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Ag Ions Versus Ag Nanoparticle-Embedded Glass for Antimicrobial Activity Under Light
Incorporating silver nanoparticles (NPs) into a host material has been recognized to limit the release of Ag+ ions, yet their efficacy in neutralizing nearby microorganisms remains uncertain. This study aims to compare the toxicity of Ag+ ions versus the plasmonic effect of Ag NPs within a glass matrix, assessing their respective killing efficiency and mechanisms against microorganisms. To achieve this objective, a simple ion exchange technique was employed to embed glass with silver ions, nanoclusters (NCs), or NPs, which was confirmed by UVVis-NIR spectrometer, photoluminescence (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biocidal action of these Ag species on model Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria was investigated in the absence and presence of visible light. The findings revealed that in the absence of light, plasmonic Ag NPs were less toxic to E. coli compared to Ag+ ions due to the predominant release of Ag+ ions dictating the antibacterial effect. However, exposure to visible light triggered the plasmonic effect in Ag NPs to disintegrate 100% E. coli in 1h compared to Ag+ ions (68%) owing to the localized heating around the Ag NPs, facilitated by surface plasmon resonance relaxation. The cell morphology investigated by Bio-AFM assisted in unraveling the mechanism leading to bacterial cell damage. Overall, this study demonstrates the sustained disinfection capability of Ag NPs embedded in glass without significant leaching, emphasizing their potential in prolonged antimicrobial applications. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024. -
Agency and self expression: Fan writing as life writing
Fans, fandoms and fan activities have been part of every culture from time immemorial. Homers epics, Platos work all could be considered in a broad sense as belonging to the larger domain of fan activity or fan art as they are termed in modern day parlance. This paper examines India Forums a digital fan community based in India for audiences and fans of Indian television soaps/serials and attempts to understand how fanfiction and fan activities within this forum acts as means of self-expression and enable its fans to develop a sense of agency that is indigenous to the space in itself. This community is predominantly populated by women or gender anonymous and function as a space that allow fans to construct their own voices, identities and thereby agency, which is most often restricted to that space alone. The fans though not subaltern, in the technical sense of the term, as they belong to the urban space, have access to a computer and can read, write and speak English although not fluently, are still urban middle-class women who have been spoken for and never spoken themselves; and India Forums enable these unheard voices to be heard. This reading analyses the dynamics of this agential space, the politics of this agency and argues that all fan writing within this space functions as life writing within a hypertextual metaconversational paradigm which is not necessarily reflective of traditional forms of life writing using notions of revisionist Freudian psychoanalysis and paradigms of life writing. AesthetixMS 2021. This Open Access article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License -
AGGRESSION AS A PREDICTOR OF GENERAL WELL-BEING AMONG PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS
Social atrocities and discrimination make sanitary workers vulnerable to aggression which in turn disrupts their well-being. The issues concerning the psychological health of sanitary workers have been addressed less by researchers. The present study aimed to assess the level of aggression and general well-being among sanitary workers. An aggression questionnaire, consisting of four dimensions, namely physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility was used. The PGI general well-being measure and personal profile sheet consisting of socio-demographic details was given to 150 sanitary workers who were selected through purposive sampling method. The dimensions of aggression- anger and hostility were negatively correlated with the general well-being of the participants. Amongst the four dimensions of aggression, anger is found to be the predictor of general well-being. 2022 Australasian College of Health Service Management. All right reserved. -
Aggression Behaviour and Physical Fitness of National Handball Girls Players
Aggression is one of the significant types of feeling and emotion, which is exceptionally fundamental for sports execution. It is ordinarily propelled conduct at any rate for that specific purpose of time in the genuine play, which drives a player brimming with his energies towards his point. 150 School National Handball female players aged 14-17 years who were concentrated in higher optional schools of Andhra Pradesh Rural and Urban were haphazardly chosen as subjects. An aggression scale is used to contemplate the degree of aggression in any age gathering (over 14 years). The scale comprises 55 articulations. It is a Likert type 5-guide scale toward locating the aggressive conduct among Handball players. The premise of the discoveries is that the shooters have phenomenal aggression conduct than the all-rounders and defenders and shooters have more physical fitness than the all-rounders and defenders. In the examination, the Shooter would have a more aggressive inclination and physical fitness when contrasted with all-rounders and defenders. It is very different on the grounds that the Shooter alone for example independently will confront the adversary gathering of players because of body contact and the battle for greatness will lead the shooter to more aggressive than others. 2022 by authors, all rights reserved. -
Agile HR-Based Employee Management Practices for Improving Hospital Service Delivery
The effective management of the human resources of a hospital is essential for the delivery of high-quality healthcare services, a task that has become incredibly challenging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The efficient management of employees is a top priority in healthcare organisations, which is why human resources (HR) plays a pivotal role in their functioning. It includes strategies for improving employee engagement, productivity, motivation, adaptability to change, welfare, and overall health in addition to traditional HR concerns. As part of this process, conducive working conditions must be created, talent management practices must be implemented, and flexibility must be provided to meet the evolving needs of healthcare professionals. The adoption of Agile HR practices is gaining momentum among hospitals in response to the dynamic challenges they face. In the Agile approach, the development cycle of 'Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA)' enables real-time responsiveness. Through a qualitative research design with in-depth interviews conducted through purposive sampling, this study explores the implementation of Agile HR practices in hospitals located in Kerala and Karnataka. The research presents a novel human resources operating model, termed the 'Agile HR Model,' which advocates the integration of Agile principles into the management of healthcare employees. A key objective of this model is to enhance hospital service delivery by embracing agility and adaptability. The study provides HR managers and healthcare professionals with insights into enhancing the delivery of healthcare services. 2024, Iquz Galaxy Publisher. All rights reserved. -
Aging Bodies and Necropower: A Critical Study of Geronticide in Tamil Films K.D. and Thalaikoothal
This paper analyzes the act of thalaikoothal, performed on ill and infirm older people in the southern part of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with reference to two Tamil films, K.D. (2019) and Thalaikoothal (2023), which portray the horrors of the practice. A kind of involuntary euthanasia, the ritual continues to have covert social acceptance as exemplified in the films, favoring the common stereotype that marks aging bodies as unproductive and unworthy of living. Therefore, this article explores the aging bodies in the films as sites of power, controlled by death enforced through Thalaikoothal, employing Mbembes concept of necropower. It also examines the effects of the practice on the elderly, who are compelled to prepare themselves for a forced death. The study further identifies the underlying factors contributing to the prolonged existence of Thalaikoothal even in the present times. 2023, University of Zadar. All rights reserved. -
Aging, sexual intimacy, and challenges in contemporary India: A qualitative study
An individual's life is shaped by age norms practiced in a particular society. In most societies, there is a deadline for every life event. Sexual intimacy is an essential part of every individual. However, sexual intimacy seems appropriate for young individuals, and middle-aged and older are considered asexual. Those who share sexual intimacy at a later age have to face the consequences for this age-inappropriate behavior in society. This study analyses Badhaai Ho film to explore the consequences of sharing sexual intimacy by middle-aged heterosexual couples in their 50s as it is forbidden by prevalent social norms. This study also explores the role of family in dealing with the repercussions of actions against the prescribed social norms. Thematic analysis suggests that society has a predefined age-bound box for individuals with different age categories. The middle-aged couple suffers various consequences for breaking the prescribed age-bound box. The role of the family is found to be crucial in mending the box by replacing it with an updated version. There are also gender differences in attitude toward sexual intimacy. Implications of this study can be utilized to explore the pathway of social change in existing social (age) norms in any society. Copyright 2022 Srivastava and Upadhaya. -
Agricultural credit and agricultural productivity across Indian states: An analysis
The study analyses the relationship between formal agricultural credit and agricultural productivity in India. Secondary data have been collected from various sources for the selected states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for the time period 19901991 to 20172018. Fixed effect model is used to perform the state-level panel data analysis to establish the relationship between the agricultural credit and agricultural productivity. In addition to this, the study also focuses on analysing the effectiveness of Doubling of agricultural credit policy. The findings from the analysis show that direct agricultural credit and doubling of agricultural credit policy has a positive impact on productivity, whereas the indirect credit has a significant negative impact on productivity. In order to increase agricultural productivity, policies should focus on providing direct credit at a larger scale. 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. -
Agricultural waste valorisation Novel Areca catechu L. residue blended with PVA-Chitosan for removal of chromium (VI) from water Characterization, kinetics, and isotherm studies
Arecanut, an industrial crop prevalent in tropical regions such as India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Southeast Asia, generates significant agricultural waste during processing. This study explores a waste-to-wealth approach by incorporating arecanut organic residue into Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) - Chitosan blends via an eco-friendly continuous stirring method to develop an adsorbent film for removing chromium (VI) from water. Morphological analyses confirmed enhanced surface area, porosity, and roughness in the blended films. XRD and FTIR analyses indicated a semi-crystalline nature with a decrease in the characteristic peak intensity of PVA and chitosan, confirming the incorporation of arecanut residue. Optimal conditions identified OR-4 film, using 0.4 g of adsorbent, achieving 88.68 % removal of 173 mg/L chromium (VI) at pH 9.0, within 45 minutes at 40C. SEM images demonstrated significant surface roughness reduction before and after adsorption, confirming chromium adsorption. Kinetic studies revealed a pseudo-second-order model and adsorption isotherms confirmed film surface heterogeneity. This research advances eco-friendly materials for water purification and offers a sustainable solution for managing agricultural residues. 2024 Elsevier B.V. -
Agriculture 4.0 and smart farming: Imperatives of scaling up innovation and farmer capabilities for sustainable business
Smart agriculture adoption during industry 4.0 is creating new scenarios to farmers across the world. Smart farming promotes not only an increase in the agricultural productivity and incomes, but also building resilience to climate change. Small business farmers had to look at all possible means to cope with the technology applications for implementation of agro-transformation agendas for improved production and business performance. Smart farmers have to make use of several technology applications like drones and satellites, IoT (Internet of Things) based sensors, block chain and big data, biotech, farm maintenance technology (optimising water usage, production, and innovation technology) for better agricultural practices. Though such aggrotech opportunities have demonstrated business improvements, how far such smart farming revolution is well received by the agribusiness owners are less researched into. Henceforth, the purpose of this research is to establish the relationship between aggrotech innovation capabilities and farmer's capabilities associated with agriculture firms and its contributions to business performance. Following cross-sectional descriptive study design, and purposive sampling, the study addressed 3 direct and 2 indirect relationships in the model, on 212 farmers. The data was collected from Selangor state of Malaysia. The study applied Smart PLS SEM to analyse the data. The results show that the innovation (technology) capability and farmer's (people) capability have a positive relationship on business performance. The study also shows the partial mediation effect of technology change on innovation capability and business performance as well as employee capability and business performance. The study is novel in its form by applying Resource Based View theory on Smart agriculture, extending possibilities of generalization agriculture sector. 2021 Ecological Society of India. All rights reserved. -
AI Diagnosis: Rise of AI-Powered Assessments in Modern Education Systems
The literature on the limitations on the current archaic education system is limitless, the consequences of which have only been exacerbated in the current lockdown scenario. The timed evaluations have not only failed as an assessment tool during these times but research has shown there are increased rates of using unfair means and proctoring as a result. Not only was the system faulty to begin with, it is failing miserably under current lockdown situations. Simultaneously the current literature keeps positing that since technology has become an integral part of our life already, it would not be long before technology integrates with education and assessments. Taking into consideration the need and potential of an integrative system, this paper aims to explore how artificial intelligence can be effectively introduced into education and improve learning outcomes. The paper performs a Comprehensive Literature Review (CLR), and analyses data based on the framework developed by Onwuegbuzie and Frels (2015). The paper thus reviews literature with the aim to explore current models of AIEd and relevant psychological concepts relating to learning and career outcomes. The evidence is consistence with the rationale for research problem: current AI methodologies in education focus only on delivering learning material, using AI as a means, instead of taking into other factors improving learning and education outcomes. The subsequent literature review on the factors influencing learning outcomes establish that there are two main thematic influences on students learning and behavioral outcomes: inside-school and out of school factors, which have been further implored in context of technological advancements. 2021. Transnational Press London. All Rights Reserved. -
AI enabled applications towards intelligent transportation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a machine to perform cognitive functions like perceiving, reasoning, learning and problem-solving which humans are capable of performing at ease. AI has gained traction since the past two decades across the globe due to availability of huge volume of data generated through Internet. There has been a huge benefit to governments and businesses by processing this data using advanced algorithms in the recent past. The robust growth of machine learning algorithms supported by various technologies like Internet of Things, Robotic Process Automation, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing have enabled the growth of AI. This article is a compilation of various issues plaguing Transport Industry classified under Intelligent Transportation Systems. Some of the sub-systems considered are related to Traffic Management, Public Transport, Safety Management, Manufacturing & Logistics from Intelligent Transportation Systems where AI benefits are put into use. The study takes up specific areas of concern in transport industry and its related issues that have possible solutions using AI. The approach involves a secondary study based on the country-wise data available from various sources. Further, discussions on AI solutions to resolve issues in transport industry across various countries in the globe and in Indian states is taken up. 2021 -
AI-Based Feature Extraction Approaches for Dual Modalities of Autism Spectrum Disorder Neuroimages
High-dimensional data, lower detection accuracy, susceptibility to manual errors, and the requirement of clinical experts are some drawbacks of conventional classification models available for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) detection. To address these challenges and explore the affiliated information from advanced imaging modalities such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in structural MRI (sMRI) and resting state-functional MRI (rs-fMRI), the study applied an Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach. In this context, AI is used to automate the feature extraction process, which is crucial in the interpretation of medical images for diagnosis. The work aims to apply AI-based techniques to extract the features and identify the impact of each feature in the Autism diagnosis. The morphometric features were extracted using sMRI images and rs-fMRI scans were employed to fetch functional connectivity features. Surface-based, region-based, and seed-based analyses are performed for the whole brain, followed by feature selection techniques such as Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) with correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), and graph theory are implemented to extract and distinguish features. The effectiveness of the extracted features was measured as classification accuracy. Support Vector Machine (SVM) with RFE is the best classification model, with 88.67% accuracy for high-dimensional data. SVM is a supervised learning model that outperforms other classification models due to its capability to handle high-dimensional data with a larger feature set. Medical imaging modalities provide detailed insights and visual differences related to various cognitive conditions that must be recognized accurately for efficient diagnosis. The study presented an empirical analysis of various Feature extraction approaches and the significance of the extracted features in high-dimensional data scenarios for Autism classification. 2024 Meenakshi Malviya Chandra J and Nagendra N. This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. -
AI-based online proctoring: a review of the state-of-the-art techniques and open challenges
So far, this pandemic has severely affected the education sector. As education undergoes a brilliant transformation with advancing technology, the digital acquisition of knowledge has yet to find widespread use - virtual exams. Faraway Proctoring offers several advantages of using manual and primarily based technology. Although this allows students to take an exam in any field with specific technical requirements, it eliminates the need for physical research centers. It is cost-effective and easy to plan, which can be challenging to manage, especially during aggressive trials. Finally, the paper discusses the performance characteristics of different styles of web-based inspection systems, along with their limitations and challenges. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023. -
AI-based wavelet and stacked deep learning architecture for detecting coronavirus (COVID-19) from chest X-ray images
A novel coronavirus (COVID-19), belonging to a family of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV-2), was identified in Wuhan city, Hubei, China, in November 2019. The disease had already infected more than 681.529665 million people as of March 13, 2023. Hence, early detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 are essential. For this purpose, radiologists use medical images such as X-ray and computed tomography (CT) images for the diagnosis of COVID-19. It is very difficult for researchers to help radiologists to do automatic diagnoses by using traditional image processing methods. Therefore, a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based deep learning model to detect COVID-19 from chest X-ray images is proposed. The proposed work uses a wavelet and stacked deep learning architecture (ResNet50, VGG19, Xception, and DarkNet19) named WavStaCovNet-19 to detect COVID-19 from chest X-ray images automatically. The proposed work has been tested on two publicly available datasets and achieved an accuracy of 94.24% and 96.10% on 4 classes and 3 classes, respectively. From the experimental results, we believe that the proposed work can surely be useful in the healthcare domain to detect COVID-19 with less time and cost, and with higher accuracy. 2023 Elsevier Ltd -
AI-Based Yolo V4 Intelligent Traffic Light Control System
With the growing number of city vehicles, traffic management is becoming a persistent challenge. Traffic bottlenecks cause significant disturbances in our everyday lives and raise stress levels, negatively impacting the environment by increasing carbon emissions. Due to the population increase, megacities are experiencing severe challenges and significant delays in their day-to-day activities related to transportation. An intelligent traffic management system is required to assess traffic density regularly and take appropriate action. Even though separate lanes are available for various vehicle types, wait times for commuters at traffic signal points are not reduced. The proposed methodology employs artificial intelligence to collect live images from signals to address this issue in the current system. This approach calculates traffic density, utilizing the image processing technique YOLOv4 for effective traffic congestion management. The YOLOv4 algorithm produces better accuracy in the detection of multiple vehicles. Intelligent monitoring technology uses a signal-switching algorithm at signal intersections to coordinate time distribution and alleviate traffic congestion, resulting in shorter vehicle waiting times. 2022 Boppuru Rudra Prathap et al., published by Sciendo. -
AIFMS Autonomous Intelligent Fall Monitoring System for the Elderly Persons
Falls are the major cause of injuries and death of elders who live alone at home. Various research works have provided the best solution to the fall detection approach during the day. However, falls occur more at night due to many factors such as low or zero lighting conditions, intake of medication/drugs, frequent urination due to nocturia disease, and slippery restroom. Based on the required factors, an autonomous monitoring system based on night condition has been proposed through retro-reflective stickers pasted on their upper cloth and infrared cameras installed in the living environment of elders. The developed system uses features such as changes in orientation angle and distance between the retro-reflective stickers to identify the human shape and its characteristics for fall identification. Experimental analysis has also been performed on various events of fall and non-fall activities during the night exclusively in the living environment of the elder, and the system achieves an accuracy of 96.2% and fall detection rate of 92.9%. Copyright 2022, IGI Global. -
Air Quality Index, Personality Traits and Their Impact on the Residential Satisfaction and Quality of Life: An Exploratory Path Analysis Model
The environment directly influences the behaviour, experiences, and also the well-being of people. It is not only the outside environment but the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that also affects the well-being of its residents (Arif et al., 2016). The objective of the present study is to study the relationship between Air Quality Index (AQI), Personality traits, Residential Satisfaction, and quality of life among participants living in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi NCR. A total of 685 residents aged 18-65, living in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi NCR for over 2 years, who responded to the call for participation were selected for the study. Data was collected through online Google forms. Correlation and regression analysis were carried out to understand the strength and direction of the relationship between study variables. SPSS AMOS was used to estimate the measurement model and capture mediation paths. The results present an exploratory model which identifies air quality index and personality traits and their contribution towards the perceptions of residential satisfaction. The study also establishes a link between residential satisfaction and quality of life, the new ecological paradigm, and the dominant social paradigm. The present study highlights the necessity to adopt a pro-environmental approach to improve the quality of life. 2024 - IOS Press. All rights reserved. -
Algorithms for better decision-making: a qualitative study exploring the landscape of robo-advisors in India
Purpose: This paper explores the current state of Robo-advisory services in India. This paper further highlights the problems experienced by the service providers in disseminating the innovative business model among the Indians. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the industry experts by conducting semi-structured interviews. The data collected were transcripted and further analyzed using the content analysis technique. Finally, the authors utilized categorization and coding techniques to frame broad study themes. Findings: The study findings reveal that the three pillars of Robo-advisory are ease and convenience, the time factor and transparency in operations. Robo-advisory services are still at a nascent stage in India. Furthermore, keeping the sentiments of Indians in mind, FinTech companies could combine automated Robo-advisory with a human touch of a wealth manager for optimal advisory services. Research limitations/implications: Since the present study is qualitative, the authors cannot generalize the study results. Future research can focus on empirically proving the constructs of the study using quantitative methods. Practical implications: Robo-advisors have a well-established market in developed nations but are still nascent in developing countries like India. The current focus of service providers and regulatory authorities must be to increase awareness among investors by educating the investors and building trust. Originality/value: The present study is the first to qualitatively synthesize the challenges faced by the FinTech service providers in the Indian market. 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Alkali-activated bricks made with mining waste iron ore tailings
In India, the enormous growth in the housing sector has put tremendous pressure on construction materials such as bricks. Conventional brick production methods include fired bricks and cement blocks. However, conventional methods significantly contribute to environmental carbon emissions and therefore alternative brick production methods have caught the attention of several researchers. Furthermore, the waste generated in various industries can be a useful resource for the construction industry, and in particular, voluminous waste is generated during the beneficiation stage of iron ore concentrate, which can be integrated into the construction industry to achieve sustainable practice. With this quest in mind, this study proposes the utilization of mining waste iron ore tailing (IOT) in alkali-activated bricks. For this purpose, six different brick compositions were synthesized with fly ash, GGBS, and IOT along with Na2SiO3 sol. The raw materials were characterized using various techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and particle size analysis (PSA). Furthermore, a series of standard tests were conducted on the developed bricks to evaluate their strength and durability properties. The developed bricks have presented a maximum compressive strength of 18.45 MPa and minimum water absorption of 12.6%. Besides, the alkali-activated bricks have shown excellent resistance to brick ageing which was attributed to improvement in the microstructure of bricks due to the filling up of voids with products of the polymeric reaction. Finally, it was interesting to notice that with 8% Na2SiO3 as an alkaline activator and with the combination of fly ash and GGBS more than 50% IOT can be utilized to produce good quality bricks at ambient curing conditions. 2022 The Authors