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Development and effectiveness of a screening measure and a computerized cognitive remediation program for children with reading and arithmetic difficulties
Reading and arithmetic skills are considered as the foundation skills necessary for educational and vocational success. Research has outlined the important role of specific cognitive functions for efficient reading, comprehension of text and arithmetic processes. Learning difficulties have been shown to have a tremendous impact on later life, both in academics and social relationships. It therefore becomes imperative that we identify, as early as possible, children ‘at risk’ for learning difficulties and attempt to assess the relevant cognitive skills and plan and execute intervention programs to improve the efficacy of these cognitive skills. This present study has attempted to do this, keeping the Right to Intervention (RTI) model as the rationale and has focussed on designing an assessment tool along with a remediation program based on the cognitive viewpoint. -
Purchase intention of deconstructed end-of-lifecycle Fashion products in an outline 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 business, 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 retailer can easily do without. At the retailers’ end, such merchandise is often 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 are 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. -
Determinants of consumer product return behaviour with respect to online shopping of apparels
This research aims at finding the determinants of consumer product return behavior with respect to online shopping of apparel in Bangalore city. The study was administered to 600 respondents, and the response received was from 465respondents. The convenience sampling method was used to collect samples across Bangalore city. Product return behavior was measured using a five-point Likert scale for 34 items. -
Academic leader behaviour, influence tactics in relation to organisational commitment and work engagement of faculty in higher educational institutions
The importance of academic leader behaviour and influence tactics needs to be overemphasized, as these are the most essential components of practically every educational institution. A clear understanding of educational institution requires a thorough analysis of academic leader behaviour and influence tactics as main features. Academic leaders regularly acquire and use power. They do so deliberately and consciously as well as intuitively and unconsciously. Leadership and power do differ in goal compatibility, direction of influence on one’s subordinates and research emphasis. This study attempts to reduce drastically these differences and focus on the positives of influence tactics and leadership processes to be exercised by higher authorities for enhancing institutional effectiveness. -
Role of project management methodologies in achieving project success and business value creation in financial services IT provides
Increasingly, project-based organizations, have been implementing
project management methodology for specific projects based on the dynamic environment. Financial services face challenges in the form of unstable market conditions, economies and technology, strict controls, and higher stress to meet customer demands and maximize profits. They are compelled to provide services that are tailored to changing customer interests as a result of technological innovations and developments. Financial services especially information technology-based businesses find it difficult to sustain considering the dynamic behavior of the market in terms of efficiency and controlling the cost based on market changes. Moreover, financial services are also constrained to manage stakeholders while maintaining flexibility and responsive processes and focusing on technological advancement to improve success in projects. Many IT initiatives fail to provide the desired outcomes as per the project budgets, project types, and project contexts. Some are also unable to deliver business value to the customers due to the adoption of an unsuitable project management methodology. Regardless of the wide variety of choices, project managers often fail to decide on available alternatives. Project managers tend to tailor projects based on criteria that may not be associated with the overall project objectives rationally. The goal of this research work is to assess the role of hybrid and agile project management approaches in achieving success and creating business value considering project contexts for financial services IT projects. -
Duplex functionally graded and multilayered thermal barrier coatings based on 8% yttria stabilized zirconia and pyrochlores
Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) protect gas turbine engine metal components while they serve in a high temperature environment (upto 1200℃). 8% YttriaStabilized Zirconia (8YSZ) is the current state of the art material for TBCs. Typically, 250 to 500 μm (upto 2 mm) thick TBCs can lower the metal temperature by upto 150°C than the service temperature and thereby enhance life to the components. 8YSZ TBCs however, suffer from (a) increased sinterability, (b) phase de-stabilization and (c) poor adhesion with time in service at high temperature. In order to facilitate longer engine running time, research is being directed towards finding (i) newer materials that do not possess these deficiencies or (ii) configurations that can overcome them. In order to further improve the performance efficiency of the engines, TBC materials with extended thermal fatigue life at higher than current service temperatures (>1100℃) are also being actively investigated. In the same area of research, this thesis presents the findings of work on air plasma sprayed (i) duplex, (ii) functionally graded and (iii) multilayered configurations of TBCs synthesized from commercial 8YSZ and lab synthesized pyrochlore (lanthanum zirconate, lanthanum cerate and lanthanum cerium zirconate) compositions with NiCrAlY bond coat.
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A study on partial domination in graphs
The theory of domination is one of the most studied fields in graph theory. Many new domination parameters have been defined and studied so far. One such parameter that was introduced in 2017 is partial domination number. For a graph G = (V,E) and for a p ∈ (0,1], a subset S of V(G) is said to partially dominate or p-dominate G if |N[S]| ≥ p|V(G)|. The cardinality of a smallest p-dominating set is called the p-domination number and it is denoted by γp(G). In scenarios wherein domination concepts are applied, partial domination concepts can also be applied with the added advantage of being able to dominate the underlying graph partially, when the need arises. This advantage makes this parameter appear unique amongst most other domination parameters. We present some basic properties of partial dominating sets, some properties related to particular values of p, some properties related to the eccentricity of a p-dominating set, some results in the line of classical domination and characterization of minimal and minimum p-dominating sets. Then we study partial domination in the context of prisms of graphs. We give some bounds for partial domination numbers of prisms of graphs G in terms of partial domination numbers of G for particular values of p. We define universal γp-fixers and universal γp-doublers and we characterize paths, cycles and complete bipartite graphs which are universal γ 1 2 - fixers and universal γ 1 2 - doublers. Then we concentrate on establishing a domination chain in the context of partial
domination, which we call as ‘partial domination chain’. -
Studies on color energy and its variations in graphs
This thesis consists of studies on color energy and its variations in graphs. Apart from the exploration of color energy corresponding to various coloring schemes, the notion of P-energy as a generalization of color energy has been introduced. The computation of color energy and P-energy of graphs has been carried out using Python programs, while the general results are derived using research methods and proof techniques in linear algebra. The bounds of color energy for a graph G have been established in terms of several graph parameters such as chromatic number χ(G), domination number γ(G), maximum degree ∆(G) etc. It has been found out that the color energy of a graph G is greater than or equal to 1 n γ(G) p 2(m+m′ c ). Further, the bounds of color energy of a graph G in terms of extreme eigenvalues of color matrix of G have been obtained. -
Pain detection system in real time healthcare environment
The negative feeling of pain is often involuntarily expressed through facial expressions. Facial expression therefore is an important non-verbal cue to determine if a person is in pain. This property can be applied for diagnosis of pain especially among patients who are differently challenged and lack the ability of expressing their issue. In spite of the developments made so far, this field still lags behind in finding pain expressing faces in an uncontrolled environment through unprocessed real time images and videos. To bridge this gap, the study proposed a
hybrid or fusion model that could adequately detect a face expressing pain. The model was executed with inputs taken from pre-recorded or stored videos and live streamed videos. It involved the combination of Patch Based Model (PBM), Constrained Local Model (CLM), and Active Appearance Model (AAM) in concurrence with image algebra. -
Morphology of interstellar medium using multi-wavelength observations
The interstellar medium (ISM) is the matter that exists between the stars in a galactic system. The structure and composition of a galaxy can be understood by a study of the ISM. Our Galaxy is the only place where the observations of the ISM can be resolved and studied in great detail. There are various archived observations from space-based and ground-based telescopes spanning a large region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Combining these different observations with one another will help to study the ISM on a large scale. -
Foreign policy of China under Deng Xiaoping and its contemporary relevance
Political leadership plays an important role in foreign policy decision making in general. Studying leadership traits, styles, beliefs and world view is one of the common methods to comprehend political leaders and their influence on foreign policy. When it comes to authoritarian countries like China, its foreign policy decision making has several layers of which political leaders play all the more crucial role. Irrespective of the period – Imperial, Nationalist or Communist – the political leaders of China are guided by its history, philosophy and the then existing domestic and global circumstances, in formulating and implementing the country’s foreign policy. -
Predictive analytics for cardiac arrhythmia using machine intelligence
Myocardial Infarction (MI) is the primary cause of death worldwide. MI occurs when a plaque buildup in the inner surface of the coronary artery suddenly ruptures and prevents the blood flow. A heart attack is medically termed as MI. It is the irreversible damage caused by the prolonged ischemia. Ischemia is nothing but the heart organ doesn’t get enough blood and oxygen which is also termed as coronary artery disease or coronary
heart disease. The heart gets damaged if it has not received enough blood or oxygen. In connection to the damage of the heart, arrhythmia would occur. Arrhythmia is the problem based on the heart rhythm or rate of the heartbeat. Tachycardia, when there is a fast beat in the heart. Bradycardia, when the heart beats too slow. The common type of arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation. The great concern is that the patient who has arrhythmia has to be treated immediately. They lose consciousness in a few minutes when the heart is not pumping enough blood mainly to the brain. Death occurs when the patient is not given emergency treatment. -
Investigating structure and spectral energy distribution of galaxies using UVIT and multi-wavelength archival data
Observational astronomy and studies of galaxy formation and evolution made dramatic advances in the past few years. This thesis deals with the multi-wavelength investigation of the different aspects of galaxy formation and evolution. The work focuses on the star formation properties of late-type spiral galaxy NGC 2336, and the properties of unresolved galaxies and of resolved early-type galaxies using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting method. The first part of this thesis deals with the studies on the characteristics of in orbit performance of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on-board AstroSat . AstroSat is the first Indian multi-wavelength mission and was launched on 28 September 2015 into a low Earth orbit. The UVIT instrument on AstroSat provides a unique opportunity to study the ultraviolet (UV) sky simultaneously in three channels, covering the wavelength range 1300–1800 Å (FUV), 1800–3000 Å (NUV) and 3200–5300 Å (VIS). Characterizing the in-flight properties of the instrument is a prerequisite to obtain scientifically accurate and self consistent results from the scientific programs running on it. -
Indian catholic priests' identity, relational autonomy and attachment to god: A narrative analysis
A thematic narrative analysis was carried to explore the 28 South Indian Roman Catholic religious priests’ identity, relational autonomy and attachment to God. Fourteen participants were selected from the structured priestly ministry settings namely education ministry and, another 14 participants from the semi-structured priestly ministry settings namely parish and priestly formation ministry settings. The qualitative data collected through the interviews were analyzed through the narrative thematic analysis method. The thematic narrative analysis found five major themes, influence on the priestly identity, value-oriented life, purpose in life, priestly celibacy and challenges in the priestly ministry and 46 subthemes for the participants’ priestly identity narratives. For relational autonomy, the study found five major themes, impactful childhood, the influence of priestly formation, interpersonal relationships, relationship with the person in authority and decision making and 42 subthemes. For attachment God, it found six major themes, God as an attachment figure, seeking and maintaining proximity to God, God as a haven of safety, God as a secure base, perceiving God as stronger and wiser, and individual differences in attachment to God, and 24 sub-themes. The study results revealed strong support for the correspondence pathway, as the majority of the participants had narratives of correspondence between the attachment to their parents and their attachment to God. It also found evidence for the theme of compensation in three participants’ narratives. -
Impact on economic activities by adoption of international financial reporting standards by Indian companies
The importance of international accounting practice studies has grown over the past few years in order to meet economic agent demands and to facilitate international business practices. It is essential to understand that international accounting convergence is an important topic for capital market regulators, investors, markets, governments and all others who deal with financial information of public companies. This brings out the importance of accounting as being an essential fiscal tool for various economic agents. The merit of international accounting convergence lies in its ability to minimize negative effects resulting from diversity of accounting practices in different countries (Cordeiro et al. 2007). In such a scenario, the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for listed companies in many countries around the world is viewed as one of the most significant regulatory changes in accounting history (Daske et al. 2008). -
Impact of corporate social responsibility on consumers' purchase intent with reference to information technology professionals in Bengaluru
Today market participants' choice behaviour has multiple objectives. Consumers through their purchase choices attempt to achieve both materialistic improvement and social betterment resulting in a phenomenon called Consumer Social Responsibility (CnSR). However there is very limited research on how consumers can impact corporate social responsibility (CSR) through their buying behaviour. This study seeks to explore whether consumers' awarenes of CSR affects their purchase intent and if their knowledge of CSR situations would induce them to pay premium for such a product. -
Effectiveness of family centered psychosocial intervention programme for primary caregivers of the children with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is one of the multiple disabilities affecting 2 to 2.5 per thousand new born babies in India. It usually affects both individual and families. Though care giving is a normal part of being the parent of a child, caring a child with special needs takes on an entirely different life perspective when a child with disabilities, and especially one with multiple disabilities like cerebral palsy which have an effect on long- term dependence. -
Study of three-dimensional mapping of interstellar extinction in milky way galaxy
It is very difficult to model the three-dimensional distribution of interstellar matter (ISM) in our Galaxy because of the general lack of distance information. One of the few ways to probe the distance of the interstellar gas and dust is through absorption line measurements (in the case of gas) or through extinction (in the case of the dust), but these have been limited to a relatively small number of directions. -
Tribal population and skill development programme: A study of Idukki district in Kerala
India is a country which has people of different cultures, religions, traditions, languages, castes and creed. In the democratic country of India, tribal people are one of the groups keeping their own culture and tradition that needs to be emphasized. The significant characteristics of the tribes are primitive traits, geographic isolation, distinct culture, shyness of contact and economically backwardness. By and large, tribes are living in different geo-climatic and ecological conditions covering from forest and plains to hills and the area lack accessibility. Though they are considered as the marginalized or most vulnerable population in India, their way of life and tradition, culture is to be preserved and they should be brought into the mainstream of society. In order to uplift the tribal community to be a part of the mainstream of society, the development of their skills is very essential. Skill development is the driving force for the transformation and development of an economy. The Government of India has taken several steps and launched many skill development schemes along with other welfare schemes for the betterment of the mainstream as well as the tribal communities in India. -
Investigations on plasma sprayed yttria stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings on Al-11Si
6-8% Yttria Stabilized Zirconia, (Y2O3-ZrO2), typically known as 8YPSZ, Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) when applied via Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) finds wide application in aerospace engineering. TBCs, applied on aero turbine super-alloy blades protect them from the high operating temperature environment and permit reduction in the required amount of cooling air, thereby improve engine performance and efficiency / component life. Likewise, 8YPSZ TBCs are widely used in larger components of the power generation turbines as well. In addition to aerospace, TBCs also find applications in automobiles and many other engineering fields where high temperature and protection to metals is involved. Though a good amount of published literature is available on the 8YPSZ TBCs on super alloys (high temperatures alloys used in jet engines), the same on TBCs on Al-11Si alloys (frequently used in automotive components) is very limited; even though the potential of this alloy in the automobile industry is enormous.