Evaluation of Onion Genotypes for Growth and Bulb Yield in Mid Hill of Nepal

Experiments were conducted at Horticulture Research Division (HRD), Khumaltar, Lalitpur; and Horticulture Research Station (HRS), Kimugaun, Dailekh in 2017/18 to evaluate the high yielding open pollinated genotypes of onion in mid hills of both locations.  Five onion genotypes namely AVON-1016, AVON-1027, AVON-1028, AVON-1052, AVON-1074 and AVON-1103 received from Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre were evaluated with local check variety and recommended variety Red Creole in both locations in randomized complete block design with 4 replications. The main objective of the experiment is to findout the high yielding open pollinated onion genotypes for mid hill condition.The pooled analysis of data over locations showed significant differences on plant height, neck diameter, bulb diameter, weight of bulbs and adjusted bulb yield per hectare.   Introduced genotypes AVON 1027 (38.83 t/ha), AVON 1052 (31.97 t/ha) and AVON 1028 (31.48 t/ha) produced significantly higher yield than recommended and commercially cultivated check variety Red Creole (27.04 t/ha). Therefore the genotype AVON 1027 can be selected as the best genotype for growing in mid hills of Nepa

Suicidal ideation and behaviour among community and health care seeking populations in five low- and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study.

: Aims Suicidal behaviour is an under-reported and hidden cause of death in most low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) due to lack of national systematic reporting for cause-specific mortality, high levels of stigma and religious or cultural sanctions. The lack of information on non-fatal suicidal behaviour (ideation, plans and attempts) in LMIC is a major barrier to design and implementation of prevention strategies. This study aims to determine the prevalence of non-fatal suicidal behaviour within community- and health facility-based populations in LMIC. : Twelve-month prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts were established through community samples (n = 6689) and primary care attendees (n = 6470) from districts in Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, India and Nepal using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview suicidality module. Participants were also screened for depression and alcohol use disorder. : We found that one out of ten persons (10.3%) presenting at primary care facilities reported suicidal ideation within the past year, and 1 out of 45 (2.2%) reported attempting suicide in the same period. The range of suicidal ideation was 3.5-11.1% in community samples and 5.0-14.8% in health facility samples. A higher proportion of facility attendees reported suicidal ideation than community residents (10.3 and 8.1%, respectively). Adults in the South African facilities were most likely to endorse suicidal ideation (14.8%), planning (9.5%) and attempts (7.4%). Risk profiles associated with suicidal behaviour (i.e. being female, younger age, current mental disorders and lower educational and economic status) were highly consistent across countries. : The high prevalence of suicidal ideation in primary care points towards important opportunities to implement suicide risk reduction initiatives. Evidence-supported strategies including screening and treatment of depression in primary care can be implemented through the World Health Organization's mental health Global Action Programme suicide prevention and depression treatment guidelines. Suicidal ideation and behaviours in the community sample will require detection strategies to identify at risks persons not presenting to health facilities.<br/

Yield Evaluation of Nutrient-rich Potato Clones in High Hill of Nepal

A study was conducted to evaluate the yield of nutrient-rich potato clones in high-hill districts: Dolakha and Jumla of Nepal during the years 2013 and 2014, respectively. Fourteen potato clones were tested as on-station and on-farm experiments at both districts, and those fourteen clones were compared to ‘Lady Rosita' and ‘Jumli Local' respectively as the check varieties in the first year experiment, 2013. Eight promising clones were selected from the first year experiment, and were evaluated and compared with same local varieties in the consecutive year, 2014. Two clones namely; CIP 395112.32 (19.3 tha-1) and CIP 393073.179 (17.8 tha-1) exhibited superior marketable tuber yield than that of ‘Lady Rosita'(14.2 tha-1) in Dolakha and five CIP clones namely; 395112.32 (25.5 tha-1), 393073.179 (22.5 tha-1), 394611.112 (20.9 tha-1), 390478.9 (19.9 tha-1) and 395017.229 (17.0 tha-1) showed higher marketable tuber yield than ‘Jumli Local'(14.5 tha-1). Based on two years' phenotypic and tuber yield result, clones CIP 395112.32 and CIP 393073.179 are recommended to potato growers at high hills of Nepal for commercial cultivation.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.3 2017: 6-1

Challenges and opportunities for implementing integrated mental health care: a district level situation analysis from five low- and middle-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how to tailor implementation of mental health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to the diverse settings encountered within and between countries. In this paper we compare the baseline context, challenges and opportunities in districts in five LMICs (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, South Africa and Uganda) participating in the PRogramme for Improving Mental health carE (PRIME). The purpose was to inform development and implementation of a comprehensive district plan to integrate mental health into primary care. METHODS: A situation analysis tool was developed for the study, drawing on existing tools and expert consensus. Cross-sectional information obtained was largely in the public domain in all five districts. RESULTS: The PRIME study districts face substantial contextual and health system challenges many of which are common across sites. Reliable information on existing treatment coverage for mental disorders was unavailable. Particularly in the low-income countries, many health service organisational requirements for mental health care were absent, including specialist mental health professionals to support the service and reliable supplies of medication. Across all sites, community mental health literacy was low and there were no models of multi-sectoral working or collaborations with traditional or religious healers. Nonetheless health system opportunities were apparent. In each district there was potential to apply existing models of care for tuberculosis and HIV or non-communicable disorders, which have established mechanisms for detection of drop-out from care, outreach and adherence support. The extensive networks of community-based health workers and volunteers in most districts provide further opportunities to expand mental health care. CONCLUSIONS: The low level of baseline health system preparedness across sites underlines that interventions at the levels of health care organisation, health facility and community will all be essential for sustainable delivery of quality mental health care integrated into primary care

Low spin spectroscopy of neutron-rich 43,44,45Cl via {\beta} and (\beta}n decay

{\beta} decay of neutron-rich isotopes 43,45 S,studied at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory is reported here. {\beta} delayed {\gamma} transitions were detected by an array of 16 clover detectors surrounding the Beta Counting Station which consists of a 40x40 Double Sided Silicon Strip Detector followed by a Single Sided Silicon Strip Detector. {\beta} decay half-lives have been extracted for 43,45 S by correlating implants and decays in the pixelated implant detector with further coincidence with {\gamma} transitions in the daughter nucleus. The level structure of 43,45 Cl is expanded by the addition of 20 new {\gamma} transitions in 43Cl and 8 in 45 Cl with the observation of core excited negative-parity states for the first time. For 45 S decay, a large fraction of the {\beta} decay strength goes to delayed neutron emission populating states in 44 Cl which are also presented. Comparison of experimental observations is made to detailed shell-model calculations using the SDPFSDG-MU interaction to highlight the role of the diminished N = 28 neutron shell gap and the near degeneracy of the proton s 1/2 and d 3/2 orbitals on the structure of the neutron-rich Cl isotopes. The current work also provides further support to a ground state spin-parity assignment of 3/2 + in 45 Cl

Impact of district mental health care plans on symptom severity and functioning of patients with priority mental health conditions: the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) cohort protocol

Background: The Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) sought to implement mental health care plans (MHCP) for four priority mental disorders (depression, alcohol use disorder, psychosis and epilepsy) into routine primary care in five low- and middle-income country districts. The impact of the MHCPs on disability was evaluated through establishment of priority disorder treatment cohorts. This paper describes the methodology of these PRIME cohorts. Methods: One cohort for each disorder was recruited across some or all five districts: Sodo (Ethiopia), Sehore (India) , Chitwan (Nepal), Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (South Africa) and Kamuli (Uganda), comprising 17 treatment cohorts in total (N = 2182). Participants were adults residing in the districts who were eligible to receive mental health treatment according to primary health care staff, trained by PRIME facilitators as per the district MHCP. Patients who screened positive for depression or AUD and who were not given a diagnosis by their clinicians (N = 709) were also recruited into comparison cohorts in Ethiopia, India, Nepal and South Africa. Caregivers of patients with epilepsy or psychosis were also recruited (N = 953), together with or on behalf of the person with a mental disorder, depending on the district. The target sample size was 200 (depression and AUD), or 150 (psychosis and epilepsy) patients initiating treatment in each recruiting district. Data collection activities were conducted by PRIME research teams. Participants completed follow-up assessments after 3 months (AUD and depression) or 6 months (psychosis and epilepsy), and after 12 months. Primary outcomes were impaired functioning, using the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS), and symptom severity, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (depression), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUD), and number of seizures (epilepsy). Discussion: Cohort recruitment was a function of the clinical detection rate by primary health care staff, and did not meet all planned targets. The cross-country methodology reflected the pragmatic nature of the PRIME cohorts: while the heterogeneity in methods of recruitment was a consequence of differences in health systems and MHCPs, the use of the WHODAS as primary outcome measure will allow for comparison of functioning recovery across sites and disorders

Development of a quality indicator set to measure and improve quality of ICU care in low- and middle-income countries

PURPOSE: To develop a set of actionable quality indicators for critical care suitable for use in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: A list of 84 candidate indicators compiled from a previous literature review and stakeholder recommendations were categorised into three domains (foundation, process, and quality impact). An expert panel (EP) representing stakeholders from critical care and allied specialties in multiple low-, middle-, and high-income countries was convened. In rounds one and two of the Delphi exercise, the EP appraised (Likert scale 1–5) each indicator for validity, feasibility; in round three sensitivity to change, and reliability were additionally appraised. Potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the quality indicators were also reported in this round. Median score and interquartile range (IQR) were used to determine consensus; indicators with consensus disagreement (median < 4, IQR ≤ 1) were removed, and indicators with consensus agreement (median ≥ 4, IQR ≤ 1) or no consensus were retained. In round four, indicators were prioritised based on their ability to impact cost of care to the provider and recipient, staff well-being, patient safety, and patient-centred outcomes. RESULTS: Seventy-one experts from 30 countries (n = 45, 63%, representing critical care) selected 57 indicators to assess quality of care in intensive care unit (ICU) in LMICs: 16 foundation, 27 process, and 14 quality impact indicators after round three. Round 4 resulted in 14 prioritised indicators. Fifty-seven respondents reported barriers and facilitators, of which electronic registry-embedded data collection was the biggest perceived facilitator to implementation (n = 54/57, 95%) Concerns over burden of data collection (n = 53/57, 93%) and variations in definition (n = 45/57, 79%) were perceived as the greatest barrier to implementation. CONCLUSION: This consensus exercise provides a common set of indicators to support benchmarking and quality improvement programs for critical care populations in LMICs

Microsecond Isomer at the N=20 Island of Shape Inversion Observed at FRIB

Excited-state spectroscopy from the first Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) experiment is reported. A 24(2)-$\mu$s isomer was observed with the FRIB Decay Station initiator (FDSi) through a cascade of 224- and 401-keV $\gamma$ rays in coincidence with $^{32}\textrm{Na}$ nuclei. This is the only known microsecond isomer ($1{\text{ }\mu\text{s}}\leq T_{1/2} < 1\text{ ms}$) in the region. This nucleus is at the heart of the $N=20$ island of shape inversion and is at the crossroads of spherical shell-model, deformed shell-model, and ab initio theories. It can be represented as the coupling of a proton hole and neutron particle to $^{32}\textrm{Mg}$, $^{32}\textrm{Mg}+\pi^{-1} + \nu^{+1}$. This odd-odd coupling and isomer formation provides a sensitive measure of the underlying shape degrees of freedom of $^{32}\textrm{Mg}$, where the onset of spherical-to-deformed shape inversion begins with a low-lying deformed $2^+$ state at 885 keV and a low-lying shape-coexisting $0_2^+$ state at 1058 keV. We suggest two possible explanations for the 625-keV isomer in $^{32}$Na: a $6^-$ spherical shape isomer that decays by $E2$ or a $0^+$ deformed spin isomer that decays by $M2$. The present results and calculations are most consistent with the latter, indicating that the low-lying states are dominated by deformation.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Physical Review Letter