bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why not use empirically supported treatments (ESTs)? Attitudes of German and Dutch therapists
Authors: Marten Finja , de Kwaadsteniet Leontien , Witteman Cilia
Published: March 2021

We enquired into attitudes towards empirically supported treatments (ESTs), with an online questionnaire completed by 190 German and 400 Dutch therapists. Therapists had different attitudes, ranging from very negative to very positive. Two dimensions could describe these attitudes. A negative one: ESTs are thought to have a negative effect on the process of treatment, and a positive one: ESTs are thought have a positive impact on the outcomes of treatment. We found these dimensions to be related to self-reported use of ESTs. Therapists with a cognitive-behavioural orientation, therapists who were less experienced, and Dutch therapists had more positive attitudes than therapists with other orientations, therapists who were more experienced, or German. In a focus group discussion, Dutch therapists gave further insight into their attitudes and provided several suggestions to improve the use of ESTs.
Attending live theatre improves empathy, changes attitudes, and leads to pro-social behavior
Authors: Rathje Steve , Hackel Leor M , zaki jamil
Published: March 2021

Can attending live theatre improve empathy by immersing audience members in the stories of others? We tested this question across three field studies (n = 1622), including a pre-registered replication. We randomly assigned audience members to complete surveys either before or after seeing plays, and measured the effects of the plays on empathy, attitudes, and pro-social behavior. After, as compared to before, seeing the plays, people reported greater empathy for groups depicted in the shows, held opinions that were more consistent with socio-political issues highlighted in the shows, and donated more money to charities related to the shows. Seeing theatre also led participants to donate more to charities unrelated to the shows, suggesting that theatre’s effects on pro-sociality generalize to different contexts. Altogether, these findings suggest that theatre is more than mere entertainment; it can lead to tangible increases in empathy and pro-social behavior.
Polygenic risk for aggressive behaviour from late childhood through early adulthood
Authors: Kretschmer Tina , Ouellet-Morin Isabelle , Vrijen Charlotte , Nolte Ilja Maria , Hartman Catharina A.
Published: March 2021

Twin studies suggest a substantial role for genes in explaining individual differences in aggressive behaviour across development. It is unclear, however, how directly measured genetic risk is associated with aggressive behaviour at different moments across adolescence and how genes might distinguish developmental trajectories of aggressive behaviour. Here, a polygenic risk score derived from the EAGLE-Consortium genome-wide association study of aggressive behaviour in children was tested as predictor of latent growth classes derived from those measures in an adolescent population (n = 2229, of which n = 1259 with genetic information) and a high-risk sample (n = 543, of which n = 339 with genetic information). In the population sample, the polygenic risk score explained variation in parent-reported aggressive behaviour at all ages and distinguished between stable low aggressive behaviour and moderate and high-decreasing trajectories based on parent-report. In contrast, the polygenic risk score was not associated with self- and teacher-reported aggressive behaviour, and no associations were found in the high-risk sample. This pattern of results suggests that methodological choices made in genome-wide association studies impact the predictive power of polygenic risk scores, not just with respect to power but likely also in terms of generalizability and specificity.
Decision-Makers’ Cultural Influence on the Implementation of the European Capital of Culture: A Longitudinal Study.
Authors: Tsagkaridis Konstantinos , Cavalleri Federico , Flora Katerina
Published: March 2021

Motives for nomination as Cultural Capital of Europe (ECoC) vary. Desirable post-ECoC changes include economic growth, touristic increase, job creation, infrastructure updates, cultural development and city rebranding. This research assessed changes in stakeholders’ perceptions during the ECoC and their cultural context. Three members of Pafos2017 and a member of another local organization participated in semi-structured interviews at the beginning and end of 2017, which recorded perceptions of the city/citizens, the participants’ role in the implementation of the ECoC, their goals and major obstacles, the expected legacy of the ECoC and their perception of European culture. Qualitative content analyses from Psychology and Anthropology were used. Results demonstrate a drive for cultural development, personal commitment and passion as ways to overcome problems, a disbelief in the citizens justifying a top-down approach with minimal community involvement, and traces of post-colonial influences in the definition of the new Pafos and the quality assessment of cultural products. We argue that stakeholders’ philosophy and cities’ cultural particularities explain the critical decisions affecting the ECoC’s implementation, and propose the assessment of cities’ goals and philosophy to become part of the bidding process. Based on cultural particularities, EU could appropriately guide and support cities in achieving those goals.
Getting Moving Together; a field experiment on workplace physical activity
Authors: Sanders Michael , Tindall Karen , Gyani Alex , Hume Susannah , Kim Min-Taec , Vilanti Paul , Coghlan Sarah , Flego Anna
Published: March 2021

Importance: Wearable devices are widely used in an effort to increase physical activity and consequently to improve health. The evidence for this is patchy, and it does not appear that wearables alone are sufficient to achieve this end.Objective: To determine whether social comparisons in a workplace setting can increase the effectiveness of wearables at promoting physical activity.Design: A four week randomized controlled trial conducted in November 2015 with employees of a large firm. Participants were randomised to one of two treatment conditions (control vs social comparison) at team level, and teams are formed into ‘leagues’ based on their activity levels before the study. Impact is measured through wearable devices issued to all participants throughout the study duration.Setting: Offices of a large Australian employer.Participants: 646 employees of an Australian employer, issued with wearable activity trackers prior to the beginning of the study. Intervention(s) (for clinical trials) or Exposure(s) (for observational studies). Participants used a wearable device to track steps. Participants had been wearing these for at least four weeks at the outset of the trial, establishing a baseline level of activity. Teams (n=646, k=49), were randomly assigned to either control (k=24), or a social comparison (k=25) treatment. All participants took part in a step-count competition between their team and others at their employer, in which their team’s ranking within a mini-league of five teams, as well as their own activity was communicated each week. The control group had access to the usual features of the wearable, while the social comparison group received additional information about the performance of the other teams in their league, including how far behind and ahead their nearest rival teams were.Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Number of steps taken per day on average, measured by the wearable devices issued to all participants. Results: A total of 646 participants were included in the study. Compared to the control, participants in the social comparison group took significantly more steps per day during the trial period (an additional 620 steps, 8.2%, p<0.001). These effects are largest in both relative and absolute terms for people whose prior steps were in the bottom quartile of steps (an additional 948 steps, 40%, p<0.001), while the effect on people with highest levels of activity was a precisely estimated null (an additional 6 steps, 0.01%, p=0.98).Conclusions and Relevance: Social comparison increased the effectiveness of wearables at improving physical activity, particularly for those with the lowest baseline activity.
Alignment of values and political orientations amplifies climate change attitudes and behaviors
Authors: Smith E. Keith , Hempel Lynn M.
Published: March 2021

Anthropogenic climate change presents an immediate threat, necessitating a rapid shift in climate change relevant behaviors and public policies. A robust literature has identified a number of individual-level determinants of climate change attitudes and behaviors. In particular, political orientations and self-transcendent values are amongst the most consistent and substantive predictors. But, political orientations and individual values do not operate in isolation of each other, and rather are deeply related constructs. Accordingly, this analysis focuses on identifying the direct and interactive effects of political orientations and human values on climate change attitudes and behaviors. Adopting cross-national data from 16 Western European states (2016 ESS), we find that when in alignment, the effect of human values on climate change concern and policy support is amplified by political orientations. The moderating effect of political orientations is most substantive for self-transcendence (positive) and conservation (negative) values.
Identifying behavioral determinants of handwashing with soap after defecation in an urban setting in Bangladesh: Findings from a Barrier Analysis
Authors: Kalam Abul , Davis Thomas P , Islam Ariful , Islam Shahidul , Kittle Bonnie L , Casas Marc Pérez
Published: March 2021

Social and Behavioral Change (SBC) has long been considered as core component of hand washing with soap (HWWS) intervention, but identifying barriers and enablers of HWWS from a behavioral perspective is limited. By examining twelve potential behavioral determinants this Barrier Analysis study was conducted to identify the barriers and enablers of HWWS after defecation in urban setting in Bangladesh. We conducted 45 interviews with those who washed their hands with soap after defecation (“Doers”) and another 45 interviews with those who did not (“Non-doers”). Data analysis was performed to identify which beliefs were most highly-associated with hand washing with soap. The analysis showed that two of the main barriers of HWWS after defecation were related to perceived self-efficacy and access, especially availability of soap. Non-doers claimed that access to soap was difficult due to lack of money and unavailability at nearby shops. Other important determinants such as difficulty remembering to buy soap (cues for action)), believing that most people did not approve of HWWS (e.g. perceived social norms), low perceived severity of diarrhea, and not believing that HWWS would work to reduce diarrhea (perceived action efficacy) were significantly correlated with adoption of the behavior. Perceived divine will (believing that it is God’s will when one gets diarrhea) was also a factor among the Non-doers. Other benefits such as feeling clean and keeping free from illness were reported more often by Doers, while Non-doers were more likely to report increased costs as a barrier to HWWS. The results suggest that an integrated behavior change strategy promoting specific beliefs about HWWS using culturally-inclusive messaging and activities to address the different barriers and leverage the different enablers may lead to better adoption of HWWS.
Baby bust in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? First results from the new STFF data series
Authors: Sobotka Tomas , Jasilioniene Aiva , Galarza Ainhoa Alustiza , Zeman Kryštof , Nemeth Laszlo , Jdanov Dmitri
Published: March 2021

Past evidence on fertility responses to external shocks, including economic recessions and the outbreaks of infectious diseases, show that people often put their childbearing plans on hold in uncertain times. We study the most recent data on monthly birth trends to analyse the initial fertility responses to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research, based on new Short-Term Fertility Fluctuations (STFF) data series (https://www.humanfertility.org/cgi-bin/stff.php), embedded in the Human Fertility Database (HFD), shows the initial signs of the expected “birth recession”. Monthly number of births in many countries fell sharply between October 2020 and the most recent month observed, often bringing about a clear reversal of the previous trend. Across 17 countries with lower fluctuations in births, the number of births fell on average by 5.1% in November 2020, 6.5% in December 2020 and 8.9% in January 2021 when compared with the same month of the previous year. Spain sustained the sharpest drop in the number of births among the analysed countries, with the number of births plummeting by 20% in December 2020 and January 2021. The combined effect of rising mortality and falling birth rates is disrupting the balance of births and deaths in many countries, pushing natural population increase to record low levels in 2020 and 2021.
Does Partisan Identity Reduce Support for Electoral Fairness?
Authors: Graham Matthew H.
Published: March 2021

Despite strong theoretical reasons to expect an inverse relationship between strength of partisan identity and support for electoral fairness, little empirical evidence exists on this question. This paper analyzes two studies that implement a twin experimental approach to examining this relationship. In a candidate choice experiment, a one standard deviation increase in partisan social identity predicts about a 10 percent smaller penalty for violations of electoral fairness, with similar results in both studies. In Study 1, a randomly-assigned partisan identity priming treatment yields a similar relationship on a smaller scale, with an 0.1 standard deviation boost in identity producing about a 1 percent increase in support for anti-fairness candidates. In Study 2, the priming treatment fails to move identity and yields no corresponding change in support for electoral fairness. These results provide suggestive evidence on the relationship between partisanship and support for democratic values while highlighting lessons for future research.
Dimensions of Nepalese Bakery Products and its Impact on Customers’ Satisfaction
Authors: Khanal Kapil
Published: March 2021

This research tries to identify the dimensions of Nepalese bakery products and measure the impact of Nepalese bakery products on customers’ satisfaction. This research is based on primary data. To achieve the objective, quantitative and qualitative research designs have been used. Data were collected through personal interview, questionnaire and observation with 396 customers from Kathmandu Valley. Judgmental and purposive sampling technique was used in this procedure. Demographic analysis, percentages, arithmetic means, standard deviation and multiple regression equations were used to analyze and interpret the data. It is revealed that the price of bakery products have highest mean values where as location is least important than other dimensions. Among different dimensions of bakery products, price, quality and location have significant impact upon the customers’ satisfaction under one percent level of significant. Similarly, taste of bakery items and ambience of bakery shop are significant.
Nexus between firm fundamentals and financial leverage in Nepalese nonfinancial firms
Authors: Lamichhane Pitambar
Published: March 2021

This paper aims to analyze the nexus between firm fundamentals and financial leverage in Nepalese non-financial firms for the period 2000/01-2017/18 applying descriptive and causal comparative research design. Short-term, long-term and total financial leverage ratios are dependent variables and firm-fundamental variables are considered as explanatory variables. The result of this paper shows that Nepalese firms are highly levered. Regression results of this study reveals that profitability, earning variability, liquidity are major determinants of financial leverage. This study concludes that short-term financial leverage is positively affected by growth and earning variability whereas negatively affected by profitability, tangibility, and liquidity of firms. Similarly, long-term financial leverage is positively influenced by size, assets tangibility, and earning variability whereas negatively influenced by profitability and liquidity. Further, result of the paper reveals positive effect of assets tangibility and earning variability and negative effect of profitability and liquidity on total financial leverage. Finally, this paper concludes that firms’ non-debt tax shield and age of firms have no significant impact on financial leverage in Nepalese non-financial firms.
Impact of Relationship Marketing on Customer Retention in Higher Education
Authors: Shrestha Sajeeb Kumar
Published: March 2021

This research attempts to measure the impact of relationship marketing on customer retention in higher education. Exploratory cum descriptive and causal research design was used. Sources of data are students, parents, and faculties of different colleges. A convenient sampling method was used for sample selection. Structured questionnaires were used for collecting responses. Primary cross-section data were collected. PLS-SEM was used for testing the psychometric and econometric properties of the model. This research confirmed that relationship marketing, customer orientation, customer satisfaction, and customer retention are possible in the academic sector. Policymakers and academic experts should focus on relationship marketing factors and customer orientation to enhance customer satisfaction and customer retention.
Impact of Teamwork on Organizational Productivity in Nepalese Commercial Banks
Authors: Adhikari Pitri Raj
Published: March 2021

Teamwork is a critical component of team performance and requires an explanation of how a team behaves and it has the ability to enable the members of the team to have a higher level of emotional security, self-confidence and the ability to plan and decide with others positively. However, the benefits of teamwork for the employees are often more abstract and difficult to distinguish that may hamper organizational productivity. This study is an endeavor to extend the literature of impact on teamwork on organizational productivity in commercial banks. This paper attempts to examine the impact of teamwork on organizational productivity in Nepalese commercial banks. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 500 respondents of 27 Nepalese commercial banks but out of them only 350 responses are collected and are used for analysis. Descriptive and casual comparative research design are used to determine the relationship of organizational productivity (dependent variable) with independent variables (teamwork, team trust, working environment, training and development, and esprit de corps). Descriptive statistics and multiple regression models have been used to analyze the data. Organizational productivity is positively correlated with all independent variables and regression results exhibit significant and positive beta coefficients. It is observed that working environment is the most powerful factor for organizational productivity and employees’ satisfaction and training and development is the least influencing factor among all factors. Nepalese commercial banks also take into consideration team trust, teamwork, and espirit de corps because these factors have positive impact on organizational productivity. Nepalese commercial banks should focus on increase in prompt response to the team trust, appropriate training and development, better working environment, and proper teamwork to increase productivity.
Judicial Response to the Doctrine of Specific Performance in Nepal
Authors: Kalika Satya Narayan
Published: March 2021

Specific Performance is one of the equitable remedies available to the victim of breach of contract awarded by a judicial decision in cases where damages are not adequate. This paper aims to highlight the legal principles and provisions of specific performance; Nepalese laws in that arena; and most specifically the judicial response to the doctrine whereby several case laws where the order of specific performance was granted or refused by the Supreme Court of Nepal have been examined. This doctrinal study has adopted exploratory descriptive and analytical method. The analysis is based on primary data drawn from the statute and major judicial decisions, and some secondary data drawn from articles, books and treatises on the issue. The nascent Muluki Civil Code, 2074 has also provided various remedies available to the victim party of breach of contract like its predecessor legislation, i.e. the erstwhile Contract Act, 2056. This paper thrives to explore the principle of specific performance of contract and to discuss the judicial responses to the doctrine of specific performance of contract in Nepal.
Loan Growth and Bank Performance: A Panel ARDL Approach
Authors: Pokharel Jhabindra
Published: March 2021

This paper analyzed the effect of loan growth in three performance aspects, profitability, stock return and credit risk of Nepalese commercial banks applying the panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. To avoid the effect of the merger on loan growth 8 banks which have not merged with or acquired other institutions are taken as sample and 8-year data from each sample bank from 2012- 2019 has been sued in the study. The result showed that none of the three performance indicators is affected by the loan growth in the long-run. It is also found that the credit risk of banks does not change with the change in loan growth in the short-run as well. This indicates that banks are not aggressive in their lending. However, profitability and stock return are affected positively by the loan growth in the short-run. The findings from this study suggest to the investors in the stock market to choose the stock of bank with higher loan growth.
Training and Development Costs, Staff Costs and Operational Profitability in Nepalese Commercial Nanks
Authors: Adhikari Naba Raj
Published: March 2021

The main aim of this study was to identify examine the relationship between staff trainings and development costs, total staff costs and the operational profit of Nepalese commercial banks. Six commercial banks has been taken for the study using purposive sampling technique from the total population consisting two government owned banks, two joint venture banks and the rest from private commercial banks. Training and development costs, staff costs and operational profit (before tax) has been defined as the variables of the study. Data have been collected from the annual reports of respective banks covering for the financial year 2016/2017 to 2019/2020. This study found that private commercial banks have focused on training and development to their staff. The staff costs of private banks has been highly explained by training and development costs and it has resulted higher positive impact of staff cost with operational profit.
Analyzing the Economic Impact of Foreign Employment on Development Prospective of Nepal
Authors: Kharel Khom Raj , Kharel Suman
Published: March 2021

Foreign employment has become one of the major sources of households’ income for Nepalese society. Nepal has become one of the major labors exporting country. After 1990s, remittance is playing a crucial role for foreign currency earnings and favorable impact on balance of payment situation, to reduce the number of people in the country below the poverty line and ultimately to the economic growth of the nation. This paper tries to examine the economic impact of foreign employment on remittance as well analyze the growth and trends of foreign employment and remittance on development prospective in Nepalese economy. Some descriptive statistics such as percentage, ratio, pie-chart, bar diagram and line chart are used to explain the growth and trends of foreign employment as well as situation of remittance in Nepal. Correlation and linear regression model are used to analyze the impact of foreign employment on remittance. The inflow of remittance growth rate has positive association along with significant contribution of remittance to Gross Domestic Product in Nepalese economy. Also, foreign employment has important effect on remittance. Foreign employment is one of the effective instruments for poverty alleviation and social changes.
The dynamic relationship between stock returns and trading volumes in Nepalese stock market
Authors: Adhikari Prem Lal
Published: March 2021

In finance, the relationship between stock returns and trading volume has been the subject of extensive research over the past years. The main motivation for these studies is the central role that trading volume plays in the pricing of financial assets when new information comes in. As being interrelated and interdependent subjects, a study regarding the trading volume and stock returns seem to be vital. It is a well-researched area in developed markets. However, very few pieces of literature are available regarding the Nepalese stock market that explores the association between trading volume and stock return. Realizing this fact, this paper aims to examine the empirical relationship between trading volume and stock returns in the Nepalese stock market using time series data. The study sample is comprised of 49 stocks traded on the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) from mid-July 2011 to mid-July 2018. This study examines the Granger Causality relationship between stock returns and trading volume using the bivariate VAR model used by de Medeiros and Van Doornik (2008). The study found that the overall Nepalese stock market does not have a causal relationship between trading volume and return on the stock. In the case of sector-wise study, there is a unidirectional causality running from trading volume to stock returns in commercial banks and stock returns to trading volume in finance companies, hydropower companies, and insurance companies. There is no indication of any causal effect in the development bank, hotel, and other sectors. This study also finds that there is no evidence of bidirectional causality relationships in any sector of the Nepalese stock market.
Initial Public Offering Investment: The General Investors’ Perspective
Authors: Gurung Jas Bahadur
Published: March 2021

This study aims to explore the views of general investors on their IPO investments in the primary market. Using a judgemental sampling, the views of 109 general investors who actively participated in the primary market has been employed in the study from Pokhara City. The study revealed that banking and finance followed by hydropower are the most preferred sectors of buying common stocks in the primary market with the expectation of long term returns. There is a significant different perception on both risk and return from IPO investment between male and female investors. The study also found that government’s policy announcements followed by the size of the firm that issues IPOs are the major determinants of IPO return and risk among investors. Increasing paid up capital for business expansion is the important reason for issuing IPOs by the companies while creating exit route for existing shareholders is the least.
Impact of Corona Virus pandemic on Different sectors of Nepalese Economy
Authors: Khanal Nirdosh
Published: March 2021

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) causing persistent drumbeat of positive tests and reported deaths across the globe, has created widespread crisis in Nepal as well. The crisis has already led into an economic and labour market shock, impacting both on demand and supply chain. Due to the outbreak of this deadly coronavirus, Nepal has started to suffer the most abrupt and widespread cessation of economic activity. The goal of this paper is to study the emerging and rapidly growing literature on the impact of COVID-19 on various economic and social sectors and to synthetize the insights emerging from a very large number of studies. This study summarizes the literature on the socio-economic consequences of corona virus and consequent lockdown imposed by government on Nepal. This study revealed that COVID-19 has negatively impacted macro economy of country lowering national GDP, decreasing revenue collection, slowing economic growth rate, decreasing wage rate, price inflation and causing loss of employment opportunities. The study showed that almost every sector of socio-economics has been slowed down that adversely effect on country’s economy. The effect are identified on Remittance, Labour and Employment, Tourism, Education and Agriculture (Dairy, vegetables and Poultry) .The uncertain impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nepal’s social economy will magnify depending on how events unfold on three fronts; i) its dependence on tourism, trade, and foreign employment and the consequences that will propagate through the services and industrial landscape; ii) if or when the spread of the pandemic overwhelms a grossly inadequate health infrastructure and antivirals or vaccine become available and iii) Nepal’s heavy geo-economic reliance on India and China, and the nature of contagion in those countries.
Job Design, Compensation and Commitment of Employee in Service Sector Organizations of Nepal
Authors: Pradhan Gopal Man
Published: March 2021

This study is based on the impact of Job design and Compensation system on employee commitment of service sectors of Nepal. The variables job design and compensation system are taken as independent variables whereas employee commitment is dependent variable. In this research work it is found that job design and compensation system have positive correlation with employee commitment. However, while analyzing the beta coefficient, it is found that sensitivity to job design is high followed by compensation system for employee commitment. It means that if Nepalese service sector invests a significant amount and effort for development of proper job design and to develop proper compensation system, they can improve employee commitment for accomplishment of assigned job in an effective way.
Freshwater fish diversity and its conservation status in different water bodies of Nepal
Authors: Khatri Kumar , Jha Bibhuti Ranjan , Gurung Smriti , Khadka Udhab Raj
Published: March 2021

This review describes the current status of freshwater fish diversity, their IUCN categories and threats to fish fauna in Nepal. The freshwater systems of the country are known to harbor over 220 fish species, thereby indicating a rich ichthyofaunal diversity. However, this number varies from author to author. Cyprinidae is the most common and dominant taxon. A total of 15 endemic and 15 exotic fish species have been reported. A total of 34 fish species have been listed under the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Major threats to fish include damming and pollution. Fish diversity studies have mainly focused on inventories only. Studies focusing on river longitudinal aspects, the inclusion of spatio-temporal aspects, and rigorous taxonomic studies combined with genetic studies are crucial to develop strategic conservation measures of fish fauna in Nepal.
First results on physico-chemical status and bathymetry of lakes in Ramaroshan Wetland, Far-West Nepal
Authors: Chalaune Tarka Bahadur , Dangol Alina , Sharma Jiban , Sharma Chhatra Mani
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the bathymetry of three major lakes and the water quality of nine lakes at Ramaroshan Lake Complex Area (RLCA), Far-Western Nepal. Lakes were surveyed based on line transects using Echosounder (depth measuring gauge) and GPS to collect the data for bathymetry. Water samples were collected from 43 sites of nine lakes, considering the land use patterns, anthropogenic activities, inlets, and outlets. Twenty physico-chemical parameters were analyzed to know the water characteristics and pollution level. The bathymetry map showed that Jingale is the deepest lake (44 m), followed by Batula (15 m) and Mathillo Dhaune (9.5 m). There was no significant spatial variability in the concentration of physicochemical parameters among the sampling sites. The mean concentrations of cations and anions were in the order of Ca2+> Mg2+> Na+> K+, and HCO3-> Cl-> SO42-> PO42-> NO3-, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) techniques were applied to assess the influence of pollution levels and their controlling mechanism. PCA showed 79.89 % of the cumulative variance with > 1.26 Eigenvalue. Similarly, CA showed that Jingale Lake (in cluster 2) sites were less polluted than other sampling sites. Piper diagram concluded that there was a dominance of mixed water type belonging to Ca-Mg-Cl compared to Ca-HCO3. Furthermore, the Water Quality Index (WQI) value of the lakes in the study area was 27 indicating good water quality (slightly polluted).
Soil respiration and its temperature sensitivity to different ecosystems in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal
Authors: Byanjankar Saraswoti , Dhamala Man Kumar , Maharjan Sanu Raja , Kayastha Sadhana Pradhanang
Published: March 2021

Rising atmospheric CO2 and temperature are altering ecosystems’ carbon cycle. Soil respiration is a potential natural source of atmospheric CO2, an important terrestrial process to characterize soil as a carbon source or sink. Research carried was out in Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) as climate change poses special problems for mountain protected areas. Nepal has targeted to reduce the emissions resulting from land-use change by enhancing forest carbon stock by 5% above the 2015 level within 2025. In this case, identifying, quantifying and addressing different potential emission sources are very important. Soil respiration is the process of measuring natural carbon emissions from soil. The study in ACAP soil carbon emission from the forest, grassland, and agricultural lands was investigated using the close chamber method. The global temperature rise has been set to a global 2 °C below the preindustrial period by the IPCC. The rise in temperature has a positive feedback response over soil respiration by increasing CO2 emission. The study shows the potential simulation of soil CO2 emission by 0.217 mg m-2 m-1 in the forest, 0.359 mgm-2 m-1 in grassland, and 0.457 mg m-2 m-1 in agricultural land in October in ACAP.
Drought assessment on barley and millet production in Karnali Province, Nepal
Authors: Ghimire Bina , Maharjan Nikita , Dotel Jagdish
Published: March 2021

Spatio-temporal characteristics of agricultural drought and its impact on the yield of winter barley and summer millet crops in Karnali Province of Nepal were evaluated. For this purpose, precipitation data from 1988 to 2018 of 18 stations and agricultural data from 2003 to 2018 were used for the analysis. Standardized Precipitation Indices (SPI-3 and SPI-4) were used for measuring drought intensity. Based on drought intensity, SPI<-1 was considered for drought occurrence. Similarly, Standardized Residual Yield Series (SYRS) was also calculated for crop yield change, eliminating other factors responsible for crop yield. The result shows that Salyan, Surkhet, and Jumla districts have more occurrence of summer and winter drought in comparison to other districts. Similarly, 1999, 2002, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2012, and 2015 were considered as drought years in most stations. Moreover, the province experienced more winter drought events than summer and winter droughts are increasing after 2015. Concerning the impact of drought occurrence on cereal yield loss, barley seems to be more affected. SPI-3 and SYRS (barley) are significantly correlated in Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Surkhet, and Salyan districts at 95% confidence. With the exception, drought occurrence has a larger impact on barley yield loss than drought severity in the study area. However, millet yield loss doesn't seem to be affected due to drought occurrence and intensity in all districts except Rukum, as millet is a drought-tolerant crop. Therefore, for sustainable agriculture practices, drought-tolerant crops like millet could be suitable in Karnali Province, where drought frequency is very high.
Major Risk Factors Faced by Women During Pregnancy in Kathmandu Metropolitan City
Authors: Pokharel Sharmila
Published: March 2021

Giving birth to another person's life is not a minor matter. Pregnancy canals be a risky condition that can lead to death, while some die; some survive a short-lived battle of death happens. This study aimed to identify risk factors for female pregnancy and find out the major pregnancy problems faced by pregnant women. Forty six women who teach in the Faculty of Education in Kathmandu, Nepal were taken as a sample size. A descriptive quantitative method was used where a structured questionnaire was filled with their consent. IBM SPSS 20version was used for statistical analysis which calculated the risk estimates odd ratio and confidence interval at 95%; the only normal frequency was tabulated and analyzed. This study finds that many risk factors in the pregnancy period like; health problems, lack of adequate knowledge, lifestyle exposure, and age factors. Hence women should be accompanied by their partner and family and society and support them during pregnancy time.
वैदिक सामाजिक संरचना र लैङ्गिकताको सवाल Vaidik Samajik Samrachana ra Laingikatako Sawal
Authors: अधिकारी Adhikari शुुक्रराज Shukraraj
Published: March 2021

वैदिक सामाजिक संरचनालाई प्राचीन ग्रन्थ वेदले प्रतिनिधित्व गर्ने कालखण्डकोपरावर्तित स्वरूपको रूपमा बुझिन्छ । यस आलेखको उद्देश्य त्यही प्राचीन ग्रन्थ वेदले प्रतिनिधित्वगर्ने कालखण्डको सामाजिक संरचनाभित्र  पुरुषत्व तथा नारीत्व र दाम्पत्य सम्बन्धकोे विश्लेषणगर्दै लैङ्गिकता निर्माणका तथ्यहरूसँग सैदान्तिक बहसमा केन्द्रित सैद्धान्तिक मान्यताहरूकोसादृश्यता खोज्ने रहेको छ । उल्लिखित उद्देश्य प्राप्तिको लागि वेद, वेदको ऐतिहासिकता,ऐतिहासिक सन्दर्भहरू, विभिन्न  लैङ्गिक अध्ययनहरूलाई सूचनाको स्रोतको रूपमा लिइएको छ ।यस अध्ययनमा मुख्य गरी द्वितीय स्रोतमा आधारित तथ्यहरूको बढी प्रयोग गरिएको छ ।संकलित तथ्यहरूलाई विश्लेषणका लागि ऐतिहासिक अन्तर्वस्तु विश्लेषण विधिलाई प्रयोगमाल्याइएको छ । वेदकालीन सामाजिक संरचना पशुपालन र पितृसत्तात्मक स्वरूपको भएकालेवेदकालीन परिवार एवम् राज्यमा पुरुष वंश र नेतृत्व स्थापित भएको पाइयो । उत्पादन तथाश्रममूलक कार्य अन्तर्गत घरायसी कार्यमा महिलाको र बाह्य काममा पुरुषको संलग्नता बढी रहने गरेको देखिए पनि यज्ञ, संस्कार, युद्ध एवम् राजनीतिक कार्यमा महिला पुरुष दुवैको सहभागिता रहेको देखिएको छ । साधन स्रोतको विस्तार र राज्य व्यवस्थाको निर्माणसँगैनेतृत्वमा स्थापित भएको राजन्य एवं पुरोहितवर्गले वैदिक आर्यहरूको प्रजातीय शुद्धता कायमराख्ने हेतुले निर्माण गरेका विभिन्न संस्कारजन्य विधि विधानहरूप्रतिको विश्वास र अभ्यासबाटवेदकालीन  समाजमा एकीकृत भूमिका, निष्ठा र मर्यादा सहितको दाम्पत्य सम्बन्धको विकासगराएको देखिन्छ ।
शेर्पा भाषाका स्वर र व्यञ्जन वर्णको विश्लेषण Sherpa Bhashaka Swar ra Byanjan Varnako Bishleshan
Authors: शेर्पा Sherpa दावा Dawa
Published: March 2021

शेर्पा जातिले बोल्ने भाषालाई शेर्पा कुरा (शेर्वी ताम) भनिन्छ । यो भाषा भोट–बर्मेली परिवारको भाषा हो । कथ्य रूपमा मात्र बोलिने शेर्पा भाषाको लिपि सम्भोटा हो । यसलिपिको आविष्कार सन् ६५० ब्।म्। तिर थोन्मि सम्भोटाले गरेका हुन् । यस लिपिको प्राचीनहस्त लिखित ग्रन्थ ‘कङ्ग्युर’ हो । । शेर्पा भाषामा अ, आ, इ, उ, ए, ओ गरी ६ वटा स्वर र३१ वटा व्यञ्जन वर्णहरू रहेका छन् । यसमा घ, झ, ढ, ध र भ वर्णहरू पाइँदैन । तसर्थःयी वर्णहरूका सट्टाम समीपको वर्ण उच्चारण गरी नेपालीमा त्रुटि गरेको पाइन्छ । नेपालमामातृभाषा प्रयोगका दृष्टिले यो पन्ध्रौँ स्थानमा पर्दछ । शेर्पा भाषाका स्वर र व्यञ्जन वर्णकापहिचान लघुतम युग्म तथा व्यतिरेकी वितरण सिद्घान्तका आधारमा गरिएको छ । स्वरवर्णको व्याख्या विश्लेषण र वर्गीकरण मानस्वरका आधारमा जिब्रोको उचाइका आधारमाउच्च, मध्य र निम्न, जिब्रोको सक्रियताको आधारमा अग्र, मध्य, पश्च र ओठको स्थितिकोआधारमा गोलित र अगोलित देखाइएको छ भने व्यञ्जन वर्णको व्याख्या विश्लेषण व्यतिरेकी आधारमा मात्र गरिएको छ ।
Using Moodle as a Solution to Interdisciplinary E-collaboration Issues
Authors: Kozłowska Ewa Dorota
Published: March 2021

Rapid technological development in recent years has contributed to numerous changes in many areas of life, including education and communication. Establishing interdisciplinary collaboration brings many benefits, it is, however, often associated with numerous problems and inconveniences, as well as the need for constant improvement, lifelong learning, professional development (CPD) and finding an effective way of information transfer. Living in a constant rush makes the logical order of information transfer become a key aspect, as more and more operations are being done chaotically, using multiple online tools. Although collaboration happens to be complicated even for colleagues specializing in different aspects of the same profession, establishing cooperation between specific groups of interdisciplinary specialists, such as engineers and physicians, has a significant impact on modern diagnostics and medical treatment development. Based on some selected case studies investigated at Gdańsk University of Technology andMedical University of Gdańsk, supported by an overview of available education and collaboration tools, a solution based on the Moodle LMS platform has been proposed, implemented, and analyzed.
Students' Communication Skills In Solving Mathematical Literacy Problems Based On Mathematical Abilities
Authors: Samawati Ilmus , Kurniasari Ika
Published: March 2021

Communication is one of the important things in the learning process because there will be social interactions that can make learning more lively. Through communication, students can understand and interpret understanding of mathematical problems, not only calculation problems but also mathematical problems in everyday life. This research aims to describe students' communication skills in solving mathematical literacy problems based on mathematical abilities. This research is qualitative descriptive research. The subjects in this research were 27 students of class VIII in one of SMP Swasta in Sidoarjo. Subjects were given a mathematics ability test to categorize the subject's mathematical abilities into high, medium, and low-levels. The research data were obtained from the results of mathematics literacy tests and interviews conducted by 3 selected subjects. The results showed that 1) students with high mathematical abilities have a medium category of communication skills because students can fulfill the indicators of expression, interpretation, use of notations/symbols, and evaluation with correct answers without complete reasons, 2) students with medium mathematical abilities have a medium category of communication skills because students can fulfill the expression and interpretation indicators with correct answers along with correct and clear reasons, fulfill the indicators of using notations/symbols with correct answers without complete reasons, but students do not fulfill the evaluation indicators, and 3) students with low mathematical abilities have a very low category of communication skills because students can fulfill the expression and interpretation indicators with wrong answers but there is a reason, fulfill the indicators of using notations/symbols with correct answers but no reason, but students do not fulfill the evaluation indicators.

Keywords: communication skills, written, mathematical literacy problems, mathematical abilities.
Sapi-Sapian, Contextualizing Mathematical Concepts Through Cultural Tradition
Authors: Widyasari Widyasari , Hariastuti Rachmaniah Mirza
Published: March 2021

Sapi-sapian is one of the traditions in Kenjo Village which is carried out every Muharram month as an expression of gratitude to God for abundance of agricultural crops. Sapi-sapian tradition contains four processions, namely the selametan pecel gerang, tumpeng serakat, ider bumi oncor-oncoran,and the celebration, which contain ethnomathematics. In order to get the most out of ethnomathematics in the Sapi-sapian tradition, a qualitative-descriptive study was conducted as a method. Due to the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic which caused the Sapi-sapian tradition to be carried out optimally in 2020, data was collected using in-depth interviews, and cultural documentation. The research informants were the Chief of the Kenjo Village Custom, the Deputy Head of the Adat, and one resident who had been involved in the implementation of the Sapi-sapian tradition. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively based on several analysis processes in ethnographic research. The results showed that there are mathematical concepts found in the Sapi-sapian tradition of Kenjo Village, including : two and three dimensional geometry, fractions, transformations, and traditional measurements with non-standard units.

Keyword : Sapi-sapian, Cultural tradition, Ethnomathematics
An Error Analysis of Students’ Difficulties in Differential Calculus
Authors: Meiliasari Meiliasari , Wijayanti Dwi Antari , Azima Laely Astafiani
Published: March 2021

This study aims to describe the types of mistake and causes of the XI grade students of SMA Negeri 31 Jakarta TP. 2019/2020 made a mistake in solving the problem of an algebraic function derivative application. The method of this research is a qualitative descriptive study. The data was obtained by conducting tests and interview online. The respondents were drawn from 6 XI class in SMA Negeri 31 Jakarta. Each student's work was analyzed to describe the types of mistakes using the Newman analysis procedure, then an interview was conducted to describe the factors that caused students to make mistakes. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the types of mistakes found when students solve problems in the application of algebraic function derivatives are 1) reading mistakes, that is, incorrectly writing the functions listed in the questions, 2) mistakes in understanding, in the form of misinterpreting what is known and asked about, 3) transformation mistakes, in the form of students' inability to choose procedures to solve problems appropriately, 4) process skill mistakes, in the form of incomplete student work, miscalculation, 5) conditioning mistakes, in the form of students' inability to show the final answer. The contributing factors are that students do not understand the derivative application material of algebraic functions, students are in a hurry to solve the problems, different types of questions given are different from the questions exemplified by the teacher, and rarely make conclusions at the end of the answer.

Keywords: analysis of mistakes, newman procedure, application of derivative algebraic functions.
Comparison of WhatsApp and Google Classroom Group Online Learning Models to Student Learning Outcomes
Authors: Susilowati Eka
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to compare whether there were differences in the learning outcomes of students in the Mathematics Education Study Program of the University of PGRI Adi Buana University Surabaya in the even semester of the 2019/2020 academic year in Calculus I when applying the online learning model using the WhatsApp group and using Google Class and to know which online learning model is better between the two. The research methods used in analyzing this research are using a quantitative research approach. The type of research used is a quasi-experimental research design, namely a posttest only comparison group design. The sampling technique was applied. is a simple random sampling technique where the population is 90 students and the sample used is 45 students from classes 2019 A and 2019 C. The data used in this study are sourced from primary data, namely the scores of the 2019A class and class students' Middle Semester Examination. 2019C and secondary data derived from observations and archives. The data analysis technique used was descriptive data analysis and inferential statistical analysis through a t-test using the MS Excel program. Based on the results of the research and discussion, it can be concluded that the online learning model using WhatsApp Groups is slightly better than using Google Classroom by paying attention to the system that is applied during learning.

Keywords: covid 19, WhatsApp group, Google Classroom, daring learning model, comparison.