Effects of Using Digital Devices on Food Consumption among University Students in Nepal

Food consuming behavior is a concern for good physiological, physical, psychological, and social health. An unbalanced eating habit may be related to several factors. The objective of the study was to investigate how the use of digital devices influences graduate students’ eating behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) scholars of Nepal Open University through an online survey. A Chi-square test and a binary logistic regression model were fitted to find the effect of digital devices on food consumption. There was a significant association between the duration of using a mobile phone, computer, and TV with the quantity of food consumed, preferred time of using a laptop with the quantity of food consumed, and the sitting position during the use of digital devices with the quantity of food consumed. The logistic regression model showed that individual’s sitting positions while using digital devices were significant predictors of food consumption at a 95% confidence level.

Analysis of Errors Committed by Students in Writing English Essays

Error analysis in linguistics is a systematic process of collecting, identifying, describing, explaining and evaluating unaccepted linguistic forms committed by learners in their writings or speeches. This article attempts to assess the errors committed by 128 bachelor first year education students studying English as a foreign language at Makawanpur Multiple Campus, Hetauda, Nepal in the year 2021. Every student was assigned to write an essay on ‘The Impact of Corona Pandemic on Students’ in about 500 words as the written language sample in a free mode. 128 essays were selected as a sample through the simple random sampling method lottery from 190 essays. All the errors in their essays were identified, described, classified, explained and analyzed. The results revealed that most of the students committed errors in omission at the sentence level, and the causes of the errors were due to intralingual transfer, whereas the highest frequency of errors at the word level was preposition resulted due to mother tongue transfer and overgeneralization.

Study of Elders’ Health Status and Perception about Old Age

The health status of elders and elders’ perception regarding old age in a community is an important issue in a society. The present study aims to assess the health status and perception of old age of elderly population of Nijgadh Municipality. A descriptive cross-sectional study has been carried out among 204 elders taken from the community through simple random sampling method. The data were collected through face to face structured interview schedule in 2021. The descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the collected data showed that the about 20 percent elders had got good status of health but remaining (about 80%) of them were suffering from some kinds of health complications. Similarly, more than 73 percent of elders felt their life more problematic. This study measured significant variation (p<0.05) of level of health status with only three socio-demographic variables (age, caste, and feeling of helplessness among the variables (gender, age groups, caste, living with or without spouse, literacy status, and feeling helplessness. Furthermore, this study measured significant variation (p<0.05) of perception about old age of elderly population with only three socio-demographic variable (age, caste, and feeling of helpless) among the variables (gender, age groups, caste, living with or without spouse, literacy status, and feeling helplessness). Based on the study, it can be said that age, caste, and feeling of helplessness status of elderly population were the major factors for creating variations in health status and perceptions of elderly life. The policies, programs, and community effort are needed for managing regular health service practice. Similarly, all the community members must be serious for keeping elders happy by managing their requirement with love which may require collective action from social, health and justice sectors.

Magical Aspects in Chandra Shyam Dangol's Stone Sculptures

Chandra Shyam Dangol's stone sculptures are magical and mystical suggesting supernatural and spiritual aspects related to wisdom and enlightenment. Unusual images and symbols have been put together. On the surface level, the combination appears strange and contrary but as we go through the myths related to the artworks, we find the underlined logic and coherent composition. The recurrent icons, images and symbols are the figures of deities, lotus, mudras (gestures) and asanas (postures) of meditating characters that are combined in an unusual manner. They provide a sense of miraculous and thrilling spiritual experience. Breaking the monotony of mundane material existence, the works renew our perception. The aesthetic experience leads toward the awareness of the self and the universe and inspires for the harmonious existence of the individual in the world. Because of the mythical and spiritual contents, the sculptures appear to be mystical. The research area covers the stone sculptures of Chandra Shyam Dangol. About a dozen sculptures have been observed for the research but only four works have been interpreted in this paper. The paper attempts to trace the magical elements in his compositions and throw light on their significance. The study follows the qualitative research method to support the thesis statement since the interpretation of artworks may be multiple depending on viewers, time and place.

Impact of Recruitment and Selection Practices on Teaching Faculties Satisfaction at Community Colleges of Nepal

The process of attracting, evaluating, and hiring individuals for an organization is known as recruitment. Selection is the process of identifying an individual from a pool of job applicants with the requisite qualifications and competencies to fill jobs in the organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of recruitment and selection practices on teaching faculty satisfaction in community colleges. The researcher adopted a Qual-Quan approach with a descriptive and cross-sectional research design. A structured questionnaire was applied for quantitative information collection from 49 respondents, and an FGD was conducted to collect qualitative information. Stratified and random sampling techniques were used to select the sample from the targeted population, and data processing was done using SPSS version 26. In order to reach a conclusion, ANOVA, Chi-square and frequency statistical tools were used for data analysis. The analyses showed there was a significant impact of recruitment and selection practices on teaching faculty satisfaction in community colleges of Nepal.

Avifaunal Diversity of Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal

The main aim of the study was to analyze the avifaunal diversity of Chitwan, Nepal. The avifaunal diversity at six transects of Barandabhar Corridor Forest in Chitwan district was carried out during two visits (autumn and spring) in 2020-2021. The line transect method was used to cover most of the study area. In total, 125 species of birds representing 18 orders and 59 families were recorded. The highest number of bird species i.e. (56) 44.8% were represented by order Passeriformes along with 34 families. The highest number of species was found in family Picidae (9) 7.2% followed by Cuculidae (8) 6.4% and least number (1) 0.8% in other 31 families. The seasonal status of species was Autumn (84) and Spring (116). The relative abundance of species was Very Common (60), Common (40), Uncommon (16), and Rare (9). According to the National Red List of Nepal’s Birds, 110 species were in the Least Concern category, eight species were in the Near Threatened category, six species were in the Vulnerable category and one species was in the Critically Endangered category. It was noted that major threats to the birds were illegal fishing, noise pollution, firewood collection, illegal cattle grazing, and invasive alien plant species. One Globally Threatened Bird Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus was also noted.

Classification of Music Instruments: An overview

Varieties of music instruments are available today to produce the audible sounds which are used to make a piece of music. The music instruments have been classified into various groups depending upon the size, materials, usages, structure, and others. But, today many new practices, experiments, devices, and new instruments have been emerged with the flow of time in musical field. For all the concerned with music, a neo-classification of instruments is ever raised a question. So, from the educational point of view, some of the new music instruments, which are played today, further should be re-classified for convenience. The present article is based on an overview upon the study about the music instruments by following the secondary data and analytical method. After interpretation and analysis, some music instruments, which are still unclassified are categorized under neo-classification.

Joyful Colors in Krishna Prakash Shah's Abstract Artworks

Aesthetic pleasure and joy are the dominant features of Krishna Prakash Shah's colorful compositions. Shah, one of the renowned contemporary Nepali abstract artists, presents art forms without referential and recognizable contents. In other words, the form itself is its content. The works have the power to arouse rapture and relish through harmonious colors although the viewers may not able to find fixed significance. Coherent colors, rhythmic waves, playful shapes and organic composition in his paintings contribute to create beauty and provide aesthetic pleasure to the viewers. This research paper analyzes Shah's abstract paintings from the perspective of aestheticism and traces joyful colors and rhythmic waves in his works. The study uses qualitative methods of research since there can be multiple interpretations of the same artwork, and the subjectivity of the critic has a significant role to derive the thesis statement.

Challenges of BFIs in Cash Transfer Program to Earthquake Affected Victims: Lessons from Nepal’s Earthquake 2015

The government of Nepal successfully managed the post-earthquake housing reconstruction and rehabilitation endeavours in the aftermath of Nepal’s earthquake 2015, where more than 800,000 Earthquake affected households were identified as beneficiaries and provided financial assistance to build their house. The purpose of this research is to explore the challenges faced by the Banks and Financial Institutions (BFIs) during the cash grant distribution procedures for the earthquake beneficiaries. This paper is prepared to explore the Government of Nepal’s private housing reconstruction initiatives as an effort to cope with the post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation works and the role of BFIs in disbursing of the government’s conditional cash transfer program to the identified earthquake beneficiaries. The study had collected data from 16 BFIs where 53 respondents participated in the study. It is based on the qualitative design because structured interview was conducted to collect the data. The findings show that private housing reconstruction endeavours focusing on the cash transfer programs of the GoN were more effective, where 99% of the beneficiaries received the 1st Tranche as of June 2021. Though, there were several challenges shared by the respondents during the grant transfer mechanism such as human resource management, lack of financial literacy and understanding of bank-related services, lack of adequate coordination among the concerned stakeholders, merger and acquisition of BFIs, beneficiaries’ ownership/nominee transfer, cash management, mismatch of the beneficiaries name, and reconciliation and data verification.The study would be crucial to learn important lessons from Nepal’s post-earthquake reconstruction for future disaster resilience activities

Inflation and Economic Growth Paradox: A Co-integration Analysis in Nepal

The empirical study investigates the relationship between economic growth, inflation and broad money supply in Nepal. Data since 1965 to 2020 are taken from World Bank and Autoregressive Distributive Lag Model is used to find cointegration between the variables to show long run and short run dynamics. Augmented Dickey- Fuller and Philips- Perron tests are conducted to find the unit roots in the model. Result shows the error correction term is negative (-0.75) and significant (0.0043) where bounds test supports the long run cointegration and error correction model suggest the speed of adjustment. The estimated regression equation is found robust and stable (serial correlation and heteroskedacity tests). The research shows inflation has short run and long run impact on economic growth so inflation should be kept within its threshold level from sound monetary and fiscal policy mechanism.