The Tamakoshi Dam in Nepal experienced 19 cm of settlement due to three earthquakes that took place from December 14, 2014 to May 12, 2015. This settlement caused massive damage and halted construction and was believed to have been caused by seismic compression. Seismic compression is the accrual of contractive volumetric strain in sandy soils during earthquake shaking for cases where the generated excess pore water pressures are low. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the settlements of the dam intake block relative to the right abutment block of the dam during the three earthquakes. Towards this end, soil profiles for the dam were developed from the boring logs and suites of ground motions were selected and scaled to be representative of the shaking at the base of the dam for the two of the three earthquakes which were well documented. Equivalent linear analysis was completed for the suites of ground motions to produce shear strain time histories which were then utilized in the Jiang et al. (2020) proposed procedure for seismic compression prediction. The results were found to not align with the settlement that was observed in the field, so post-liquefaction consolidation was also considered to be a possible cause of the settlement. The results from that analysis also showed that consideration of post-liquefaction consolidation did not yield settlements representative of those observed in the field. More detailed studies are recommended to assess the settlements that were observed at the dam site, particularly analyses that take into account below and above grade topographic effects on the ground motions and settlements at the ground surface. / Master of Science / The Tamakoshi Dam in Nepal experienced 19 cm of settlement due to three earthquakes that took place from December 14, 2014 to May 12, 2015. This settlement caused massive damage and halted construction and was believed to have been caused by seismic compression. Seismic compression is the accrual of contractive volumetric strain in sandy soils during earthquake shaking for cases where the generated excess pore water pressures are low. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the settlements of the dam intake block relative to the right abutment block of the dam during the three earthquakes. Representative soil profiles were developed based on data collected from the site for analysis of the settlement. Two approaches were used to compute predicted settlement, one which considered only seismic compression as the cause of settlement and a hybrid method that considered both seismic compression and post-liquefaction consolidation. Both approaches predicted settlement values that were less than what was observed in the field. It was found that the ground motion prediction equations used in the analysis were not representative of the tectonic setting in Nepal and thus was the main reason for the under-prediction. The relevance of this research lies in using methodology developed in academia to analyze a real world event and draw conclusions about the methodology's applicability.

The Suillus mycota of Nepal was studied. Nine species are recognized and described; five of the nine appear to be new species. Additional species were collected, but material was inadequate to describe them completely. Cultures of eight and synthesized ectomycorrhizae of six of the Suillus species are described. Synoptic keys to the basidiocarps and to the cultures are presented. Numerical taxonomic analyses of the cultures generated clusters which paralleled the species concepts developed using basidiocarps and ecology. Each species of Suillus from Nepal is host specific based on basidiocarp formation; all hosts are in the Pinaceae. Field associations are Suillus cf. granulatus, S. cf. placidus, S. sibiricus, and greening-foot Suillus with Pinus wallichiana; queen's Suillus with P. roxburghii; waxy Suillus with P. patula; and S. laricinus, himalayan Suillus, and orange-pored Suillus with Larix himalaica. Mycorrhizal syntheses confirmed that the six Suillus-Pinus relationships are ectomycorrhizal. The Suillus mycota of western Virginia has 12 known species. Three, of the five which are ectomycorrhizal with Pinus strobus, have closely related counterparts in Nepal. These counterparts are ectomycorrhizal with P. wallichiana, a five-needled pine closely related to P. strobus. The existence of these three pairs of similar fungi, associated with similar pines, suggests the possibility of cladogenic speciation in parallel by the pine lineage and by its ectomycorrhizal fungal associates. Boletinellus merulioides forms abundant sclerotia in nature throughout its range in eastern North America. Sclerotia collected in the forest germinated to form mycelial colonies that had the same appearance and microscopic characteristics as colonies derived from basidiocarps. Sclerotia which had overwintered in the forest were viable in the spring. The spatial pattern of B. merulioides sclerotia in a forest was compared with basidiocarp frequency recorded over four years. Both estimates of the spatial pattern coincided, but year-to-year basidiocarp frequency varied greatly. Individual B. merulioides dikaryons formed large perennial patches. Basidiocarp and sclerotial densities were centered around and declined outward from Fraxinus americana trees. Boletinellus merulioides and Fraxinus pennsylvanica did not form ectomycorrhizae when grown together in growth pouches. / Ph. D.

In recent decades, the downwasting of several debris-covered glaciers in the Himalaya has led to the formation of large and potentially hazardous moraine- dammed lakes. The frequency of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) events in the Himalaya has steadily increased since the 1970s and as global temperatures continue to rise this trend is set to continue in the future. Downwasting of the debris-covered Ngozumpa Glacier in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, has resulted in the abandonment of the lateral and terminal moraine crests, leaving them standing several tens of metres above the glacier surface. The moraines have exerted a control on the drainage of meltwater from the glacier surface and have encouraged ponding of meltwater on the glacier surface. The present study examines the evolution of perched supraglacial ponds on the Ngozumpa Glacier and assesses how the growth of these ponds affects the rate of downwasting of the glacier surface. The expansion rates of perched ponds can be rapid, up to 21,609 m ² a⁻¹, but the growth of these ponds tends to be terminated when contact is made with the englacial drainage network. The thesis documents for the first time a complete cycle of perched supra glacial pond growth and drainage and also provides direct evidence for internal ablation during pond drainage, a process that has only been inferred in previous research. The western lateral moraine has dammed back drainage from the western tributary valleys, resulting in the formation of laterally-dammed lakes. The research presented here examines the processes and rates of paraglacial reworking of the Ngozumpa moraines in order to assess the stability and longevity of the moraine dam. Approximately 1 km from the Ngozumpa terminus a large Spillway Lake has formed. Meltwater from upglacier is channelled into the lake and exits the glacier surface through an over-spill channel cut down through the western lateral moraine. The level of the Spillway Lake is thereby controlled by the height of the spillway channel through the western lateral moraine. The rate of expansion of the Spillway Lake is lower than that of the perched ponds upglacier, but as the Spillway Lake continues to enlarge and surface downwasting of the glacier surface proceeds, the lake could enter a period of rapid and unstable growth. By analogy with other glaciers in the Khumbu Rimal, it is possible that a large and potentially hazardous lake will form on the Ngozumpa within the next two decades.

In an expansive feminist literature on gender and development, scholarly research on widows and widowhood remains limited, particularly within the context of Nepal. While there are some important exceptions, existing work reinforces stereotypes of widows as old and poor victims, and widowhood as essentially a marginalised and vulnerable status. This thesis seeks to confront such homogenous views and to 'rewrite' widowhood. In particular, it explores the diverse experiences of widowhood through the adoption of an intersectional life-course lens, conceptualises well-being from the embedded perspective of widows and examines the complex ways in which widowed women assert agency. This thesis is born out of a longstanding academic engagement with Nepali widows. Based upon ethnographic qualitative research, the study involved two periods of intensive research in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The research was operationalised through a triangulation of qualitative methods resulting in a rich evidence base of eighty-one semi-structured interviews, eighteen oral histories, five focus groups and ten key informant interviews. This research shows that that widowhood is more complex than much of the scholarship to date suggests. Key findings include the particular salience of age, caste and the life course in shaping experiences of widowhood. It demonstrates that while widows' understandings of well-being can be categorised as material, perceptual and relational, relationships with children, family and the wider community in which they live underpin all of these. This research also uncovered widows' complicated and contradictory enactments of agency that can be placed on a 'resisting-conforming' continuum, and are shaped by gendered cultural norms, eschatological beliefs, temporality and intersectional identities. This thesis contributes to more nuanced empirical and theoretical understandings of widows and widowhood, intersectionality well-being and agency.

The focus of this study is children´s influence and participation. This is an important part of preschool, according to the Swedish curriculum (Skolverket, 2010). Hoping to see another perspective of working with children´s influence and participation, my study took place in Nepal. The method used for this study is qualitative interviews. The interviews are made with teachers with insight in preschools in Nepal. The aim of my study is to find knowledge about these teachers' view regarding children´s influence and participation. I also wanted to find out more about their work with children´s influence and the teachers' perspectives on preconditions of this work. The result of this study shows that influence in preschool is important, according to the teachers. These teachers' view on children´s influence is about seeing and listening to the children and invite their ideas. My study has also made it visible that the main thing of these teachers' work with children´s influence is to let the children choose activities for them selves. The result also describe different preconditions which can affect the teachers' work with children´s influence. One example is teachers' approach which seems to be an important consideration for children´s possibilities to influence and participation. / Min studie fokuserar på barns inflytande, vilket ses som en viktig del i den svenska förskolan (Skolverket, 2010). Jag har valt att undersöka lärares arbete i Nepal för att få ett annat perspektiv på hur arbetet med barns inflytande kan se ut. Jag har genomfört en kvalitativ studie där jag intervjuat lärare med insyn i Nepals förskoleverksamhet. Syftet med min studie är att undersöka hur dessa lärare ser på och arbetar med barns inflytande i förskolan, samt vilka förutsättningar som finns för detta arbete. Resultatet visar att lärarna ser barns inflytande i förskolan som viktigt och det handlar bland annat om att se och lyssna till barn samt bjuda in deras idéer. Min studie visar också att lärarnas arbete med barns inflytande handlar till stor del om att barnen själva får välja aktiviteter. Resultatet i min studie beskriver olika förutsättningar som kan påverka arbetet med barns inflytande. Det kan till exempel handla om lärares förhållningssätt, vilket ses som en avgörande faktor för barns möjligheter till inflytande.

The purpose of this study is to create knowledge about the view on play and work with play in Nepal’s preschools. To do that I travelled to Nepal and interviewed people who had an insight in either work regarding play in preschools or the view on play. I used a kind of interview were the person I interviewed got the phenomenon “play” to discuss and to reason about, without my values. The results show that preschool teachers in Nepal have a governing approach regarding play and that play is used as a learning technique to promote further knowledge. My results provide an increased understanding regarding different preschools and how they use play in their work. With this knowledge we can find new and different ways to use play in Swedish preschool activities. As well as a perspective on the dominant view on play in Swedish preschools.

This study focuses on Bhaktapur Durbar Square, one of the monument zone of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site which lies within a Bhaktapur city, an ancient historic town. Through survey research targeting local people and key informants interviews, this study tried to investigate on the domains of major impacts from the cultural tourism in Bhaktapur Durbar Square from the perspective of local community. The study then explores the different factors serving to generate the impacts from macro and micro level of context. Macro level deals with the international and national context whereas micro level deals with local context. Using data collection methods such as interviews with organizations involved in the management of WHS, tourism, expert interviews, primary and secondary data analysis, which is to explore factors affecting the generation of tourism impacts for the community, is carried out. By combining the research conducted at the community level and the many influencing factors, the study intends to explain the socio-economic-cultural heritage impacts at the community level in light of the management or governing process of the WHS, the institutional arrangement as well as the interactions between organizations, and in the context of policy – which is reflected in the current legal framework influencing the site. This study finds that cultural tourism in Bhaktapur has contributed significantly to local government’s tax revenue particularly through tourist entry fee which in turn contributed in the conservation of the world heritage properties. However, the study also found that there have been limited positive impacts of cultural tourism for the majority of local people i.e. farmers group. Tourism has not encouraged the growth in the agriculture sector – a sector in which more than 60% of the farmers are involved. The concentrated tourism development at the core area of the city imparts the economic disparity among the people one who live in the core area and one beyond it. This study also found that tourism in Bhaktapur has limited impacts in raising the standard of living, household income, skills and training, infrastructure and public facilities. In the analysis of factors in the international context, this study argues that the nomination process, guidance from relevant international organizations and development in WHS discourse have influenced the cultural tourism development – although not directly. In terms of the national context, it finds that there is a lack of comprehensive policies and planning for conservation and tourism development which works in separate institutional framework. Analysis of factors in the local context, problems at the local area, such as decreasing agriculture land, inefficient management plan, lack of political commitment, lack of awareness and education, limited scope of work, lack of community organization, etc contribute to the perceived tourism impacts. This study finds institutional problems such as lack of planning mechanism, difficulties in coordination as well as legal framework that prevent the management system from working together to address local issues. This study recommends that a strong cooperation and coordination mechanism should be established under the framework of comprehensive community development and management plan in order to develop local economy alongside with tourism and contributing to wider benefits to the local community. A community based tourism strategy is recommended in order to reduce the disparity, directly benefiting the community and encouraging the local community to involve in decision making process. All of these efforts may help to realize at the micro level, the ideal of WHS for development that has been stated by organizations such as UNESCO in the macro level. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

No description available.

Univ., Magisterarbeit--Paderborn, 2007.

The purpose of this study was to discuss the role of Tribhuvan University in the development of higher education in Nepal by examining the university's historical development and educational activities. Despite negligence and opposition to public higher education by the rulers of Nepal before 1951, Nepalese higher education began with the establishment of Trichandra College in 1918. From 1951 until the establishment of Tribhuvan University in 1959, several public as well as private colleges were also established. The establishment of the university in 1959 marked the beginning of the government-controlled system of higher education in Nepal. As the first and only national institution of higher education, Tribhuvan University has played a significant role in developing a system of higher education in the country. During its first ten years, Tribhuvan University did not operate as a comprehensive institute of higher education. The Tribhuvan University Act of 1971, however, altered the structure, organization, and functions of the university and gave it additional roles and responsibilitites. By the mid-1980s, Tribhuvan University had increased its number of colleges from 49 (1970) to more than 128. Moreover, these colleges have expanded their programs and levels of education. This dissertation's six chapters describe the demographic, cultural, and historical setting of Nepal, the educational activities of Nepal before the establishment of Tribhuvan University, and the university's educational activities from its establishment in 1959 through the mid-1980s. The study shows that the university, in a 26-year period, had expanded it activities significantly and had proven its role as an important factor in the development of higher education in Nepal. The study also indicates that various governmental and non-governmental agencies have been actively involved in determining the educational activities of Tribhuvan University in Nepal.