Design procedures of reinforced concrete framed buildings in Nepal and its impact on seismic safety

The present paper analyses the design procedure and its impact on seismic safety of the structures. For this, a representative reinforced concrete frame building (WDS) is designed and the results are compared with similar buildings detailed with: i) Current Construction Practices (CCP); ii) the Nepal Building Code (NBC) and iii) the Modified Nepal Building Code (NBC+) recommendations. The seismic performance evaluation is done with global strength, inter-storey drift and displacement of the structures. Likewise, the sensitivity of the structural and geometrical parameters of the RC frame building is studied through nonlinear analysis. The study parameters considered for parametric analysis are column size, beam size, inter-storey height, bay length, bay width, and compressive strength of concrete. The results show that the influence on the structural behaviour, particularly by variation in column size and inter-storey height. Additionally, the influence of the seismic zone factor on reinforcement demand of the structure is studied. The result shows that structures designed for high to medium seismic hazard demands double the reinforcement in beams compared to structures in low seismic zone

Hotel customers’ behavioral intentions toward service robots: the role of utilitarian and hedonic values

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of hotel customers’ perceived utilitarian and hedonic values on their intention to use service robots. In addition, the influences of innovativeness, ease of use and compatibility on hotel customers’ perceived utilitarian and hedonic values were examined. Design/methodology/approach: The data of the current study was collected from 11 countries including the USA, UK, Turkey, Spain, Romania, Japan, Israel, India, Greece, Canada and Brazil. A structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings: The results indicated that hotel customers’ intention to use service robots was positively influenced by their utilitarian and hedonic value perceptions. In addition, customers’ perceptions of robots’ ease of use and compatibility had a positive impact on their perceived utilitarian and hedonic values. Originality/value: The findings of the current study provide unique contributions in the context of hospitality robotics technology adoption literature. In addition, this study provides valuable insights and novel opportunities for hospitality decision-makers to capitalize on, as they strive to strategize the integration of robot-based services into their operations

Knowledge priorities on climate change and water in the Upper Indus Basin : a horizon scanning exercise to identify the top 100 research questions in social and natural sciences

This study was partially supported by core funds of ICIMOD contributed by the governments of Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden, and Switzerland. AO was supported by funding from the National Environmental Research Council (NERC) National Capability Overseas Development Assistance under the grant ‘Polar expertise –Supporting development’ (NE/R000107/1).River systems originating from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are dominated by runoff from snow and glacier melt and summer monsoonal rainfall. These water resources are highly stressed as huge populations of people living in this region depend on them, including for agriculture, domestic use, and energy production. Projections suggest that the UIB region will be affected by considerable (yet poorly quantified) changes to the seasonality and composition of runoff in the future, which are likely to have considerable impacts on these supplies. Given how directly and indirectly communities and ecosystems are dependent on these resources and the growing pressure on them due to ever-increasing demands, the impacts of climate change pose considerable adaptation challenges. The strong linkages between hydroclimate, cryosphere, water resources, and human activities within the UIB suggest that a multi- and inter-disciplinary research approach integrating the social and natural/environmental sciences is critical for successful adaptation to ongoing and future hydrological and climate change. Here we use a horizon scanning technique to identify the Top 100 questions related to the most pressing knowledge gaps and research priorities in social and natural sciences on climate change and water in the UIB. These questions are on the margins of current thinking and investigation and are clustered into 14 themes, covering three overarching topics of 'governance, policy, and sustainable solutions', 'socioeconomic processes and livelihoods', and 'integrated Earth System processes'. Raising awareness of these cutting-edge knowledge gaps and opportunities will hopefully encourage researchers, funding bodies, practitioners, and policy makers to address them.Peer reviewe

Impact of changes in climate and glacier configurations on runoff from the Langtang River basin, Nepal

Climate change is rapidly altering Himalayan glaciers, jeopardizing downstream water resources. This study investigates the impact of changing air temperatures, precipitation, and glacier configurations on streamflow in the Langtang River basin, a vital Himalayan basin. Using a process-based glacio-hydrological model driven by bias-corrected reanalysis data, we simulate streamflow under various scenarios. Results reveal that, while current glacier conditions show increased runoff with higher temperatures and precipitation, future deglaciation scenarios project a decrease in total streamflow, highlighting the complex interplay between climate and glacier dynamics in basin hydrology. These findings emphasize the need for adaptation strategies to ensure water security in the face of evolving Himalayan hydrology.</p

An Echocardiographic Study of Right Ventricular Morphology and Function in Systemic Hypertension.

Background and Aims: Hypertension is a common medical condition that leads to increased risk of cardiovascular conditions including coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, renal diseases, blindness and cardiovascular death. Long term hypertension will affect left ventricle by hypertrophy and several functional derangements. Since heart works as a unit, right heart changes are expected. Right ventricular dysfunction has a strong prognostic significance and we aim to study right ventricular parameters in hypertensive patients.&#x0D; Methods: We studied 71 hypertensive subjects and 66 matched control without hypertension in echocardiography laboratory for chamber dimensions and right ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters.&#x0D; Results: The right ventricular free wall thickness (5.46±1.97mm vs 4.77±0.81mm; P=0.01) and interventricular septal thickness (11.62±2.64mm vs 9.10±1.16mm; P&lt;0.01) were significantly higher among hypertensive patients. Right ventricular dimensions namely basal diameter (26.41±4.97mm vs 29.16±5.22mm; P&lt;0.01), mid-ventricular diameter (25.83±4.40mmvs 27.44±5.05mm; P=0.05) and right ventricular long-axis length (69.54±7.08 mm vs 73.28±7.08mm; P&lt;0.01) were significantly low among hypertensive patients. Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) was significantly lower among hypertensive patients (18.84±1.85mm vs control 20.54±2.65mm; P&lt;0.01). A significant statistical correlation was found between mitral E/A ratio and tricuspid E/A ratio (R2 linear=0.78, P=0.01).&#x0D; Conclusion: The effect of hypertension in right ventricular structure and function are found to be subtle but definite as seen in diastolic wave velocities, right ventricular wall thickness, internal chamber dimensions and TAPSE. Assessment of hypertensive effect on heart will help to control hypertension in stringent way.</jats:p

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Dental Adhesives use among Dental Practitioners of Chitwan

Introduction: Denture adhesive (DA) is defined as a material used to adhere a denture to the oral mucosa. It plays an important role in the retention and the functional comfort among denture wearers. There are conflicting views in dentistry regarding the use of denture adhesives in clinical practice. Therefore, the main purpose of the study is to reveal the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding denture adhesives among the dental practitioners of Chitwan district, Nepal.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: A 20 item questionnaire was distributed among the registered dental practitioners of Chitwan districts using online google forms and the printed questionnaires were distributed personally to the practitioners who were accessible. Data were entered into Microsoft 2007 excel sheet and descriptive statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20.&#x0D; Results: The results showed that 69.1% of General dental practitioners and 50% of other specialists had average knowledge while all the prosthodontics had good knowledge regarding denture adhesives. About 96.80% of General dental practitioners, 60% of other specialists frequently use denture adhesive in their practice. Only 20.2% of general dental practitioners and 20% of other specialists knew the adverse effects of zinc-containing denture adhesives. Most of the dental practitioners (93%) used powder form of denture adhesives.&#x0D; Conclusion: Most of the dental practitioners of Chitwan had fair knowledge, attitude and practice regarding denture adhesives.</jats:p