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With a view of providing an unsurpassed opportunity to college students, who are mostly from Louisiana, in gaining a comprehensive understanding of Global Climate Change issues, we completed the first Nepal Field Experience Pilot Study Abroad from May 21-June 8, 2019. A total of fifteen students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, and one graduate student from University of Arizona, Arizona, USA, participated in the program. Students examined and documented the effects of climate change impacts on agriculture, water resources, wildlife, local communities, forest resources, and other ecological and environmental settings of the country. They identified various climate change mitigation and adaptation measures that had been implemented and noted gaps between policy measures and ground realities. Research topics selected by the students included the following: climate change impacts on wildlife, water pollution, structural geology of Nepal, changing rainfall patterns and adaptation, climate change and agricultural production, geology of Kathmandu valley, air quality of Kathmandu valley, changing hydrology of glaciated landscape, climate change and geohazards, emerging diseases and pests on agricultural crops, climate change adaptation by local communities, green infrastructure and climate-smart technologies, climate change impact on drinking water sources, the roadside geology, and emerging diseases, parasites and zoonotics. Each student completed their individual research project, synthesized the results, and presented to local stakeholders in conference organized by a nonprofit nongovernmental organization, Asta-Ja Rsearch and Development Center (Asta-Ja RDC), Kathmandu, Nepal. Findings of the study reveal that Nepal is experiencing huge impacts of climate change in multiple fronts including atmospheric conditions and snowfall, temperature rise, occurrence of droughts and flooding, changes on monsoon pattern, emerging diseases and pests on crops and livestock, and declining drinking water sources. Environmental pollution, especially the air and water pollution and waste management, was very serious affecting public health, aesthetics, and even the tourism of the country. In order to reverse environmental degradation and enhance climate change adaptation, immediate implementation of effective, comprehensive, coordinated, and well-thought-out climate change adaptation and environmental initiatives are necessary. Nepal Field Experience was a lifetime learning experience for the students. Index Terms- Study Abroad, Global Climate Change, Environmental Quality, Geology, Nepal [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a view of providing an unsurpassed opportunity to college students, who are mostly from Louisiana, in gaining a comprehensive understanding of Global Climate Change issues, we completed the first Nepal Field Experience Pilot Study Abroad from May 21-June 8, 2019. A total of fifteen students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, and one graduate student from University of Arizona, Arizona, USA, participated in the program. Students examined and documented the effects of climate change impacts on agriculture, water resources, wildlife, local communities, forest resources, and other ecological and environmental settings of the country. They identified various climate change mitigation and adaptation measures that had been implemented and noted gaps between policy measures and ground realities. Research topics selected by the students included the following: climate change impacts on wildlife, water pollution, structural geology of Nepal, changing rainfall patterns and adaptation, climate change and agricultural production, geology of Kathmandu valley, air quality of Kathmandu valley, changing hydrology of glaciated landscape, climate change and geohazards, emerging diseases and pests on agricultural crops, climate change adaptation by local communities, green infrastructure and climate-smart technologies, climate change impact on drinking water sources, the roadside geology, and emerging diseases, parasites and zoonotics. Each student completed their individual research project, synthesized the results, and presented to local stakeholders in conference organized by a nonprofit nongovernmental organization, Asta-Ja Rsearch and Development Center (Asta-Ja RDC), Kathmandu, Nepal. Findings of the study reveal that Nepal is experiencing huge impacts of climate change in multiple fronts including atmospheric conditions and snowfall, temperature rise, occurrence of droughts and flooding, changes on monsoon pattern, emerging diseases and pests on crops and livestock, and declining drinking water sources. Environmental pollution, especially the air and water pollution and waste management, was very serious affecting public health, aesthetics, and even the tourism of the country. In order to reverse environmental degradation and enhance climate change adaptation, immediate implementation of effective, comprehensive, coordinated, and well-thought-out climate change adaptation and environmental initiatives are necessary. Nepal Field Experience was a lifetime learning experience for the students. Index Termsn - Study Abroad, Global Climate Change, Environmental Quality, Geology, Nepal [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a view of providing an unsurpassed opportunity to college students, who are mostly from Louisiana, in gaining a comprehensive understanding of Global Climate Change issues, we completed the first Nepal Field Experience Pilot Study Abroad from May 21-June 8, 2019. A total of fifteen students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, and one graduate student from University of Arizona, Arizona, USA, participated in the program. Students examined and documented the effects of climate change impacts on agriculture, water resources, wildlife, local communities, forest resources, and other ecological and environmental settings of the country. They identified various climate change mitigation and adaptation measures that had been implemented and noted gaps between policy measures and ground realities. Research topics selected by the students included the following: climate change impacts on wildlife, water pollution, structural geology of Nepal, changing rainfall patterns and adaptation, climate change and agricultural production, geology of Kathmandu valley, air quality of Kathmandu valley, changing hydrology of glaciated landscape, climate change and geohazards, emerging diseases and pests on agricultural crops, climate change adaptation by local communities, green infrastructure and climate-smart technologies, climate change impact on drinking water sources, the roadside geology, and emerging diseases, parasites and zoonotics. Each student completed their individual research project, synthesized the results, and presented to local stakeholders in conference organized by a nonprofit nongovernmental organization, Asta-Ja Rsearch and Development Center (Asta-Ja RDC), Kathmandu, Nepal. Findings of the study reveal that Nepal is experiencing huge impacts of climate change in multiple fronts including atmospheric conditions and snowfall, temperature rise, occurrence of droughts and flooding, changes on monsoon pattern, emerging diseases and pests on crops and livestock, and declining drinking water sources. Environmental pollution, especially the air and water pollution and waste management, was very serious affecting public health, aesthetics, and even the tourism of the country. In order to reverse environmental degradation and enhance climate change adaptation, immediate implementation of effective, comprehensive, coordinated, and well-thought-out climate change adaptation and environmental initiatives are necessary. Nepal Field Experience was a lifetime learning experience for the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared two methods of estimating crop water consumption to assess whether remote sensing techniques provide consumptive use ( CU) estimates commensurate with conventional methods. Using available historical satellite and meteorological data, we applied Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution using Internalized Calibration ( METRIC) to 317,455 ha in the South Platte basin, in northeastern Colorado, for the 2001 irrigation season. We then compared these derived CU estimates with values calculated by using the Colorado Water Conservation Board's South Platte Decision Support System State CU model. Evaluating the data by irrigation ditch service area, we disaggregated the output to allow for comparison by service area size, crop type, irrigation method, water supply source, and water availability. We concluded that METRIC is a suitable alternative to State CU in the South Platte basin and could help to identify areas with inhibited crop growth or deficit irrigation practices. In addition, METRIC could be used as a complement to State CU to refine State CU model parameters, allowing for more accurate estimates of crop water shortages and groundwater recharge associated with irrigation delivery and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most substance abuse treatment occurs in outpatient treatment centers, necessitating an understanding of what motivates organizations to adopt new treatment modalities. Tichy's framework of organizations as being comprised of three intertwined internal systems (technical, cultural, and political) was used to explain treatment organizations' slow adoption of buprenorphine, a new medication for opiate dependence. Primary data were collected from substance abuse treatment organizations in four of the ten metropolitan areas with the largest number of heroin users. Only about one fifth offered buprenorphine. All three internal systems were important determinants of buprenorphine adoption in our multivariate model. However, the cultural system, measured by attitude toward medications, was a necessary condition for adoption. Health policies designed to encourage adoption of evidence-based performance measures typically focus on the technical system of organizations. These findings suggest that such policies would be more effective if they incorporate an understanding of all three internal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using pharmacy benefits manager claims data, this study analyzed how cost-management techniques including cost sharing affected enrollees in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) versus employer-sponsored fee-for-service plans. Because HMOs bear the risk of pharmaceutical costs and influence the prescribing practices of the physicians in their network, we expected different patterns of prescription use, such as proportionately more generic medications in HMOs. Also, because HMO physicians are likely to prescribe relatively more drugs for high-severity conditions, HMO enrollee demand should be less price sensitive. The impact of cost sharing was found to be significantly less for HMOs. A 5-dollar increase in copayments decreased expenditures by 16 percent in fee-for-service plans but only by 1 percent in HMOs. Furthermore, when cost sharing was set at zero, HMO plans were found to have significantly fewer and cheaper medications, resulting in lower per-enrollee medication expenditures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]