Water Availability Under Future Climate Change: A Study of Citarum River Basin, Indonesia

This study assessed the impact of climate change on future water availability in the Citarum river basin, Indonesia. Future climate was projected based on the output of HadCM3 GCM under A2 and B2 scenarios and downscaled using SDSM package application. The hydrological processes were modelled using WEAP application. The result suggested an increase of temperature as well as precipitation in the period of the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s. The water availability is projected to increase in the future.

A pilot study comparing pattern of damage sustained among instruments from different surgical units in a tertiary care centre in Nepal – reappraising the role of instrument reprocessing in retaining their value [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Background: The quality of instruments plays a pivotal role in governing safe operating room culture. The reprocessing system followed in the institution determines their durability thereby ensuring patient safety as well as minimizing health spending. Rigorous reprocessing in a centralized instrument reprocessing department by well trained staff following formulated guidelines helps to achieve the target of “safe surgery saves lives” as formulated by the World Health Organization. Methods: We sought to determine the patterns of wear and tear sustained among sets of surgical equipment from two surgical units that had been sent to the repair department within a year of their purchase. Analysis of similar changes in the joints of the instrument, as well as pattern of fractures sustained was performed. Results: All patterns of wear and tear were common in both the general surgical arm and neurosurgical counterpart, with the exception of fractures and mal-alignments. Similar study was performed examining changes in the joints. Stains were the most commonly observed change pattern in both sets of instruments. Fractures were most frequent in the working ends in both sets of instruments. Conclusion: There is an alarming incidence of wear and tear patterns in the instruments used in the surgical units, even within the first year of their use. This supports the strict implementation of reprocessing guidelines by well trained workers and their quality assessments via audit checks. The quality of the purchased instruments also plays a pivotal role

Comparison of Two Hydrological Models, HEC-HMS and SWAT in Runoff Estimation: Application to Huai Bang Sai Tropical Watershed, Thailand

In the present study, the streamflow simulation capacities between the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Hydrologic Engineering Centre-Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS) were compared for the Huai Bang Sai (HBS) watershed in northeastern Thailand. During calibration (2007–2010) and validation (2011–2014), the SWAT model demonstrated a Coefficient of Determination (R2) and a Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.83 and 0.82, and 0.78 and 0.77, respectively. During the same periods, the HEC-HMS model demonstrated values of 0.80 and 0.79, and 0.84 and 0.82. The exceedance probabilities at 10%, 40%, and 90% were 144.5, 14.5, and 0.9 mm in the flow duration curves (FDCs) obtained for observed flow. From the HEC-HMS and SWAT models, these indices yielded 109.0, 15.0, and 0.02 mm, and 123.5, 16.95, and 0.02 mm. These results inferred those high flows were captured well by the SWAT model, while medium flows were captured well by the HEC-HMS model. It is noteworthy that the low flows were accurately simulated by both models. Furthermore, dry and wet seasonal flows were simulated reasonably well by the SWAT model with slight under-predictions of 2.12% and 13.52% compared to the observed values. The HEC-HMS model under-predicted the dry and wet seasonal flows by 10.76% and 18.54% compared to observed flows. The results of the present study will provide valuable recommendations for the stakeholders of the HBS watershed to improve water usage policies. In addition, the present study will be helpful to select the most appropriate hydrologic model for humid tropical watersheds in Thailand and elsewhere in the world.Comparison of Two Hydrological Models, HEC-HMS and SWAT in Runoff Estimation: Application to Huai Bang Sai Tropical Watershed, ThailandpublishedVersio

Autoimmune Hepatitis Leading to Liver Cirrhosis: A Case Report

Autoimmune hepatitis is a rare form of chronic liver inflammation that begins as acute hepatitis and progresses to chronic liver disease. It presents with varied clinical features from acute hepatitis to chronic liver diseases like chronic viral hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease, making it difficult to diagnose in the absence of a high index of suspicion and adequate laboratory support. Autoimmune hepatitis is divided into two categories autoimmune hepatitis-1 and autoimmune hepatitis-2 based on the antibodies involved. We discuss the case of a 37-year-old woman who developed autoimmune hepatitis-1, with swelling and epigastric pain. These symptoms later progressed to liver cirrhosis leading to the death of the patient. Autoimmune hepatitis is extremely sensitive to immunosuppressive medication, it is necessary to maintain a high suspicion index for the disease because a prompt diagnosis can be an integral step toward a better prognosis of the disease

PATIENT CLASSIFICATION USING DEEP LEARNING

With diseases like Alzheimer's and Influenza still claiming lives, there have been a lot of methods developed in order to combat these diseases. There is a possibility that the key to finding susceptibility towards a disease might lie in the patient's genetic makeup. The purpose of this thesis is to see if it is possible to predict whether a person is likely to suffer from a certain disease based on gene expression values. In order to achieve this goal, a computational based approach was adopted. Currently, artificial intelligence is producing results that were deemed not possible a few years ago. Moreover, deep learning, one specific branch of artificial intelligence, has been used to produce useful results. It has been used in many new technologies such as self-driving cars, natural language processing, and many other automated systems. This research came up with a method that makes use of a deep learning approach and found that it is indeed effective in classifying patients

Conservation of the cultural heritages of Kathmandu valley

The main objective of this thesis project is to show the need for conservation of the cultural heritages of Kathmandu valley and to determine the current obstacles in the conservation process and solutions for these. Initially, information about the current situations was investigated and the problems were identified. After this, based on analysis of literature and empirical observation, recommendations were formulated. The theoretical section will describe the Kathmandu valley and its cultural heritage. A qualitative research method was applied in the research process, with interviews conducted from October to December 2014. Altogether four officials from Department of Archeology (DOA), Kathmandu, two officials from Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) office, three craftsmen, six tourists and ten local residents were interviewed. The results show that the conservation of cultural heritage used to be an important part of life in Kathmandu valley. Both the socio-religious and political structures used to have high esteem for monument construction as well as protection. It has become the lifestyle and ritual practices of the people since the early period. There has been rapid urbanization in the past few decades, which has also been unplanned and unmanaged. This has severely affected the heritage sites. Therefore, there is an immediate need to conserve the heritage in order to preserve this for future generations and save the identity of the nation. Both government and public are equally responsible in the conserving process. The public should be made aware of the importance of the heritage and their identity. The government should implement the rules and regulations regarding the heritage sites and should have proper coordination with local organizations and public

A framework for estimating pollutant export coefficients from long-term in-stream water quality monitoring data

Modeling techniques for estimating pollutant loadings to water bodies range from simple export coefficient and regression models to more complex mechanistic models. All export coefficient models and many complex mechanistic models rely on pollutant export coefficients to estimate pollution sources and transport in large watersheds. Typically, pollutant export coefficients are determined by monitoring small catchments or field plots to isolate individual landuse contributions. However, pollutant export coefficients derived from small catchment and field plot scale studies cannot be confidently used in catchment-scale water quality modeling. The objective of this paper is to present a framework to estimate the export coefficients of pollutants from commonly available in-stream water quality monitoring data. A combination of readily and freely available statistical, spatial and hydrological tools and a multiple regression methodology is proposed to estimate pollutant export coefficients. A case study from the Fuji River catchment, Japan is presented where export coefficients of organic matters and nutrients are estimated. Most of the estimated pollutant export coefficients are significant at α equal to 0.05 and the landuse categories used in the multiple regression models explained more than 85% variability in loadings. These results are encouraging especially given the pressing need to identify appropriate management practices to improve the water quality within the catchment. It is recommended to investigate further the required number of water quality monitoring stations, sampling frequencies and sampling duration of water quality constituents to enhance the robustness and usefulness of the proposed methodology

Assessment of risks due to climate change for the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project in Nepal

Climate change poses significant challenges to hydropower development and management in mountainous basins. This study examined the impact of climate change, and the associated risks, on the energy production of the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, which is located in the Tamakoshi basin of Nepal. The outputs of three GCMs—namely MIROC-ESM, MRI-CGCM3, and MPI-ESM-M—under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios were used for the projection of precipitation and temperature in the future. The minimum and maximum temperatures of the basin are projected to increase by 6.33 °C and 3.82 °C, respectively, by 2100. The projected precipitation varies from −8% to +24.8%, which is expected to alter the streamflow by −37.83% to +47% in the future. Based on the streamflow output, the risk for energy production was calculated with respect to the baseline energy production of 1963 GW h and 2281 GW h. Using the three GCMs, the risk associated with annual hydropower production under altered runoff was analyzed. The risk percentage in the future periods shows a mild risk varying from 0.69% to 6.63%. MPI-ESM-M GCM projects a higher percentage of risk for energy production during the same future periods, as compared to the baseline energy production of 1963 GW h. A mild to moderate risk, ranging from 2.73% to 13.24% can be expected when energy production in the future is compared to the baseline energy production of 2281 GW h

Assessment of transboundary aquifer resources in Asia: Status and progress towards sustainable groundwater management

Study region: Asia. Study focus: Internationally shared aquifers (Transboundary aquifers; TBAs) are recognised as an important water resource in Asia. Despite their importance, studies on the assessment of TBA resources have received less attention in comparison to transboundary rivers. A lack of expertise, experience, and institutional support has restricted the cooperative and sustainable management of the shared aquifer resources. This study attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of transboundary groundwater resources in Asia, including the TBA inventories, socio-economic implications, and future perspectives. Specifically, the study focuses on the progress of the assessment of TBAs in Asia as a result of the Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management Initiative (ISRAM). New hydrological insights for the region: In Asia, TBAs have played a major role in providing freshwater resources and sustaining socio-economic development. Since 2000, many regional cooperative initiatives have achieved considerable progress in developing TBA inventories of Asia, but the level of understanding of the shared aquifer systems remains limited, particularly for the developing countries. Legal and institutional frameworks for regional TBA cooperation are vital, and many countries in Asia have come to recognise the need to cooperate with their neighbours in dealing with TBA governance. Sustainable and equitable management of TBA in Asia requires an increasing effort from different sectors and countries in order to reach mutual acceptance of effective cooperation. Keywords: Transboundary aquifers (TBAs), Groundwater, Asia region, ISAR