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Product knowledge attitude and motivation on purchase intention towards organic food products
India is credited to have the largest area under organic food cultivation. The size of the area earmarked with organic food cultivation is akin to countries like newlineArgentina, Brazil, China and Uruguay. newlineDelhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune are four cities in India that are experiencing increased consumer interest towards organic food products. This increased consumer interest has led to the emergence of many retailers to sell organic food products that have their presence across the above mentioned four cities. Conscious Foods, Eco Farms, Morarka Organic Foods, Navdanya, Organic India, Sresta etc are some of the retailers doing business in the organic food market segment. The consumer demand for food products that are cultivated organically in India for the period between 2012 and 2017 was predicted to increase at a CAGR of approximately 19%. In India, consumer demand for organically produced food products between the period 2015 and 2020 is expected to increase at a CAGR above 25% (India Organic Food market, 2020). Domestic demand towards organically produced food products for the Indian market presently is approximated at 40,000 million Indian Rupees. This figure is poised to increase by 100,000 million to 120,000 million Indian Rupees for the year 2020 with an identical increase in exports business towards organic food products ( Big Basket keen on collaborating with organic farmers in Karnataka, 2017). Although India is a developing economy, the market for organic food products is immature. Country specific research undertaken by AC Nielsen in the year 2006 revealed that despite Indians being one of the top ten buyers of food fortified with additives for general well-being; do not have access to organic food products. Poor infra-structure conditions in the country such as transportation facilities, storage, warehousing, etc leads to low volume of the newlineproducts for transaction which further increases selling price of organic food newlineproducts. -
Production Of Boeravinone B And Related Bioactive Molecules From Cell Cultures Of Punarnava, Boerhavia Diffusa Linn.
Boerhavia diffusa L., commonly referred to as punarnava, belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. It contains a variety of phytochemicals that contribute to the plant's pharmacological activities. Among these compounds, Boeravinone-B, a significant secondary metabolite synthesized within the plant, has been reported to possess various pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, antimicrobial, and anti-cancer activities. Given its potential, there is a growing need to produce Boeravinone-B through biotechnological approaches such as plant tissue cultures. However, limited studies have been conducted on its production via tissue culture. Therefore, our objective was to produce Boeravinone-B using callus and cell suspension cultures. To induce callus, different auxins (2,4-D, NAA, IAA, IBA, and picloram) and cytokinins (kinetin, BAP, TDZ, and 2-iP) alone and in combination to maximize biomass and Boeravinone-B production was employed. Results showed that semi-solid medium supplemented with 5.0 mg/L 2,4-D produced the highest biomass and Boeravinone-B production from leaf explants. Subsequently, we established cell suspension cultures and observed that a combination of 2.0 mg/L picloram and 5.0 mg/L NAA yielded the highest production of Boeravinone-B. We further optimized cultural conditions such as inoculum density, carbon sources, sucrose concentration, MS medium strength, pH, ammonium and nitrate ratio, and various concentrations of macronutrients to enhance Boeravinone-B production. Additionally, we explored elicitation strategies using both biotic and abiotic components to determine their effects on Boeravinone-B production. Elicitation involved the use of polysaccharides (chitosan), fungi (yeast extract, Aspergillus niger and Cordyceps militaris) bacteria (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis), and algal members (Valonia utricularis and Spirulina platensis). Likewise, signalling molecules (salicylic acid, sodium nitroprusside, and ethephon), polyamines (putrescine, spermine, and spermidine), and heavy metal salts (lead acetate, cadmium chloride, and lanthanum chloride) to stimulate Boeravinone-B production. Significant variations were observed among the elicitors in their ability to promote Boeravinone-B production, with the order of effectiveness being spermidine > Spirulina platensis > salicylic acid > spermine > sodium nitroprusside > Aspergillus niger > Valonia utricularis > Cordyceps militaris > yeast extract > putrescine. By employing these elicitation strategies alongside advancements in molecular aspects and large-scale production in bioreactors, we can ensure a sustainable supply of Boeravinone-B and its associated metabolites. -
Prognosis of Kidney Disease on Ultrasound Images Using Machine Learning
Kidney diseases can affect the ability to clean the blood, filter extra water out of your blood. The kidneys failure will affect the control over blood pressure and sugar level. It can also affect red blood cell production and vitamin D metabolism which is very important for bone health. When your kidneys are damaged, waste products and fluid can build up in the body. This is harmful to the health. This damages the kidney function, can get worse over time, and when the kidneys stop working completely, this is called kidney failure or end-stage renal disease. Not all patients with kidney disease progress to kidney failure. This disease has emerged as one of the most prominent reasons of death and suffering in this century. Recent studies states that, kidney disease affects most of the population and over two million people require kidney replacement. To help prevent Chronic Kidney Diseases and lower the risk for kidney failure, control risk factors for CKD, get tested yearly, make lifestyle changes, take medicine as needed. The detection of kidney abnormalities at their early stages helps to avoid the impairment of newlinekidney. The US imaging is considered as preliminary diagnostic tool in finding various kidney diseases in the clinical imaging field. This is one of the commonly used imaging modalities due to the inexpensiveness and non-ionization nature. The presence of noise in US images, degrade newlinethe quality and clarity of the images. Also, the heterogeneous structure of kidney, makes it very difficult to detect and measure the size of stones and cysts. Hence, an automatic kidney disease detection system is highly in demand. The proposed model can assist the radiologist in accurate abnormality detection. The proposed model includes different phases such as, pre-processing, features extraction, classification and newlinesegmentation. The pre-processing phase include cropping and noise removal. Further, the GLCM and intensity-based features are extracted for the classification of abnormal kidney images. -
Psychological capital in positive ageing :
Positive ageing is feeling good and maintaining a positive attitude, keeping healthy and being fully involved in life. Older adults add value to family and society by sharing of wisdom, gratitude,spirituality, resilience, optimism, hope and confidence (PsyCap). These are the mental resources that developed through their life experiences when things went well and when faced with challenges. The aim was to understand the process of development of psychological capital in positive ageing. The participants were chosen purposively, older adults 70-80 years, men and women, retired, tenth standard, middle socio-economic status, spouses have expired and living with family. They were interviewed with a validated semi structured interview schedule. Themes were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, substantiated by verbatim from participant interviews and connections with existing theories and literature. Three super ordinate themes emerged, Factors that promote the development of PsyCap varies , Personal trauma and inadequacies as learning opportunities and Spiritual and philosophical ways of adaptation . Results indicated that support from family and friends and their internal strength helped them face adversity and aided in the development of optimism, hope, gratitude, confidence and self-belief. Challenges, lack of adequate resources and retirement were opportunities for learning as they facilitated the growth of PsyCap. Participants were grateful for effectual social support in time of grief. Their resilient attitude kept them positive and helped to prioritize goals effectively. Religion and spirituality provided solace and meaning to their lives, reflection led to the evolving of a philosophy that left them feeling fulfilled as they reached out to those in need. The study has implications for promoting a positive and healthy attitude towards older adults and sensitising family, caregivers and policy makers. -
Psychological contract and oragnisational commitment in the aviation sector
Psychological contract and the organisational commitment in the Aviation sector is the topic chosen for the study. The researcher tries to map the effects of four types of psychological contracts viz: transactional, transitional, behavioural and balanced on the three components of organisational commitment namely Affective, Normative and continuance. The study tries to focus whether the type of company and work experience act as moderating variables in this exploration. The study also checks whether employers Psychological Contract has any medaiating effect in the relationship between employees Psychological newlineContract and Organisational Commitment. Researchers in the past have not considered the Airline sector as far as these two variables are concerned and hence the specific reference to this industry. The study throws light on what type of psychological contracts the airline companies need to foster to get the desired organisational commitment keeping in mind the tenure of the employee and the type of industry. The researcher gathered the employees of the airlines and explained the items in the questionnaire to them and later administered the same. The critical impact of the research is that and#8215;Relational contract obligations and and#8215;Balanced contract obligations are the most important predictors of the employees organisational commitment in the Indian aviation industry. Therefore, airline companies need to adapt measures to foster these contracts inorder to boost the desired commitment. -
Psychosocial Well-Being of Adolescents : A Social Group Work Intervention
Social work practice with children and families is one of the most challenging, skilled and rewarding areas of social work practice. Social workers believe that safeguarding children and preventing them from significant harm is a rewarding and challenging way to make a difference in the life of a child, which involves the corporation, consultation and collaboration of many people working effectively together. As highlighted by the United Nations' data disaggregation against the goal of "no one left behind," the absence of data on adolescents needs research on the "second decade." Furthermore, because India has the world's largest adolescent population, studies and policies aimed at developing adolescents' competencies are critical to the country's development; interventions aimed at instilling confidence in underprivileged adolescents to strive for a better future are critical for mitigating inequity. Adolescents from disadvantaged families and whose parents are no longer able to provide adequate care to children are having various psychosocial problems, high risk of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect and their psychosocial well-being is often insufficiently monitored. This intervention study adopted a quasi-interventional design to measure the effectiveness of social group work in raising the psychological well-being, self-esteem and coping orientation of adolescents in child sponsorship programs. Social group work intervention with 20 sessions was designed in response to the information garnered through the pilot study and administered to the intervention group (n=20). Conducted pre-test and post-test for both intervention group and control group (n=20) and two follow up tests in three months intervals for the intervention group (n=20) using 42 item version of Ryffs scale for psychological well-being, Rosenbergs 10 item self-esteem scale and 54 items A-COPE scale; and data analyzed using SPSS. Comparison between pre and post measurements carried out using paired sample t-test for the intervention group and control group separately, gave out a p value < 0.05 for the intervention group and, > 0. 05 for the control group. Thus, it was proved that the psychological well-being, self-esteem and coping orientation of participants in the intervention group were raised significantly due to the social group work intervention. Applying refined granularity, this research adds data specifically on adolescents enrolled in child sponsorship programs and sets a blueprint for social group work to raise their psychological well-being, self-esteem and coping orientation. Proposing a conceptual framework for child sponsorship programs, this study recommends the need for operational tie-ups, sustained youth support, training of trainers (ToT) for community animators, preparing individual care plans and training to school social workers and the need of starting walk-in counselling centres and mentoring services. Furthermore, this study suggests additional research in all aspects of its operation, as well as interventions at the group, family, and community levels, for the well-being and empowerment of marginalised adolescents. -
Purchase intention of deconstructed end-of-lifecycle fashion products in an online and offline retail environment
Obsolete or slow-moving inventory is one of the major influencers for the bottom line of any business today. Surplus stock- be it from overbuys, returns, defects or simply merchandise hitting the end of their lifecycle- need to be accounted, accommodated and dealt with in a manner that can least affect the planned margins. For the fashion newlinebusiness, such merchandise poses greater challenges. The business is ground by seasonal preferences, fast-changing trends, short lead-times and shorter shelf-lives. With rising costs of traditional retail businesses, the associated costs of carrying such inventory are something that the newlineretailer can easily do without. At the retailers end, such merchandise is newlineoften subjected to traditional liquidation methods such as Markdowns, carry forwards, or selling at lowered prices to discount stores or factory outlets. From a manufacturer s perspective, overruns from production newlineare either sold at discounted costs to the retailer or are diverted to other sources of sales. In either case, such decisions do affect the margins of the business, and retailers often account for these necessary evils while planning their pricing strategy. Liquidation methods for such obsolete merchandise also need to meet the additional challenge of maintaining the perceived value of the products, and to not adversely newlineaffect planned margins due to lowered price points. This study seeks to explore fashion consumers acceptance of Deconstructed or up-cycled fashion for such obsolete or EOLC (End-of-lifecycle) merchandise that newlineremain unsold. It also maps the Perceived value of such merchandise and explores the other factors that may affect the Purchase Intention of the merchandise, like the Internal reference price, Perceived monetary newlinesacrifice and Perceived quality. Through an experimental study, a comparative analysis is built across consumers in an E-commerce vs newlineOffline store purchase scenario, to derive if the method of presentation of such products affects the Purchase intention. -
QSRP Studies of Chemical Compunds Using Topological Indices
In this study, we explore the intersection of graph theory and chemistry, focusing on how graph theory s principles can model molecular structures and predict their physiochemical properties. Specifcally, it applies topological indices (mathematical descriptors) derived from the graph-theoretic representation of molecules to establish quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR) for octane isomers and polychlorobiphenyls. The investigation encompasses 30 topological indices, including the Harary, Wiener, Zagreb, and connectivity indices, and assesses their correlation with key physiochemical properties. Through rigorous analysis, the study successfully develops QSPR models capable of predicting properties like BP, HVAP, DHVAP, HFORM, AcenFac, TSA, and RRT signifcantly advancing newlinethe predictive accuracy of chemical properties. The study of inverse problems about topological indices and QSPR is a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of modern scientifc research, bridging gaps between mathematics, chemistry, and computer science. Inverse problems in graph theory newlinehold a special place due to their capacity to address fundamental questions about the structure and behavior of graphs based on given properties. They are often more complex and challenging than direct problems. The study of inverse problems in our research contributes to the theoretical foundations of chemical graph theory by characterizing trees and unicyclic graphs with specifc topological indices and oand#64256;ering novel insights into the inverse problem for Zagreb indices. The newlineinclusion of Python programs for calculating various topological indices further bridges theoretical chemistry with practical application, highlighting the thesis s newlineaim to enhance both the efciency and accuracy of predicting chemical compound properties. This work not only demonstrates the profound impact of graph theory on chemical informatics but also opens new avenues for research in the feld. -
Rate Adaptation Mechanism for Multirate WLAN with Background Traffic Awareness
In recent times wireless communication has become more popular with its commercial usage. WLAN has evolved over the years to facilitate wireless communications for commercial usage. IEEE 802.11 working group focuses on developing global standards that can support the WLAN evolution. There are many features that IEEE 802.11 working group emphases on to provide the best experience for the Wi-Fi user. The popularity of Wi-Fi among commercial users has demanded more importance in terms of traffic and congestion. IEEE 802.11 have come with many updates enhancing with additional spectrum space, method of spectrum utilization, and so on. There are a few aspects of Wi-Fi adoption that have been kept outside the scope of the 802.11 standards, which are open for research. Wi-Fi rate adaptation is one of newlinethe important aspects of research. Many researchers have contributed with effective newlinemethodologies to improve user experiences. The literature review proves the importance of rate adaptation in the performance of wireless communication. The different version of the IEEE 802.11 standard provides a set of transmission rates to choose from for single-stream transmission. It is important to switch the transmission rate dynamically for more efficient utilization of the physical medium in a fluctuating environment. Dynamically identifying the optimal transmission rate from a list of single-stream transmission rates is a tedious task. There are different causes for the change in channel conditions and packet loss in the network. Identifying the best data transfer rate for the next transmission is a tedious task in such a network. It requires identification of the exact cause of loss. Improper channel estimation may lead to the channel may be underutilized or overused. Both situations will degrade the newlineperformance of the network. Evaluating and identifying the latest channel condition is newlineimportant. -
Rayleigh bernard convection in couple stress fluid with maxwell cattaneo law
The onset of thermal instability in horizontal layers of fluid heated from below illustrates many physical and mathematical features of the general theory of hydrodynamic stability. The effect of non-Fourier heat transfer in couple stress in a Rayleigh Benard configuration is analyzed theoretically in this thesis. Broad range of applications of couple stress fluid and the need for its characterization at a relatively small scale of time and length act as a motivation for the study of buoyancy driven convection in such fluids under the influence of magnetic field and under various modulations such as temperature, gravity, rotation and magnetic field by employing Maxwell Cattaneo law. newlineLinear and non linear magneto convection in couple stress fluid with Maxwell Cattaneo law newlineThe interesting facets brought about by the interactions between convection and magnetic fields in a Rayleigh Benard configuration for free free boundaries are analyzed in this chapter. Linear and weakly non linear stability analysis are carried out to study the system. It is proved that the oscillatory mode is not the preferred mode of instability. The couple stresses in the fluid and magnetic field are found to enhance the stability of the system whereas non-Fourier effects destabilized the system. newlineEffect of temperature modulation on the onset of Rayleigh Benard convection in a couple stress fluid with Maxwell Cattaneo law newlineThe effect of externally imposed time-periodic boundary temperature on the setting in of convection is examined using linear stability analysis. The Venezian approach is applied to deduce the critical Rayleigh number and critical wave number. The stability of the system is characterized by a correction Rayleigh number and is obtained as a function of the Cattaneo number couple stress parameter Prandtl number and the frequency of modulation. The study analyzes three types of temperature modulations viz. in phase, out of phase and only lower wall modulation. -
Rayleigh-benard and benard-marangoni convection in micropolar fluid
We study in this thesis, Rayleigh-Bard and Bard-Marangoni convection in a micropolar fluid. We study the effects of temperature modulation at the boundary and gravity modulation in the presence of porous medium. The effects of rotation and internal heat generation are also investigated and results are presented graphically and discussed qualitatively. The problem presented in this thesis throws light on externally controlled internal convection in a micropolar fluid. These problems have many possible applications in geophysics, astrophysics, oceanography engineering and in space situations with g-jitter connected with gravity stimulation study. With this motivation, we examine in this thesis five problems and their summary is given below one by one. (i) THE EFFECT OF IMPOSED TIME-PERIODIC BOUNDARY TEMPERATURE AND POROUS MEDIUM ON THE ONSET OF RAYLEIGH-BARD CONVECTION IN A MICROPOLAR FLUID The analysis of buoyancy driven convection in a micropolar fluid saturated porous layer heated from below and subject to temperature modulation is presented. In addition to a steady temperature difference between the walls of the porous layer, a time-dependent periodic perturbation is applied to the wall temperatures. The small amplitude of the modulation is used to compute the critical Rayleigh number and critical wave number. Three cases of the oscillating temperature field are examined: (a) symmetric, so that the wall temperatures are modulated in phase, (b) asymmetric, corresponding to out-of-phase modulation, and (c) only the bottom wall is modulated. Possibilities of the occurrence of subcritical instabilities are also discussed. The shift in the critical Rayleigh number is calculated as a function of frequency and it is found that it is possible to advance or delay the onset of convection by time modulation of the wall temperatures. (ii)LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR ANALYSES OF GRAVITY MODULATION ON THE ONSET OF RAYLEIGH-BARD CONVECTION IN A MICROPOLAR FLUID WITH POROUS MEDIUM. -
Receptivity to Change, Work Motivation, and Teacher Engagement among Secondary School Teachers
The present study investigated the teachers receptivity to change in relation to work motivation and teacher engagement among secondary school teachers in Kerala, India. The study primarily focussed on the newlinedevelopment and validation of the Teachers Receptivity to Change Scale. The way the teachers receive the change is a vital determinant that defines the successful execution of the change. The present study used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, which proceeded through three phases. The tool construction, which progressed through five stages namely, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, validity assessment, and test-retest reliability, constituted the newlinefirst phase. The development of the tool started with the generation of a pool of items followed by item analysis. The exploratory factor analysis extracted four factors and the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four factors namely individual, organizational, educational, and bridging newlinefactors. The structural equation modelling corroborated that the scale excellently fits in the four-factor correlated model and indexed receptivity to change as the sum of the four factors. The final 28-item Teachers newlineReceptivity to Change Scale showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach s and#945; = .90) and discriminant validity. The validity assessment indicated a moderate correlation between receptivity to change, work motivation, and teacher engagement. The test re-test reliability analysis (Cronbach s and#945; = .88) confirmed the temporal stability of the scale. In the second phase, a sample of 433 secondary school teachers of Kerala, newlineresponded to the standardised questionnaires namely Teachers Receptivity to Change Scale, Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale, newlineand Engaged Teachers Scale. The study also assessed the influence of demographic characteristics such as gender, type of institution, age, subject taught, and years of experience using the Mann-Whitney U-test, newlineand Kruskal-Wallis test. -
Relationship beetween competencies and performance of management teachers of B-school in Bengaluru city
The concept of competency mapping is an established practice in the corporate world for ages. It has been successful in contributing for performance management. The study was aimed to find out whether newlinesimilar efforts can be made in management education. Researcher aimed to develop a competency mapping tool and to study the relationship between competencies and performance of B School faculty members in newlinethe city of Bengaluru. As an outcome of the study a competencymapping tool was developed with five key competency clusters namely Teaching Learning, Assessment Evaluation, Research Publication, Student Development and Administration Coordination. The heads of departments were also part of the study to suggest the desired level of competency levels. Faculty members were asked to rate newlinethe existing level of competencies which they feel they possess. Later the gaps were identified between existing and desired level of competencies in all clusters. Significant differences were found in the assistant professor level with respect to research and publication competency where in Heads newlineof departments expectations were more than the actual level of perceptions. In most other category faculty perception was higher than the Heads perception about competency levels. In case of associate professor newlineand professor category, the overall expected competency level was higher than the faculty perception hence making a strong case of competency gap. While analysing the relationship between competencies and newlineperformance Teaching Learning competencies had the highest relation with overall dimensions followed by Assessment Evaluation newlinecompetencies Study also aimed at exploring the relationship between demographic factors and competencies. Significant difference in the perception did not exist in the gender but in the significant difference was newlineexisting in experience, type of B-Schools belongs to and Courses taught. -
Relationship Between Industry-Associated Value Premium and Firm Risk Charaterstics on Stock Returns : Evidence From Indian Stock Market
The body of academic literature consistently debates that firms with low PB (price to book) outperform firms with high PB characteristics. This study examines whether the academic literature-promised value premium has any industry association in the Indian equity market and tests the existence of other anomalies: size, investment, profitability, and R&D, in explaining the cross-sectional variability of stock returns. The study considers all BSE-listed firms actively trading between 1999-2021, using time-series, multivariate, and cross-sectional models on each industry-level portfolio. Results indicated that a significant value premium exists in 18 out of 21 industry groups. Both industry and firm-level value premiums are identified; however, the firm-level premium seems more prominent. The value premium is most substantial in small-cap value stocks of value-and-growth-oriented industries, large-cap value stocks of value-oriented industry groups, then small-cap growth stocks of value-and growth-oriented industries and large-cap growth stocks of value- and growth-oriented industries. Interestingly, the sub-period analysis revealed variation in the value premium, indicating that the industry-associated value premium has been relatively low in the current decade. It is due to decreasing tendencies in industry returns and increasing PB in industries. The study explores R&D premium and compares existing factor premiums. Results showed that India's annualized average R&D premium is significantly higher than the current value, profitability, size, and investment premiums, particularly for highly R&D intensive firms. To check the robustness of the findings, the study used the multivariate GRS (Gibbons Ross Shanken) test and the regression models. It confirmed that size and value premiums are the most prominent determinants of industry-level equity returns. The profitability and investment premiums also influence industries' returns. Investors who seek to allocate assets within and across industries are likely to have predictable and stable returns. -
Representation of moral crisis and social order across cultures An analysis of three texts goldings lord of the flies camus s the plague and U R Ananthamurthy s samskara
The growth of human civilization has always been accompanied by unexpected turns and twists caused by individuals and communities exhibiting inexplicable behavior. For every effort of greatness, there has been an equal amount of meanness and debauchery making the humankind more and more inscrutable. Human beings have defied all definitions about themselves and still go about with a perplexing image of both noble and brutal. They create a social order to ensure a newlinecohesive existence but end up breaking it, unable to face the moral crisis caused by the extreme turn of events. This study attempts to see the staging of human recovery from such situations through the fictional narratives of three writers belonging to three cultures and the crises faced by those societies, through a study of The Plague (1947 ) by the French writer, Albert Camus (1913 -1960 ), Lord of the Flies (1954) by the English writer, William Golding (1911 1993) newlineand Samskara (1965) by the Indian writer, U. R. Ananthamurthy (1932 - newline2014). newlineNo society or culture has escaped the throes of crisis be it moral, social, political or otherwise. The crisis that may be surmountable in one culture may shake the foundation of another. Of all the crises prevalent in society, one of the major causes for concern in the eyes of the participants newlineof the New Dialogue is moral crisis . Studies undertaken across the globe have thrown up the alarming fact that this is a crisis which could jolt the social order with its amoral way of thinking. America s moral integrity has been eroded by an anything goes culture abetted by the moral permissiveness of contemporary liberalism. The concern that the waning of tradition is giving way to moral confusion and anarchy is shared the world over including China and India despite their strong traditions. The reasons could be aplenty-ranging from the outbreak of wars, outbreak of epidemics and even crumbling of societies under the burden of orthodoxy of religion and caste. -
Research Competence of University Teachers in Relation to Organisational Ethos and Research Culture
The standards of research depend on the maintenance and coordination of research activities that are conducted by the universities. The flexibility in ordinance and statutes empowers the universities to frame the guidelines that empower the research competence of the teachers. However, newlinethe existing framework is not adjusted to modern approaches to research competence which creates issues in developing a framework for evaluation for research competence. The objective of the present newlinestudy is to develop and validate a framework for research competence for university teachers. The study measures the relationship between research competence, organisational ethos, and research culture of university teachers. The study used the existing measuring instruments to evaluate newlineorganisational ethos and research culture. Researcher has developed the measurement scale for research competence. The validity and reliability have been done for all the measuring instruments research competence, organisational ethos and research culture. The factor analysis has conducted for newlinethe measuring instrument of research competence. The quantitative data for the study has been taken from the self-reported experience of 451 university teachers. The study found that there was a significant difference in demographic variables such as gender, age, work experience, educational newlinequalification, and subject background with organisational ethos, research culture, and research competence of university teachers. The structural equation model showed the relationship between the components of research competence, organisational ethos, and research culture. The present study can newlineassist policymakers to evaluate the research competence, organisational ethos, and research culture of the university teachers. The study indicates the practical and academic importance of university newlineteachers to enhance research performance. -
Respiratory Motion Prediction of Lung Tumor Using Artificial Intelligence
Managing respiratory motion in radiotherapy for lung cancer presents a formidable and newlinepersistent challenge. The inherent dynamic movement triggered by respiration introduces a notable degree of uncertainty in target delineation, impacting the precision of image-guided radiotherapy. Overlooking the impact of respiratory motion can lead to the emergence of artifacts in images during image acquisition, resulting in inaccuracies in tissue delineation. Moreover, the motion between treatment fractions can induce blurriness in the dose distribution within the treatment process, thereby introducing geometric and dosimetric uncertainties. Additionally, inter-fraction motion can result in the displacement of the distribution of administered doses. Given these complexities, the precise prediction of tumor motion holds the utmost importance in newlineelevating the quality of treatment administration and minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues neighboring the pertinent organ during radiotherapy. Nonetheless, achieving the desired level of precision in dose administration remains a formidable task due to the inherent variations in internal patient anatomy across varying time scales and magnitudes. While notable advancements have been witnessed in radiotherapy, attributed to innovations like image guidance tools, which have streamlined treatments, the challenge of accommodating lung tumor motion remains critical, particularly in cases related to newlineradiotherapeutic intervention. Substantial limitations endure despite integrating respiratory-gated techniques in radiation oncology to manage lung tumor motion. Moreover, lung cancer prognosis remains low, irrespective of the recent advancements in radiotherapy. The practice of expanding newlinetreatment margins from the Clinical Treatment Volume (CTV) to encompass the Planning newlineTreatment Volume (PTV) has been adopted as a strategy to amplify treatment outcomes. newlineHowever, this strategy necessitates a trade-off, as it inevitably exposes larger volumes of healthy tissues to radiation. -
Rights based approaches to poverty reduction and development reality versus rhetoric
Over the past two decades erudite understanding of poverty has generated an overlapping consensus on what poverty entails. It is now almost universally accepted that poverty is multi-dimensional, and is a human rights violation that arises mainly from structural inequalities. The search for a holy grail of its reduction has seen widespread deployment of Rights-based newlineapproaches (RBAs), fronted by NGOs, since the turn of the century. In spite of this, coupled with a marked increase in development resources, poverty is proving to be robustly sustainable. The study determined the appropriateness and effectiveness of RBAs newlineas a guiding framework for sustainable poverty reduction and development. This entailed an assessment of the practical impact of RBAs and implementation of RBA strategies as well as identification of key variables necessary for successful rights-based development. As a descriptive survey, the study was underpinned by the pragmatism research philosophy, and employed a mixed methods approach with a concurrent embedded strategy that was largely qualitative but embedding a quantitative strand. Data were collected through interviews, observations and focus group discussions. In all 98 newlineparticipants from 25 villages and 9 organisations were directly studied newline(excluding observations) and were selected using probability and nonprobability sampling methods. Data were analysed using the thematic approach and SPSS. The results of the study highlighted that poverty which had increased during the period covered by the study, is still largely defined from the basic needs and income perspectives, and attributed to individual deficiencies. newlineUnderstanding of RBAs is weak and orientation on RBAs to staff and partners was inadequate. While the quality of development programs improved under RBAs, the quantity and distribution of development outputs and outcomes did not improve. -
Risk and Return Analysis of Socially Responsible Equity Investment for Optimum Portfolio
The sustainable development goals of industry, innovation and infrastructure aims at building sustainability by paving way for socially responsible investing. Socially responsible investing identifies investment newlineavenues that considers social and environmental responsibilities along with newlinefinancial return. The question of risk and return relationship and whether socially responsible investment outperforms conventional investment has been keen area of interest to empirically drive investors in order to establish an optimal portfolio for socially responsible equity investments. The aim of the study is identifying Equity investments which are Socially Responsible newlinefrom listed Equity investments in India, to examine whether socially responsible equity investments outperformed conventional equity newlineinvestments, to assess the equity investments performance which are socially responsible and equity investments which are conventional across different sectors based on the risk adjustment metrics for establishing an Optimal Equity portfolio which are Socially responsible with Sharpe Index newlineOptimization Model. The study identified socially responsible companies which adhered to sustainability reporting and disclosures of ESG from the total companies listed newlinein BSE and NSE as on 31.12.2021. Annual average return rate, standard deviation, beta and different risk adjustment metrics for evaluating the performance of equity investments which are socially responsible and the equity investments which are conventional was utilized by the study. The newlinesample period of the research between lies between 2012 to 2022. Correlation analysis as well as t-test have been performed using E-views software. Socially responsible equity companies showed significant strong positive newlinerelationship of risk and return than conventional companies. Commodities, Health care, Industrials, Information Technology and Telecommunication sectors outperformed conventional companies of similar sector.