Kathmandu University Open Journal Systems
Not a member yet
415 research outputs found
Sort by
An Evaluation of Master of Education in English Language Teaching (M.Ed. in ELT) of Kathmandu University, School of Education Using CIPP Model
Full text linkThis paper evaluates the M.Ed. program in English Language Teaching offered by Kathmandu University, School of Education, using the program evaluation model of CIPP developed by Daniel Stuffelbeam in the 1960s. The study was carried out using the qualitative research design. The information was collected via several interviews with four participants who were selected using the purposive sampling method at the researcher's and the participant's convenience. Out of four, two were faculty members teaching any courses in the program, and two were students who had already completed the program. The questions were asked on the context, input, process, and product, the four elements of the CIPP model. The study found that the program has successfully addressed the needs of the stakeholders, the curriculum and contents are directly connected to the predetermined objectives, and the emphasis on student-centered teaching and learning methodologies with an excessive amalgamation of ITCs are the major findings
Recent trends and future prospects in electric vehicle technologies: A comprehensive review
Full text linkIn addressing sustainability challenges within the transportation sector, the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) with renewable energy sources, notably solar and wind power, presents a promising solution. This comprehensive review delves into recent advancements and trends in EV technologies, covering crucial areas such as battery innovations, charging infrastructure, vehicle design, and market dynamics. Various EV technologies, including Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), battery-based EVs, Solar-powered EVs, and solar-wind hybrid EVs, are meticulously examined, with a particular focus on the feasibility and efficacy of solar-wind hybrid solutions. The review extends to battery technologies, emphasizing advancements in lithium-ion batteries and emerging chemistries like solid-state and lithium-sulfur batteries, which address barriers to EV adoption through enhanced energy density, charging efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the review scrutinizes the expansion of charging infrastructure, encompassing fast-charging stations, wireless charging technologies, and initiatives integrating smart grids, all aimed at providing convenient and efficient charging solutions to alleviate range anxiety and bolster EV attractiveness. Economic considerations, including initial investments, operational savings, and government incentives, are thoroughly analyzed alongside environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Furthermore, a critical examination of the regulatory and policy framework supporting EVs sheds light on future policy directions, tax incentives, and regulatory measures. Real-world case studies showcasing successful implementations of solar-wind hybrid EV projects underscore their effectiveness and multifaceted impacts across diverse geographical areas. In conclusion, this review underscores the recent trends in EV technologies, emphasizing the feasibility and benefits of solar-wind hybrid EVs in achieving minimal emissions and incentivizing sustainable transportation practices
Greenhouse gas emissions from different containment system in Dhulikhel Municipality in Nepal
Full text linkOn-site sanitation systems (OSS), are commonly used in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal because of their practicality and economic feasibility. These systems are vital for ensuring access to basic sanitation, which is essential for both human health and the environment. However, they can significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the microbial breakdown of faecal sludge via anaerobic and aerobic processes. Onsite containments are responsible for the majority of the GHG emissions occurring in the whole sanitation value chain. Therefore, this study intends to estimate the GHG emissions from different onsite containments prevailing in Dhulikhel Municipality using updated 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines. It was observed that 2.33 Gg CO2 eq-per year is being emitted annually from Dhulikhel municipality from the containment systems and open defecation. A total of 2.32 Gg CO2 eq-per year is contributed by methane (CH4) emission from containment and rest of from nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from the open defecation solely. Similarly, the annual per capita CH4 and N2O emissions (from OD) from the onsite containments prevailing in Dhulikhel were computed as 67.52 kg CO2-eq per person per year and 18.39 kg CO2-eq per person per year respectively. A comparison of the emission was made between the containments that were emptied once and those which were never emptied. Paired sample t-test showed that emptied containments are likely to emit lesser CH4 emissions compared to those which are never emptied (p-value<0.05). Similarly, a comparison of emissions was conducted between sealed and unsealed containment systems. Sealed containment systems were found to produce significantly lower GHG emissions compared to unsealed systems (p-value < 0.05). The design and typology of containment structures play a critical role in influencing emissions from different systems. However, our national statistics and other reports do not include precise and clear typological definition which have underestimated the emission originating from different kind of containment units
Towards a Domestic Gothic Tradition: Shimla through Post-Colonial Lens
Full text linkOriginating in the Pre-Romantic era, the Gothic as a literary genre expanded significantly with colonial expansion. Finding themselves amongst the presumably exotic natives and their supernatural beliefs, the European writers found fertile grounds to extend the genre of the Gothic. For its comprehensiveness and entirety, the Gothic relies on the landscape against which the story is set. It is, then, an array of landscapes, ranging from architectural to the natural, holding the uncanny themes and meanings secure. One such place that evoked strong reminiscences of the “uncanniness” of the traditional Gothic, particularly in the context of the landscape, was Shimla, the summer capital of British India.
Till date, the hills of Shimla are studded with Gothic architectural buildings and the haunts of British ghosts. The paper, under a literary lens, explores the British Gothic as it unravelled itself in Shimla. An attempt shall be made to trace the development of the Gothic, in Shimla, from its initiation by the British writer Rudyard Kipling in his short stories “The Phantom Rickshaw”, “By Word of Mouth” and “The House of Suddhoo.” to the adaptation of a predominantly English Gothic aesthetics by an Indian, Minakshi Chaudhry, in select short stories taken from The Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills and finally the emergence of the Indian Gothic in Anita Krishan’s Ghosts of the Silent Hills. The paper shall analyse the adopting, adapting and abrogating of the Western elements of the Gothic genre, thereby reflecting the cultural beliefs and traditions of the Hillfolk consequently creating a new subset of the genre
DNA extraction and PCR optimization for DNA barcode analysis of commercially-grown coffee varieties in Nepal
Full text linkThe isolation of high-quality genomic DNA is an essential criterion for further molecular analysis. Coffea genus is well known for its high amount of polyphenols, polysaccharides, and other secondary metabolites that degrades the quality of the DNA isolation needed for further down streaming processes. The present work was carried out to obtain a simple and efficient DNA isolation protocol generating high-quality amplification for barcoding. The protocol involves modifying the CTAB extraction, incorporating the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone and β -mercaptoethanol yielding quality DNA with a ratio (A260/280) between 1.8–2.0 indicating low contamination. The PCR conditions were optimized for high amplification based on the optimal concentration of MgCl2 (3 mM), primer (0.5 µM), Taq polymerase (0.2 U), 50–60 ng of DNA template, and cycle conditions as initial denaturation of 94○C for 4 min followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 94○C for 50 sec, annealing (respective of barcodes) for 50 sec and extension at 72○C for 80 sec, followed by a final extension at 72○C for 7 min. The optimal conditions produced highly amplified reproducible data. Thus, the optimized method proposed enabled a simple DNA extraction and PCR amplification for Coffea genus and may serve as an efficient tool for further molecular analysis
evoDLA: A semantic learning system for predictive cost minimization in power generation system
Full text linkIn this paper, we propose evolutionary deviant learning system (evoDLA) for optimal power generating systems. It is a temporally structured learning system for the predictive cost minimization task at the next time step expressed in a semantic way. Cost minimization in power generation is an assignment problem that requires the determination of the best set of operating parameters to enable generators perform optimally. Presented as an alternative to the conventional unit commitment strategies, the predictive system is designed to operate in a semi-supervised manner allowing the dynamic superimposition of linguistic memory units into the mixed-integer power system generation data. A set of representative linguistic biased integers are programmed into an equivalent fuzzy-like integer representation. These are transformed through a series of temporal deviant states and then re-transformed back into true linguistic form. Simulation studies are performed in comparison with the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a proven artificial neural network (ANN) method for sequential learning tasks. The results show competitive performance with the present system and the unique capability of the novel system in inferring the optimal set of output generation parameters
Influence of groove design on the mechanical properties of AISI 1018 mild steel welded joints
Full text linkThe influence of groove design on mechanical properties of AISI 1018 mild steel welded joint was studied. An 8 mm thick mild steel plate was marked out and cut to dimension of 120 × 75 × 8 mm using a portable cutting machine. Groove preparation was done for the single-V and single-beveled grooves. After proper alignment of the edges, the work pieces were welded using the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) method with a Direct Current (D.C.) welding machine with voltage and current of 220 V and 100 A respectively. Specifically, gauge-12 (2.5 mm) stick electrodes were used for the root run while many passes (hot pass, filling and capping) were undertaken with gauge-10 (3.25 mm) electrodes because of the volume of filler metal required to fill the single-V and single beveled joints. The mechanical properties of the butt, single beveled and singe V joints were evaluated. The results showed that microstructural changes occurred in the specimens due to heat in the fusion and heat-affected zones with the appearance of ferrite, pearlite, martensite and bainite phases with grain boundaries, which confirm recrystallization. The heat-affected zone single V-joint exhibited the highest tensile strength of 442.41 MPa while fusion zone single V-joint exhibited the highest hardness of 358.9 HV. In fusion zone, the butt-joint specimen exhibited impact energy of 65.2 J/mm2 compared to 62.37 J/mm2 and 48.81 J/mm2 exhibited by the single V and single beveled joints respectively. However, the heat-affected zone single V-joint exhibited the highest impact energy of 73.22 J/mm2
Influence of tempering heat treatment on mechanical properties of welded mild steel
Full text linkAn experimental study is performed in this research to investigate the changes in mechanical properties of mild steel during the welding and tempering heat treatment cycle. Four experimental cases were considered; i) as-received, ii) heat-treated, iii) welded, and iv) post-weld heat treated. Both the heat-treated and post-weld heat-treated cases followed the identical tempering process. Charpy and tensile tests were done to investigate the tested specimens' impact energy and fracture strength. A total of 16 tensile tests and 16 Charpy tests were conducted. Fracture surface studies were performed to determine the types of fracture on samples of all four cases. The results of the Charpy test according to the toughness of samples were: heat-treated > as-received > post-weld heat-treated > welded. Similarly, the tensile test results according to tensile strength were: heat-treated > as-received > post-weld heat-treated > welded. The hardness of samples was predicted from tensile strength, using the correlation of hardness and tensile strength of mild steel. The predicted hardness at four cases of samples was: heat-treated > as received > post-weld heat-treated > welded. It was observed that the strength of welded samples is less as compared to the as-received case and there was an increase in the strength of samples after being heat-treated and post-weld heat treated
An interview with Professor C.R. Rao on the occasion of his 100th birthday
Full text linkThe late Professor C.R. Rao's contributions have shaped the theory, application and future of statistics and statistical theory. It is these contributions that have made him a highly respected figure in the academic community. In this email interview, Professor Rao shares valuable insights into statistics and reflects on his passion, expertise and remarkable career in the field
Mechanical property performance of Fe-SnS hybrid reinforced aluminum composites
Full text linkIn this paper, the mechanical properties of a hybrid iron filing (Fe)-snail shell (SnS)-reinforced discarded aluminum matrix were investigated. Prepared iron filling (20 µm) and snail shell (70 µm) particulates at a mix ratio of 1:3 constituting 2, 4, 6, and 8 wt% in hybrid weight fractions as the reinforcing phase in the aluminum matrix were investigated. Both the unreinforced aluminum matrix and the reinforced hybrid composites were produced via a double-stir die casting technique. Metallurgical optical examination, density, tensile, hardness, and impact testing were carried out to appraise the mechanical property performance of the developed composites relative to the unreinforced Al matrix. The results show that with increasing hybrid-Fe-SnS particulates in the reinforcing phase, the hardness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the reinforced Al-matrix composite also increase. The maximum tensile strength (106.10 MPa) and hardness value (62.92 HRB) equivalent to 86.50% and 24.90% increments, respectively, were obtained at 8 w% of the hybrid reinforcement. Meanwhile, the hybrid reinforcement only increased the impact energy of the composite by 2.60% at 2 wt% Fe-SnS addition, beyond which the impact strength decreased. A marginal decrease in the weight of the composite with an increase in hybrid reinforcement was also observed. Hence, Fe-SnS hybrid particulates offered a favorable influence on the mechanical property performance of Al/Fe-SnS hybrid composites compared to that of the unreinforced Al matrix