2015 Nepal earthquake: seismic performance and post-earthquake reconstruction of stone in mud mortar masonry buildings

This report is an outcome of the analysis of data and information related to the damage and post-earthquake reconstruction of residential buildings, collected during the field survey by the authors, in light of 2015 Nepal earthquake sequence

ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries.

This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors

STRUCTURAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR LOAD BEARING MASONRY SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Many school infrastructures around the world have poor seismic performance exposing millions of school children to significant seismic risk. School facilities also serve as shelters for communities during disasters. Many of these school buildings were constructed long before the development of seismic design practices and in developing countries, school buildings are still being built locally without any seismic design. Moreover, unreinforced masonry construction, using brick, stone, mud etc., is rather vulnerable to earthquakes. Thus, it is important to understand the seismic performance of masonry school buildings, and then to seismically strengthen them to stand stronger during destructive seismic actions. For the seismic vulnerability analysis, a comprehensive structural classification is crucial for grouping the school buildings into distinct structural typologies. This paper focuses on the development of a globally applicable structural classification system for load bearing masonry (LBM) school buildings, as a first step towards the seismic vulnerability analysis and strengthening strategy selection for risk reduction of school buildings at regional level. A number of seismic vulnerability parameters specific to masonry school buildings (such as load bearing wall type, building height, diaphragm flexibility etc.) are identified for the development of a comprehensive structural classification system which collectively result in a taxonomy string for a building structure unique to each building type. Finally, the application of this classification system to identify index buildings in each typology of LBM school buildings for the seismic vulnerability analysis at regional level is presented

GLOSI taxonomy: A tool for ‘seismic risk assessment’ oriented classification of school buildings

For the seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of school infrastructure in a region, it becomes necessary first to identify and classify these constructions into a distinct number of structural typologies characterised by their vulnerability features. This enables us to rank the expected vulnerability of different typologies at the initial screening stage as well as to characterise the representative index buildings of different typologies for detailed vulnerability quantification. Currently, a systematic and comprehensive taxonomy tailored for the school buildings is not available. The present paper thus develops a globally applicable structural taxonomy to be used in the seismic risk assessment of school infrastructure within the framework of the Global Program for Safer Schools (GPSS) of the World Bank. Application as well as verification of the proposed taxonomy is tested to a range of school construction types from different countries across the world

Entrepreneurial Behaviour of the Agriculture Students-A review

The present study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the entrepreneurial behavior of college students. The study identified various personal and situational factors that may affect entrepreneurial behavior. The results showed that personality traits, such as openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness, had a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial behavior. Specific motivational traits, such as entrepreneurial self-efficacy, internal locus of control, and risk-taking propensity, were also significant predictors of entrepreneurial behavior. Situational factors, such as entrepreneurship education, were found to have a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial behavior, with entrepreneurial self-efficacy playing a key mediating role in this relationship. Attitudes towards entrepreneurship were found to be a significant driver of entrepreneurial intention, with perceived desirability and feasibility, as well as perceived individual and collective efficacy, also significant predictors of entrepreneurial intention. Sustainable entrepreneurial intention was found to be influenced by attitude towards the behavior variable, with subjective norms playing an indirect role in mediating this effect. Overall, the study suggests that personal traits, such as personality and motivational factors, as well as situational factors, such as education and attitudes towards entrepreneurship, are significant predictors of entrepreneurial behavior. These findings have important implications for educators and policymakers who seek to promote entrepreneurial behavior among college students. Future research should continue to explore the complex relationships between personal and situational factors and entrepreneurial behavior to further enhance our understanding of this important phenomenon. &nbsp

Resilient communities through safer schools

Access to education is a basic human right. It is the 4th of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and education is strongly associated with poverty reduction. Providing facilities to educate children requires construction of school buildings and rapid expansion of curricula. However, in the rush to fulfil the right to education, are children being put at risk? What attention is being given to structural safety during the construction of new school facilities? The growing consensus among stakeholders is that public school infrastructure in developing countries worldwide is particularly susceptible to natural hazards. This highlights a compelling need for developing and implementing effective, integrated, and ‘ground-real’ strategies for assessing and radically improving the safety and resilience of schools across those countries. To this aim, the paper explores two main issues: effectiveness at scale and the relevance of multiple hazard effects on the resilience of school infrastructure. Specifically, the paper first discusses the challenges associated with the World Bank Global Program for Safer School (GPSS) and the development of its Global Library of School Infrastructure (GLOSI), highlighting the issues associated with producing a tool which can be effective at scale and support nationwide risk models for school infrastructure across the world, so that fairness and relevance of investment can be achieved. This is followed by the illustration of a number of specific tools developed by the authors to expand the risk prioritization procedures used for seismic hazard, to other hazards such as flood and windstorm and to quantify the reduction in seismic fragility obtained by implementing specific strengthening strategies. Rapid visual survey forms, a mobile app, a multi-hazard risk prioritization ranking, and numerical fragility relationships are presented and their application discussed in relation to a case study in the Philippines. The proposed tools represent a first step toward a detailed multi-hazard risk and resilience assessment framework of school infrastructure. The aim is to allow stakeholders and decision-makers to quickly identify the most vulnerable structures among the surveyed stock, to guide more detailed data collection campaigns and structural assessment procedures, such as analytical vulnerability approaches, and ultimately to plan further retrofitting/strengthening measures or, if necessary, school replacement/relocation

Pressure-Induced Instability Characteristics of a Transient Flow and Energy Distribution through a Loosely Bent Square Duct

Due to widespread applications of the bent ducts in engineering fields such as in chemical, mechanical, bio-mechanical and bio-medical engineering, scientists have paid considerable attention to invent new characteristics of fluid flow in a bent duct (BD). In the ongoing study, a spectral-based numerical technique is applied to explore flow characteristics and energy distribution through a loosely bent square duct (BSD) of small curvature. Flow is accelerated due to combined action of the non-dimensional parameters; the Grashof number Gr (=1000), the curvature δ (=0.001), and the Prandtl number Pr (=7.0) over a wide domain of the Dean number 0 < Dn ≤ 5000. Fortran code is developed for the numerical computations and Tecplot software with Gost Script and Gost View is used for the post-processing purpose. The numerical study investigates steady solutions (SS) and as a result, a structure of six-branches of SSs composed of 2-to 6-vortex solutions is obtained. Then oscillating behavior with flow transition is discussed by obtaining time-dependent solutions followed by power-spectrum analysis. Results show that the trend of unsteady flow (UF) undergoes in the sequence ‘steady-state→multi-periodic→steady-state→chaotic →multi-periodic→chaotic’, if Dn is increased. Asymmetric 2-to 4-vortex solutions are obtained for UF. Convective heat transfer (CHT) is then examined obtaining temperature gradients and energy contours, and it is found that CHT is significantly enhanced by the secondary flow (SF). The present study reveals that the role of secondary vortices over heat transfer (HT) is highly significant and HT occurs substantially for the chaotic solutions. Finally, for the interest of validation, the present numerical result is compared with the previously published experimental outcomes, and a good agreement is remarked

Exploring synergies and trade-offs among the sustainable development goals: collective action and adaptive capacity in marginal mountainous areas of India

Global environmental change (GEC) threatens to undermine the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Smallholders in marginal mountainous areas (MMA) are particularly vulnerable due to precarious livelihoods in challenging environments. Acting collectively can enable and constrain the ability of smallholders to adapt to GEC. The objectives of this paper are: (i) identify collective actions in four MMA of the central Indian Himalaya Region, each with differing institutional contexts; (ii) assess the adaptive capacity of each village by measuring livelihood capital assets, diversity, and sustainable land management practices. Engaging with adaptive capacity and collective action literatures, we identify three broad approaches to adaptive capacity relating to the SDGs: natural hazard mitigation (SDG 13), social vulnerability (SDG 1, 2 and 5), and social–ecological resilience (SDG 15). We then develop a conceptual framework to understand the institutional context and identify SDG synergies and trade-offs. Adopting a mixed method approach, we analyse the relationships between collective action and the adaptive capacity of each village, the sites where apparent trade-offs and synergies among SDGs occur. Results illustrate each village has unique socio-environmental characteristics, implying distinct development challenges, vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities exist. Subsequently, specific SDG synergies and trade-offs occur even within MMA, and it is therefore crucial that institutions facilitate locally appropriate collective actions in order to achieve the SDGs. We suggest that co-production in the identification, prioritisation and potential solutions to the distinct challenges facing MMA can increase understandings of the specific dynamics and feedbacks necessary to achieve the SDGs in the context of GEC

Prevalence of cardiovascular health risk behaviors in a remote rural community of Sindhuli district, Nepal

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is emerging as a public health menace among low and middle income countries. It has particularly affected the poorest. However, there is paucity of information about CVD risk factors profile among Nepalese rural communities where the majority of people live in poverty. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of cardiovascular health risk behaviors in an outback community of Nepal. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in Tinkanya Village Development Committee (VDC), Sindhuli between January and March, 2014. Total 406 participants of age 20 to 50 years were selected randomly. Data were collected using WHO-NCD STEPwise approach questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS V.16.0 and R i386 2.15.3 software. RESULT: The mean age of participants was 36.2 ± 9 years. Majority of participants (76.3%) were from lower socio-economic class, Adibasi/Janajati (63.1%), and without formal schooling (46.3%). Smoking was present in 28.6%, alcohol consumption in 47.8%, insufficient fruits and vegetables intake in 96.6%, insufficient physical activity in 48.8%; 25.6% had high waist circumference, 37.4% had overweight and obesity. Average daily salt intake per capita was 14.4 grams ±4.89 grams. Hypertension was detected in 12.3%. It had an inverse relationship with education and socio-economic status. In binary logistic regression analysis, age, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and daily salt intake were identified as significant predictors of hypertension. CONCLUSION: Present study showed high prevalence of smoking, alcohol consumption, insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, daily salt intake, overweight and obesity and hypertension among remote rural population suggesting higher risk for developing CVD in future. Nepalese rural communities, therefore, are in need of population-wide comprehensive intervention approaches for reducing CVD health risk behaviors