bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Representational Horizon and Visual Space Orientation: Exploring the effects of varying visual contexts on spatial mislocalizations
Authors: De Sá Teixeira Nuno Alexandre , Freitas Rodrigo Ribeiro , silva samuel , Taliscas Tiago , Mateus Pedro , Gomes Afonso , Lima João
Published: February 2023

The perceived offset position of a moving target has been found to be displaced forward, in the direction of motion (Representational Momentum; RM), downward, in the direction of gravity (Representational Gravity; RG), and, recently, further displaced along the horizon implied by the visual context (Representational Horizon; RH). The latter, while still under-explored, offers the prospect to clarify the role of visual contextual cues in spatial orientation and in the perception of dynamic events. As such, the present work sets forth to ascertain the robustness of Representational Horizon across varying types of visual contexts, particularly between interior and exterior scenes, and to clarify up to what degree it reflects a perceptual or response phenomenon. To that end, participants were shown targets, moving along one out of several possible trajectories, overlaid on a randomly chosen background depicting either an interior or exterior scene rotated -22.5º, 0º or 22.5º in relation to the actual vertical. Upon the vanishing of the target, participants were required to indicate its last seen location with a computer mouse. For half the participants, the background vanished with the target while for the remaining it was kept visible until a response was provided. Spatial localizations were subjected to a discrete Fourier decomposition procedure to obtain independent estimates of RM, RG and RH. Outcomes showed that RH’s direction was biased towards the horizon implied by the visual context, but solely for exterior scenes, and irrespective of its presence or absence during the spatial localization response, supporting its perceptual/representational nature.
RELATIVISTIC LOGIC: Nature of Reality - Is the Universe Physical?
Authors: Polisetty Surya
Published: February 2023

Since ancient times, there have been numerous views or schools of thought concerning the nature of reality or universe. In this paper, neither do I present yet another view nor argue that one is somehow better than the other. Rather, I present the model or hypothesis for how we think. Later we, together, will go through how our thought process runs along those lines at the most basic level through thought experiments, where we ask some critical questions concerning the nature of reality to revise some very fundamental concepts. This paper is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into one of the foundational ideas of Relativistic Logic to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory but are not conversant with the rigor of mathematical logic. The work presumes no solid background from the reader in either logic or fundamental physics but an idea of basic symbolic logic and a strong inherent physics way of thinking, and, despite the shortness of the paper, quite a fair amount of patience and force of will on the part of the reader.
Wind Energy Generation by Forced Vortex Shedding
Authors: Greenblatt David , Garzozi Anan
Published: February 2023

Alternating slot-blowing (ASB) on a circular cylinder is used to generate energy from the wind by directly exciting or forcing the vortex shedding instability. Low amplitude excitation produces energetic peaks near the natural vortex shedding frequency, while high amplitude forcing relies on circulation control associated the unsteady Coandă effect to produce energy over a large low-frequency bandwidth. The ASB system produces 3.8 times higher net peak power with a 7.3 times greater bandwidth than a conventional VIV energy harvester, and is potentially a technological game-changer.
Detrital zircon U-Pb ages of Proterozoic and Cretaceous sandstones of Narmada region in Central India: Implications for provenance and the closure age of the Vindhyan Basin
Authors: Kumari Vandana , Tandon Sampat , Kallukalam Tomson , Ghatak Arundhuti
Published: February 2023

This study presents detrital zircon U-Pb ages of the Upper Bhander Sandstones from the Bhopal inlier, and the overlying Cretaceous sandstones from Jabalpur, Central India. These data are combined with existing palaeobiological evidence to address the issue of lack of convergence between geochronology and biochronology of the Upper Vindhyan succession in central India. The age-spectra of Upper Bhander Sandstone show the dominance of detrital zircon population between 1500-1900 Ma, a subordinate cluster of 2400-2600 Ma, and a single youngest zircon grain of ~770 Ma. These detrital zircon ages correlate with the timing of granite magmatism in Bundelkhand, Aravalli and Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ), implying their derivation from these terranes. The finding of a single zircon of 770 + 12 Ma, supports the premise that Vindhyan deposition extended in to the late Tonian. Cretaceous sandstones of the Jabalpur and Lameta Formations contain zircon grains of ~550 Ma and ~700-800 Ma age. Except for the evidence from this youngest Vindhyan sedimentary sequence, no rocks of Late Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian age have so far been reported from Central India, which can be correlated with these zircon ages. Comparable age-spectra of the Upper Bhander and the Cretaceous sandstones indicates that the proximal Vindhyan sandstones could have supplied detritus to these younger sandstones. These Cretaceous sandstones also constitute a window to understand the geology of the pre-Cretaceous eroded terrain, and support the premise that the Vindhyan sedimentation did not terminate at 1000 Ma.
Physics-Informed Neural Networks Applied to Catastrophic Creeping Landslides
Authors: Moeineddin Ahmad , Segui Carolina , Dueber Stephan , Fuentes Raul
Published: February 2023

In this study, a new paradigm compared to traditional numerical approaches to solve the partial differential equation (PDE) that governs the thermo-poro-mechanical behavior of the shear band of deep-seated landslides, is presented. In particular, we show projections of the temperature inside the shear band as a proxy to estimate catastrophic failure of deep-seated landslides. A deep neural network is trained to find the temperature, by using a loss function defined by the underlying PDE and field data of three landslides. To validate the network, we have applied this network to the following cases: Vaiont, Shuping and Mud Creek landslides. The results show that, by creating and training the network with synthetic data, the behavior of the landslide can be reproduced and can forecast the basal temperature of the three case studies. Hence, providing a real-time estimation of the stability of the landslide, compared to other solutions whose stability study has to be calculated individually for each case scenario. Moreover, this study offers a novel procedure to design a neural network architecture, considering stability, accuracy, and over-fitting. This approach could be useful also to other applications beyond landslides.
Rapid Online Assessment of Reading and Phonological Awareness (ROAR-PA)
Authors: Gijbels Liesbeth , Burkhardt Amy , Ma Wanjing Anya , Yeatman Jason D.
Published: February 2023

Phonological awareness (PA) is at the foundation of reading development: PA is introduced before formal reading instruction, has predictive value for later reading abilities, is a primary target for early intervention, and is considered one of the core mechanisms in developmental dyslexia. Conventional approaches to assessing PA are time-consuming and resource intensive: assessments must be individually administered, require expertise, and scoring verbal responses is challenging and subjective. Therefore, we introduce a rapid, automated, online measure of PA — The Rapid Online Assessment of Reading - Phonological Awareness (ROAR-PA) — that can be widely implemented in classrooms and research studies without a test administrator. We explored whether this gamified, online task, that relies on touchscreen/click responses, can serve as an accurate and reliable measure of PA and as a good predictor of reading development. We found that ROAR-PA is well correlated with standardized measures of PA (CTOPP-2, r = .80) and reading (Woodcock-Johnson, r = .50), for children from Pre-K through fourth grade and achieves exceptional reliability (𝜶 = .96) in a 12-minute automated, online assessment. Furthermore, validation in 50 first and second grade classrooms shows reliable implementation in large, public school classrooms with predictive value of future reading development.
The illusory perception of distinctiveness in familiar faces
Authors: Devue Christel
Published: February 2023

An illusion of distinctiveness for faces is described that manifests as a positive association between perceived familiarity and perceived distinctiveness. This association seems partly rooted in intrinsic facial characteristics but is boosted by actual exposure to faces. Such illusion could impede research on familiar faces where distinctiveness is manipulated or controlled and researchers will need to find ways around it.
Intergroup Psychological Interventions: The Motivational Challenge
Authors: Landry Alexander
Published: February 2023

Social scientists have increasingly applied insights from descriptive research to develop psychological interventions aimed at improving intergroup relations. These interventions have achieved marked success—reducing prejudicial attitudes, fostering support for conciliatory social policies, and promoting peace-building behaviors. At the same time, intergroup conflict continues to rage in part because individuals often lack motivation to engage with these promising interventions. We take a step toward addressing this issue by developing a framework of approaches for delivering interventions to an unmotivated target audience. Along with (1) directly motivating targets by increasing their values and expectancies for addressing intergroup conflict, researchers can deliver interventions by (2) satisfying other psychological motivations of the target audience, (3) providing an instrumental benefit for engaging with the intervention, (4) embedding the intervention in a hedonically captivating medium, or (5) bypass motivational barriers entirely by delivering the intervention outside of targets’ conscious awareness. We define each approach and use illustrative examples to organize them into a conceptual framework, before concluding with implications and future directions.
Don’t pull any old dictionary from the shelf: The performance of off-the-shelf and population derived lexica in extracting implicit personality from self-descriptions
Authors: Karl Johannes Alfons , Fischer Ronald
Published: February 2023

Substantial efforts have been made to develop comprehensive dictionaries of personality traits in many languages. Nevertheless, given that what is important and salient in individuals’ lived experience might be changing over time, this raises the question about the long-term usefulness of ‘off-the-shelf’ dictionaries developed decades ago. In the current study we used a bottom-up approach to create a large population-specific lexicon of personality terms. We subsequently examined the overlap and sensitivity to extract implicit personality of this dictionary compared to an established trait dictionary in the same language. Overall, we found that the two dictionaries only showed limited overlap with a pronounced divergence in emotionality (Neuroticism) and social aspects (Agreeableness) of personality. In addition to this, we found that while the implicit personality extracted from self-descriptions using the established dictionary showed alignment with participants self-rated personality, especially in Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, the population-specific dictionary showed a significantly greater alignment between implicit and self-rated personality. In summary, our current study highlights the need to extend our thinking about the psycholexical hypothesis, moving away from assumptions of time invariant language encoding to more explicitly recognizing the temporal dynamics underpinning the expression and use of personality trait terms.
Withdrawn preprint
Authors: Yi Jinwoo , Choi Dayoun , Eom Joung A , Kang Mijung
Published: February 2023

The preprint was withdrawn by authors.
Responsible Research is also concerned with generalizability: Recognizing efforts to reflect upon and increase generalizability in hiring and promotion decisions in psychology
Authors: Stengelin Roman , Bohn Manuel , Sanchez-Amaro Alejandro , Haun Daniel , Thiele Maleen , Allritz Matthias , Daum Moritz M. , Felsche Elisa , Fong Frankie T. K. , Gampe Anja , Torréns Marta Giner , Grueneisen Sebastian , Hardecker David Johannes Kaspar , Horn Lisa , Neldner Karri , Pope-Caldwell Sarah , Schuhmacher Nils
Published: February 2023

We concur with the authors of the two target articles that Open Science practices can help combat the ongoing reproducibility and replicability crisis in psychological science and should hence be acknowledged as responsible research practices in hiring and promotion decisions. However, we emphasize that another crisis is equally threatening the credibility of psychological science in Germany: The sampling or generalizability crisis. We suggest that scientists’ efforts to contextualize their research, reflect upon, and increase its generalizability should be incentivized as responsible research practices in hiring and promotion decisions. To that end, we present concrete suggestions for how efforts to combat the additional generalizability crisis could be operationalized within Gärtner et al. 's (2022) evaluation scheme. Tackling the replicability and the generalizability crises in tandem will advance the credibility and quality of psychological science and teaching in Germany.
Roadmap for implementation of 14 Recommendations for career-spanning short format training in life sciences that is effective and accessible to all
Authors: Tractenberg Rochelle E. , Williams Jason
Published: February 2023

The rapidly-increasing interdisciplinarity of the life sciences makes career-spanning learning critical. Scientists who are able to recognize and traverse skills gaps are better positioned to pursue impactful science and achieve their personal career goals. To bolster their skills, life scientists often turn to short-format training (e.g., workshops, bootcamps, and short courses) for professional development. While short-format training (SFT) provides point-of-need help, and is often low in time commitment and costs, this approach can be less successful than typically assumed. A diverse group of experts with experience relevant to instruction (short format and otherwise) in the life sciences met (December 2021/May 2022) to formulate a set of 14 actionable recommendations to strengthen SFT, making it accessible and effective across the career span for life scientists. The conference attendees identified challenges, solutions, and both incentives to and barriers preventing the implementation of any of these recommendations. This document outlines a roadmap, with suggestions for the implementation of each recommendation by one of three stakeholder types (individuals, groups/communities of practice, or organizations). Key differences in opportunities to implement, as well as in the likelihood of any next-step based on an initial implementation, arise from the types of outputs of implementation by stakeholders at grass roots (individuals, bottom-up), formal organizations (where policies might arise, top down), and informal organizations (groups and communities of practice, leading from the middle). These stakeholder groups are general and do not create a mutually exclusive nor exhaustive partitioning of actors in the global communities intending to strengthen SFT, but this Roadmap offers suggestions for implementation of the 14 recommendations by each of the three stakeholder types/levels. We were able to identify concrete paths for each stakeholder level to implement each recommendation, and also consider which level might have the greatest success as the starting point for each recommendation.
Pygmalion Displacement: When Humanising AI Dehumanises Women
Authors: Erscoi Lelia , Kleinherenbrink Annelies Véronique , Guest Olivia
Published: February 2023

We use the myth of Pygmalion as a lens to investigate and frame the relationship between women and artificial intelligence (AI). Pygmalion was a legendary ancient king of Cyprus and sculptor. Having been repulsed by women, he used his skills to create a statue, which was imbued with life by the goddess Aphrodite. This can be seen as one of the primordial AI-like myths, wherein humanity creates intelligent life-like self-images to reproduce or replace ourselves. In addition, the myth prefigures historical and present gendered dynamics within the field of AI and between AI and society at large. Throughout history, the theme of women being replaced by inanimate objects (e.g. automata, algorithms) has been repeated, and continues to repeat in contemporary AI technologies. However, this socially detrimental pattern in technology — what we dub Pygmalion displacement — is often overlooked, whether due to naive excitement about new developments, or due to an unacknowledged sexist history of the field itself. As we demonstrate herein, Pygmalion displacement prefigures heavily, but in an unacknowledged way, in the original Turing test, the imitation game: a central thought experiment, foundational to AI. With women, and the feminine generally, being both dislocated and erased from and by technology, AI is and has been (presented as) created mainly by privileged men, subserving capitalist patriarchal ends. This poses serious dangers to women and other marginalised people. By tracing the historical and ongoing entwinement of femininity (from a patriarchal perspective) and AI, we aim to understand, make visible, and start a dialogue on the ways in which AI harms women.
Methods for reporting online sexual harassment
Authors: Tan Yuying , Nave Eva , Vandebosch Heidi , Pabian Sara , Poels Karolien
Published: February 2023

The rise of online sexual harassment in recent years has spurred discussions both within the European Union and internationally. To effectively address this issue, it is imperative to foster collaboration among various sectors, including government entities, nongovernmental organizations, educational institutions, media outlets, and technology companies. These sectors collectively develop and implement practical intervention strategies to systematically support individuals affected by online sexual harassment. Notably, social media platforms play a crucial role in addressing this issue. These platforms have implemented measures such as automated content detection and flagging systems, allowing users to report harmful content to moderators. Nevertheless, these measures, on their own, have been proven to be inadequate given the personalized nature of online harassment, which is influenced by factors such as culture, sex, gender, sexual orientation and, generally, the intersectionality of various systems of oppression. Hence, the development of effective user self-reporting systems is imperative. These systems should provide victims with immediate assistance during harassment incidents, promoting a safer online environment, while also enhancing user trust and overall platform satisfaction. The objective of this report is to provide decision-makers both from political bodies and from online platforms with preliminary evidence-based innovative ideas on how to improve the user self-reporting system on social media platforms. Testing the effectiveness of the proposed reporting systems is part of our ongoing research. The authors acknowledge the ongoing debate about the use of the word “victim” as it may be interpreted to mean that those targeted are in a passive state of subjugation. The authors acknowledge also the growing advocacy, especially by members of the civil society, for the use of the word “survivor” as it emphasizes the strength of the people targeted by sexual harassment. However, the authors also note the debated about how this emphasis on strength may burden the targeted community with the obligation to overcome such traumatic experiences. Hence, the utilization of the expression “victims” in this report should be interpreted through this critical lens.
Electrospinning Preparation of PAN/TiO2 Nanofibers and Photocatalytic Regeneration Properties for Methylene Blue dye
Authors: K. Abdullah Ali , M. Radee Farah , S. Hanoosh Widad
Published: February 2023

The nanofiber membranes prepared by electrospinning method attracted the attention of researchers in the field of pollutant treatment due to their ease of manufacture, efficient performance and ease of removal. Some of these membranes lack the possibility of reuse due to low efficiency and high regeneration cost. In this paper, we were able to prepare nanofiber membranes from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN/TiO2 by adding different ratios (5,10 and 15) wt% of TiO2 respectively. The resultants nanofibers were characterized using Field Emission Scanning microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These prepared membranes enable effective and complete degradation of MB dye in water using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation with the possibility of reuse and high efficiency after washing with distilled water. The efficiency is up to 98% when 15wt% TiO2 was used, while the degradation reaches to 83% when reused the nanofibers composite (PAN/TiO2). The work not only explains the possibility of using and reusing nanofiber films in the treatment of pollutants but also gives a detailed of understanding the behavior of the membrane in dye degradation.
In vitro Induction and Proliferation of Callus in Piper longum L. through Leaf Culture
Authors: Thapa Chandra Bahadur , Pant Krishna Kumar , Bhattarai Hari Datta , Pant Bijaya
Published: February 2023

Piper longum L. (Family Piperaceae) is a well- known health promoter used to treat cough, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and diabetes mellitus. The study is aimed to develop a protocol for callus induction and proliferation in P. longum. The leaf explants from mature plants were cultured on an MS basal medium supplemented with various concentrations of plant growth hormones, viz. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D), Kinetin (KN), 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP), and α-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), as well as 10% coconut water. In primary culture, the callus was compact and light white. The best callus induction and growth were observed in the MS basal medium containing1.0 mg/L 2,4-D+ 2.0 mg/L KN at 12 weeks of primary culture. At eight weeks of secondary culture, the MS medium containing 2.0 mg/L BAP alone and 0.5 mg/L NAA + 2.0 mg/L BAP and 10% coconut water had the best callus proliferation. Compared to 2,4-D and KN alone, BAP alone supported rapid callus growth in the MS medium. In P. longum, large-scale callus formation from leaf explants could be exploited to produce, isolate, and increase bioactive secondary metabolites for therapeutic purposes.
Isolation and Characterization of Plant Growth promoting Rhizobacteria from Bamboo Rhizosphere and Their Role in Plant Growth Promotion
Authors: Maya K.C Bishnu , Prasad Gauchan Dhurva , Khanal Sanjay Nath , Lamichhane Janardan
Published: February 2023

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a group of root-associated bacteria that intimately interact with the plant roots and consequently enhance growth by extemporising nutrient retrieval or phytohormone production. We isolated and screened indigenous phosphate solubilising and auxinproducing PGPR from bamboo rhizosphere. 66 soil samples from bamboo (Bambusa nutans subsp. cupulata, B. balcooa and B. tulda) rhizospheres were collected from Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sarlahi districts, Nepal. 120 isolates of PGPR were obtained by serial dilution method in (PVK) agar and Luria Bertani agar. 92 out of 120 isolates of PGPR with the ability to solubilise phosphate were selected based on the halo colony ratio in PVK agar medium and auxin production in Luria Bertani agar. Among them, six isolates having high phosphate solubilising index and high production capacity of indole-3-acetic acid were further screened. Biochemical analysis revealed that these isolates belonged to the genus Pseudomonas. Phosphate solubilising index and indole-3- acetic acid production by six isolates ranged from 4.19±0.8 to 7.65±1.3, and IAA production ranged from 72.93±0.2 to 82.48±0.9µg/ml respectively. These isolates significantly increased shoot length (13.26±0.56cm), shoot fresh weight (16.26±1.02mg), shoot dry weight (10.56±0.09mg), root length (4.9±0.5cm), root fresh weight (7.56±1.05mg), root dry weight (3.21±0.01mg), and chlorophyll ‘a’ and chlrophyll‘b’ and carotenoid (2.16±0.01mg/g, 1.19±0.06mg/g and 0.92±0.01mg/g respectively) of B. nutans subsp. cupulata seedlings. This study suggests that PGPR isolated from bamboo rhizosphere demonstrated outstanding contribution to the growth promotion of seedlings of B. nutans subsp. cupulata as compared to negative control.
Soil Carbon Fluxes and Sensitivity Analysis – A Study in Pinus roxburghii Forest
Authors: Dhital Deepa , Gosain Bikash , Maharjan Sanu Raja
Published: February 2023

The predicted increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level is responsive to altering the future climate, and a small change in the soil carbon may significantly affect the forest carbon cycle and climate system. Soil respiration (SR) and its influencing factors like soil temperature (ST), soil water content (SWC) and surface litter-fall were measured monthly over one year in a sub-tropical Pine (Pinus roxburghii) forest of Bhaktapur district located in central Nepal to determine the SR of the forest and, its variations and sensitivity. The results showed that SR varied to the changes in ST by an exponential significant positive correlation between them. The optimum SR was observed between 10 and 22ºC, and the highest SR were obtained above ST at 20ºC. The temperature sensitivity value of SR (Q10) was estimated at Q10 = 2.13. The significant exponential curve represented the effect of SWC on SR. The higher SR rate was mostly measured between 10 and 25% SWC. The monthly and seasonal variations of the SR rate were consistent with the ST, SWC and litter-fall variations. The study showed that the combined effect of temperature and precipitation might be the major cause of SR variations; however, ST is adequate for increasing SR. Hence, the warming further enhances carbon emission from the forest floor and inversely increases carbon to contribute to climatic change through this pine-dominated forest stand structure.
Identification of Cucurbit Fruit Flies and Their Relative Attractiveness to Different Cues and Releasers
Authors: Chiluwal K , Shrestha E , Devkota S , Shrestha K , Sigdel S , Khanal A , Basnet RB , Upadhyay B , `Aryal LN
Published: February 2023

Tephritids are the major challenges for fruit and fleshy vegetable growers of the tropics and subtropics. Nepal also incurs huge losses of fruits and vegetables to the tephritids. This study was designed to identify the tephritid flies in Malepatan and Lumle of Gandaki Province. Bucket traps baited with methyl eugenol (ME) in Malepatan, and ME, cue lure (CL) and a mixture of ME and CL (ME+CL) with different releasers; tube, cotton and paper were installed at Lumle in 2020 summer. Three species of the fly (Bactrocera dorsalis, Bactrocera zonata and Bactrocera correcta) were recorded from Malepatan, dominated by B. dorsalis. The B. correcta count was negligible. While in Lumle, B. dorsalis was the most dominant, followed by B. zonata till July, after which, till August, B. tau followed the B. dorsalis. Seven species of the tephritids (B. zonata, B. dorsalis, B. tau, B. diversa, B. scutellaris, B. correcta and B. cucurbitae) were recorded from this region. Among the releasers, paper releaser was found more effective as compared to cotton and tube. However, the lures should be changed in a short interval, by two weeks, to acquire a satisfactory result. This study unveils that the study site already inhabits seven species of fruit flies. So, the monitoring with different cues could be an effective tool for species actuation. Additionally, the paper releasers could be recommended for further use in the traps for monitoring and mass trapping purposes.
Phytochemical Screening and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Selected Species of Gentiana from Nepal Himalaya
Authors: Shakya Niroj , Khanal Supreet , Joshi Giri Prasad , Pant Deepak Raj
Published: February 2023

Various species of Gentiana find their use to treat various digestive and topical ailments in traditional medicine in Nepal. The present work reports the results of preliminary phytochemical analysis and biological activities of extracts of four different species of Gentiana (G. depressa, G.ornata, G. urnula, and G. capitata) from Nepal Himalaya. Furthermore, the study also reports a semi-quantitative estimation of major bioactive compounds in those extracts. The total flavonoid content was found to be highest (19.09±0.97mgQE/g) in methanol extracts of G. capitata and lowest (4.22±0.66 mgQE/g) in aqueous extracts of G. urnula. The highest amount (79.2±19.19 mgGAE/g) of total phenolic content was observed in methanolic extracts of G. depressa, while the lowest amount (37.11±2.18 mgGAE/g) was observed in aqueous extract of G. urnula. The methanol extract of G. depressa showed the best antioxidant activity among the Gentiana species tested. Extracts of all the species tested showed weak antibacterial activity even at the highest concentration of the extract. Semi-quantitative estimation showed that swertiamarin was in higher quantities than amarogentin and mangiferin. The highest concentration of swertiamarin and mangiferin (0.109±0.013 mg/g and 0.018±0.001 mg/g, respectively) was identified in G. ornata, while the highest concentration of amarogentin (0.075±0.005 mg/g) was observed in G. capitata. These results justify the folklore use of these species in traditional medicinal practices in Nepal.
A Short-Term Measurement of PM2.5 Concentration During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period in Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Neupane Pawan Kumar , Shrestha Sunil Babu , Rupakheti Dipesh , Joshi Dev Raj , Joshi Tista Prasai
Published: February 2023

The Government of Nepal implemented a nationwide lockdown from 24 March 2020 to 21 July 2020 to control the person-to-person transmission of COVID-19. This study was conducted in a trafficintensified area of Kathmandu valley, where vehicular movement represents one of the main sources of air pollution. Hence, this study was intended to quantify the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5) for 11 hours of daytime from 23 April to 20 May 2020. It was also to evaluate the influences of lockdown on air quality. PM2.5 was observed using HAZ-Dust, Environmental Particulate Air Monitor in the 18 different traffic sites of the Kathmandu valley. During the lockdown period, a substantially low mean concentration of PM2.5 ranging from 3.69±1.78 µg/ m3 to 7.58±3.98 µg/m3 was recorded in Kathmandu valley, which reflected improved air quality due to the cessation of vehicular activities. Therefore, the study outcome suggests that controlling the existing vehicular activities and promoting energy-efficient vehicles like electric vehicles in specific locations in the city will improve air quality and benefit public health.
Comparative Adsorption Behavior of Malachite Green Dye onto Charred and Aminated Sal (Shorea robusta) Sawdust from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Homagai Puspa Lal , Rayamajhi Sanjita , Dhami Dilli , Shrestha Ram Lal , Bhattarai Deval Prasad
Published: February 2023

Chemically treated Sal sawdust was used to study the adsorption of Malachite Green (MG) dye from an aqueous solution. Raw Sal sawdust (RSSD) was charred and aminated. The surface functional groups of raw and modified adsorbents were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra (FTIR). The influence of pH on batch experiments, concentration and contact time for charred Sal sawdust (CSSD) and aminated Sal sawdust (ASSD) were investigated. The dye uptake was highest at a pH of 4, and adsorption was found to be 62.63 % and 92.15% for CSSD and ASSD, respectively, at an adsorbent dose of 0.025 g and agitation speed of 190 rotations per minute (rpm). The pertinency of Langmuir isotherm was tested, and the kinetic data was found best fitted for pseudo-second-order. The adsorption capacity of MG dye onto ASSD and CSSD was found to be 91.9 mg/g and 64 mg/g, correspondingly. This showed that ASSD is a more efficient adsorbent than CSSD for excluding MG dye from an aqueous solution.
Performance of Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall In Dual Structural System: A Review
Authors: Suwal Rajan , Khawas Aakarsha
Published: February 2023

A dual structural system consists of a momentresisting frame, and vertical reinforced concrete walls called shear walls. Shear walls used in tall buildings are generally located around elevator cores and stairwells. Many possibilities exist in a tall building regarding the location, shape, number, and arrangement of shear walls. Shear walls generally start at the foundation level and are continuous throughout the building height. Their thickness can be as low as 150mm in lowrise to medium-rise buildings or as high as 400mm in high-rise buildings. To establish an effective lateral force-resisting system, the shear walls are located in preferable positions in a structure that minimizes lateral displacements. The shear walls are situated in ideal locations to be symmetrical and torsional effects get reduced. Based on the comparison of various literature regarding the shear wall positions, the shear wall placement at the core or the corners of the structure symmetrically gives the best performance to reduce displacement and story drift. Also, lateral displacement diminishes when the shear wall’s thickness increases.
A Review on Microbial Fuel Cell Performance for Energy Generation
Authors: Pradhan Sulochana , Joshi Jarina
Published: February 2023

Much work in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is necessary in today’s context to meet an environmentfriendly and sustainable technology for alternative energy. A huge depletion in fossil fuel is going on rapidly. There may be high chance of a fuel crisis and global warming shortly. MFC is a promising technology in the field of energy production. MFC is a promising technology in the field of energy production. MFC operates with the degradation of different types of wastes by generating various by-products. Proper design and operation of MFC help to get optimum output. The performance of MFC depends on appropriate electrode materials, substrates, pH and type of microbes grown. In MFC, microbial oxidation of natural wastes occurs at ambient temperature. The generated reaction produces energy.
A Broad Perspective on Cloud Integrated Flight Data Recorder
Authors: Chaudhary Satish , Singh Aditya Pratap , Sharma Devender
Published: February 2023

The history of air traffic, whether its about the safety or the qualitative inspection of the several sensors and interconnected mechanical parts, is well known. Hence, the efforts applied through the research and analysis of several engineers profoundly made the air traffic investigation safer and more comfortable. As a result,the flight investigation of whether the lost aircraft or the airplane’s found wreckage has become more secure and convenient than in the Past. The use of light and advanced materials, the development of excellent communication equipment, and the rapid development of the aviation sector have played a crucial role in increasing its safety and reach to the general public, and so do the several challenges associated with the aviation sector. As a result, there has been much research regarding the air traffic investigation with the help of advanced sensor and better software that can simulate and even predict the dangers provided by several parameters helping in the investigation and exploring better sides of safety. The accident can be prevented with the help of improvements provided based on accurate analysis of previous air accidents. In modern aircraft, there is a device called the Black Box which helps analyze and investigate. For example, after Malaysian flight MH370’s disappearance, the airline again felt to upgrade the black box to a new working standard of the cloud-based technology. Currently, there are many cloud storage services worldwide such as GOOGLE, APPLE, AMAZON, MICROSOFT etc. After this accident and similar previous aircraft disappearances from different parts of the world, researchers finally decided to test steaming to nearby air traffic services and storing flight data in remote cloud storage. This study attempts to compile the worldwide efforts in the cloud-integrated flight data recorder (CIFDR) field. This research primarily focuses on different ways of storing data on cloud-based technology. The different trend worldwide approaches and different means applied to test this system without hindering the associated safety of the data going through encryption and decryption. Recently there has been a proliferation of internet facilities in flight. Although it is still in its infancy phase, the flight data can be sent to remote servers by improving this technique. Many challenges in transmitting flight data in real-time need to be overcome before commercializing this technique.
Fall Armyworm: Current Status in Nepal, its Management and Way Forward
Authors: Nyaupane Sushil , Mainali Ram P , Kafle Sagar , Bajracharya Ajaya SR
Published: February 2023

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically important invasive pest species primarily infesting maize. It is highly polyphagous and migratory in nature, posing a threat to several economically important crops. This pest has traveled a long journey from the American continent to Asia via Africa. This insect has inflicted substantial damage to Maize’s crop productivity of Maize in Nepal, since its introduction in May 2019 and has now become widespread from plain regions to hilly regions of the country. Therefore, this pest problem is considered a major issue for research and development in the country. The lessons from world research and development in the fall armyworm management could be adapted and used in Nepal after its proper validation. In order to identify the current status of fall armyworm in Nepal and the management of the insect species, we have discussed overviews on biology, ecology, origin and distribution pathway, management, and way forward, focusing on sustainable measures which could be useful for designing integrated pest management of fall armyworm in Nepal since knowledge gap is large.
Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors (IMSCTs): Outcome after surgical resection in 35 cases and review of literature
Authors: Sharma Gopal Raman , Joshi Sumit , Poudel Prakash , Karki Prassana , Shah Damber Bikram , Pokharel Baburam
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors (IMSCTs) are rare and they represent only 5% of all spinal tumors. Ependymoma and astrocytoma are two most common IMSCTs. Due to recent advances in micro instruments, imaging and technology, aggressive surgical excision has become a safer possibility with better outcome. Aim of this study is to analyze functional outcome of patients after surgical resection of IMSCTs and review of literature.

METHODOLOGY Over a period of 4 years, between May 2017 and January 2021, 35 patients were operated for IMSCTs under general anesthesia. Neurophysiological monitoring (NPM) was recently available and used only in last few cases. CUSA was used whenever required in these microsurgical procedures. This retrospective study was carried out after retrieving data from OT registers, inpatient files, OPD records, and statistical analysis was executed using SPSS software (version 18). Functional outcome was assessed by McCormick grading scale and mean follow up period was 2.5 years.

RESULTS Out of 35 patients, 17 were male and 18 female. Mean age distribution was 27.57(+/-17.68). On admission, 30 patients had motor deficits, 18 had neck or back pain, 10 had sphincter dysfunction, 7 had kyphoscoliosis and 2 patients had normal neurology. MRI with IV contrast of these 35 patients revealed intramedullary lesions at cervical (11), cervicomedullary (4), thoracic (8), cervicothoracic (2), thoracolumbar (3), conus (6) and lumbar (1) regions. 22 patients had gross total and 13 had subtotal resection. Histological examination confirmed 30 glial tumors (ependymoma & astrocytoma), 2 dermoid/epidermoid, 2 neurenteric cysts and 1 secondary. Postoperative complication was 17% and there was no surgery related 30 days’ mortality. Functional outcome was measured by McCormick grade before and after microsurgical resection. Preoperatively 3(8.5%) patients had low grade or independent and 32 (91.4%) had high grade or dependent. Postoperatively and at the time of discharge 14 (40%) of patients had low grade or independent and 21 (60%) were dependent or high grade. On last followed up (4 years) 15 (48.3%) had low grade and 16 (51.6%) had high grade or dependent. In our series, on followed up of 4 years, recurrence rate was 5(14.2%), They were 2 astrocytoma, 1 secondary, and 2 myxopapillary ependymomas. Two patients with myxopapillary ependymoma were operated twice and no radiotherapy was advocated. 8 (22.6%) patients received local radiation and recurrence rate was 17.2%.

CONCLUSION  Safe resection of intramedullary lesion is possible with the aid of modern neurosurgical tools, however, functional outcome relies on preoperative neurological status of the patients, extent of excision and histology of tumor. Risk factors for recurrence of IMSCTS are extent of resection and histological behavior of tumor.
Retrospective Study on transfusion requirements and deep vein thrombosis incidence with the use of Tranexamic acid on total knee replacement
Authors: Rana R , Lakhey S , Jha D , Chitrakar N , Thakur J , Poudel A
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND Total knee replacement is often associated with significant blood loss and increased rate of blood transfusion. Tranexamic acid is a potent anti-fibrinolytic agent and its use in major surgeries has shown to decrease blood loss as well as transfusion rates. It is used intravenous, oral and topical forms as well. This study aims to find out the effectiveness of systemic Tranexamic acid in terms of decrease in transfusion rate as well incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and thromboembolism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Total number of patients were 94 of which 58 had bilateral knees replacement and 36 patient underwent unilateral knee replacement over the period of 3 years (December 2018 –December 2021). All patients were screened for general condition as well as any coagulopathy pre –op. All patients were given IV form of Tranexamic acid followed by oral form for 3 days post operatively. Tourniquet was used in all cases and low molecular weight heparin (Clexane) 40 mg subcutaneous once a day for 1-2 days followed by oral aspirin was given for 6 weeks to all patients. SCD calf pumps were used for 4 to 5 days.

RESULTS We found that incidence of blood transfusion was only 6.9% in our case series which was well within the incidence reported in varied literature on the use of Tranexamic acid in knee replacement surgery. There was no clinical feature of deep vein thrombosis / pulmonary embolism (DVT/PE) in any of our patients.

CONCLUSION Use of Tranexamic acid is a safe and effective method for controlling blood loss and decreasing the transfusion rate after total knee replacement surgery. Its intravenous and oral forms are readily available and cost effective. Its use is not associated with DVT or PE.
Low-volume Plasma Exchange In Immune-mediated Neurological Diseases : A tertiary care center study
Authors: Shrestha Aashish , Gajurel Bikram Prasad , Karn Ragesh , Ojha Rajeev , Rajbhandari Reema , Gautam Niraj , Shahi Sumit , Ghimire Pukar , Panthee Pradeep , Bijukchhe Sanjeev M
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND The optimal cost benefit of standard plasma exchange (SPE) has not been met where most of the patients do not afford the treatment. As an alternative, low volume plasma exchange (LVPE) is cost-effective than SPE where albumin replacement is eliminated. The aim of this study was to analyse the efficacy and safety of LVPE in various Immune mediated neurological diseases (IMND).

METHODS A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted in patients with IMND who were admitted in TUTH between October 15, 2020, and October 14, 2022. Hemodynamically stable patients over the age of 18 who met the plasma exchange criteria were eligible. Outcomes and treatment-related complications were studied separately for the different diseases.

RESULTS Of the 29 patients enrolled, 3 had Myasthenia gravis (MG), 6 had Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), 11 had Gullian Barre syndrome (GBS), 6 had Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and 3 had Autoimmune encephalitis (AE). Patients with MG, GBS, and CIDP all showed statistically significant improvement in mRS scores from 2.3±0.6 to 0 (p value = 0.0198), 3.03±1.8 to 2.2±1.4 (p value=0.0046) and 2.5±1.4 to 1.8±1(p value=0.025) respectively by the time they were discharged following treatment. Two patients developed Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and two developed anaphylaxis during the course of their treatment, although none deteriorated further while in the hospital.

CONCLUSION LVPE was effective in MG, GBS and CIDP. Myasthenia crisis patients who re-quired mechanical ventilation demonstrated complete resolution with LVPE making it a potential life-saving alternative for those who cannot afford standard therapy.
Anthropozoonotic transmission of Monkeypox: Are our canine companions at risk?
Authors: Robinson Jared , Banerjee Indrajit , Leclézio Alexandra
Published: February 2023

Monkeypox is the latest zoonotic outbreak spreading in its majority throughout the Western region of the globe. The latest statistics and reports indicate that Spain, France, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands are the country’s worst effected with a total of 7083, 3897, 3570, 845 and 1221 cases respectively. The WHO has also reported numerous cases extending into the Balkans and Turkey. The current global Monkeypox outbreak is becoming more concerning as the total number of cases globally has surpassed 35000, and the incident rates are accelerating with a 20% growth in cases being noted on a weekly basis. This global increase in cases intern enhances exposure of the virus to a larger portion of the populous; the exposure of the virus is not only intensified in humans but also their household pets and animals.
Implementation of E-Government in Uttar Pradesh: A Study of Allahabad District
Authors: Kant Neelam
Published: February 2023

Among the many effects of new and expanding information and communication technology and the digital revolution, one major effect is the reality and potential of ICT to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government and making government more responsive to the needs of their citizens. This is e-government- the use of information and communications technologies to transform government to make more efficient, effective transparent and accountable. We can say that e-government can make government more SMART i.e. Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent. Essentially SMART captures all the important attributes of good governance. E- government is a generic term for web-based services from agencies of Local, state and federal government. E-government defined by other sources is as follows.       The e-Government efforts by the European Union are based on the definition, "E-Government is the use of Information and Communication technologies in Public Administration combined with organizations and service and democratic processes.