High Hills Research Articles

Variation in energy consumption in production of wheat–maize with varying altitudes in hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract Availability and consumption pattern of energy and constraints in its proper supply and management for crop production was studied in wheat–maize cropping system in selected hilly rural villages located at different altitudes of Himachal Pradesh in Western Himalayas. The information was collected from 90 farmers drawn from nine villages, three each from three selected altitudes using two-stage random sampling. The average values of energy consumption for wheat crop in low and high hills were, respectively, 41.68 and 110.8 MJ/ha and those for maize crop were, respectively, 43.43 and 81.33 MJ/ha. The productivity of wheat crop ranged from 1077 to 1840.9 kg/ha and for maize crop from 1108 to 1573 kg/ha, in low and high hills, respectively. The major constraints in the proper use of energy in crop production were the uncertain supply of different inputs due to difficult and undulating terrain, poor land holdings and non-availability of suitable technologies. The introduction of small powered equipment, precise use of seed and fertilizer and proper management of irrigation water were recommended for efficient energy use and better crop productivity.

A Moveable Feast: Variation in Faunal Resource Use among Central and Western North American Paleoindian Sites

In the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of North America, researchers have debated the degree to which Paleoindian foragers relied on large-game hunting to fulfill their subsistence needs. This study reviews the zooarchaeological record from 60 sites to test predictions drawn from prey choice models. Results indicate that different site types provide different perspectives on Paleoindian faunal use. Data from kill assemblages can only inform on the exploitation of large game, while the full variety of prey used by Paleoindian foragers is represented at camp localities. In addition, prehistoric foragers varied prey choice based on habitat setting. In the low diversity grasslands of the High Plains and Rolling Hills, prehistoric groups hunted large game almost exclusively. In the more diverse environments of the alluvial valleys and foothill/mountain environments, foragers show higher diversity of faunal use. During the early Holocene, small game made a greater contribution in the diet of Paleoindians, possibly in response to changing environmental conditions and/or increased hunting pressure.

A Study on Domestic Energy Situation at different Altitudes of Himachal Pradesh

This paper presents energy availability and consumption pattern at three different altitudes in rural areas of Western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India and explores the possibility of implementing efficient conversion of locally available resources of energy like fuel wood, agricultural residues and cow dung to assure proper energy supply. Energy data was collected from 90 households on different household activities and their source of energy. Among the conventional energy sources, the highest contribution was of electrical energy, which was to the tune 7% of the total energy consumption. The share of non-commercial energy sources accounted for 91% of the total available domestic energy in all the three altitudes. Out of total domestic energy, fuel wood contributed 79-87 per cent, 70%ofwhich was used for cooking.. Space and water heating consumed major portion of fuel wood in all the three altitudes. Although, the agricultural residues recorded second highest share in non commercial energy availability at all the three altitudes but in sharp contrast, to fuel wood their use was just 5 per cent in lew altitude, and almost negligible in other two altitudes. The efficient energy conversion technology like Modified Stoves (chullas) for cooking could save a highest of99.8 MJ/day/household and use of electric kettle (Biju/i Dekchi) and Back Boiler for water heating could save a highest of 80 MJ/day/household of fuel wood energy in high hills. Proper energy management could help ameliorating energy problem in hilly areas and may also save forest by reducing firewood consumption.

Human impact and slope dynamics evolutionary trends in the monoclinal relief of Adriatic area of central Italy

The present work deals with a large area of the Marche–Abruzzi monoclinal relief which is made up of a clayey sediment succession with sandy–conglomeratic levels alternating at varying stratigraphic heights. The east-verging monocline was generated by an intense Quaternary tectonic uplifting. It differs approximately in the west-east and in the southern directions forming three wide morphostructures. The deep fluvial down-cutting disjointed the monoclinal relief into a succession of high hills which give the area a typical cuesta morphology, with fronts facing the western quadrants. The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of recent slope morphodynamics by analyzing the spatial distribution and state of activity of fast hydro-erosion processes and superficial mass movements. Correlations are made between these phenomena and the morphotectonic and lithological features of the various sectors in the area, with particular reference to agricultural land use. The present research underlines how the badlands represent the most spectacular form of fast erosion, whereas the landslide phenomena, which affect the prevalently loamy–clayey eluvial–colluvial covers, are the most widespread processes. Despite the distribution, density and recent, or current, evolutionary trends, are generally associated with different morphostructural features of the various sectors of the area, they prove to be strictly controlled by agricultural exploitation and by the connected techniques and types of cultivation.

CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND THE SUPPLY OF HOUSING STRUCTURE*

ABSTRACT Construction costs account for the bulk of the price of new houses in most markets, but their study has been relatively neglected. We document that there are economically large differences in construction costs across U.S. housing markets. We also estimate a very elastic supply for physical structure; hence, differences in construction activity across markets do not explain the variation in costs. Supply shifters that collectively do account for differences in building costs include the extent of unionization within the construction sector, local wages, local topography in terms of the presence of high hills and mountains, and the local regulatory environment.

Extraction of geomorphological features using radarsat data

A study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of RADARSAT SAR data (Standard-7 and Wide-2 beam positions) for delineating the geomophological units in Itanagar Capital Complex of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been applied to Standard-7 and Wide-2 data with incidence angle 45° – 49° and 31 ° – 39° respectively. The resulting components yield imagery that highlights the Geomorphological units. The area of investigation has been classified into five geomophological units’ viz., High relief structural hills, low relief structural hills, low relief rugged hills, piedmont and intermontane valley. The surface roughness can be observed by studying the difference of the responses from different incidence angles. Wide-2 beam position was found to be more useful for identifying features in flat terrain, and Standard-7 beam position data for features of high relief.

Epidemiology of Chronic Dacryocystitis and Success Rate of External Dacryocystorhinostomy in Nepal

Purpose: To study the epidemiology of chronic dacryocystitis and the success rate of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in Nepal. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive and interventional case series. A total of 662 records of patients with chronic dacryocystitis due to nasolacrimal duct obstruction, who were treated by means of external DCR without bicanalicular silastic tube intubation, were studied. Statistics: Mean for age with standard deviation and confidence intervals were calculated. The significance of the difference in means was calculated using the unpaired t-test. Results: Of 662 patients, 67.6% were female. The mean age of the patients was 27.4 ± 13.7 years (SE = 0.53, 95% CI = 26.34–28.46). Chronic dacryocystitis due to nasolacrimal duct obstruction was found in 86 patients (13.0%) from the high hills (mean age = 35.3 ± 11.4 years, 95% CI = 32.85–37.75), but most patients (576, 87.0%) were from the subtropical lowlands with a monsoon climate (mean age = 26.9 ± 13.3 years, 95% CI = 25.8–28.0; p = < 0.01). An overall success rate of 88.6% (89.8% for high-hill patients and 87.4% for those from the lowlands) was obtained after DCR. Conclusion: Chronic dacryocystitis is more common in the subtropical plains of Nepal with a monsoon climate than in the high hills. It is predominantly found in pre-menopausal females. External DCR without bicanalicular silastic tube intubation is an effective method for treating chronic dacryocystitis due to NLDO in these patients.

Tuberculin Survey in Government High School of Dharan Municipality

This survey was done in 682 out of 1672 children tested with Batch of Tuberculin used for Testing (PPD RT 23 with Tween 80) in Jan. 1997 with financial research grant of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan. Dharan City is situated in Eastern Development Region (EDR) of Nepal where a high percentage of migrated population is residing with very high number of sputum positive cases. The majority of population are from high hills and mountain region where the Annual Risk of Infection (ARI) is less. This survey was done to know the epidemiological situation of Tuberculosis (TB) in Dharan. Tuberculin survey was done in Eastern Development Region (EDR) (1994) by National Tuberculosis Centre (NTC)/Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Saptari and Morang. The reported result of average Annual Risk of Infection (ARI) is 2.49% and 2.38% respectively. The mean age of surveyed population was 14.8 yrs. The Bacilli Calmette Guerin (BCG) coverage (scar rate) was 38.3% and BCG 4-8 age group 83.3% was highest and it gradually decreased to 37.5% in 12 + age group. The average 23 Tween-8-Batch of Tuberculin used for Testing (PPD) positive is 33.6% with 10 mm induration as cutoff line. Annual Risk of Infection (ARI) based on above was 2.7% in 9-11 age group and 1.31% in 12 + age group. This survey is suggestive of tuberculosis being highly prevalent in Dharan. The survey also showed average ARI to be 2.44% in Dharan in 10-15 yrs age group. The finding is suggestive of high ARI although the populations has migrated from hill and mountain. Previous report of average ARI in this area was 2.5% (Morang and Saptari). The survey result suggests that high priority, effective tuberculosis program is necessary and intensive control program can only give impact to control of tuberculosis in Dharan.

Identification of groundwater prospective zones using irs-id liss iii and pump test methods

The role of hydrogeomorphological units and lineaments in the storage of groundwater from the Muvattupuzha river basin has been investigated using IRS ID LISS III data. Other than the usual water bodies such as river course, reservoirs and ponds, the major hydrogeomorphological units identified in this basin in the descending order of their groundwater potential are: valley fills, moderately dissected plateau, pediments, residual mounts, residual mount complex, linear ridges, residual hills and structural hills. Majority of the lineaments trends in NW-SE and WNW-ESE directions. Even though the eastern part of the basin is characterised by moderate to high lineament density, the above area is found to be poor to moderate groundwater prospect zone because of high gradient and structural hills. The pump test analyses of dug wells from different hydrogeomorphic units also confirm that valley fills are the most promising unit for groundwater prospecting than the rest.

IMPACT OF AGRO CLIMATIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC VARIABILITY ON THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF INHABITANTS In THE GARHWAL HIMALAYAS

The Garhwal Himalayas are a part of a unique ecosystem, with sharp agro-climatic variations within a very small geographical area (53,485 km2). The varied agro-climatic situations result in different cropping systems and socio-economic lifestyles that could likely affect the nutritional status of the people living in this region. This article will attempt to explore the impact of these variables (namely, age, family size, education, income, calorie and protein intake, land holding, number of animals, and wheat production) on the body mass index (BMI) of the population residing in the Garhwal Hills. A total of 1,030 subjects were studied from the three agro-climatic zones (406 from the high hills, 292 from the mid hills, and 332 from the low hills). It has been found that the people living in the high hills are the most undernourished, as the lowest percentage of people (52.6 per cent) with an acceptable BMI and the highest percentage of people in the severely malnourished category (11.1 per cent) are found here. People living in urban areas have a better nutritional status. Correlation studies show that the nutritional status of the population improves with age, literacy levels, and small family size. In some cases, calorie and protein intake have a positive impact on the health of the people, whereas size of land holding, number of animals, and income of the family do not have any significant influence on nutritional status.

The Nutritional Status of Indigenous People in the Garhwal Himalayas, India

The newly formed State of Uttaranchal in India has diverse agroclimatic conditions. The region is sparsely populated, communication is difficult, and many areas are inaccessible. Natural catastrophes such as droughts and landslides are common. The region lags behind in agroindustrial development, and the level of poverty is high. Earlier studies indicate that the health of the residents in this region is generally poor. Hilly terrain imposes a heavy burden on the health of the people and aggravates the problem of undernutrition. A project was carried out between April and July 2000 to assess the state of undernutrition among indigenous people in the Garhwal Himalayas of the State of Uttaranchal. The term “indigenous” in this context refers to the native born people of the Garhwal Himalayas, also known as Garhwali. A total of 854 respondents were studied in 3 agroclimatic situations—the high hills, mid hills, and low hills, also classified by Gupta (1983) as subtropical (250–1200 m), subtemperate (1200–1700 m), and temperate (1700–3500 m)—as well as in rural and urban settings. The study revealed that over 30% of the population suffers from undernutrition, higher than the average of 20% according to Wardlaw (2000). However, gender did not appear to affect the level of undernourishment. The agroclimatic situation had the maximum negative impact on the nutritional status of the indigenous population. Rural people too were found to be more undernourished than the urban population. It may thus be concluded that the groups identified in the study, namely the people residing in the high hills and the rural population, on whom developmental activities should be focused, are relatively undernourished.

A Modeling Study and Scaling Analysis of Orographic Effects on Boundary Layer Shallow Convection

Effects of orography on boundary layer shallow convection under various background winds are studied using a two-dimensional model together with scaling analysis. Under a motionless background state the flow response over a heated hill is a vortex pair, with one horizontal vortex over each slope. Additional lifting of the inversion by this vortex pair is estimated by wt/N, with wt being the intensity of the terrain-induced thermal circulation, and N the Brunt–Väisälä frequency, for which a simple expression is given based on heat engine framework. Modification of the CBL top by terrain-induced waves is quantified using linear gravity wave theory in a two-layer atmosphere configuration. These simple estimates of the CBL-top perturbation are found to be consistent with the model results when waves and convection dominate the flow pattern. A convective core is found to occur over high hills when the winds are light, developing in the late afternoon when the CBL depth is high. A scaling is proposed to determine the existence of the convective core in terms of hill slope, background winds, boundary layer depth, and tropospheric stability. The downstream modification of convection by terrain-related processes is also examined. Under light wind conditions, the reversed thermal circulation in the lee and corresponding downward motions may suppress thermal eddies in the vicinity of the lee of a hill.

A Lady of the High Hills: Natalie Delage Sumter

A Lady of the Hills: Natalie Delage Sumter. By Thomas Tisdale. (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2001. Pp. xvii, 188. Illustrations. Cloth, $29.95.)In no way can Natalie Delage Sumter's life be called representative by the standards of early nineteenth-century America. It certainly was interesting, however. The goddaughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Marie Louise Stephanie Beatrix Nathalie de Lage de Volude was born at Versailles in 1782. As high-ranking members of the French nobility and staunch reactionaries, her parents were early targets of the revolutionary movement. In 1793 they sent eleven-year-old Natalie with her governess to New York for her protection. The rest of her family scattered across Europe, awaiting the defeat of Revolutionary forces so that they might return to France and reoccupy the privileged positions to which they believed they were entitled. They situated themselves within the city's burgeoning French emigre community. When Aaron Burr hired Natalie's governess to run his household and raise his daughter, Theodosia, according to the French manner, Natalie became a member of his household. Burr raised Natalie as his daughter until 1801, when, at the age of nineteen, she sailed back to France, encouraged by Napoleon's policy of reconciliation with the old aristocracy.On the crossing Natalie met and fell in love with Thomas Sumter Jr., a planter's son from South Carolina. Sumter was to serve as secretary to the American legation in Paris under Robert R. Livingston, a reward for his father's staunch Jeffersonianism. Chancellor Livingston proved instrumental in convincing Natalie's skeptical mother to accept the match. Readers will be left wondering why Livingston took such pains to aid Sumter, since Tisdale makes it clear that the two shared a mutual enmity. Nevertheless, Sumter overcame the marquise's objections, and he and Natalie married in March 1802. Sumter left the Paris embassy to serve in London, and after seven months there, during which Natalie gave birth to a daughter, they returned to his father's plantation in the High Hills of South Carolina in what is now Sumter County, between the lowcountry and the fall line. Though Tisdale suggests that Natalie adjusted to what he characterizes dubiously as a wonderfully cosmopolitan rural community (65) rather easily, the evidence suggests otherwise. Her husband's financial affairs were in disarray, she pined for France, and Natalie gave birth to two more girls in 1805 and 1806. …

A Study on Polymorphism at Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Loci D16S539, D7S820 and D13S317 in the Bharias, a Primitive Indian Tribal Population from Patalkot, India

Abstract Allele distribution studies was carried out in "Bharias" from the central part of the Indian subcontinent. "Bharias" are one of the classified primitive Indians. They are located in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, at "Patal Kot" that is situated amidst dense forests surrounded by high hills of "Satpura ranges" lies between 22°-24' and 22°-29' north latitude and 78°-43' and 78°-50' east longitude. "Patalkot" is a bowl-shaped formation on the Satpura hills surrounded on three sides by hill ridges like a straight wall thus making "Patalkot" almost inaccessible. The estimated total area of Patalkot is about 79 sq. kms. The highest contours of the area are 3750 ft above sea level. The total population of "Bharias" comprises 2012 members belonging to 238 families, inhabited in 12 small villages, distributed in 23 hamlets (1,2). The different villages within "Patalkot" located at different altitudes ranged from 1950 to 3050 ft

A Lady of the High Hills: Natalie Delage Sumter

A Lady of the High Hills: Natalie Delage Sumter

Allele Frequencies of D1S80 Locus in the Bharias, a Primitive Indian Tribal Population from Patalkot, India

Abstract “Bharias” are one of the classified primitive Indians. They are located in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, at “Patal Kot” that is situated amidst dense forests surrounded by high hills of “Satpura ranges” lies between 22°-24' and 22°-29' North latitude and 78°-43' and 78°-50' East longitude. “Patal Kot” is a bowl shaped formation on the Satpura hills surrounded on three sides by hill ridges like a straight wall thus making “Patal Kot” almost inaccessible. The total population of “Bharias” comprises of 2012 members belonging to 238 families (1).

Atmospheric turbidity over Kathmandu valley

The atmosphere of Kathmandu Valley has been investigated by using Sunphotometer and Nephelometer during the pre-monsoon period of 1999. The atmospheric turbidity parameters (extinction coefficient for 500 nm wavelength τ AG and Angstrom coefficient β) are found high in the morning and show decreasing trends from morning to late afternoon on average. Vertical dispersion of pollutants and increasing pollutant flushing rate by increasing wind speed from morning to late afternoon is the cause for this decreasing trend of turbidity over the valley. Being surrounded by high hills all around the valley, horizontal exit of pollutants without vertical dispersion is not possible. The scattering coefficient b scat of aerosols in ground level troposphere is also found high in the morning, which decreases and becomes minimum during afternoon. During late afternoon, b scat again shows a slightly increasing trend. The reason is the increasing vehicular emission during late afternoon rush period. The average values of Angstrom exponent α, β, τ AG and b scat are found to be 0.624±0.023, 0.299±0.009, 0.602±0.022 and 0.353±0.014 km −1, respectively. About 76.8% of the observed values of β lie above 0.2 indicating heavy particulate pollution in the valley. A comparison of observed values of turbidity parameters with other major cities of the world shows that Kathmandu is as polluted as cities like Jakarta, Kansas, Beijing, Vienna, etc.

Weathering of charnockites and sediment production in the catchment area of the Cauvery River, southern India

Abstract In the Cauvery catchment area, charnockites are making high hills compared to gneisses. In situ, static weathering of a charnockitic boulder shows lesser extent of chemical weathering relative to that developed into a profile. This difference is seen both in clay mineral composition, their REE patterns and in the A–CN–K and A–CNK–FM triangular plots. Based on the chemical changes relative to Ti, three groups of elements are recognized. Ba, Si, K, Na, Sr, Ca and Mg show increasing depletion as the weathering intensity increases in listed order. Al remained relatively immobile, whereas, Fe followed by Mn, Cr, Ni, REE and P show a variable extent of enrichment with increasing chemical weathering. The sediment occurring on the foothills of the charnockite hills have a very uniform composition and texture without any depositional features. Reworking of these sediments in a first order stream has caused only minor compositional changes by the local segregation of heavy minerals on the channel bed and by the removal of small amount of clay materials as suspended load. The REE pattern of the reworked channel bed sand is nearly identical to that of the channel wall sediments, but with lower (by 25%) abundance. Although the rocks are >2500 Ma and, now located in tropical latitudes and probably had experienced several periods of warm and wet climate, the soils and the sediments derived from them are chemically very immature suggesting their exposure to denudational processes very recently by tectonic uplift.

Geological Indicators of Large Tsunami in Australia

Tsunami waves can produce four general categories of depositional and erosional signatures that differentiate them from storm waves. Combinations of items from these categories uniquely define the impact of palaeo-tsunami on the coastal landscape. The largest palaeo-tsunami waves in Australia swept sediment across the continental shelf and obtained flow depths of 15–20 m at the coastline with velocities in excess of 10 m -1. In New South Wales, along the cliffs of Jervis Bay, waves reachedelevations of more than 80 m above sea-level with evidence of flow depths in excess of 10 m. These waves swept 10 km inland over the Shoalhaven delta. In northern Queensland, boulders more than 6 m in diameter and weighing 286 tonnes were tossed alongshore above cyclone storm wave limits inside the Great Barrier Reef. In Western Australia waves overrode and breached 60 m high hills up to 5 km inland. Shell debris and cobbles can be found within deposits mapped as dunes, 30 km inland. The array of signatures provide directional information about the origin of the tsunami and, when combined with radiocarbon dating, indicate thatat least one and maybe two catastrophic events have occurred during the last 1000 years along these three coasts. Only the West Australian coast hashistorically been affected by notable tsunami with maximum run-up elevations of 4–6 m. Palaeo-tsunami have been an order of magnitude greater than this. These palaeo-tsunami are produced most likely by large submarine slides on the continental slope or the impactof meteorites with the adjacent ocean.

Phylogenetic relationships among natural populations of perennial buckwheat, Fagopyrum cymosum Meisn., revealed by allozyme variation

Twenty natural populations of F. cymosum, an insect-pollinated allogamous wild species of Fagopyrum, were investigated for their chromosome number and allozyme variation at 10 Ioci encoding 8 enzymes. Diploid populations were obtained in Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet in China, whereas tetraploid populations were obtained in Tibet, the Himalayan hills, Thailand and southern China. Both diploid and tetraploid populations maintained a large amount of allozyme variation. The average heterozygosity, He, ranged from 0.045 to 0.389 (0.213 on average). Tetraploid populations showed higher He values than diploid populations. Natural populations of F. cymosum were locally well differentiated (GST = 0.322), probably due to reproductive isolation between the two ploidy levels and to distribution over wide areas from southern China to the Himalayan hills. The phylogenetic tree constructed by the neighbor-joining method based on allozyme variation clarified two distinct groups of diploid populations, the Sichuan and Yunnan groups. As for the tetraploid populations, polyploidization occurred twice independently, once in Yunnan and once in eastern Tibet. Tetraploid F. cymosum diffused to warmer areas such as southern Yunnan and Thailand as well as to cooler areas of Tibet and the high Himalayan hills and became the most widely distributed of the Fagopyrum species.