Effects of Incubation Temperature on Nanomechanical Properties of β-Lactoglobulin Amyloid Fibers

Amyloid fibrils constitute a class of highly ordered nanomaterials formed by aggregates of the protein. Although The irreversible fibril formation of various proteins is related to the disorders like Alzheimer’s diseases, Creutzfeldt-Jacob and many more, amyloid fibrils have also been noticed in many physiologically beneficial roles such as in adhesive and hormone storage. Here, we compare the stiffness and structural properties of the amyloid fibers examined by the statistical approaches of single molecule atomic force microscopy images of heat-denatured β-lactoglobulin fibrils at different incubation time period (24, 48, and 72 hours). We demonstrate the gradual decrease in stiffness of the fibril with time without any change in dimension of each monomer

Midline Household Survey Results: Rupandehi, Nepal

This report summarizes the main findings from the household midline survey conducted in seven villages of the district of Rupandehi, one of CCAFS site, in Nepal in July 2019. The household survey revisited the 135 households of the 2012 CCAFS baseline survey and used the same standardized household survey tools. The Open Data Kit (ODK) software was used for the data collection. The results show that the majority of households in Rupandehi produce a variety of crops, among which rice, wheat and mustard. Many farmers also rear livestock such as cows, buffalo, chicken, oxen and goat. All members of the family typically engage in the on-farm agricultural work but men are more likely to be also involved in off-farm activities. Households members derive their income from a variety of sources, the main one being payments from the government or other projects/programs. This is followed by remittances and income from businesses as the main alternative income sources for many households. Moreover, most of the farmers have made changes in their agricultural practices since the baseline. Many have introduced higher-yielding crop varieties or have stopped keeping one or more types of animals on the farm. In terms of food security, the majority of the households surveyed in Rupandehi district are food secure throughout the entire year. The households mostly obtain their food directly from their farms. However, some of the households purchase food from other sources, especially during the month of June, July and August. Most farmers are small landholders, almost 75% of the households’ land sizes are marginal (< 1 ha), followed by a minority of smallholders owning between 1 and 2 ha of land. 98% of the households indicated buying seeds and inorganic fertilizers whereas 95% of households reported the purchase of pesticides and insecticides. 70% of households also recorded the purchase of veterinary medicine. According to the survey, television, cell phone and bicycle are the most common assets in the area. Internet access is also common in many households. Women are mostly involved in crops cultivation, mainly vegetables and cereals along with rearing livestock. The farmers have shifted towards higher-yielding and better-quality varieties of rice, and wheat. The survey findings indicate that farmers are well aware of agricultural innovations and tend to use new crop varieties

Creating Brand for CoreFinland Ltd

The research aims to build brand for a small-sized company namely CoreFinland Ltd. Herein, the main objective of this research is to create CoreFinland as a brand in b-to-b customers’ context. This broader milestone is achieved by studying the case company’s brand identity and brand image issues. The first part of this research makes a comparative study of varieties of relevant litera-ture from different writers. The theories discuss b-to-b brand relevance and extend to the major study areas: brand identity and brand image. This is a qualitative research, carried out by using semi-structured interviews with the company personnel in order to find out the brand identity and with the business customers to reveal the current com-pany image. The revealed image is contrasted with the identity and, finally, a suitable identity for the company is suggested. The study reveals that the company’s brand image among the customers corresponds only moderately with the company’s brand identity because of lack of brand communi-cation, an insufficient product range and insufficient customer care. Further, the re-search suggests a suitable brand identity by considering customers’ perceptions and the company objectives. The study reveals that CoreFinland’s core identity needs to be related to its organizational associations of being healthy and environmentally friendly, and service associations of having professional and friendly customer care, and quick and effective delivery. In addition, its extended identity needs to be a young and dy-namic Finnish company with healthy and luxurious products, passionate workers and having a good contact with retailers and wholesalers. The findings of this study allow CoreFinland to understand its current company image and provide valuable insights to the company to create a suitable brand identity

Clinico-histopathological analysis of orbito-ocular lesions: a hospital-based study

Introductions: Preoperative diagnosis of orbital and ocular lesions is necessary for optimum treatment. The study aims to analyze the histomorphological spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions and to evaluate the need of ancillary techniques for confirmation of diagnosis. Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study of orbito-ocular surgical biopsy samples obtained in the Department of Pathology, at Birat Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal during one-year period was analysed for clinical and histopathological findings. Demographic data, site and tissue type, benign or malignant, recommendations for special stains and immunohistochemistry panel study were analysed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results: Out of 185 total samples, male to female ratio of 1.1:1, age ranged from ten month to 82 years, 11-20 year age group had 39 (21.1%) orbito-ocular lesions and cornea-conjunctiva was involved in 104 (56.2%). Clinical diagnosis correlated well with histopathological diagnosis, p&lt;0.001. The non-neoplastic, benign and malignant lesions were 36.7%, 33.5% and 29.7% respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was seen in 28 (50.9%) of malignant lesions followed by sebaceous carcinoma 7 (12.7%). The special stains and immunohistochemistry panel was recommended in 38 (20.5% and 21 (11.3%) cases respectively. Conclusions: Findings suggest the clinical and histopathological diagnosis correlated well in diagnosis of a wide spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions. Keywords: ancillary techniques, clincio-pathological correlation, immunohistochemistry, orbito-ocular lesions, squamous cell carcinom

Climate Investment Plan for the Agriculture Sector: A Decision Support Tool for Scaling up Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Gandaki Province, Nepal

Gandaki Province is centrally located in Nepal with most of its area being hills and high hills (64%). There are 11 districts in Gandaki Province with one metropolitan city, namely, Pokhara; 26 municipalities and 58 rural municipalities. Gandaki Province contributes about 9% to the GDP of the whole country. In terms of agriculture production, Gandaki Province is food deficit and relies on other provinces for the supply of pulses, fruits, vegetables, and livestock products. Of the total area of the province, 24% of the land area is cultivable; around 24% of the cultivable land is fallow land (117,076 ha), which remains a great challenge for the upcoming days in terms of food production and enabling food security in the province. The prevalent climate is varied in the province starting from the plains of Nawalpur to the high Himalayas of Manang and Mustang. The highest maximum temperature has been recorded in Kaski district (30.7°c) and lowest minimum temperature has been recorded in Manang district (-4.6°c) over the time period 1971 to 2014. Similarly, the highest annual precipitation has been recorded in Kaski district (2,710.5 mm) while the lowest annual precipitation has been recorded in Mustang district (257.8 mm). Varied climatic risks are prevalent in Gandaki Province such as temperature and rainfall risk, ecological risk, flood, landslide, drought and Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk. Lamjung district is very highly prone to the combined risk index of all these risks. Similarly, Gorkha, Tanahun, Manang, Myagdi, Parbat and Baglung districts are highly prone to the combined risk index. The Nepalese economy is highly dependent on the agriculture and forestry sector which contributes around 33% of the national GDP. Agriculture is climate sensitive, which makes the Nepalese economy vulnerable to climatic variability. Although Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to erratic climate phenomenon, Nepal’s contribution to greenhouse emissions is negligible. Food production and food security are of high concern in the changing climatic scenario as compared to land availability at individual household level. In the Nepalese context, food security is of high importance; despite the fact that agriculture is still subsistence in nature. Food production in these changing climatic/socio-economic situation and people’s access to food are the key indicators of food security. Thus, adoption of CSA technologies at farmers’ field level is of immense importance in order to mitigate the ill effects of climate change while ensuring food production and food security. The Climate Investment Plan (CIP) has been designed as a decision-making tool for agricultural investment in terms of adoption of climate smart agricultural (CSA) technologies. It will act as a yard stick to the government and policy makers to calculate how much investment is needed for attaining certain levels of crop production, thereby enhancing the livelihood of the farming society. Adoption of CSA technologies is expected to improve food production, increase agricultural income, increase technical efficiency of inputs used, enhance climate change adaptation, and produce a low environmental footprint. With the changing weather conditions, decreased farm production and productivity it is of prime necessity to enhance crop/livestock production in the Nepalese context. Adoption of CSA technologies by farming communities is the most appropriate way to do this. CIP will act as a document to guide government authorities to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate agricultural investment targeted to enhance agricultural/livestock production via adoption of CSA technologies. The Climate Investment Plan has been methodologically divided into five steps: The first two steps consist of the formation of a climate risk matrix and risk-CSA matrix. The climate risk matrix was formed at district level to identify climatic risks pertaining to individual crop/livestock. Similarly, the risk-CSA matrix contains the potential CSA technologies addressing the climate risk for each crop/livestock at district level. These two steps help in the identification of climate risk pertaining to each crop/livestock commodity and potential CSA options. Thirdly, cost of cultivation was calculated for normal production and along with CSA technologies with the help of experts. This data was analyzed using Excel Solver in the fourth step and climate investment was carried out in the fifth step. Crop specific CSA technologies were selected from Excel Solver analysis, an Excel based commonly used optimization technique, and a certain area was allocated for cultivation which in general maximized the production/income while minimizing GHG emissions and human labour use in agricultural operations. Individual CSA technologies in each crop/livestock component was treated as a single treatment i.e., no bundling of technologies. Each CSA technology were treated as a single component while looking at the production, productivity and income generation. In the case of rice, a system of rice intensification (SRI), alternate waiting and drying (AWD), improved varieties, effective nutrient management, direct seeded rice (DSR), use of farm yard manure (FYM), and normal rice cultivation were the CSA technologies recommended/identified from the expert’s consultation (representing NARC, DoA and MoALD). Similarly, in wheat production, ICT, minimum tillage, improved varieties, nutrient management and normal production systems were identified. Likewise, different CSA technologies were identified for maize, lentil, black gram, potato, tomato, cole crops, apple, banana, mango, sweet orange, and mandarin orange. In the case of livestock - cow, buffalo, goat and fish were selected and cost benefit was analyzed. Due to lack of cost of production data for these livestock components from government sources, experts in their respective fields were used for the purpose. Gandaki Province needs to invest in seed, fertilizer, mulching materials, pesticide and micronutrients as required for crop commodity production. Investment in building infrastructure i.e., irrigation facilities, can be a long term investment by the provincial government. Similarly, crop/livestock insurance schemes should be a yearly strategic programme in the province. The Climate Adaptation Investment Plan has been developed mainly after considering the input supply needed while adopting the CSA technologies. Provincial government is recommended to provide a 25%, 15% and 5% subsidy on the input cost for the first three years of implementing the plan. From the 4th year onwards, the provincial government should make proper arrangements for collateral/interest free loan to the farming communities via proper channels. The investment amount has been calculated based on CSA technology and districts selected for each crop items. Crop and district specific (selected districts) investment should be done to augment agricultural production/productivity in the province. For livestock production, we lack official data on cost and return and the estimates done in this report are based on experts’ judgement and knowledge. Unlike crops/fruits/vegetables, CSA technologies are very specific in the case of livestock production. In the case of buffalo milk production, high yielding breeds in both the Terai and hill regions are expected to give higher returns from the investment. Similarly, for cow milk, high yielding breeds are expected to give higher return on the investment. Regarding goat farming, high yielding goat breeds need to be introduced in the Nepalese situation to make goat farming a lucrative agri-business. Fish farming can be promoted to make Nepalese fish production enough to feed the population. Rainbow trout is best suited to the cold running water in the hill regions of Nepal. Similarly, polyculture of Carps, Catfish, Pangas and other fish can be produced across both the Terai and hill regions. As the present study is based on secondary data sources and experts’ consultation, the results generated from this study are prone to errors but maximum diligence has been given to make the results more authentic and pragmatic. The investment portfolio generated in this study is based on CSA technologies that are/can be relevant to Gandaki Province. No socio-economic and gender perspective study has been carried out to validate the CSA technologies at farmer level. The present study has generated investment at district/ province pertaining to specific crop commodities. Authentic data from credible sources is required at municipal/rural-municipal/ward level to estimate the investment required at these levels

Technical Paper Session I-B - CIGSeS and CIGS2 Thin Film Solar Cells on Flexible Foils for Space Power

The objective of the research is to develop flexible, lightweight, radiationresistant, high-specific-power, highly efficient CuIn1-xGaxSe2-ySy (CIGSeS) and CuIn1- xGaxS2 (CIGS2) thin-film solar cells for space electric power. The near optimum bandgap, potential for higher specific power, and superior radiation resistance make this technology an ideal candidate for space electric power. The superior radiation resistance of CIGSeS thin-film solar cells relative to the conventional silicon and gallium arsenide single-crystal cells in the space radiation environment would extend mission lifetimes substantially. The conventional rigid Si and GaAs cells must be folded in an accordion style for deployment space. This can cause problems of opening up and folding of the solar array as has happened recently with the International Space Station. On the other hand, the flexible solar cells and modules can be packaged and rolled out more easily. The stainless steel and titanium foil substrate materials are capable of withstanding high temperatures required for preparing good quality CIGSeS absorber layer. They also do not sag easily and hence do not require rigidizing as is the case with plastic sheet substrates. The CIGSeS absorber film is prepared by selenization/sulfurization of DC magnetron sputter-deposited CuGa, In metallic precursors on 10 cm x 10 cm metallic foil substrate coated with molybdenum back contact layer. CdS heterojunction partner is deposited by chemical bath deposition. Transparent and conducting bilayer of intrinsic ZnO and aluminum doped ZnO:Al is deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. Cells are completed by depositing Ni/Al front contact fingers by thermal evaporation. The sputtering technique utilized in the preparation of solar cells provides an added advantage of facilitating easy scale-up of the laboratory size cells for economic large-area manufacture by the roll-to-roll process. Chemical composition, crystallographic structure and morphology of CIGSeS thin films are analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The photovoltaic properties of completed cells are studied by measurement of current-voltage characteristics and quantum efficiency. Best efficiencies of 10.4% under AM 1.5 conditions and 8.84% under AM 0 conditions were achieved on small-area CIGS2 thin-film solar cells

Communicating Climate Smart Agriculture to the Stakeholders: Impact of LI-BIRD/CCAFS Travelling Seminars in Climate Smart Villages of Nepal : An Impact Assessment Report

This report presents the findings of an assessment of the impact of travelling seminar (TS) organized by Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD)/Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) under the Climate Smart Village (CSV) project in Nepal. The travelling seminar impact assessment aimed at assessing the effectiveness of travelling seminar and to what extent the participants, especially the municipal and provincial level women leaders were able to internalize and apply the seminar learning to advocate and influence municipal and provincial level policies, plans and programmes for integrating climate smart agricultural technologies and practices. The assessment was carried out during 10-17 September 2019 at Bardibas (Mahottari district), Kawasoti (Nawalpur district) and Pokhara (Kaski district) with the involvement of mixed group of men and women representing the Federal House of Representatives, Province 2 Assembly and Gandaki provincial assembly, municipalities, and civil society organizations. Focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interview (KII) were applied during the assessment. Results shows that the travelling seminar serves as an effective mechanism to share and learn about the technologies and practices through direct observation and to understand the real problems at community level through interaction with the users and beneficiaries. The travelling seminar is an important tool and method to influence local and provincial level policies, programmes and plans for scaling up of climate smart agricultural technologies and practices across Nepal

Performance Assessment Of Thin-Film Photovoltaic Modules In Hot And Humid Climate Of Florida

Limitations of accelerated testing to predict all possible degradation modes and mechanisms in the photovoltaic (PV) modules necessitate actual outdoor monitoring and testing of PV modules to be carried out in the field. Thin film PV modules from leading US PV manufacturers are being tested at Florida Solar Energy Center with goals to assess their performance in the hot and humid climate and to correlate the PV performance with the solar irradiance, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, etc. Statistical data analysis is carried out on a daily basis and on a month to month basis with PVUSA type regression analysis. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of modules arrays taken on a regular basis complement the results obtained with continuous data monitoring. Such analysis would be helpful in predicting any significant degradation well in advance. Stable performance of PV module arrays over an extended period of time can provide basis for providing warrantees. Any loss of performance would indicate that the processes used for manufacturing of those specific production batches need to be reviewed and improved as necessary

Genetic Variability and Correlation Coefficients of Major Traits in Early Maturing Rice under Rainfed Lowland Environments of Nepal

Genetic variability is the fundamental requirement of any crop breeding program to develop superior cultivars. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic variability and find out the correlation among the different quantitative traits of rainfed early lowland rice. The experiment was conducted consecutively two years during 2015 and 2016 in wet season across the four different locations in Regional Agricultural Research Station, Khajura, National Wheat Research Program, Bhairahawa, National Maize Research Program, Rampur, and National Rice Research Program, Hardinath, along the Terai region of Nepal representing subtropical agroclimate. Seven genotypes including Hardinath-1 as standard check variety were evaluated in the randomized complete block design with three replications. Various quantitative traits were measured to investigate the variability and correlation coefficients. All the genotypes and locations showed significant variations for all the traits considered. Genotypic coefficient of variation was lower than phenotypic coefficient of variation for all traits studied. The magnitudes of genotypic coefficient of variations were relatively higher for grain yield, 1000-grain weight, and days to heading. The highest broad sense heritability of 94% was recorded in days to maturity and the lowest heritability of 16% was observed in plant height. Positive and highly significant correlations were found both in genotypic and phenotypic levels between days to heading and days to maturity (rg=0.9999 ⁎⁎, rp=0.997 ⁎⁎), days to heading and grain yield (rg =0.9999 ⁎⁎, rp= 0.9276 ⁎⁎), and days to maturity and grain yield (rg =0.9796 ⁎⁎, rp=0.9174 ⁎⁎). However, negative and highly significant genetic correlation was observed between plant height and 1000-grain weight (rg = -0.9999 ⁎⁎). Thus results indicated that days to heading, days to maturity, grain yield, 1000-grain weight demonstrating higher heritability and remarkable genetic advance could be considered the most appropriate traits for improvement and selection of trait to achieve stable and high yielding early rice genotypes under rainfed environments

Value chain analysis of arabica coffee (Coffea arabica l.) in Arghakhanchi district of Nepal

AbstractA field survey was conducted during February–May 2022 in Chhatradev rural municipality and Sitganga municipality with the purpose of analyzing the existing value chain of arabica coffee in Arghakhanchi district of Nepal. A sample size of 110 arabica coffee growers, comprising 55 from each municipality, was selected by using three-stage sampling method for interviews that used a pretested questionnaire. To study the value addition and trading aspects, six collectors and pulper operators and two secondary processors were selected. Descriptive statistics was applied to analyze the data. Input suppliers, producers, collectors, pulper operators, secondary processors, traders, and consumers were identified as key players in the coffee value chain. NTCDB, NARC, CDC, AKC, Coffee Zone, Primary Coffee Cooperatives, Central Coffee Cooperative Union Limited, NCPA, financial institutions, and certification agencies were identified as the enabling environment providers in the value chain. The findings showed that the gross margin of one kg each of fresh cherry production, dry parchment production, green bean production, and coffee powder production was NRs. 26.06, NRs. 92.83, NRs. 107.7, and NRs. 215.06, respectively. Value addition from producers to primary processors was NRs. 109.8 per kg, and the value addition from primary to secondary processors was NRs. 445.6 per kg. Similarly, the value addition from secondary processors to consumers was NRs. 480.58 per kg. The research area’s value chain structure or network was determined to be brief and straightforward. Therefore, it is advised to adopt cutting-edge processing and packaging methods to improve the competitiveness of Nepali coffee in the market