This study was conducted in order to assess the pesticide (Cypermethrin) residue in some vegetables and examine the related human health risk. The purpose of this study was to investigate pesticide residue in vegetables from the Kathmandu market of Nepal. Total of 16 samples were collected from March 2018 to Nov 2019. The samples were analyzed to determine the concentration of pesticide residue. Cypermethrin is the most widely used pyrethroid pesticide to control many pests and is also most frequently detected pyrethroid in vegetables and fruits in Nepal. It interacts with the sodium channels in nerve cells through which sodium enters the cell in order to transmit a nerve signal. Symptoms of poisoning include abnormal facial sensations, dizziness, headache, nausea, anorexia and fatigue, vomiting and increased stomach secretion. Analysis was performed by gas-chromatography equipped with mass-spectrometry. In 13 of the tested samples, no residues were found while 3 samples contained pesticide residue 47.091, 118.334 and 306.103 ppb, respectively. Sample with residue is above maximum residue limit that is 200 ppb may pose health hazards to the consumers. It may be due to lack of awareness of farmer about the application dose, method of application and withholding period.
Land Surface Temperature (LST) refers to the radiative temperature of the Earth's surface, as measured by satellite sensors. This study employs Remote Sensing technologies to conduct a detailed spatio-temporal analysis of LST trends in Siddharthanagar from 1993 to 2024. The research focuses on analyzing temporal LST patterns, investigating the spatial distribution, and examining the factors influencing LST, particularly Land Use Land Cover (LULC) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Using Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellite data processed through Google Earth Engine (GEE), LST values were derived from thermal bands. The results show a significant rise in LST, with an average annual increase of 0.18°C. Areas with dense vegetation, indicated by higher NDVI values, have lower LST, while regions with sparse vegetation such as bare ground and range lands experience higher LST. The study highlights the critical role of vegetation in regulating surface temperatures and the need for sustainable urban planning to mitigate rising temperatures and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.
Modern gravitational-wave (GW) parameter estimation greatly depends on highly precise vacuum templates framed in General Relativity which assume that compact binaries coalesce in an absolute vacuum. But actual astrophysical backgrounds possess dense matter distributions, including baryonic accretion disks, dark matter halos, and background cosmic Dirac fields. In this paper, the quantitative impact of external matter fields on the inspiral phase of compact binaries has been evaluated. Focus is specifically on a black hole binary (36 M⊙ + 29 M⊙) like GW150914. We model the dissipative corrections introduced by gravitational drag (dynamical friction) at the negative Post-Newtonian (-2PN) order in natural geometric units (G = c = 1). Using standard analytical implementations and numerical simulations, the phase deviation ∆Ψ(ƒ) has been mapped across the ground-based (aLIGO) observation window (30 - 100 Hz). The indication of the findings is that for cosmic localized Dirac field configurations (ranging from ρ ∼ 10-50 m-2 to 10-26 m-2), the cumulative phase shifts at 30 Hz remain entirely suppressed (< 10-15 rad). This validates the fact that current ground-based observing runs operating within the "Vacuum Limit," leave standard general relativity parameter estimations unperturbed while imposing the constraints will be necessary for future multi-band space missions.
Gaultheria fragrantissima is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional systems of medicine due to its potent therapeutic effects as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent. In the present study, the methanol extract and an essential volatile oil of G. fragrantissima were employed as the active ingredient for the formulation of vanishing cream, and their physicochemical and biological properties were studied. The methanol extract and volatile oil were analyzed for extractive values, ash values, and loss on drying, and total phenolic and total flavonoid contents. Antioxidant and cytotoxic potentials were assessed using DPPH and MTT assays, respectively. The quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed that the methanol extract contained the highest total phenolic content (111.94 ± 1.36 mgGAE/g) and flavonoid content (50.02 ± 0.89 mgQE/g). Furthermore, the extract possessed strong antioxidant activity, as evidenced by the low IC50 value of 59.80 ± 0.58 µg/mL. In comparison to essential oil, methanol extract demonstrated notable cytotoxic potential with CC50 values of 41.68 ± 0.39 µg/mL in breast (MCF-7) and 57.09 ± 1.26 µg/mL in lung (A549) cancer cell lines. Six batches of the formulated cream met the required standards for pH, homogeneity, and emollience and remained stable throughout the stability testing period. The physicochemical parameters are within the range given in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. The prepared creams were slightly acidic in nature, but they had excellent homogeneity and emollience. The creams retained their physical attributes throughout the 28-day testing period. This study highlights the potential of G. fragrantissima in the formulation of cream with potential biomedical applications.
Detailed geological study and landslide susceptibility mapping are crucial aspects and critical components of any engineering project in tectonically active Himalayan region. The study area was characterized by the rocks of Nawakot complex with Lower Nawakot Group which comprises Kuncha Formation, Fagfog Quartzite, Dandagaon Phyllite, Nourpul Formation, Purebesi Quartzite and Dhading Dolomite and Upper Nawakot Group comprises the Benighat Slate only. Landslide susceptibility mapping was carried out by Weight of Evidence method and Frequency Ratio method using the combination of remote sensing and detailed engineering geological investigation of field. Data obtained from these methods were integrated and analyzed in Arc Map 10.8. During study sixteen landslide triggering factors were analyzed. These factors are slope, aspect, stream power index, topographic wetness index, distance from stream, normalized difference vegetation index, land-use and land cover, distance from shear zone, rainfall, plan curvature, profile curvature, distance from road, lithology, elevation, sediment transport index, terrain ruggedness index and all these factors were integrated into a map. The map was validated with an Area under curve (AUC). The Success Rate curve shows 72.54% accuracy for Frequency Ratio method and 76.04% for Weight of Evidence method.
