Articles by "News"
Twitter Facebook

, ,
Gentle waves lap over the sand of the Cornish coastline in England. Surfers enjoy the last bit of sun before nightfall. A cool breeze ripples through the tall grass.
It is a picturesque scene, right in Lee Hall's backyard. But the 27-year-old husband and father has never really been able to enjoy it.
    Hall has spent much of his life in hospitals. At age 2, he was diagnosed with leukemia. At age 14, he was referred to a specialist for his heart.
    "They said basically the left side of your heart has collapsed," Hall said. "It's not working efficiently anymore...your heart is very enlarged, like a water balloon."
    The walls of Hall's heart were too thin, and it was failing. His heart had to work even harder to pump blood through his body. Doctors at Harefield Hospital in London implanted a mechanical pump, but these devices are not typically long-term solutions. Hall would need a new heart.

    A heart in a cooler?

    "The current situation in the United Kingdom is that we have only very few hearts," said Dr. Andre Simon, director of transplantation at Harefield. "You're only transplanted when you're on the urgent waiting list."

    A box designed like a body

    Hassanein left medicine to start a company called TransMedics. The aim is to change the way organs are preserved and delivered for transplant. The traditional way is cold storage -- flushing the heart with a solution that drops its core temperature, and then putting it in a cooler on ice. This method can have limitations, due to organ decay, time, and distance of retrieval.
    "We're losing a lot of organs because of that time and distance limitation," Hassanein said. "This is why a lot of organs go unutilized. In fact, we're only utilizing two or three out of every ten organs, every year."
    To improve that, TransMedics developed a device called the Organ Care System (OCS). The machine is designed to replicate our human functions as closely as possible, by keeping the organs alive outside the body.
    Seven hospitals in the U.S. are currently participating in a clinical trial of the OCS. Unlike the cold storage in a cooler, the heart is still warm in the device; it's beating, and is being fed by a steady stream of oxygenated blood and nutrients. All the while, the organ's vitals are being monitored.
    "In the beginning, of course it was really trailblazing trying to convince transplant surgeons that cold is not your friend," Hassanein said. "And actually, we can change things."

    From 4 to 12 hours

    The Organ Care System is still experimental in the United States, but it is already approved for use in other countries, like Australia and the UK.
    In London, Harefield Hospital now uses it for all their heart transplants -- including Lee Hall. Last summer, Hall received a heart transplant. Dr. Simon was his surgeon.
    "I think we will see a significant change in technique and technology," Dr. Simon said. "The last step we've taken is we've now taken hearts from donors who have died from heart arrest. We have been able to take those hearts and restart them outside the body in the system, so that's another revolutionary step."
    With cold storage, the heart is ideally transplanted in under four hours. It has a low tolerance to the cold because it has to function immediately under transplantation. In the OCS, the time window has tripled, leading to an increase in viable donor hearts.
    For Lee Hall, it's a second chance. Less than a year after his transplant, he's still not 100 percent, and has frequent check-ups at Harefield. But he went from being on borrowed time to making long-term plans with his son.
    "It did feel weird at first to know someone has passed away and given something to me to stay alive," Hall said, "but without that person I wouldn't be there now, so I thank them for changing my life."


    Twitter Facebook

    , , , ,

    Location
    Machapuchare is at the end of a long spur ridge, coming south out of the main backbone of the Annapurna Himalayas, which forms the eastern boundary of the Annapurna Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a favorite trekking destination, and the site of the base camps for the South Face of Annapurna and for numerous smaller objectives. The peak is about 25 km (16 mi) north of Pokhara, the main town of the region.

    Notable features

    Due to its southern position in the range, and the particularly low terrain that lies south of the Annapurna Himalayas, Machapuchare commands tremendous vertical relief in a short horizontal distance. This, combined with its steep, pointed profile, make it a particularly striking peak, despite a lower elevation than some of its neighbors. Its double summit resembles the tail of a fish, hence the name meaning "fish's tail" in Nepalese. It is also nicknamed the "Matterhorn of Nepal".

    Climbing history

    Machapuchare has never been climbed to its summit. The only attempt was in 1957 by a British team led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Roberts. Climbers Wilfrid Noyce and A. D. M. Cox climbed to within 150 m (492 ft) of the summit via the north ridge, to an approximate altitude of 22,793 ft (6,947 m). They did not complete the ascent, as they had promised not to set foot on the actual summit.Since then, the mountain has been declared sacred, and is now closed to climbers.


    Twitter Facebook

    , , , , ,
    Nepal officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal(Nepali: सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked central Himalayancountry in South Asia. Nepal is divided into 7 states and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises, 13 sub-metropolises, 246 municipal councils and 481 villages. It has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area. Bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, and west, it is the largest sovereign Himalayan state. Nepal does not border Bangladesh, which is located within only 27 km (17 mi) of its southeastern tip. Neither does it border Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and largest city. Nepal is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language.
    The territory of Nepal has a recorded history since the Neolithic age. The name "Nepal" is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era which founded Hinduism, the predominant religion of the country. In the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet. The Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilisation. It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala. The highest elevation in Nepal is Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain, rising 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level. The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley's traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture. By the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, under its Rana dynasty of premiers. The country was never colonised but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India. In the 20th century, Nepal ended its isolation and forged strong ties with regional powers. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008, ending the reign of the world's last Hindu monarchy.

    Modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic. It has seven states. Nepal is a developing nation, ranking 144th on the Human Development Index (HDI) in 2016. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic. It also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making steady progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022. Nepal also has a vast potential to generate hydropower for export.
    Nepal's foreign relations expanded after the Anglo-Nepal Treaty of 1923, which was recognised by the League of Nations. After a Soviet veto in 1949, Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955. Friendship treaties were signed with the Dominion of India in 1950 and the People's Republic of China in 1960. Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), of which it is a founding member. Nepal is also a member of the Non Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative. The military of Nepal is the fifth largest in South Asia and is notable for its Gurkha history, particularly during the world wars, and has been a significant contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations.
    Twitter Facebook

    , , , ,
    The morning of 25 April 2015 was same all over the world as any other day. But at 11.56 NST an earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes struck the land of Nepal and created the worst natural disaster since the earthquake of 1934. Let’s know some of the facts about Nepal Earthquake, 2015 that shook the humanity:
    1. One of the Biggest Earthquakes!

    The earthquake on the morning of 25th April 2015 was the biggest earthquake that Nepal had felt in over 80 years. The last tragedy that Nepal experienced before this was the 1934 Nepal – Bihar earthquake.

    2. The Epicenter
     The Epicenter of the Nepal earthquake was approximately 34 kilometers east – southeast of Lamjung, Nepal. The earthquake lasted about fifty seconds causing flattening of the entire village at epicenter and areas nearby it.

     3. The Intensity
     The Nepal Earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.8 on Richter Scale. This earthquake released energy equivalent to about 79 lakh tons of TNT which are 504.4 times the energy which was created by the atomic blast on Hiroshima in 1945.

    4. The Aftershock
     An hour after the earthquake, its aftershock was felt. The aftershock was of 6.6 magnitudes and caused as much damage as the main earthquake itself.

     5. A jolt that moved the earth!

     The earthquake caused a shift of earth’s surface which is estimated to have been 3 meters in 7,200 km. Some parts of the city of Kathmandu, which is the capital of Nepal was lifted by about 3 feet, vertically. This caused severe damage in the capital city.

     6. Death Toll in Nepal

     The earthquake resulted in the death of about 5,057 people in Nepal alone. More than 8,000 people of Nepal were injured.

     7. Affected the highest peak!

     Even the mighty Mount Everest felt the tremors of the earthquake and is now 2.5 cm shorter than its height before the earthquake.

     8. Loss of lives on Mount Everest

     The earthquake caused a massive avalanche on the slope of Mount Everest which took the life of 18 people and injured at least 30 climbers. Just after the avalanche, about 200 people were left stranded on the mountain as help couldn’t reach them due to the risky condition of the mountain. Also, there were some climbers who were reported missing after the avalanche.

     9. Langtang Valley Landslide

     kilometer wide landslide occurred at Langtang Valley which is located in Langtang National Park. Only 12 local people and two foreigners are believed to have survived this mass destruction.

     10. Infrastructure wasn’t  up-to-date!

     After the earthquake, it was discovered that the infrastructure of Nepal was critically feeble and wasn’t prepared to stand a calamity. The houses built were not properly engineered and were not according to disaster management standard. The lack of properly paved roads caused a delay in assistance to reach remote regions. Adding to the woes was the lack of terminals at Kathmandu airport due to which planes filled with help were left to idle on the tarmac.
    Twitter Facebook

    , , , , ,
    Everest climbing season is here.  Summits are about to be had.  Lives are about to be changed forever… for better or for worse.
    Hillary & Tenzing during the 1st summit of Everest in 1953



    MOUNT EVEREST FACTS

    1. Everest grows 4mm higher every year due to geologic uplift.
    2.  1 in 10 successful summits ends in death.
    3.  Over 4,000 people have attempted to climb Everest.
    4. George Everest, Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843, discovered Everest in 1841.
    5.  Mount Everest is also home to a very minute black jumping spider. These spiders hide in crevices and feed on frozen insects. Their food depends largely upon what is blown by the wind into the specific area.  They live as high as 22,000 feet.
    6.  Over 260 people have died on Everest (exact number unknown).
    Mount Everest’s North Face


    7.  In 2014, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake triggered an avalanche that  base camp killed 16 Sherpa and climbers and injured 61. This is the greatest tragedy ever seen on Everest.
    In 2014, an avalanche killed 16 Sherpa above the Khumbu icefall.  At the time this was the worst accident in Everest history.
    During 1996, around 15 people lost their lives while trying to descend from the summit of Mount Everest (the 3rd most in one year).  In 2012, 11 people perished on Everest (the 4th most).
    8. Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit Everest, on May 19 1953.
    9. Over 2000 people have reached the top of Everest.
    10. There are around 120 dead bodies of climbers on the mountain.
    11. Avalanches are the greatest cause of death for climbers scaling Everest (Avalanches at about a 2:1 ratio over falls).
    12. The summit is just below the cruising height of a jet.
    13. The youngest person to reach summit was 13 and the oldest was 80 (same guy who skied Everest in 1971).
    Yuichiro Miura 2 days ago after his summit of Everest at age 80

    14. In Nepal the mountain is called Sagarmatha, meaning ‘forehead of the sky’.
    15. In Tibet the mountain is known as Chomolangma for ‘mother of the universe’
    16. It is the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet, although its exact height is often disputed.
    17.  Everest was created about 60 million years ago.
    Twitter Facebook

    , , , ,
    The Rara Lake (Nepali: रारा ताल) is the biggest and deepest fresh water lake in the Nepal Himalayas. It is the main feature of the Rara National Park, located in the Jumla and Mugu Districts. In September 2007, the lake was declared a Ramsar site, covering 1,583 ha (6.11 sq mi) including the surrounding wetland.



    Features

    Rara Lake lies at an altitude of 2,990 m (9,810 ft) above sea level, has a water surface of 10.8 km2 (4.2 sq mi), a maximum depth of 167 m (548 ft), is 5.1 km (3.2 mi) long and 2.7 km (1.7 mi) wide. It drains into the Mugu Karnali River via the Nijar River. Its water quality is characterized by high pH, conductivity and total hardness. It was reported to be very slightly polluted and was classified as oligotrophic in limnological terms. It is polluted due to wastes produced during festivals by visiting locals and tourists.

    Climate

    Summer is quite pleasant but winter is cold. The best visiting time to the lake is September/October and April to May. From December to March, the temperatures go low below the freezing point, and heavy snowfall occur up to one meter, blocking the way to the lake. April to June is warm in this region.
    Monsoon season, which in this region occurs between the months of July to October, is short. The average rainfall during the ten-year period 1994–2003 was 800 mm. The surface temperature of the lake was found to be 7.5 °C to 7.6 °C and was visible below 14 m to 15 m.

    Plant and animal life

    Rara Lake, being surrounded by Rara National Park, has unique floral and faunal importance with rare and vulnerable species. The park was established in 1976 to preserve the beauty of the lake and protect it from sedimentation and adverse human activities. The Park flora consists of 1074 species, of which 16 are endemic to Nepal; the fauna includes 51 species of mammals and 214 species of birds.
    The lake holds three endemic fish species Nepalese snowtrout (Schizothorax macrophthalmus), (S. nepalensis) and the Rara snowtrout (S. raraensis) and one endemic frog, Rara Lake frog (Nanorana rarica). Winter visitor water birds such as gadwall (Anas strepera), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), northern shoveler (Anas clypeata), common teal (Anas crecca), tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), common golden eye (Bucephala clangula), common merganser (Mergus merganser), common coot (Fulica atra), and solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria) reside and rest at this lake


    Socio-cultural and religious values

    The main occupation of the people living around the area is agriculture. People also rear goats and extract medicinal herbs and sell them for their living. Thakur society is dominant in the community. Thakur Baba’s Temple is situated in the southeast corner of the lake. Local people believe that the god Thakur shot an arrow to open the passage of the lake reducing the damage caused by flooding.
    Problems: Due to over-grazing and defecation, the national park conservation officers are facing a challenge to preserve the lake. Local people are found cutting timber wood and fuel wood, which is a problem for conservation of Rara. Also during festivals visitors and local people produce a lot of wastage causing water pollution.

    Tourism

    Rara lake has been a popular destination with a very rough route in Western Nepal for trekkers. The glimpses of culture and scenery on the way is quite different from the rest of Nepal. Situated in high altitude, you can find the lake surrounded by Rara National Park with pine, spruce and juniper forest. The view of snow-capped Himalayan peaks enhance the attraction of trekkers. The trek begins with flight to Jumla (over an hour flight from Kathmandu) or from nearer Nepalgunj. Going along the mountain path and some villages one can reach the bank of Rara lake.
    A travel writer describes his trek to Rara:
    Although more trampled than in the past, the road to Rara Lake is still without any of the comfortable services available along more popular trails. Logistically it is not an easy trek; it is hard to get to and from, and it is an organizational challenge, requiring informed guides and porters to tote the two weeks' worth of material that will keep you warm, dry and fed. It is also tough on the bones, involving several 11,000-foot passes. However, once you overcome the obstacles, the rewards are legion: few if any other trekkers, incomparable natural splendor, "untouched" villages, blissful quiet.…
    Rara Lake as described by GORP founder Bill Greer: "a shimmering blue jewel set in a ring of snowy peaks".
    Trekkers are recommended to bring their own first aid kit due to the lack of health services around the area. Since there are no accommodation facilities they may need help from a travel agency. Trekkers need to be self-sufficient as the facilities are not adequate.
    Rara Lake as described by Mark Drett:
    "Since the interval of 10 years, I visited again. Before 10 years, we needed to walk 19 days to get there but that has been reduced to 10 hours of gravel road and 4 hours of walk. Not expected but great change. When you get there, you will get the reward for 4 hour long walk."
    Rara can be the next major place for tourists to visit. During 1997–1998 the number of tourists visiting to this place was found to be 560, but in 2007 it decreased to 87 individuals. Rara Festival was conducted by the Nepal Tourism Board in early 2007 to promote domestic and international visit.


    Transport

    Air is the only mode of transportation for the tourists visiting the Rara Lake. Rara Lake is served by Talcha Airport, which is 4 km east of the lake. Nepal Airlines and Tara Air operate flights to Rara from Nepalgunj.

    MKRdezign

    Contact Form

    Name

    Email *

    Message *

    Powered by Blogger.
    Javascript DisablePlease Enable Javascript To See All Widget