• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.189-191
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• 1999

Mineral profile of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 15 Himalayan Yak (adult female, n=8; adult male n=4 and young male,n=3) was studied in their natural habitat at an altitude of 3300 meters above mean sea level at Sangla in north western Himalayas. The macro and micro minerals estimated in serum and CSF were; Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium and Zinc, Copper and Iron respectively. The values recorded among different Yak groups did not significantly differ from each other except serum iron and haemoglobin which were significantly higher (p<0.05 ) in young male Yaks compared to the adult male and female Yaks. An observation of great significance was considerably higher potassium and lower sodium level in Yaks compared to other bovine species of plains. The serum potassium values in some adult female Yaks were recorded as high as 10.4 mEq/l and the values varied between 6.6 to 9.8 mEq/l in young male Yaks. The serum Sodium values and Na:K ratios in Yak serum ranged between 117.5 to 122.6 mEq/l and 13.7 to 15.3 respectively. The possible relationship of high serum Potassium value with hypoxic conditions and hostile mountain environment has been discussed.

• 물과 미래
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• 제52권8호
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• pp.56-66
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• 2019

Nepal is bestowed with abundant water. With more than 1500 mm average annual rainfall in the country, a vast quantity of underutilized groundwater in the Terai belt, and the water stored in snowcaps in the Himalayas, aquifers in the mountains and glacial lakes, Nepal is potentially in an advantageous position in terms of per capita availability. However, low emphasis in management aspect of water and high emphasis in infrastructural developments related to water resources management has resulted in conversion of water in Nepal from a resource to a burden. The global climate change, reduction in number of rainy days, increase in intensity of rainfall during wet monsoon season, encroachment of river banks for settlement, inadequate release of environmental flows from hydropower plants, and attempt to tame the mighty and high velocity rivers of Nepal have resulted in increasing number of water induced disasters (flood and landslide), rise in conflict between local residents and hydropower developers, higher number of devastating landslides, and in some extreme cases mass migration of residents resulting in climate refugees. There is a ray of hope; the awareness level of the people regarding sustainable use of water resources is increasing, the benefit sharing mechanism is gradually being implemented, the role of interdisciplinary and integrated water resources management is appreciated at a higher level and the level of preparedness against flood and landslides is at a higher degree compared to a couple of decades ago. With the use of renewable energy sources, the possibilities for sustainable and productive use of water are on the rise in Nepal.

• 식물분류학회지
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.10-17
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• 2021

Invasive alien species management is pivotal for biodiversity conservation. Commelina caroliniana Walter, from the family Commelinaceae, is an alien plant native to the Himalayas and India, but it has been widely introduced around the world, including in the United States, Brazil, Philippines, and Japan. In Korea, the first population was found growing adjacent to agricultural land and farm roads on Jejudo Island, and field observations confirmed the presence of at least nine populations there. It is similar morphologically to C. diffusa Burm. f. but can be distinguished by involucral bracts that are ciliate at the base, hairs on the peduncle and obsolete upper cincinnus, brown spots on its 4-lobed antherode, and seed surfaces that are smooth to slightly alveolate. It was determined to have an invasiveness low score of 8 according to the Korean 'Invasive Alien Plant Risk Assessment', suggesting that it may spread to natural habitats. Although the current distribution of C. caroliniana is restricted to Jeju-si, it has spread dramatically in many other areas of the world. At present, it has had a limited impact on the local environment, but local and regulatory authorities should pay close attention to this plant and take measures to prevent its expansion in the future.

• Acta Via Serica
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.61-90
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• 2021

Recent excavations in Qinghai Province, China, have disclosed textiles and artworks from Tuyuhun-Tubo (Tibetan) tombs, dated to the 7^th-9^th centuries, that suggest artistic and cultural exchanges along an external southern branch of the main Silk Road, between Gansu and Sichuan Provinces, across the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau toward the Himalayas. Many similar textiles, possibly from this area, have appeared lately on the art market and ended in private collections. Although these textiles, dated to the early Tibetan period, follow a popular prototype established in Central Asia in the 6^th century, the technical features, colors, and other indigenous elements suggest that they were woven in workshops different from those established between Sogdiana and Gansu. The exhibition "Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road - Masterpieces of the Tubo Period," organized by the Dunhuang Research Academy and the Pritzker Collaborative Art between July and October 2019 in Dunhuang, Gansu, was a groundbreaking event that gathered scholarly attention on early Tibetan material culture, but a relevant publication is still forthcoming. In my previous work, I briefly discussed a group of silk textiles, possibly from Qinghai or Sichuan, that I analyzed in 2014 in the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. In light of the recent material excavated, published online, or displayed in Dunhuang, in this article, I reevaluate the data previously collected, and discuss in detail the technical and iconographic features of one of the fragments held in Hangzhou. Eventually, the piece was recognized as the ending part of a large panel, which is now in the Abegg Stiftung in Riggisberg, Switzerland.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.29-37
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• 2013

The study was carried out in two different forest types viz., Banj oak and Chir pine forests to assess the variation in forest species composition and soil properties along altitudinal gradients in the Garhwal Himalayas. The results of the study showed that between the forests soil moisture was higher in Banj oak forest because of closed canopy and dense forest compared to Chir pine forest. The sand particles were reported higher in Banj oak forest which might be due to the addition of organic matter favouring coarse structure of soil, helping in holding maximum water in soils. However in the Chir pine forest low amount of soil organic matter and presence of clayey soil, develops soil compactness which reduces the penetration of water resulting in high soil bulk density. The higher accumulation of litter and presence of moisture in Banj oak forest favours higher nutrient level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to Chir pine forest. The soil organic carbon also reduced with increasing altitude at both gradients. While bulk density has reverse trend with soil organic carbon in both the forests at different peaks of same region. In Banj oak forest, the highest density and total basal cover was reported 1,100 tree $ha^{-1}$ and 58.86 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. However, the highest values of density and total basal cover of Chir pine forest was 560 tree$ha^{-1}$ and 56.94 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. The total density and basal cover of both the forests reduced with increasing altitude. The study concludes that Banj oak forest has better nutrient cycling ability, well developed foest floor and has a greater protective and productive features compared to the Chir pine forest which is without lower vegetation cover and having only pine litter accumulation which does not allow any other species to grow.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.146-153
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• 2017

Sediment flow through hydropower components causes hydro-abrasive erosion resulting in loss of efficiency, interruptions in power production and downtime for repair/maintenance. Online instruments are required to measure/capture the variations in sediment parameters along with collecting samples manually to analyse in laboratory for verification. In this paper, various sediment parameters viz. size, concentration (TSS), shape and mineral composition relevant to hydro-abrasive erosion were measured and discussed with respect to a hydropower plant in Himalayan region, India. A multi-frequency acoustic instrument was installed at a desilting chamber to continuously monitor particle size distribution (PSD) and TSS entering the turbine during 27 May to 6 August 2015. The sediment parameters viz. TSS, size distribution, mineral composition and shape entering the turbine were also measured and analysed, using manual samples collected twice daily from hydropower plant, in laboratory with instruments based on laser diffraction, dynamic digital image processing, gravimetric method, conductivity, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and turbidity. The acoustic instrument was able to capture the variation in TSS; however, significant deviations were found between measured mean sediment sizes compared to values found in the laboratory. A good relation was found for turbidity ($R^2=0.86$) and laser diffraction ($R^2=0.93$) with TSS, which indicated that turbidimeter and laser diffraction instrument can be used for continuous monitoring of TSS at the plant. Total sediment load passed through penstock during study period was estimated to be 15,500 ton. This study shall be useful for researchers and hydropower managers in measuring/monitoring sediment for hydro-abrasive erosion study in hydropower plants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권12호
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• pp.4957-4961
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• 2014

Background: Head and neck cancer without distant metastases is amenable to various modalities of treatment. However, the stage at presentation is a very important determinant for treatment success. The present study was conducted to determine the stage-wise presentation of non-metastatic head and neck cancer patients from the hilly regions in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India. Materials and Methods: The hospital records for non-metastatic head and neck cancer patients from the only functional cancer centre of the region for the period of two-years (January 2012-December 2013) were included. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma was excluded due to its staging system being different. Non-squamous histopathologies were also excluded. Patients hailing from nearby regions of Uttar Pradesh and Nepal were excluded, as were patients from non-hilly regions of Kumaon. Results: Of the 271 patients of head and neck cancer, 27 with distant metastases at diagnosis were excluded from the analysis. Of the 244 eligible patient records, 90.1% (n=222) were male, and 9.9% (n=22) were female. The proportions of patients with carcinoma of the larynx, oropharynx, oral cavity, hypopharynx and maxillary antrum were 31.9% (n=78), 27.9% (n=68), 20.5% (n=50), 12.7% (n=31) and 1.2% (n=3). A further 5.7% (n=14) were diagnosed as having secondary involvement of neck nodes with unknown primaries. The proportion of patients presenting in stages I, II, III, IVA and IVB were 0.8% (n=2), 2.5% (n=6), 9.4% (n=23), 51.6% (n=126) and 35.7% (n=87) respectively. Conclusions: An abysmally low proportion (3.3%) of non-metastatic head and neck cancer patients presented in the early stages (I and II). A vast majority of the patients (88.1%) presented with stages IVA and IVB. Not only does this reflect a poor therapeutic outlook, but also exposes the dire need for programmes focusing on cancer awareness and early detection in the region.

• 한국제4기학회지
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.51-85
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• 1988

중국과 한국을 포함하는 동아시아에 제3기말기 이후 제4기홍적세 시기에 살았던 동물상의 연구와 자연환경의 연구는 주로 중국에서 이루어졌다. 최근 중국에서 이루어진 이 지역에 관한 지질학, 지형학과 기후의 변화 및 loess의 발달등에 관한 연구들은 초기 홍적세 시기에 진행되었던 히말라야와 청해/신장 고원의 빠른 용기 작용이 동아시아에서 진행되어온 자연환경의 변화에 커다란 영향을 미쳤음을 보여주고 있으며, 홍적세의 상한 또한 2백만년을 넘을 수 없음을 밝혀주고 있다. 전기 홍적세 이후로 중국에서의 동물군은 크게 북중국, 남중국 그러고 중간지역 등의 3개의 동물군으로 나눌 수 있으며, 젖먹이근동물의 발달과정을 통해서 홍적세시기의 생태계를 이해할 수 있다. 한국선사시대 환경과 동물상은 같은 시기에 속하는 북중국의 자연환경 및 동물상과 비슷하였음을 알 수 있다.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.214-224
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• 2015

The economy of India and so also of many Asian countries depends on bamboos and their uses are not only in domestic items but also in rural housing and raw materials to several industries and germplasm characterization is an important link between the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources. Classical taxonomic studies of the bamboos are based on floral morphology and growth habit, which can cause problems in identification due to erratic flowering coupled with different biotic agencies and environmental factors. Identification and genetic relationships among accessions of Thamnocalamus falconeri were investigated using morphology and random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPD) technique. Analysis started by using 51 vegetative characters and forty two 10-mer primers that allowed us to distinguish different genotypes hailing from different eco- zones of Garhwal Himalayas (India). The selected primers (12) were used for identification and for establishing a profiling system to estimate genetic diversity. A total of 79.33% polymorphism was estimated by using 12 selected primers. The genetic similar analysis was conducted based on binary digits i.e. presence (1) or absence (0) of bands, which revealed a wide range of variability among the species whereas genetic relatedness was quite high based on vegetative characters. Cluster analysis clearly showed two major clusters for both of the markers viz. morphology and RAPD belonging to 10 accessions of T. falconeri. Two major clusters were further divided into minor clusters. Cluster based on RAPD marker showed grouping of accessions of closed locality whereas analogy was reported for vegetative traits. The RAPD technique has the potential for use in species identification and genetic relationships studies of bamboo for breeding program.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권17호
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• pp.7911-7916
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• 2015

Serum anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies and pepsinogens (PGs) have been used as gastric cancer screening and gastric mucosal status markers. Nepal is a low risk country for gastric cancer. However, the mountainous populace in the northern region culturally linked to Tibet as well as Bhutan, a neighboring country, have a high risk of GC. We collected gastric biopsy specimens and sera from 146 dyspeptic patients living in Kathmandu, Nepal. We also examined the sera of 80 volunteers living in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas. The optimal cut-off was calculated for serum biomarkers against the histology. Kathmandu patients (43.8%) were serologically positive for H. pylori infection, which was significantly lower than that for the mountainous (61.3%, P = 0.01). The same results also found in the prevalence of PG-positivity, PG I levels and PG I/II ratios (P = 0.001, P<0.0001 and P = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, the PG I/II ratios were significantly, and inversely correlated with the OLGA score (r = -0.33, P<0.009). The low incidence of gastric cancer in Nepal can be attributed to low gastric mucosal atrophy. However, the mountainous subjects have high-risk gastric mucosal status, which could be considered a high-risk population in Nepal.