resources Centre (NAGRC) and Group of Helping Hands (SAHAS) Nepal. In-district one-day agrobiodiversity fairs were organized in February and December month of 2019, altogether two times, and these agrobiodiversity fairs were used as a tool to explore plant genetic resources found in Bagmati and Mahankal Rural Municipalities of Lalitpur district. To collect these explored genetic resources during agrobiodiversity fairs, the joint field expedition, key informant survey, diversity rich farmers discussion was used as a collection tool. The present study explored, inventoried, collected and conserved 148 accessions of 44 crop species, the highest number (18 accessions) was of chayote followed by 10 accessions each of soybean, cowpea and maize and 9 accessions of common bean. Collections are generally new and unique. Many landraces, mostly from rice (13 landraces) were identified as extinct from the surveyed areas and few are under extinction mainly due to attraction of farmers to new high yielding varieties. The collected species with orthodox seeds were tested for germination ability and those that passed a minimum of 85% germination, were preserved in seedbank of NAGRC. NAGRC plans to characterize these accessions in the coming seasons depending upon the season of crop growing. The current expedition collected eight species for which mode of propagation is vegetative or those for which seed storage behavior falls under intermediate mode. NAGRC has been started expanding field genebank coverage using these accessions

Linkages among forest, water, and wildlife: a case study from Kalapani community forest in Lamahi bottleneck area in Terai Arc Landscape.

Forest and water are important entities for sustaining life on earth. In a terrestrial ecosystem, linkages between the entities creates a mosaic benefiting the wildlife by creating the suitable habitat. In turn, communities get benefits stemming up from ecosystem services such as fodder, fuelwood, and water. We present a case study from a forest restoration project to assess the linkages between forest, water and wildlife across Lamahi bottleneck area in Terai Arc Landscape. We used combination of surveys such as forest area and canopy cover change (2001-2016) analysis followed by household questionnaire, water hole, camera trapping including process documentation. Forest area has increased by ~20 km2 in last 16 yrs. followed by number of water spouts along the identified tributaries. Water spouts are conserved in the form of conservation pond by the communities living downstream and utilized in the vegetable farming. Communities have benefited financially (~ US$ 1,252) contributing to their income level from the sale of fresh season vegetables in nearby market. Camera trap survey including the assessment of historical records showed presence of wildlife including elephant, hyena and other small carnivores in and around bottleneck forest. Both, motivation and enthusiastic support from local communities followed by the conducive government policies led to improve condition of natural resources over the period. This has also created a mosaic habitat for wildlife forming functional connectivity along the linear Terai Arc Landscape

Anticipatory anti-colonial writing in R.K. Narayan's Swami and Friends and Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable

This article uses the term “anticipatory anti-colonial writing” to discuss the workings of time in R.K. Narayan’s Swami and Friends and Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable. Both these first novels were published in 1935 with the support of British literary personalities (Graham Greene and E.M. Forster respectively) and both feature young protagonists who, in contrasting ways, are engaged in Indian resistance to colonial rule. This study examines the difference between Narayan’s local, though ironical, resistance to the homogenizing temporal demands of empire and Anand’s awkwardly modernist, socially committed vision. I argue that a form of anticipation that explicitly looks forward to decolonization via new and transnational literary forms is a crucial feature of Untouchable that is not found in Swami and Friends, despite the latter’s anti-colonial elements. Untouchable was intended to be a “bridge between the Ganges and the Thames” and anticipates postcolonial negotiations of time that critique global inequalities and rely upon the multidirectional global connections forged by modernism

From Moscow with love

One of the less researched aspects of postcolonial India’s “progressive” culture is its Soviet connection. Starting in the 1950s and consolidating in the 1960s, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics invested in building up “committed” networks amongst writers, directors, actors, and other theater- and film-practitioners across India. Thus, an entire generation of cultural professionals was initiated into the anticolonial solidarity of emerging Afro-Asian nations that were seen, and portrayed, by the Soviets as being victims of “Western” imperialism. The aspirational figure of the New Soviet Man was celebrated through the rise of a new form of “transactional sociality” (Westlund 2003). This paper looks at selected cases of cultural diplomacy—through the lens of cultural history—between the USSR and India for two decades after India’s Independence, exploring the possibility of theorizing it from the perspective of an anticolonial cultural solidarity that allowed agency to Indian interlocutors

Developmental Patterns of Doublecortin Expression and White Matter Neuron Density in the Postnatal Primate Prefrontal Cortex and Schizophrenia

Postnatal neurogenesis occurs in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus, and evidence suggests that new neurons may be present in additional regions of the mature primate brain, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Addition of new neurons to the PFC implies local generation of neurons or migration from areas such as the subventricular zone. We examined the putative contribution of new, migrating neurons to postnatal cortical development by determining the density of neurons in white matter subjacent to the cortex and measuring expression of doublecortin (DCX), a microtubule-associated protein involved in neuronal migration, in humans and rhesus macaques. We found a striking decline in DCX expression (human and macaque) and density of white matter neurons (humans) during infancy, consistent with the arrival of new neurons in the early postnatal cortex. Considering the expansion of the brain during this time, the decline in white matter neuron density does not necessarily indicate reduced total numbers of white matter neurons in early postnatal life. Furthermore, numerous cells in the white matter and deep grey matter were positive for the migration-associated glycoprotein polysialiated-neuronal cell adhesion molecule and GAD65/67, suggesting that immature migrating neurons in the adult may be GABAergic. We also examined DCX mRNA in the PFC of adult schizophrenia patients (n = 37) and matched controls (n = 37) and did not find any difference in DCX mRNA expression. However, we report a negative correlation between DCX mRNA expression and white matter neuron density in adult schizophrenia patients, in contrast to a positive correlation in human development where DCX mRNA and white matter neuron density are higher earlier in life. Accumulation of neurons in the white matter in schizophrenia would be congruent with a negative correlation between DCX mRNA and white matter neuron density and support the hypothesis of a migration deficit in schizophrenia