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Opto-electric property relationship in phosphorus embedded nanocarbon
Graphene, due to its zero band gap, has an excellent combination of the important features such as ballistic transport, tensile strength and chemical tuning, which are practically hindered in opto-electric applications. The precursors used in the production of nanocarbon are relatively costlier; however, that their production processes include difficulties is a harder problem. It is possible to control the size, structure and properties of the produced nanocarbon matrix by tuning sp2 domains in the matrix. In this respect, the coal, being a potential candidate for the synthesis of nanocarbon which holds promising applications, has attracted remarkable interest. The nanocarbon structure reported in this paper was synthesized from bituminous coal and then phosphorus atoms were added into the produced structure in order to obtain resultant composite structure, whose structural properties were illustrated here in detail by using the X-ray, IR and UVVisible spectroscopy techniques. A systematical analysis of the optical and electrical properties of the produced composite has revealed that a composite structure to be produced in the ratio 1:2 of nanocarbon + phosphorus has better optical and electrical properties. We report here that the composite produced in this study from nanocarbon by adding phosphorous atoms shows unique photoluminescent property in particular due to the dominance of quantum confinement and oxygen functionalities. The observed increase in the dielectric strength, which results from interfacial polarization and its frequency independent nature, is desirable for the fields such as supercapacitor, sensor, stealth applications etc. 2018 The Authors -
Antibacterial performance of GOAg nanocomposite prepared via ecologically safe protocols
Control and extinction of the rising problem of antimicrobial resistance makes a multidisciplinary approach for the advancement of novel disinfectant agents imperative. Although graphene-based nanomaterials display high bacterial toxicity, their cytotoxicity to mammalian cells is found to be very low. Herein, a simple green approach for the synthesis of graphene oxidesilver composite using Syzgium cumini (Indian black plum) fruit extract was reported. Physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities of the composite were subsequently studied comparing with silver nanoparticles and pure graphene oxide. We demonstrate the influence of precursor materials in dictating the antibacterial properties of nanosystems. The antibacterial study conducted on selected gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria reveals that composite is more effective against gram-negative bacteria. The microbicidal activity of composite against bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli, was higher than the control drug cephalexin (CE control). Test compounds against L929 cell lines by MTT assay reveal the low cytotoxicity of samples. From the statistical analysis, it is inferred that the cell viability is dependent on the concentration. Fruit extract-based graphenesilver composite could be an excellent environment-friendly replacement for harsh disinfectants. 2020, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. -
Effect of a novel sintering technique: hot coining on microstructure and mechanical properties of MWCNT reinforced Al metal matrix nanocomposite
Fabrication of MWCNT-reinforced nanocomposites with uniform distribution is still remaining as a challenge. Even for researchers who achieved uniform distribution in powder, boundary agglomerations are observed after sintering. Hot coining (HC) a novel technique for bulk sampling can achieve uniform distribution during sintering. Several mechanical testing and characterisation methods are applied closely to explore the mechanical properties and structural features of the hot coined AA2219-MWCNT composites. Hot coining results in significant improvement of mechanical properties when reinforced with 0.75wt.% MWCNT shows 38.8 % (Rockwell hardness), 106% (UTS), 183 % (impact strength) and 76% (radial crushing strength). But retardation in mechanical properties was observed above 0.75wt. %. During HC particle rearrangement and pushing of MWCNT towards particle boundary is not taking place as in other conventional and advanced sintering technology. The fracture surface of HC tensile specimen shows uniform dispersion and MWCNT alignment in the matrix. The fracture surface shows the mixed mode of fracture (ductile-brittle), and ductility is found to be decreasing with increased MWCNT concentration. 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. -
Risk Behavior Among Emerging Adults: The Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), Perceived Family and Interpersonal Environment
Background: Evidence demonstrates that ambiance provided during childhood and the interactions of children with different social agents during childhood have an impact on their adult behaviour. Objective: The current research tries to explore the role of adverse childhood experiences and perceived family and interpersonal interactions in their resultant adult risk behaviour. Method: Around 613 emerging adults (1824 years; Male 343 and Female 270) from the northern districts of Kerala, India took part in the study. The participants were selected using multistage sampling techniques. A Semi-structured Questionnaire was used to understand the perceived family and interpersonal environment. In addition, a checklist (adopted from the risk behaviour scale and youth risk behaviour survey) was also employed. The checklist assisted to understand the presence of actual risk behaviours. Results: Hierarchical Logistic Regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that 87.2 % of the participants were engaged in at least one type of risk behaviour. Socio-demographic variables (gender and family type) and items of perceived family and interpersonal relationships and adverse childhood experiences were found to be significant predictors of emerging adult risk behaviour. Conclusion: The results further highlight the significance of childhood experiences and the current family environment of emerging adults in understanding their behaviour, and in designing evidence-based intervention program for emerging adults. 2023 The Author(s). -
An improved compocasting technique for uniformly dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotube in AA2219 Alloy Melt
Technology transfer for economic bulk production is the greatest challenge of the era. Production of high strength lightweight materials with nanocarbon reinforcement has attained its importance among the researchers. Property enhancement with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforcement is reported by all researchers. But effective utilization of its property remains a challenge even though it is the strongest material in the world. Achieving homogeneous dispersion especially in molten metal is a complex task. To address the same, a new approach was tried which could trigger de-bundling and make a uniform dispersion. Various metallurgical and mechanical characterizations were done. Grain refinement and the structure were studied with an optical microscope, MWCNT dispersion and structural damage was studied using field emission scanning microscope, Phase change and reactions during casting was done with XRD scan. The method remarkably facilitated 23.7% and 69.75% improvement in hardness and ultimate compressive strength respectively with the addition of MWCNT. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade. -
Securing grayscale image using improved Arnold transform and ElGamal encryption
The security of sensitive data is critical, and it opens up a wide area of research to find efficient and effective methods to prevent unauthorized access. Our study provides a secure framework for sending visual information over an untrusted channel, such as a social networking site. The proposed framework is a combination of scrambling and encryption techniques. Initially, a hybrid block-wise and pixel-wise scrambling approach is administered to the grayscale image, followed by the Arnold transform, which causes all pixel points to move within the image. Finally, to improve the efficiency of the diffusion process, the asymmetric encryption ElGamal algorithm has been mastered. Peak-signal-To-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index metric (SSIM), number of pixels change rate (NPCR), and unified average changing intensity (UACI) are the metrics utilized to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed scheme. The efficiency of the suggested scheme validates the low-Average PSNR value of <9 dB and the SSIM average value of <0.01 for the encrypted images. The NPCR and UACI values achieved in our study are above the threshold values of 99.6% and 33.33%, respectively, exhibiting the strength of the proposed framework. 2022 SPIE and IS&T. -
Impulse noise recuperation from grayscale and medical images using supervised curve fitting linear regression and mean filter
Acquisition of images from electronic devices or Transmission of the image through any medium will cause an additional commotion. This study aims to investigate a framework for eliminating impulse noise from grayscale and medical images by utilizing linear regression and a mean filter. Linear regression is a supervised machine learning algorithm that computes the value of a dependent variable based on an independent variable. The value of the recuperating pixel is measured using a curve-fitting, direction-based linear regression approach or applying a mean filter to the noise-free pixels. The efficiency of the proposed technique experiments with benchmark test images and the images of the USC-SIPI and TESTIMAGES data sets. Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index metrics (SSIM) are determined to prove the performance of the proposed method. The results, when compared with the seven recent state-of-the-art techniques, show the superiority of the proposed method in terms of visual quality and accuracy. The proposed model achieves an average PSNR value of 65.21dB and an SSIM value of 0.999 for the reconstruction of medical images, proving its accuracy and efficiency. The impulse noise restoration process helps the radiologist get a clear visual clarity of the medical image for diagnosis purposes. 2022 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. -
A novel image compression method using wavelet coefficients and Huffman coding
Compressing medical images to reduce their size while maintaining their clinical and diagnostic information is crucial. Because medical images can be large and demand a lot of storage and transmission capacity, effective compression methods aid medical institutions in better storing and transmitting medical images, reducing costs, speeding up data transfer, and simplifying managing image databases. However, it is essential to note that image compression in medical imaging can also introduce drawbacks, such as loss of information and poor output image quality. Therefore, a suitable compression algorithm and parameter must be chosen to balance file size and visual fidelity. This paper suggests an effective image compression method employing the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), followed by a reduction operation and Huffman coding to produce a mere lossless encoding to transmit the images over a channel. The extracted DWT coefficients are mapped to the nearest integral value. All four sub-bands of DWT are joined, and then a window of 3 3 is selected for reduction operation by choosing the origin as the pivot element. The Huffman coding algorithm is used to compress the processed image. The pivot origin element is used in the reversible reduction while uncompressing the image. When sending compressed data across an unreliable route, the window size and pivot element selection keep the compressed data secure. Standard measures such as bits per pixel (BPP) and compression ratio (CR) are used to assess the suggested approach. The efficiency of the suggested course of action is supported by the research's findings, which use a peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of 54.66 dB. 2023 The Authors -
An optimized method for mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori (Bombycidae:Lepidoptera) sex classification using TLBPSGA-RFEXGBoost
Silkworm seed production is vital for silk farming, requiring precise breeding techniques to optimize yields. In silkworm seed production, precise sex classification is crucial for optimizing breeding and boosting silk yields. A non-destructive approach for sex classification addresses these challenges, offering an efficient alternative that enhances both yield and environmental responsibility. Southern India is a hub for mulberry silk and cocoon farming, with the high-yielding double-hybrid varieties FC1 (foundation cross 1) and FC2 (foundation cross 2) being popular. Traditional methods of silkworm pupae sex classification involve manual sorting by experts, necessitating the cutting of cocoons a practice with a high risk of damaging the cocoon and affecting yield. To address this issue, this study introduces an accelerated histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) feature extraction technique that is enhanced by block-level dimensionality reduction. This non-destructive method allows for efficient and accurate silkworm pupae classification. The modified HOG features are then fused with weight features and processed through a machine learning classification model that incorporates recursive feature elimination (RFE). Performance evaluation shows that an RFE-hybridized XGBoost model attained the highest classification accuracy, achieving 97.2% for FC1 and 97.1% for FC2. The model further optimized with a novel teaching learning-based population selection genetic algorithm (TLBPSGA) achieved a remarkable accuracy of 98.5% for FC1 and 98.2% for FC2. These findings have far-reaching implications for improving both the ecological sustainability and economic efficiency of silkworm seed production. 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. -
Nondestructive and cost-effective silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) cocoon sex classification using machine learning
Sericulture is the process of cultivating silkworm cocoons for the production of silks. The quality silk production requires quality seed production which in turn requires accurate classification of male and female pupa in grainage centers. The challenges in the current methods of silkworm cocoon sex classification using manual observation lie in the time-consuming nature of the process, potential human error, and difficulties in accurately discerning subtle morphological differences between male and female cocoons. FC1 and FC2 single hybrid variety breed pupa are commonly used in south India for the production of high yielding double hybrid bivoltine silkworm seeds. In this study, 1579 FC1 and 1669 FC2 variety samples were used for the classification process. To overcome the challenges of present physical observation by expert employees, camera images of FC1 and FC2 cocoons were used in this study for sex classification. The proposed model used Histogram Oriented Gradient (HOG) feature descriptor of cocoon samples. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was applied on the feature vector to reduce the dimension and this feature matrix was given to the classical machine learning algorithms support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), and gaussian nae bayes for classification with stratified 10-fold cross validation. The results showed that for FC1 data HOG + LDA + Nae Bayes performed better with a mean accuracy of 95.3% and for FC2 data HOG + LDA + KNN attained a mean accuracy of 96.2%. Our results suggest that this camera imaging method can be used efficiently in the classification based on the cocoon size and shape of different breeds. African Association of Insect Scientists 2024. -
Non-destructive silkworm pupa gender classification with X-ray images using ensemble learning
Sericulture is the process of cultivating silkworms for the production of silk. High-quality production of silk without mixing with low quality is a great challenge faced in the silk production centers. One of the possibilities to overcome this issue is by separating male and female cocoons before extracting silk fibers from the cocoons as male cocoon silk fibers are finer than females. This study proposes a method for the classification of male and female cocoons with the help of X-ray images without destructing the cocoon. The study used popular single hybrid varieties FC1 and FC2 mulberry silkworm cocoons. The shape features of the pupa are considered for the classification process and were obtained without cutting the cocoon. A novel point interpolation method is used for the computation of the width and height of the cocoon. Different dimensionality reduction methods are employed to enhance the performance of the model. The preprocessed features are fed to the powerful ensemble learning method AdaBoost and used logistic regression as the base learner. This model attained a mean accuracy of 96.3% for FC1 and FC2 in cross-validation and 95.3% in FC1 and 95.1% in FC2 for external validation. 2022 The Authors -
Suitability of natural rubber latex and waste foundry sand in cement concrete
Suitability of Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) as an additive and Waste Foundry Sand (WFS) as partial replacement to river sand, in cement concrete was investigated. Experimental study was performed with concrete mixtures containing 1% latex to water ratio, along with 5% and 10% replacement of river sand by WFS. Properties of concrete were studied in both fresh and hardened state. The results of laboratory tests indicate that WFS and NRL reduces the workability of concrete. Slight reduction in splitting tensile strength was observed for mixtures containing NRL and WFS, in comparison to conventional mix. No specific trend was observed for flexural strength at 7 days, but at 28 days the difference was within 3%, when compared to conventional mix. Strength development for mixtures containing NRL and WFS was slightly lower than conventional mix. The limited results of this study show that concrete containing NRL and WFS do have potential for use as non-structural concrete. -
Young adults default intention: influence of behavioral factors in determining housing and real estate loan repayment in India
Purpose: The primary purpose of this paper is to determine the role of behavioral characteristics of young adults on housing and real estate loan default intentions. The behavioral factors considered in this study are financial literacy, materialism, emotions, indebtedness and risk perception. Design/methodology/approach: The sample frame comprises of young clients who have taken house loans and work in Indias metropolitan cities. These cities provide a higher quality of life, more employment possibilities and cheaper living costs. A systematic questionnaire was used, which was divided into six components. A total of 352 valid responses were collected and analyzed through a structural equation model. Findings: The findings suggest that financial literacy, materialism and risk perception have a considerable impact on loan default intention among young adults. The results also ascertained that emotion and indebtedness do not have a considerable impact on loan default intention among young adults. Research limitations/implications: The scope of this study is limited to Indias metropolitan cities. Future studies can examine comparative examinations of young adults working in the public and private sectors and those working in different cities across India. Practical implications: This paper contributes to a better understanding of behavioral variables which may lead to the creation of preventive measures for young defaulters. The findings of this study will help financial institutions to improve their credit-offering models. Originality/value: To the best of the authors knowledge, this study is the first to determine the role of behavioral attributes of young adults on housing and real estate loan default intentions in India. This work will be executable to all the stakeholders of the housing and real estate industry altogether. 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Brand Love for Sports Apparels Among Indians: A Triangular Theory of Love Perspective
This study aims to evaluate the concept of brand love among the Indians in sports apparel industry. Drawing on Sternbergs (1986) triangular theory of love, we propose a three-dimensional brand love model. We further discuss the interrelationship between these variables and provide a theoretical model for explaining the concept using sports apparels. Then, this theoretical model is tested using empirical research undertaken among 327 respondents. These exploratory results indicated that the concept of brand love in India is similar to that of interpersonal love, contradicting the earlier finding in the field of brand love. These contradicting findings were attributed to the cultural differences between Eastern and Western cultures, especially in the field of extended self (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). These findings create the possibility for future research into brand love via the triangular theory of love to understand how the changes in the perceptions of self influence the brand love. 2022 Management Development Institute. -
The Effect of Celebrity Trustworthiness on Endorsement Effectiveness: A Comparison of Congruence and Hybrid Model
The research evaluates the effect of celebrity trustworthiness in creating effective endorsements. The previous research in the field has suggested two competing theories in explaining the influence of celebrity trustworthiness on endorsement effectiveness. This study tries to incorporate this theory for developing a comprehensive model for explaining the effectiveness of celebrity trustworthiness. The article opted cross-validation methodology for evaluating the models. The study selected two advertisements based on a pretest conducted in MG University. The highly recalled female celebrity advertisement formed calibration stage and highly recalled male celebrity advertisement formed validation stage. The calibration stage of the study had 386 respondents and validation stage had 378 respondents. Path analysis, chi-square analysis for model difference and critical ratio analysis for the model difference were employed in the study. The findings of the study suggest that the hybrid model brought statistically significant improvements to the congruence model. The study also found that the trustworthiness was the second highest influencer in case of male celebrity whereas in case of female celebrity, attitude towards brand was second highest influencer. Further the chi-square analysis of group difference showed no significant difference in model among male and female celebrity confirming the robustness of the model. 2019 Management Development Institute. -
Usefulness of Augmented Reality on Product Selection: An Experimental Study
Augmented Reality (AR) has brought a revolution in the business world. Most literature in augmented reality is concentrated on the acceptance, responses, and user-friendliness of AR applications. However, it fails to evaluate the ability of AR applications to aid the customer in product selection. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to fill this gap in the literature by conducting an experimental study to evaluate the furniture selection enabled by AR application. The respondents for the study were grouped into two (experimental and control groups) and were asked to design a room. The respondents in the experimental group were asked to design a room by providing an AR application, and the control group was asked to design a room without an AR application. These designs were evaluated by 15 professionals on five parameters- harmony, volume, design, colour scheme and positioning. The ratings given by these professionals were analysed using a t-test. From the analysis, it was concluded that according to the interior designers' opinion, the AR application proves to be helpful to the customers in creating better room designs. These findings indicate that AR application increases customer ability to select appropriate furniture for designing their homes. Based on these findings, it can be suggested that the AR applications can be used in the furniture selection process for a better choice of furniture. 2022 SCMS Group of Educational Institutions. All rights reserved. -
Effect of Ethnocentrism and Attitude Towards Foreign Brands in Purchase Decision
Ethnocentrism refers to the intense preference for domestic products or a moral obligation to buy domestic products. With an extraordinary amount and variety of foreign goods and services now being made available to the Indian market, the level of competition faced by domestic companies has tremendously increased. This forms the need for domestic marketers to understand how the ethnocentrism and attitude of consumers towards foreign brands influence their purchase decision. In order to appeal to the Indian market better, many companies have started using patriotic advertising to evoke patriotic and nationalistic emotions among consumers. One such industry that utilizes such patriotic strategies is the automobile industry. The main objective of the study is to understand the effect that ethnocentrism and attitude towards foreign brands have on consumers purchase of automobiles. To measure the same, a survey consisting of a self-administered questionnaire with a sample size of 108 was conducted. For data analysis purpose, exploratory factor analysis, CART technique and regression analysis have been used in the study. CART technique has been used to develop a model keeping ethnocentrism and attitude as the base. The results of the study show that attitude has turned out to be dominant over ethnocentrism and has a significant role to play in persuading consumers to buy cars of an Indian or a foreign brand. The findings also show that ethnocentrism influences attitude which in turn influences purchase decision. The implications of the study suggest that domestic marketers should imply patriotic advertising in their marketing initiatives and also recommend them to highlight the Made in India tag. The study also suggests foreign marketers operating in the Indian market to focus less on the country-of-origin and focus more on the technicalities of the product because attitude towards foreign brands is a major contributor towards the purchase decision. 2020 Management Development Institute. -
Evaluation of personal development components in counselor education programs in India /
Journal Of Asia Pacific Counseling, Vol: 6, Issue 1, pp.1-20, ISSN: 2233-6710(Print), 2384-2121(Online). -
Enterpreneurial orientation and the management grid: A roadmap for the enterpreneurial journey /
Asian Journal Of Management, Vol.7, Issue 4, ISSN: 0976-495X (Print), 2321-5763 (Online). -
Impact of Improved Corporate Governance and Regulations on Earnings Management PracticesAnalysis of 7 Industries from the Indian National Stock Exchange
This study investigates discretionary earnings management practices, tracing the changes over the years in selected top performing and highly liquid listed Indian firms. It empirically measures the impact of corporate governance, financial legislation and global reporting standards on the firms earnings management practices. The study analyses a sample of 712 firm-year data comprising 89 listed Indian companies across 7 different sectoral indices of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) over 8 years (20112018). The Modified Jones model was used to compute Discretionary Accruals to measure Earnings Management based on data obtained using Bloomberg terminals. Statistical results and plots generated in Stata offer evidence that instances of earnings management have significantly reduced after the enactment of the Companies Act 2013 and the adoption of Indian Accounting standards which are converged with the IFRS. Findings suggest that services firms are engaging in relatively higher levels of earnings management compared to manufacturing firms. This study reveals the positive impact of improved corporate governance, regulation, and enforcement by significantly reducing the levels of earnings management among listed firms in India. 2021 by the authors.