Indigenous Knowledge on Miscellaneous Uses of Plants by the People of Parroha VDC, Rupandehi District, Central Nepal

This study aims to explore the information on miscellaneous uses on plant resources found in Parroha VDC of Rupandehi district, Nepal. The study was conducted during May 2007. Informations on plant resources were collected interviewing key informants using a semi structured open ended questionnaires. Altogether 33 different species of plants belonging to 19 families were found used for miscellaneous purposes

Utilization and Status of Plant Resources in Northern Part of Pokhara valley, Central Nepal

Study on plants and plant products and their present status is helpful for proper management of those resources. Nepal is a multicultural and multilingual country. Present study on utilization of forest plant resources was carried out in Bhurjungkhola, Sardikhola VDC, northern part of Pokhara valley during October and November 2004. Altogether 116 plant species belonging to 61 families and 103 genera along with their vernacular names, their uses and present status of abundance were documented. Out of 116 plant species, 58 plant species are used as medicinal purposes, 2 as a food value, 22 as fruits, 20 as vegetables, 56 as fodder and forages, 19 as timber, 45 as fuelwood, 11 as religious and 5 species as ornamental. The status of 66 plant species are found in medium followed by 36 plant species with low status and 15 plant species with increasing number

Toward a Dialogical Hermeneutic of a Hindu-Christian: A Socio-scientific Study of Nepali Immigrants in Toronto

In search of a hermeneutic that is dialogical, transcending one’s own realm of understanding to give enough space to the other, the theory of dialogical self provides a framework which is not only able to engage mutually incompatible traditions but inculcates a whole new insight into considering that the other is not completely external to the self. One of the most significant features of theory of dialogical self is that it is devised in the conviction that insight into the workings of the human self requires cross-fertilization between different fields. The thesis therefore employs social-psychology, religious studies, inter-cultural studies, theology and philosophy to study the phenomenon of religious diversity. Within this theoretical framework, the thesis includes an empirical study conducted among Hindu Nepalis in Toronto, analyzing their encounter with people of other religious traditions and their attitudes towards them. Complementing the empirical analysis is Panikkar’s Cosmotheandric vision which functions on the premise that the whole of reality is integrated – cosmos, theos and anthropos. This paradigm helps to explain religious diversity and combined with the insights learned from the empirical research illustrates how the other is indispensible in dialogue. This thesis concludes with an elaboration of a dialogical hermeneutic of a Hindu-Christian

Running into a US Education

A man from Nepal comes to the United States to pursue his graduate degree and undergoes cultural and financial difficulties

Impact of climate change on human livelihood and agricultural growth in Himalayan Country Nepal

Present-day concerns continue to grow about the adverse impacts on human life of climate change, which includes issues such as increased food insecurities. Climate change has many impacts on the overall ecosystem, directly and indirectly, however its impact on agriculture can be understood to be more direct as it is particularly vulnerable to these changes. Concern about climate change in Nepal may be particularly acute as the result of the observed early symptom of rapidly increasing average temperatures. Partly as a result of these temperature changes, Nepal has recently become a rice importer, where it was an exporter previously. Nepal now faces a food deficit in more than 27 districts in the hill and high hill areas. Productivity and quality of food production is also in question in Nepal as both of them are in deterioration. In reaction to these challenges, farmers are employing excess chemical fertilizer and pesticides, which has led to widespread soil contamination in particular and increasing pollution in general. Amid this emerging crisis, the proposed paper, seeks to examine empirically over time the relationship between climatic variables such as temperature and precipitation and agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP), while controlling for the use of agriculture inputs (chemical fertilizer, pesticides, improved seeds, irrigation etc). In a paired qualitative analysis, the research will highlight the current trends of human habitat displacement and corresponding efforts at rehabilitation

Complete experiments on multi-photon ionizations of ultra-cold and polarized atoms

“Fundamental atomic processes such as collision-induced ionization are of relevance in many scientific fields. Describing these reactions can still pose a substantial challenge due to the well-known “few-body problem”, which entails that there is no analytical solution of the equations of motion for systems of more the 2 mutually interacting particle. Novel experimental tools and advancements in theorical methods enable to obtain detailed information on atomic dynamics providing insight into both, the phase as well as the amplitude of the quantum-mechanical wave functions of the particles. In this project, we developed experimental techniques studying multi-photon ionization of lithium in femto-second laser fields. A lithium target is prepared either in the polarized 2p (mℓ = +1) state or in the unpolarized 2s ground state. The target is ionized in the laser field by the absorption of two, three, or four photons, and the energy and angular distributions of the emitted electrons are measured. For these relatively simple systems, several fundamental features are observed: First, polarizing the atoms before ionizing them changes the symmetry of the reaction and shifts in the photo-electron angular distributions are observed. This symmetry breaking process is called Magnetic Dichroism, and we explained it by the interference of partial waves with asymmetric distribution of magnetic sub-levels in the final state. Second, the experimental spectra are revealing violations of the lowest-order perturbation theory even at very low laser intensities, where this theoretical method is typically believed to describe the process well. This indicates that in many situations more advanced descriptions are required. And third, the simultaneous measurement of the ionization from the 2s and 2p states enables to extract final state phase information in a very intuitive way using a “double-slit” picture. The new results show very clean and fundamental realizations of quantum mechanical effects, and they help to improve our understanding of mechanisms and symmetries in light-matter interaction”--Abstract, page iv

Three Overlooked Issues: Water Quality, Forage Quality, and Forage Blends Impacting the Feed Efficiency of Dairy Cows

The overall objectives of the six studies were to increase the feed efficiency in lactating dairy cows. The first study evaluated the efficacy of different water sources and treatment systems on ruminal parameters using an in vitro gas production system. Outcomes of the study suggested that the source and nutrient quality of water can affect rate of ruminal fermentation. Thus, use of real farm water being offered to the cow to conduct in vitro gas production measurements may accurately predict the ruminal fermentation, digestibility and total gas production. The second study evaluated two recently developed leafy-floury corn silage hybrids against conventional starchy corn silage hybrid on performance of early lactating dairy cows. The results showed that all three corn silage hybrids are similar in terms of DMI, milk yield, milk components and 3% fat corrected milk FE. Starchy corn silage hybrid was lower in CP, higher in starch, lower in sugar content, lower in starch digestibility and lower in fiber digestibility compared to both leafy-floury corn silage hybrids. This study demonstrates that a lower starch, higher digestible fiber corn silage diet can support similar milk production compared to a higher starch, lower digestible fiber diet. The third study evaluated intercropping of Vining soybean and BMR grazing corn with different seeding ratios on forage yield, nutrients composition and digestibility. The results showed that monocropping of Vining soybean produced lower DM yield, lower DDM yield, lower NFC yield and lower milk yield (T/ha) compared to intercropping of Vining soybean and BMR grazing corn with monocropping of BMR grazing corn being intermediate. The optimal seeding ratio of Vining soybean to BMR grazing corn is between 67:33 and 50:50 based on yield of DDM and Milk (T/ha). The fourth study evaluated late season row cropping of mixed seeds of corn and soybean with different seeding ratios on forage yield, nutrient yields and digestibility. The result showed that the combinations and seeding ratios of corn and soybean affect the forage and nutrient yields. The greatest yield of nutrients occurred with BMR grazing corn and Big Buck 6 soybean combination at 65:35 seeding ratio. A minimum of 90 d is required to complete the ensiling process of forage before feeding to the cow. The fifth study evaluated the effect of intercropping of MC 5300 corn with Viking 2265 soybean or Vining soybean at different seeding ratios on biomass and nutrient yields under organic condition. The results showed that seeding ratio of MC 5300 corn and Vining soybean or Viking 2265 at 67:33 produced higher fresh biomass yield and dry matter yield. Land equivalent ratio was greater for MC 5300 corn and Viking 2265 soybean combination at 67:33 or 50:50 seeding ratios. The sixth study evaluated the effect of row cropping of mixed seeds of corn and soybean with different seeding ratios on forage and nutrient yields grown under organic condition. The main effect of corn on fresh, DM, DDM, CP, NDF, NFC and starch yield was higher for MC 5300 corn compare to BMR grazing corn, but the main effect of soybean on Viking 2265 or Vining soybean was similar. Corn and soybean seeding ratio at 65:35 produced more forage and nutrient yields compare to 55:45, 45:55, or 35:65 seeding ratios

Science Learning from the School Garden through Participatory Action Research in Nepal

Nepal\u27s NORHED/Rupantaran project designed and developed participatory action research through school gardening. This study explored the ways for the community schools, science teachers and basic level (grade five to eight) students to foster a sense of agency in the school science curriculum through life-based experiential learning. Qualitative research design on thematic and verbatim methods are used to collect and analyze the data in this study. The findings show that school gardening activities are helpful and productive for science teaching and learning. The evidence from participatory action research experiences in actual school settings would provide new insights for policymakers to transform the school science curriculum. Further, the study findings show collaborative knowledge production through school gardening in a contextual environment, often neglected in community school science teaching and learning. The implications of the research findings could contribute to policy-level discussions about science teachers\u27 professional development