bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF ROTATING CYLINDER ON THE DRAG FORCE OF A ROAD TRUCK VEHICLE
Authors: Abdulla Najdat N. , Ismail Alaalddin A.
Published: March 2024

The effect on aerodynamic drag of a truck by controlling the boundary layer separation using a rotatingcylinder on leading edge of the truck-trailer is investigated numerically. The flow was assumed to be steady, incompressible, turbulent, and two-dimensional passing over the top surface of the truck. The boundary condition for all the boundaries of the truck was set as well as the cylinder was treated as a moving wall with a specific rotational velocity. The developed computational algorithm is tested for the flow over a flat plate (8m) long with various free stream inlet relative velocity (U∞) which are considered the same as truck velocity and has the values (40, 60, 90, and 120) km/h. The effect of cylinder diameter (10,20,30,and 40) , rotational speed (1000-5000 r.p.m) and free stream velocity on the aerodynamic drag and pressure distribution of the flow field were investigated. The governing equations which used are the continuity, momentum, and the (K-ε) turbulence model. These equations are approximated by using a finite volume method, with staggered grid and modified SIMPLE algorithm. A computer program in FORTRAN 90 is built to perform the numerical solution.The numerical results show that, the optimum cases for inlet free stream relative velocity (U∞) values( 40,60) km/h, a significant reduction of drag coefficient equal to 80% and 77% respectively was obtained by useing a speed of rotation and diameter size equal to 5000 r.p.m and 40 cm , for (U∞) value( 90 )km/h a reduction equal to76%, and for (U∞) equal to (120) km/h a reduction equal to 60% was obtained . These optimum results lade to reduce the effect of the aerodynamic drag on the vehicle by delaying the separation zone of boundary layer and enhancing the pressure gradient of the flow field. Comparison of the results with the available previous published experimental and fluent program results was investigated.
The Influence of Immediate Common Space and Building Layout on Social Interaction in Residential Apartments: A Case Study in Sulaimani
Authors: Karim Hawar Shawkat , Tayib Abdulla Yousif
Published: March 2024

Numerous academics have demonstrated the value of immediate communal spaces in residential projects. In contemporary apartment site planning, these places are essential but sometimes ignored and categorized as leftover negative spaces rather than intentional interaction areas, diminishing the conventional forms of interpersonal communication. However, there is no proof of this relationship's causality. This study eliminates this gap and explores whether territoriality function-based building arrangement convex layouts can moderate the link between physical design and social interactions. Since culture and social interaction are closely related, what are the effects of these spaces and their layout on social interaction in Sulaimani City and other cities with similar cultural and social contexts? This study is a comparative analysis of four selected projects. They are selected according to their different building arrangement layout. This study used two methods: a physical analysis of arrangements design and a quantitative survey questionnaire, and the samples were taken from (40%) of the total selected units. Out of the 182 questionnaires randomly distributed to the households, only 156 were retrieved. The Kruskal-Wallis test by SPSS is used to analyze data. According to the findings, there are significant differences between cases. This discovery emphasizes how crucial constructive layout is in producing a convex positive social space. In conclusion, research reveals that the built environment, through convex positive building arrangements, influences social interactions indirectly by fostering territoriality and a sense of belonging, both of which positively affect social interactions.
Cell-Free Massive MIMO Energy Efficiency Improvement by Access Points Iterative Selection
Authors: Mohammed Sara Saad , Almamori Aqiel Neama
Published: March 2024

Cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-MIMO) system has been considered a promising technology for 5G and 6G networks for its ability to handle the rise in demand effectively. With CF-MIMO, improved energy efficiency can be obtained from straightforward signal processing. One of the potential problems in CF-MIMO systems is high power consumption due to the large numbers of distributed Access Points (APs), which decrease energy efficiency. This research proposes a modified algorithm to improve overall energy efficiency by reducing total power consumption via using the APs selection technique while maintaining the system's sum of rate. The technique used for APs selection is the largest large-scale-based selection, where each user is served by a subset of APs that offer the best channel condition rather than by all of APs. Total energy efficiency has been calculated for three cases: without APs selection, fixed APs selection, and dynamic APs selection (proposed approach). The simulation result shows that the proposed approach significantly improves energy efficiency by 45% at the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) equal to 6 dB than the case where the selection of APs is fixed due to the optimal APs selection for each user.
Optimized road noise asphalt pavement technologies
Authors: Hrapović Kerim
Published: March 2024

From a medical point of view, noise has long been recognized as a stress factor for humans. A high level of noise makes it difficult to concentrate, creates not only stress but also health problems for the ears, and also has a damaging effect on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems - noise makes you sick! Road traffic accounts for a significant share of total noise, especially in conurbations. In order to effectively reduce noise emissions, surface courses can be installed as road surfaces that generate particularly little noise in interaction with the vehicle tyre. The road surface must therefore contribute to reducing traffic noise at the source.
Urban Transport - Synergies between City and the Port - the Example of the City of Koper
Authors: Stojaković Maja , Twrdy Elen
Published: March 2024

Koper is located in Slovenia near the Italian border and is the fifth largest city in Slovenia with 53,000 inhabitants. The history of the town is interesting because it first flourished during the Venetian Republic, when it became an important administrative and cultural centre of Istria. After the Second World War, the city underwent a different development as a harbour was built next to the old town. Today, Koper is a town that connects the old town centre with the newer surrounding settlements and is closely linked to the port of Luka Koper. The municipality covers an area of 303 km2, 48% of which is protected by Natura. Since 2017, the municipality of Koper has been implementing an integrated transport strategy aimed at ensuring sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility for its citizens. To ensure accessibility and a better quality of life, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport are promoted in particular. Residents of Koper who do not live in the old town still predominantly use private cars to get to work, school, and university. Koper is an old city that has existed since the time of the Roman Republic and has many monuments. To reduce the number of cars, the city centre has been closed to traffic, and residents of Koper's old town can use parking garages or open parking lots for a small fee. For everyone else, parking lots with P+R facilities have been set up, but there is great dissatisfaction among the population. Another problem is the increasing freight traffic coming in and out of the port of Koper. The port and the city live in harmony, but the problem of increasing freight traffic at critical times and on critical days is a big problem. In this paper we will outline the measures that should be taken in the area of public passenger transport and freight transport to ensure that the strategy is implemented.
Sump Indicators in Focus – Investigating Modal Distribution in Urban Mobility Research
Authors: Gadžo Edin , Mujić Arnela , Lindov Osman
Published: March 2024

These plans aim to strike a balance between the prevalent use of private cars and alternative modes of transport. A pivotal aspect of SUMP formulation lies in the identification of indicators, serving as tools for cities to assess their mobility systems and strategically address strengths and weaknesses. The European Commission provides a set of reliable indicators for standardized assessments, ensuring uniform data collection. Despite the importance of SUMPs, cities often lack consistent political and institutional support for their integration into urban development plans. Additionally, disparities exist in the application of methodologies for data collection in defining SUMP indicators. This paper thoroughly analyzes the indicator identification process within the SUMP creation framework. It highlights the need for continuous political backing and institutional support for SUMP projects within urban development plans. Furthermore, the paper addresses the variations in applying methodologies for data collection, emphasizing the importance of standardization. The focus is on the European Commission's indicators, providing practical insights into their application for a more uniform assessment of mobility systems. The research contributes by presenting a refined method for data collection, encompassing both basic and additional SUMP indicators. The study also introduces an in-depth analysis of modal distribution, offering a valuable resource for cities interested in formulating new SUMPs. By enhancing our understanding of these critical aspects, this paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable urban mobility and supports the development of more effective and harmonized transportation planning strategies.
Testing and analysis of the elements of the high-risk road section concerning the quality of the pavement curtain and its impact on the value of the adhesion coefficient
Authors: Ivanović Valentina , Lindov Osman , Radović Milija
Published: March 2024

In the structure of factors on which traffic safety depends, road and road elements occupy an important place in the traffic safety management system. The elements of the road create the conditions for the danger caused by other elements to turn into a traffic accident. Road elements can affect the occurrence of traffic accidents, but in particular, they can affect the "weight", i.e. the result of a traffic accident. This statement is supported by the fact that there are a number of influential elements of the road that can be direct or indirect causes of traffic accidents. The condition and quality of the roadway affect the safety of the traffic as a direct factor. The paper emphasizes the quality of the carriageway curtain and the analysis of the impact of the same on the value of the adhesion coefficient. The value of the adhesion coefficient is determined by practical measurement with a pendulum (Skid Resistance Taster) on parts of a high-risk section of the main road, in order to achieve its satisfactory quality, i.e. satisfactory grip coefficient.
Academician I.D. Kovalchenko: the study of the agrarian history of Russia
Authors: Guangxiang Zhang
Published: March 2024

Academician I.D. Kovalchenko devoted his life to historical science. He was known for his academic achievements in Russia and abroad. The scientist, in particular, made a qualitative leap in the application of quantitative methods in the research of agrarian history, created a fundamental work on the history of Russian agriculture and left a scientific legacy to future generations.
The themes and the artistic conceptions of flower-and-bird painting in Ming Dynasty
Authors: Yingqi Zhang
Published: March 2024

As the peak of the development of flower-and-bird painting in China, Shen Zhou, Chen Chun, Xu Wei, Tang Yin and Wen Zhiming emerged in the Ming Dynasty. Because of their different periods of life, they have their own advantages in the choice of theme and the expression of artistic conception, which made outstanding contributions to the development of flower-and-bird painting in Ming Dynasty. This paper mainly studies the theme and conception of flower-and-bird painting in Ming Dynasty.
Russian literary awards and the development of modern literature
Authors: Xinzhu Zhao , Shun Tian Shi
Published: March 2024

The end of the 20th century in the history of Russian literature was a time of changing aesthetic, ideological and moral guidelines. The picture of the development of literature of this period is striking, characterized by a variety of artistic trends, creative techniques, genre diversity, blurring of boundaries, thematic and stylistic enrichment of genres, a total change in the role of the writer, a change in the type of reader.
Kazakhstani people’s perception of forming media literacy as one of the essential skills in the digital era
Authors: Zhumatayev Yerkin , Ibrayeva Elmira , Irgussayeva Assylzhan , Tulebayeva Sandugash , Shalkarbek Anel , Zhumatay Samat
Published: March 2024

This article examines the relevance of media literacy skills caused by the change in its content and reality due to the variety of information distributed through the mass media and the Internet. The purpose of the article is to discuss the level of the development of media literacy in the society of Kazakhstan, the extent to which the population is familiar with this concept, and the problems of teaching it. In the course of differentiating the importance of forming this important skill, surveys and the work of media literacy training centers are analyzed.
Im2mesh: a python library to reconstruct 3D meshes from scattered data and 3D segmentations. Application to patient-specific neuroblastoma tumour image sequences
Authors: Sainz-DeMena Diego , García-Aznar José Manuel , Pérez María Ángeles , Borau Carlos
Published: March 2024

The future of personalised medicine lies in the development of increasingly sophisticated digital twins, where the patient-specific data is fed into predictive computational models that support the decisions of clinicians on the best therapies or course actions to treat the patient’s afflictions. The development of these personalised models from image data requires a segmentation of the geometry of interest, an estimation of intermediate or missing slices, a reconstruction of the surface and generation of a volumetric mesh and the mapping of the relevant data into the reconstructed three-dimensional volume. There exist a wide number of tools, including both classical and artificial intelligence methodologies, that help to overcome the difficulties in each stage, usually relying on the combination of different software in a multistep process. In this work, we develop an all-in-one approach wrapped in a Python library called im2mesh that automatizes the whole workflow, which starts reading a clinical image and ends generating a 3D finite element mesh with the interpolated patient data. In this work, we apply this workflow to an  example of a patient-specific neuroblastoma tumour. The main advantages of our tool are its straightforward use and its easy integration into broader pipelines.
High- and low-viscosity cement for osteoporotic femoral augmentation: A computational subject-specific approach
Authors: Ramos-Infante Samuel , Pérez María Ángeles
Published: March 2024

The risk of osteoporotic hip fractures may be reduced by augmenting susceptible femora with high- and low-viscosity cement. As the injection of excessive amounts of cement may result in thermal necrosis of bone tissue or even embolism, the minimum cement volume required to achieve a predefined level of augmentation should be determined. To this end, the present work introduces a novel efficient generalized augmentation strategy combining a strain-based fracture criterion with experimental results of bone augmentation previously obtained. The proposed methodology aims to estimate the fracture load improvement with two cement types (high- or low-viscosity). In total, 18 healthy and 17 osteoporotic ex vivo femora were numerically studied using the Finite Element Method and considering a typical lateral fall on the greater trochanter. In all cases, both a nonaugmented and an augmented state with injected bone cement were simulated. All augmented models of femora exhibited enhanced fracture loads regardless of the cement viscosity used. Low viscosity cement showed a higher fracture load improvement than high-viscosity cement. Furthermore, augmentation of osteoporotic femora estimated a larger improvement in the fracture load (10.32 ± 3.22% with high-viscosity cement and 28.93 ± 7.04% with lowviscosity cement) with respect to healthy femora (9.41 ± 3.66% with high-viscosity cement and 25.19 ± 6.00% with low-viscosity cement). The results suggest that low-viscosity cement can be a powerful candidate for use in femoroplasty. Furthemore, the proposed methodology can be efficiently used for preoperative planning of bone augmentation surgery.
Traumatic Pictures and Ethical Presentation of Children: A Critical Inquiry on Kunda Dixit's a People War (Images of Nepal Conflict 1996-2006)
Authors: Bhattarai Krishna Prasad
Published: March 2024

The present research takes Kunda Dixit's picture collection A People War (Images of Nepal Conflict 1996-2006) to reveal the pathetic condition of war-affected children. Dixit in this collection demonstrates the stories of those years in pictures. Some of the pictures in this text demonize the Maoist side. This paper argues that the representation of the civil war trauma by Kunda Dixit follows the ethical line while presenting the agony, stress, and disorder of war-affected children. The play of ethical relations creates a prose of otherness towards the perpetrators of the violence condemning the victimizers rather than the act of violence. All the selected pictures are analyzed through trauma theory.
कृष्ण उपन्यासमा मिथकीयता
Authors: पन्थ टङ्क
Published: March 2024

शंकरप्रसाद गैरे नेपाली आख्यानका क्षेत्रमा उत्तरआधुनिक चिन्तनलाई अनुसरण गरी उपन्यास लेख्ने व्यक्ति हुन् । प्रस्तुत लेखमा नेपाली समालोचनाका क्षेत्रमा समसामयिक कालमा चर्चामा रहेको मिथकीय सिद्धान्तका आधारमा शंकरप्रसाद गैरेको कृष्ण उपन्यासलाई विश्लेषण गर्ने काम गरिएको छ । कृष्ण उपन्यास पौराणिक विषयलाई आधुनिक आँखाबाट हेरिएको कृति हो । उपन्यासमा पुराणका सन्दर्भका साथमा समकालीन समाजको यथार्थ अवस्थालाई प्रस्तुत गरिएको पाइन्छ । यसलाई मिथकीय सिद्धान्तका आधारबाट अध्ययन गर्नु सान्दर्भिक मानिएको छ । मिथकीय सिद्धान्त पाश्चात्य साहित्य चिन्तनमा मूलतः उत्तरआधुनिक समयमा विकास भएको एक समालोचकीय मान्यता हो । युङ्गको सामूहिक अचेतनका पृष्ठभूमिबाट अतीतका विषय र घटनाहरूको खोजी गरी विश्लेषण गर्ने काम यसले गर्दछ । शंकरप्रसाद गैरेको कृष्ण उपन्यासमा प्रयुक्त मिथकीय सन्दर्भहरूलाई पहिचान गर्नु यस लेखको प्रमुख समस्या हो । मिथकीय अवधारणामा केन्द्रित रहेर कृष्ण उपन्यासको विश्लेषण गरी निष्कर्षमा पुग्नु नै प्रस्तुत लेखको उद्देश्य हो । मिथकीय सिद्धान्तमा टेकेर कृतिको विश्लेषण गरिएको हुनाले प्रस्तुत लेखमा समालोचनाको सैद्धान्तिक विधिलाई उपयोग गरिएको छ । कृष्ण उपन्यास महाभारतकालीन आख्यानको पुनर्लेखन हो । यस उपन्यासमा प्रयुक्त विषयवस्तु, पात्र र तिनको व्यवहार पौराणिक कथाकै पृष्ठभूमिमा उठेको देखाइएको छ । पौराणिक तथा अलौकिक घटना र सन्दर्भलाई समकालीन चेतनाका आधारमा प्रस्तुत गरी घटना, पात्र र तिनका प्रवृत्तिलाई पुनर्लेखन गरिएकाले उपन्यासमा मिथकीय चेतना अनुकूल बनेर आएको देखिन्छ । प्रस्तुत लेखमा आवश्यक सामग्री प्राथमिक र द्वितीयक स्रोतबाट लिइएको छ । मिथकीय पुनव्र्याख्या तथा पुनर्लेखनलाई सैद्धान्तिक आधार बनाई आवश्यकताअनुरूप प्राथमिक र द्वितीयक स्रोतबाट सामग्रीको सङ्कलन गरी लेखलाई व्यवस्थित गरिएको छ । यस लेखमा महाभारतकालीन द्वन्द्व, सत्तास्वार्थ तथा कपटपूर्ण व्यवहारहरूको सन्दर्भबाट वर्तमान नेपालको राजनीतिक, सामाजिक अवस्थालाई सम्बद्ध तुल्याइएकाले कृष्ण उपन्यासमा मिथकीय पुनर्लेखनको प्रभावकारी प्रयोग भएको निचोड निकालिएको छ ।
लौकिक संस्कृतमा भाषिक चिन्तनको परम्परा {Traditions of Linguistic Thought in Classical Sanskrit}
Authors: सुवेदी Subedi अञ्चला Anjala
Published: March 2024

मानव सभ्यताको विकाससँगै भाषाको विकास भएको थियो । भाषिक अध्ययनको पूर्वीय परम्परा संस्कृतबाट भएको पाइन्छ । पाश्चात्य जगत्मा पनि विभिन्न भाषाहरूसँग नजिक रहेर भाषिक चिन्तन गरिएको पाइन्छ । प्रस्तुत अध्ययनमा लौकिक संस्कृत भाषिक चिन्तन सम्बन्धी के कस्ता काम भएका छन् र कति कार्य भएका छैनन् भनी खोज गर्नु नै समस्याको रूपमा लिइएको छ भने लौकिक संस्कृतको भाषिक चिन्तन परम्पराको विश्लेषण गर्नु, उक्त अध्ययनको उद्देश्य रहेको छ । यस अध्ययन गुणात्मक अनुसन्धान ढाँचाम प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ । यस अनुसन्धानमा विभिन्न पुस्तक, ग्रन्थ, लेख आदिलाई अध्ययनमा सूचना सङ्कलनको आधार बनाइएको छ । यस अनुसन्धानमा सूचनाहरू पूर्ण रुपमा द्वितीय स्रोतबाट लिइएको छ । प्राप्त सूचनालाई व्याख्या तथा विश्लेषणात्मक ढंगबाट प्रस्तुत गरिएको छ । पाणिनि युग र उत्तर पाणिनि युगमा विकसित भएका भाषिक चिन्तनको प्रभाव प्राकृत भाषामा समेत परेको देखिन्छ । पूर्वमा संस्कृत भाषा तथा पश्चिममा ल्याटिन, ग्रीक जस्ता भाषामा गरिएको भाषिक चिन्तनले आधुनिक भाषा विज्ञान र व्याकरणको क्षेत्रमा फराकिलो दायरा बनाएको पाइन्छ भन्ने निष्कर्ष निकालिएको छ ।
Embracing Diversity: Advancing Transgender Mental Health in Nepal
Authors: Poudel Reet
Published: March 2024

The understanding and recognition of transgender identities have evolved over time and reflected in changes to diagnostic classifications.
Correlation between psychological diagnosis (Rorschach Psycho-diagnostics) and clinical diagnosis
Authors: Kumar Rajesh , Gautam Rinku , Deo Binod
Published: March 2024

Background: A wide acceptance of the Rorschach test is shown in clinical practice and clinicians choose the test not only as a diagnostic instrument but as a therapeutic practice also, sometimes variety of opinion comes from health professionals and the validity of the test result become more challenging. It creates a cognitive dilemma and the clinician has two options: either choice to accept or reject the diagnosis.
Material & Methods: A total 80 cases were selected from the psychiatry ward and written informed consent was taken. Socio-demographical data sheet was applied. Without knowing the history and other diagnostic variables, the Rorschach test was administered to make a psychological diagnosis by a qualified clinical psychologist and the clinical diagnosis was made through ICD-10 DCR criteria by the competent psychiatrist.
Results: Among the participants, 37.5% belonged to 29-39 years age group; 58.75% were male. Most of the study samples were married (71.25%), 32.5% were educated up to 6-10th standard. The majority (38.75%) of the participants were unemployed and 51.25% belonged to rural areas. A majority, ie: 47.5% were in the middle-income group (50-74K) and living in a nuclear family (83.75%). Schizophrenia was the most frequent diagnosis in both categories, 38.75% belonging to the Rorschach diagnosis and 33.75% in the clinical category followed by Depression, mania, anxiety, obsession, psychosis, organic, and conversion disorder. Overall, a high correlation was found between both diagnostic categories (X2 =4.1, P=0.75). 
Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that a high level of correlation was found between clinical diagnosis and Rorschach psycho-diagnosis.
Impact of brief psychological intervention on reducing the psychological symptoms after COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Nepal
Authors: Devkota Narmada , Gurung Laxmi , Joshi Prajwal , Maharjan Rocky , Gurung Bhupendra , Karki Utkarsh
Published: March 2024

Background: Studies from various countries showed that HCWs suffered from psychological problems during the period of COVID-19 and  psychosocial intervention to address the issues was found effective. This study aimed to find out the status of depression, anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among HCWs after COVID-19 infection including determining the outcome of a brief psychosocial intervention protocol in reducing the symptoms.
Methods: Group-based pretest-posttest interventional design was adopted. A total of 380 HCWs, recovered from the COVID-19 infections were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The study period was from November 2020 to January 2021. The Nepalese-translated and validated version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21(DASS-21) and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) were used to assess the symptoms. A brief psychosocial intervention was done by a trained clinical psychologist and compared the differences in mean scores on the level of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD symptoms before and after the intervention.
Results: This study found that about 11% HCWs had symptoms of depression, 31% had symptoms of anxiety, 3% had stress and 98.50% had symptoms of PTSD. The paired sample t-test showed a significant difference between the means for the IES-R before the intervention (M=47.94, SD=14.53) and after the intervention (M=43.63, SD=15.35); t = 5.003 and p=.000 as well as the DASS-21 mean score before (M=14.11, SD=11.74) and after (M=12.28, SD=10.81); t = 2.97 and p = .003 the intervention.
Conclusion: This study showed that this intervention protocol was found effective in reducing the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD symptoms of the participants. However, a longitudinal study is needed to confirm these findings
Navigating the intersection of Post-COVID olfactory dysfunction and mental Health: A biopsychosocial case study
Authors: Gupta Anvi , Mahapatra Ananya , Tyagi Dinesh K. , Kumar Pankaj
Published: March 2024

Background: Olfactory Dysfunction (OD) post-SARS-CoV-2 infection can manifest in various forms, including qualitative impairments such as parosmia. We describe a 26-year-old woman's trajectory from anosmia following COVID-19 infection to parosmia, which evolved into severe depression. This young woman from North India began perceiving a "garbage-like" odor from food items several months after recovering from COVID-19. Her distress from this condition, exacerbated by her family's lack of understanding, led to significant dietary restrictions, weight loss, and subsequent development of an episode of severe depression linked to the distress from her persistent olfactory dysfunction. A combination of escitalopram, olanzapine, and carbamazepine was initiated alongside  psychoeducation sessions for the family. Over the following months, her depressive and olfactory symptoms showed significant improvement. This case illuminates the complex relationship between sensory dysfunction and mental health post-COVID-19, emphasizing the need for an integrated biopsychosocial treatment approach and the crucial role of familial understanding and support.
Homely Pastorals versus the Unhomely Forest in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit
Authors: Sikdar Mahasweta
Published: March 2024

The representation of forests in British fantasy literature has changed with the changing dynamics of our relationship with the forest. The forest has been represented as many things- a place of redemption and trial, purity and temptation, mystery and adventure, freedom and exile; but it has not been represented as “home.” It is a liminal space between this world and the otherworldly; it is a place of enchantment. The protagonist must return home from the enchanted forest reborn or after a magical experience. The ‘enchanted forest’ is a leitmotif in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit, two seminal works in modern British fantasy. There are extensive studies of the forests of Tolkien (with a special focus on his iconic trees) and of the Shire as Tolkien's idealized England. However, the forests of Tolkien have rarely been studied as opposed to the idea of home. In this paper, I argue that Tolkien epitomizes the idea of a pastoral home through the Shire by constantly contrasting it with the ‘unhomely’ representation of forests. The article considers the cultural history of the British with their forest to understand why the forests are represented as ‘unhomely’ in the select texts. In this paper, I demonstrate that the two stories are ultimately tales of returning to a pastoral home after experiencing the enchantment that the forest has to offer.
Winter Trees as the Symbol of Female's Self: Reading Sylvia Plath's "Winter Trees" through an Eco-feminist Perspective
Authors: Gajmer Sangita
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the interrelation between poetic experience, expression, womanhood, and creativity with the natural symbol as mentioned in "Winter Trees" by Sylvia Plath. In "Winter Trees,” Plath presents the images or set of winter which itself represents the darkness and pessimism. Plath also seems to compare herself to trees in the winter which stands for her hardships as an emerging female writer in a male-dominating writing tradition. In so doing, the poem reveals a hidden eco-feminist awareness shared by both her biographical as well as ecological symbols related to womanhood and nature. Thus, the poem is an interaction between womanhood and ecological identity.
Principal Tenets, Critiques and Educational Implication of Hermeneutics
Authors: Mahat Dhan Krishna
Published: March 2024

Hermeneutics is perceived as the art of interpretation. It focuses on interaction and language: it seeks to understand situations through the eyes of the participants. It involves the recapturing of (lie meanings of interacting with others. recovering, and reconstructing the intentions of the other actors in a situation. The purpose of using hermeneutics is to aid human understanding It helps the qualitative researcher in business and management to understand what people say and do. and why. So Hermeneutics is the activity of interpretation of text because every reader is an interpreter, lie can analyze as he like. Hermeneutics helps a researcher to produce a story that is believable. There are many different ways to analyze qualitative data among them. hermeneutics is one. This paper discusses the principal tenets and critiques of hermeneutics explaining its philosophical root(s) and the research components with its educational implications in contrast to the other sociological theories in the Nepalese scenario using data from secondary sources.
जुम्ली भाषाको वाक्यमा कालगत (पक्ष) व्यवस्था {Tense (partial) arrangement in sentences of Jumli language}
Authors: आचार्य Acharya ओमप्रकाश Omprakash
Published: March 2024

भाषागत सर्वेक्षण २०६८ को तथ्याङ्क अनुसार नेपालमा बोलिने भाषाहरूको संख्या १२३ मध्ये जुम्ली भाषा पनि पर्दछ । कर्णाली प्रदेश अन्तर्गत कर्णाली अञ्चलको जुम्ला जिल्लाको जुम्ली भाषाको प्रायोगिक अध्ययन गर्दा जुम्ली भाषी वक्ताका अभिव्यक्तिका आधारमा भाषाको वाक्यमा देखिएको कालगत (पक्ष) व्यवस्था केकस्तो रहेको छ ? यस्तो व्यवस्था नेपाली भाषा भन्दा के कति भिन्न छ ? यस अध्ययनको मुख्य समस्या हो । यही समस्या समाधानका लागि जुम्ली भाषाको वाक्यमा देखिएको कालगत (पक्ष) व्यवस्था पहिल्याउनु र जुम्ली भाषाको वाक्यमा देखिएको कालगत (पक्ष) व्यवस्था नेपाली भाषाभन्दा के कति भिन्न छ पहिचान गर्नुयस अनुसन्धानमूलक लेखको मुख्य उद्देश्य रहेको छ । यस अध्ययनको विधि क्षेत्रगत र पुस्तकालय हो भनेवर्णनात्मक र विश्लेषणात्मक पद्धतिको अवलम्बन गरिएको छ । अध्ययनको प्राप्ती अनुसार जुम्ली भाषाको वाक्यमा देखिएको कालगत (पक्ष) व्यवस्था भूतकाल र अभूतकालमा कालबोधक क्रियाको अपूर्ण, पूर्णअभ्यस्त र अज्ञात पक्षका रूपमा संरचनागत मौलिकता छ । जुम्ली भाषाको पक्षमा रहने क्रिया संरचनाको मौलिकताले नेपाली भाषाभन्दा ध्वनिगत, वर्णगत एवम् कालबोधक क्रियाको संरचनामा भिन्नता छ ।
व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणको सैद्धान्तिक अवधारणा, प्रक्रिया र प्रयोग {Theoretical Concepts, Procedures and Applications of Expenditure Analysis}
Authors: भुसाल Bhusal केशव Keshab
Published: March 2024

प्रस्तुत लेख प्रायोगिक भाषाविज्ञानका विभिन्न शाखाहरूमध्येको एउटा महŒवपूर्ण शाखा व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणसँग सम्बन्धित रहेको छ । यस लेखमा व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणको सैद्धान्तिक अवधारणा, आवश्यकता र प्रयोगबारे चर्चा गरिएको छ । वस्तुतः व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणको सैद्धान्तिक चर्चा गर्नु, व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणकोप्रक्रिया र प्रयोगको व्याख्या विवेचन गर्नु प्रस्तुत लेखका मुख्य उद्देश्यका रूपमा रहेका छन् । प्रस्तुत लेख तयारीका क्रममा गुणात्मक अध्ययन विधिको अवलम्बन गरिएको छ । यस क्रममा पुस्तकालयीय अध्ययन विधिको प्रयोग गरिएको छ । यस लेखका लागि आवश्यक कुराहरु नेपाली, हिन्दी तथा अङ्ग्रेजी सैद्धान्तिक सामग्रीहरुको अध्ययनबाट प्राप्त गरिएको छ । त्यसरी प्राप्त तथ्यको प्रस्तुतिका लागि व्याख्यात्मक तथा विश्लेषणात्मक विधिको उपयोग गरिएको छ । यस अध्ययनका आधारमा व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषण दुई वा दुईभन्दा बढी भाषाहरुका बीचको तुलनात्मक अध्ययनमा आधारित सिद्धान्तका रुपमा रहेको, यससम्बन्धी अवधारणाकोविकास सन् १९५० को दशकपछि भएको, यसमा आधारित भई गरिने अध्ययनमा सामग्रीको सङ्कलन, सामग्रीको सत्यापन, सामग्रीको व्याख्या विश्लेषण र निष्कर्षणजस्ता प्रक्रिया एवम् पद्धतिहरुको प्रयोग गरिनेलगायतका निष्कर्षहरु निकालिएको छ । प्रस्तुत लेख व्यतिरेकी विश्लेषणका बारेमा जानकारी लिन चाहनेशिक्षक, विद्यार्थी, जिज्ञासु एवम् सम्बन्धित सबैका लागि उपयोगी हुने अपेक्षा गरिएको छ ।
विद्यालय संचालनमा द्वन्द्व व्यवस्थापन {Conflict Management in School Operations}
Authors: भण्डारी  Bhandari बसन्तराज Basantaraj
Published: March 2024

यस लेखको शीर्षक विद्यालय संचालनमा द्वन्द्व व्यवस्थापन राखिएको छ । लेखको मुख्य उद्देश्य विद्यालयमा देखिएका द्वन्द्वको विश्लेषण गर्नु रहेको छ । अध्ययन क्षेत्र बर्दिया जिल्लाको गुलरीया नगरपालिका सामुदायिक विद्यालयलाई लिइएको छ । लेख विधिमा अध्ययन क्षेत्रबाट लिइएका प्रतिक्रिया तथा तथ्याङ्कहरूलाईसान्दर्भिक पूर्वकार्य, ऐन नियमहरूसँग तुलनात्मक विश्लेषण गरिएको छ । विद्यालयका द्वन्द्वको अवस्था पहिचानमा सकारात्मक भन्दा नकारात्मक द्वन्द्व बढी पाइयो । शिक्षकले विद्यार्थीलाई हेपेको, अपमान गरेकोदेखियो । व्यवस्थापन समिति, प्रधानाध्यापकबाट शिक्षकहरूमा भेदभाव, काखापाखा गरेको पाइयो । विद्यालयमा हुने द्वन्द्वका कारणहरूमा आर्थिक अभाव, पारदर्शिताको कमी, सामाजिक, सांस्कृतिक, धार्मिक भेदभाव, राजनैतिक प्रभाव जस्ता कारक तत्वहरू पाइयो । विद्यालयमा द्वन्द्वखको प्रभाव हेर्दा विद्यालयकोशैक्षिक वातावरण अस्वस्थ, अस्थिर र धमिलो भएको पाइयो । ऐन नियमहरू प्रभावकारी रूपमा कार्यान्वयन हुन नसकेको पाइयो । “विद्यालय शान्ति क्षेत्र” भन्ने नीतिमा अवरोध देखियो । शैक्षिक गुणस्तरमा कमी हुँदैगइरहेको पाइयो । विद्यालय द्वन्द्व व्यवस्थापनमा मेलमिलापको भूमिका विश्लेषण गर्दा सकारात्मक सोचका साथ द्वन्द्वलाई सकारात्मक रूपमा लिई समस्या समाधान गर्नुपर्ने धारणा पाइयो । द्वन्द्व समाधानमा मेलमिलापका विकल्पहरू खोजी गरी सामाजिक र व्यवहारिक विधि अवलम्बन गर्नुपर्ने सुझावहरू प्राप्त भयो ।
Construction of Attitude Scale: Attitude of Schoolteachers Towards Teaching Profession
Authors: Deupa Madan Singh , Deupa Jyoti
Published: March 2024

The progress of the nation is based on the competencies of the citizens, and the overall development of the person depends on the effectiveness of the educational system implemented in the country. The teacher is a key factor in the implementation of educational programs. Without a favorable attitude toward the teaching profession, teachers cannot do well in the teaching profession. Regarding this context, this study was conducted to construct an attitude scale to measure the attitude of schoolteachers towards the teaching profession. Steps of standardization of the test were adopted to construct a reliable and valid tool. Piloting was made in the Indo-Nepalese context. A quantitative research design was used in this study. A draft of 50 statements was designed, and 40 were selected on the basis of expert judgment. A sample of 374 schoolteachers from five districts of Nepal and India was selected using a random sampling technique. Eight statements were rejected based on item analysis and respondents' suggestions. A standardized attitude scale was developed comprising 32 statements, which were again categorized into eight factors on the basis of factor analysis. Various reliability coefficients ranging from .80 to .87 were found. For interpretation of the results, z-score and percentile norms were developed. This test will be beneficial to researchers who are interested in identifying the attitudes of schoolteachers in the Indo-Nepalese context.
Dialectics of Opportunities and Challenges in Disciplinary Shifting of ‘Rural Development’ into ‘Development Studies’
Authors: Sapkota Mahendra
Published: March 2024

This paper aims to discuss the emerging trend and scope of Development Studies as an academic discipline. Methodologically, the paper is based on secondary sources of data. A comparative and argumentative method has been followed in a continuum approach to Rural Development and Development Studies. It argues that conventional particularistic approaches to development are being upgraded in the more general domain of Development Studies. Therefore, going with some national and international trends of studies in both disciplines, this paper offers a strong recommendation for the adoption of Development Studies with exploration and extended continuity of Rural Development. The paper does not, however, conclude with the immortality of the discipline of Development Studies but stands with its continuous evolution and contestation. Taking the reference of Nepal, the paper has highlighted different issues, opportunities, and challenges of such shifting in terms of quality of the program, courses and faculties, career and exposure, and research potential and policy dilemma. The paper is expected to contribute to the studies of different paradigms and discourses of development in their given contexts and conditions of socio-political realties.
Theoretical approach on characterizing structural and mechanical properties of industrial alloys
Authors: Ramadhan Muhammad Redo , Khansa Salwa Anindhita , Zulindra Qoriana , Amalia Dwi , Astuti Fahmi
Published: March 2024

With the goal of entering Indonesia’s golden dream 2045 in mineral technology and utilizations, expansive researches covering both experimental and theoretical aspects are urgently required. Here, we provide theoretical study on structural and mechanical properties of various nickel-based alloys based on first-principles, density functional theory (DFT) technique. First, we evaluate the accuracy of several exchange-correlation functionals (LDA-PZ, GGA-PBE, GGA-PBEsol) by comparing the calculated lattice constants for each system with the known experimental results. Based on the best functional, we analyze structural changes caused by the mixture of different atom to the principal element of nickel. Finally, we derived the related mechanical properties for all systems based on the calculated elastic constants. Furthermore, the elastic constants can also be used to predict the stability of alloy structure.
Compliance of Ethics Infrastructure for Public Officials' Assets Declaration in Tanzania
Authors: Wilfred Lameck Uronu  , Peter Teleli Andrea
Published: March 2024

‘Ethical infrastructure’ is considered as one of the tools for ensuring that public officials declare their assets and comply with ethical standards in different countries across the globe. This is even more important in developing countries where corruption is perceived to be a major threat to development. Despite this recognition, most countries especially in the developing world suffer from ineffective assets declaration by public officials and a lack of compliance to ethical standards. A similar situation is repored in Tanzania where lack of compliance with ethical standards and assets declaration has been the order of the day despite the establishment of ethics infrastructure. This article examines existing ethics infrastructure in the public service and establishes the reason for the noncompliance of public officials to the existing ethics infrastructure in assets declaration. This paper, is a desk review of concept, theory and empirics of assets declaration and assets infrastructure across the globe and Tanzania in particular and the review includes the analysis of rules, regulations and guidelines which constitutes ethics infrastructure and govern assets declaration in Tanzania. The findings of the review indicate that ethics infrastructure is a foundation for assets declaration but the actual implementation depends on the government's will and the strength of the enforcement mechanism. The government needs to increase the autonomy and resources for enforcing authority and transparency in assets declaration and provide ethical training to public officials.    

Keywords: Assets declaration, Ethical standards, Public service, Tanzania, Ethics infrastructure
The Influence of Ethical Guidance on Academic Staff’s Teaching Performance in Public Universities in Tanzania
Authors: Elias Mseti  , Wilfred Lameck Uronu  , Stella Kinemo
Published: March 2024

This study examines how ethical guidance affects academic staff teaching performance in Tanzania's Public Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs). Among 4863 academic staff members from Tanzania's public higher learning institutions, 350 respondents were selected using a stratified simple random selection technique. Public HLIs were chosen because staff members are required to enhance their teaching abilities to offer a high-quality educational service. Additionally, staff members are directed by moral principles and codes of conduct. Nonetheless, it is not clear how much ethical guidance influences academic staff’s teaching performance. A self-administered questionnaire of closed-ended questions was used to collect the data. Descriptive Statistics and Regression Analysis were used for data analysis. The results demonstrate that providing ethical guidance has a favorable impact on teaching performance. Consequently, this study adds to the body of knowledge by shedding light on the relationship between HLI leaders' moral leadership behaviors and the academic staff's performance in HLIs. The research facilitates the government's understanding of ethical guidance and allows researchers to investigate new aspects of ethical guidance in HLIs for possible future study topics.
Keywords: Ethical Leadership, Academics Teaching Performance, Higher Learning Institutions, Tanzania
Public Value and Level of e-Government in Sri Lanka: Problems and Prospects
Authors: R. Lalitha S. Fernando  , H. O. C. Gunasekara
Published: March 2024

Achieving public value and maintaining a higher public value in e-Government is considered as the ability of e-Government systems to provide efficient and better services to the citizens. The government of Sri Lanka has started e-Government developments since early 2000 investing more than 2000 million Sri Lanka rupees annually on e-Government implementation and adoption, but the level of eGovernment and public value of some websites must be further improved for a better service delivery. This study examines public value and level of e-Government in Sri Lanka based on selected ten government websites which provides most essential services to the public. The level of e-Government has been examined by using criteria of the UN-ASPA model and the public value of the selected websites has been examined through a survey. Among 1200 final year undergraduates for the year 2023, 75 of them were selected from a purposive sample who are following eGovernment subject as a part of their degree program at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Data were collected from a structured questionnaire to examine the public value of the websites and used descriptive statistics to analyze the data. The level of e- Government has been examined using the UN-ASPA model and results were analyzed based on a scoring method. The study revealed that the selected government websites have a relatively higher level of public value and e- Government level. Accordingly, the highest scored e-Government website is the Central Bank (23 scoring marks out of 25), and the least scored website is the Department of Registration of Persons (19 scoring marks). The public value of all the selected websites ranges from a high level to a moderate level. The Ministry of Education has scored the highest public value (the mean value is 4.2) among the ten-government websites and the Ministry of Higher Education has the lowest public value (3.8). The study observed that a higher level of public value tends to have a higher level of e-Government. A further study is necessary however, to confirm this relationship. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on e-Government services on Value and concludes that a higher level of public value represents a higher level of e Government services based onSri Lankan government websites. Finally, the study proposed recommendations to further improve public value level and e-Government level of the websites in Sri Lanka.
Key words: Public value, e-Government, Sri Lanka
"HY-LINE INTERNATIONAL" COMPANY BREEDING ACHIEVEMENTS
Authors: Bazyvoliak S. M. , Prokopenko N. P. , Melnyk V. V.
Published: March 2024

In Ukraine, crosses of chickens imported from abroad are used for the production of food eggs. One of the world's leading breeding companies for egg chickens is “Hy-Line International”. The company's chicken crosses are widely used in poultry farms around the world, including in Ukraine. Hy-Line International offers the following chicken crosses to food egg producers using classical technology: "Hy-Line Brown”, “Hy-Line W-36”, “Hy-Line W-80”, “Hy-Line W-80 Plus”, “Hy-Line Silver Brown”, “Hy-Line Sonia” and “Hy-Line Pink”. The aim of the study was to analyse the latest trends in the breeding work of one of the world's leading breeding and genetic companies, Hy-Line International, and to characterise promising crosses for use in intensive poultry production, taking into account different consumer needs. It has been established that the fundamental importance for achieving high productivity of laying hens is strict adherence to the recommendations of “Hy-Line International” on the management of rearing of repair chickens for the industrial flock. It is necessary to pay attention to three critical periods in the rearing of young stock (from day-old to 6 weeks of age, from 7 to 12 weeks of age and from 13 to 17 weeks of age) and the compliance of the actual live weight of the hens with the recommended weight, depending on the cross. In a comparative aspect, the data on the live weight of repair chickens in different periods of their rearing and the safety of the livestock up to 17 weeks of age were analyzed. The indicators of egg production of chickens of different crosses depending on the period of their use, as well as the weight of eggs and Hau units, are presented, feed costs per unit of production are characterized, etc. In general, the research shows that “Hy-Line International” creates and works to improve egg crosses that can meet consumer demand for egg products according to their preferences.
Postnatal myelomeningocele closure in smallest reported neonate: illustrative case
Authors: Mohis Momin M , Cordeiro Kevin , Larson Sarah , Garland Catharine , Stadler James A
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most serious form of spina bifida, a congenital defect in neural tube development. Defect closure in a patient with an extremely low birth weight presents unique challenges and risks; lower birth weight is associated with multiple organ system concerns, homeostasis is difficult, and local tissue is underdeveloped. To the authors’ knowledge, the present case is the lowest reported weight (490 g) for a neonate with postnatal MMC repair.

OBSERVATIONS

A preterm male with a prenatally diagnosed lumbosacral MMC and associated Chiari malformation type II was born at 23 weeks 1 day to a 29-year-old mother, gravidity 6 parity 4. The patient was medically stabilized and underwent MMC closure on day of life 5. His weight was 490 g at the time of this repair, and he did not have any surgical complications. At age 16 months, he underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus cauterization; he has not required any further hydrocephalus treatments since the last follow-up at 30 months of age.

LESSONS

To the authors’ knowledge, this case is the lowest birth weight ex utero MMC closure reported in the literature. Challenges of prematurity and size required appropriate preoperative stabilization, careful hemostasis and temperature regulation, and meticulous surgical technique.