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Molecular phylogenetics and character evolution in Haplanthodes (Acanthaceae), an endemic genus from peninsular India
Haplanthodes (Acanthaceae) is an Indian endemic genus with four species. It is closely related to Andrographis which is also mainly distributed in India. Haplanthodes differs from Andrographis by the presence of cladodes in the inflorescences, subactinomorphic flowers, stamens included within the corolla tube, pouched stamens and oblate pollen grains. To understand the phylogenetic relationship of Haplanthodes, Andrographis and Haplanthus, which are putatively closely related taxa, we used four plastid markers, matK, rbcL, psbA-trnH and trnGRto construct a molecular phylogeny. Our results established the monophyly of Haplanthodes and revealed a sister relationship to Andrographis and Haplanthus. Further, to understand the historical biogeography of the genus, we inferred the divergence time and performed an ancestral area reconstruction. Our analyses suggest that Haplanthodes evolved during Late Miocene 5.85 Ma (95%HPD: 2.1810.34 Ma) in peninsular India where it might have shared a common ancestor with Andrographis. To understand character evolution, the ancestral states of important morphological characters were inferred and discussed based on the equal rate model. The generic status of Haplanthus was not resolved due to incomplete sampling. 2022 Nordic Society Oikos. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. -
An Assessment of Farmers' Perception and Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change
In the past decades, various regions in U.P. had experienced severe floods. The effects of climate change also affected agricultural production. This study investigated the farmers' perception of climate change and suggested strategies for mitigating its effects using a primary survey with the help of a pre-structured schedule. Change in rainfall pattern, problems in seed quality, the emergence of new pests and diseases, changes in the crop cycle were the few effects that farmers' perceived due to climate change. Even the most mitigation efforts by the farmers cannot prevent some of the impacts of climate change within the following decades. It makes adaptation a must-have for addressing these impacts. 2022, The Society of Economics and Development. All rights reserved. -
Influence of Business Analytics Usage on Operational Efficiency of Information Technology Infrastructure Management
Organizations today depend and thrive on timely, accurate and strategically relevant information. Business analytics (BA) holds the key to many of these issues. This paper validates a model on how the usage of BA leads to operational efficiency. We identified the factors of basic analytical usage from the Business Capacity Maturity Model (BCMM). The scope of the study is restricted to the Information Technology Infrastructure and Application management domain. A survey was conducted among the managers of the IT companies in Bengaluru, India. The results showed a significant influence of data-oriented culture and BA tools and infrastructure on BA usage. We found a significant influence of BA usage and pervasive use on operational efficiency. The speed to insight is still not practised in organizations. The awareness level of analytical skills in organizations is very low. 2022, Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems. All Rights Reserved. -
Relevance of Symbols in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist
Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho is known for his tales that inspire readers to overcome conflicts and move toward the 'ultimate truth'. The popularity of such inspirational writings (both fictional and non-fictional) in the new age has given rise to a new literature style. Coelho's fiction, though inspirational, describes journeys that are physical and psychological at the same time. Symbols guide him in his journeys, forming a significant part of the novels. While these novels are said to appear inspirational for depressed souls with a profound philosophical and spiritual dilemma, the study of symbols found in these novels appears significant. This research aims to read closely the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and evaluate the symbols in it. The research shall attribute the commonly accepted meanings to the symbols and assess the impact of such 'accepted' meanings on the same novel through Peirce's model of semiotic analysis. 2022 Aesthetics Media Services. All rights reserved. -
Multi-Criteria Usability Evaluation of mHealth Applications on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Two Hybrid MCDM Models: CODAS-FAHP and MOORA-FAHP
People use mHealth applications to help manage and keep track of their health conditions more effectively. With the increase of mHealth applications, it has become more difficult to choose the best applications that are user-friendly and provide user satisfaction. The best techniques for any decision-making challenge are multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies. However, traditional MCDM methods cannot provide accurate results in complex situations. Currently, researchers are focusing on the use of hybrid MCDM methods to provide accurate decisions for complex problems. Thus, the authors in this paper proposed two hybrid MCDM methods, CODAS-FAHP and MOORA-FAHP, to assess the usability of the five most familiar mHealth applications that focus on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), based on ten criteria. The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) is applied for efficient weight estimation by removing the vagueness and ambiguity of expert judgment. The CODAS and MOORA MCDM methods are used to rank the mHealth applications, depending on the usability parameter, and to select the best application. The resulting analysis shows that the ranking from both hybrid models is sufficiently consistent. To assess the proposed frameworks stability and validity, a sensitivity analysis was performed. It showed that the result is consistent with the proposed hybrid model. 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. -
Detection of picric acid in industrial effluents using multifunctional green fluorescent B/N-carbon quantum dots
Carbon quantum dots have recently gained widespread attention due to their excellent physicochemical features. The rapid escalation in the dumping of hazardous chemicals into water, spurred demand for developing efficient and selective sensors for toxic chemicals. Herein, we have developed a novel fluorescence sensor for picric acid which is a major pollutant in industrial effluents. The new strategy exploits the development of a fluorescence sensor based on N-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) followed by boron functionalization. The N-CQDs were synthesized in a rapid single-step microwave technique by employing L-serine and citric acid. Subsequent boron functionalization of N-CQDs was carried out using boric acid for the synthesis of Boron-nitrogen carbon quantum dots (B/N-CQDs). The B/N-CQDs were found to exhibit high quantum yield (24%), good water solubility, outstanding photostability features, and bright green fluorescence under UV light. The morphology of B/N-CQDs is spherical, with scattered particle sizes ranging from 2 to 8 nanometers. Furthermore, B/N-CQDs were found to be an effective fluorescence probe for the selective and sensitive detection of picric acid, with a good linear range of 37 nM-30 M and a detection limit of 1.8 nM. The Photoluminescence (PL) intensity of B/N-CQDs was selectively quenched by picric acid. The quenching mechanism was conclusively established using fluorescence lifetime decay studies. Moreover, the synthesized B/N-CQDs was successfully employed for the analysis of picric acid from industrial effluents and cell imaging with Hela cells to showcase the utility of the developed fluorescent probe. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
ALLEVIATING DATA STORAGE CHALLENGE THROUGH VIRTUALIZATION OF BLOCKCHAIN EMBEDDED WITH INTERNET OF THINGS
Internet of things is evolving day by day with connected devices with continuous advancement in the devices but the security of IoT is not assured due to its trusted third party with centralized servers. Blockchain is a peer-to-peer network, where each peer is responsible for their task without centralized server, and no need to trust anyone in the network. Blockchain is integrated with IoT to improve their security, because of its feature of tamper-proof. Few issues are happening while integrating blockchain to IoT. The main issue that has to be resolved for a blockchain is the storage issue. Whenever the blockchain is evolving the storage of the blockchain is also increasing. IoT peers in the network have to store the entire blockchain to perform the verification of data and the IoT nodes are not having the capability to store the entire data. In this paper, we are discussing the storage issue of blockchain while integrating it into IoT. We proposed a navel approach to resolve the issues of storage by the virtualization technique. The result shows that virtualization reduces the storage capacity for the IoT peers as compared with the previously proposed methods. 2022, Engg Journals Publications. All rights reserved. -
The impact of eco-innovation ongreen buying behaviour: the moderating effect of emotional loyalty and generation
Purpose: This study intends to contribute to the literature of eco-innovation by examining the pro-environmental intentions and behaviour among consumers through their understanding of eco-innovation. Thus, the relationship among eco-innovation, general pro-social attitude, generativity, environmental concern, purchasing intentions and buying environmentally friendly products and the differences of the relationship between high and low emotional loyalty and Generation Y and Z were investigated via structural equation modelling (SEM). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through an online questionnaire directed to Indian consumers, and analysis was done through partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in two stages, i.e. measurement model and structural model. Findings: Results confirm the relationships established in the proposed model, and some differences were found between the levels of emotional loyalty and the Generations Y and Z. The research shows that individualistic norms and perceived marketplace influence play a purposeful role in transforming environmental concerns into buying behaviour towards eco-innovation-driven products. Practical implications: From a policy and management perspective, the results not only imply the importance of continuous performance and environmental improvement but also those policies hindering diffusion and adoption need to be addressed. Green buying is an elusive task but can be opportunely attained by marketers by adding elements of eco-innovations and understanding mindsets of consumers to create winwin situations for themselves and consumers. Originality/value: The results reinforced that emotional loyalty and Generations Y and Z vitally impact consumers' green buying decision within the framework of eco-innovation and cognitive factors. 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
A collaborative application of design thinking and Taguchi approach in restaurant service design for food wellbeing
Purpose: Innovative restaurant service designs impart food wellbeing to diners. This research comprehends customer aspirations and concerns in a restaurant-dining experience to develop a service design that enhances the dining experience using the design thinking approach and evaluates its efficiency using the Taguchi method of robust design. Design/methodology/approach: The sequential incidence technique defines diners' needs, which, followed by brainstorming sessions, helped create multiple service designs with important attributes. Prototype narration, as a scenario, acted as the stimulus for evaluators to respond to the WHO-5 wellbeing index scale. Scenario-based Taguchi experiment with nine foodservice attributes in two levels and the wellbeing score as the response variable helped identify levels of critical factors that develop better FWB. Findings: The study identified the best combination of factors and their preferred levels to maximize FWB in a restaurant. Food serving hygiene, followed by information about cuisine specification, and food movement in the restaurant, were important to FWB. The experiment revealed that hygiene perceptions are critical to FWB, and service designs have a significant role in it. Consumers prefer detailed information about the ingredients and recipe of the food they eat; being confident that there will be no unacceptable ingredients added to the food inspires their FWB. Research limitations/implications: Theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on design thinking and transformative service research, especially in the food industry. Practical implications: This paper details a simple method to identify and evaluate important factors that optimize FWB in a restaurant. The proposed methodology will help service designers and technology experts devise settings that consider customer priorities and contribute to their experience. Originality/value: This study helps to understand the application of design thinking and the Taguchi approach for creating robust service designs that optimize FWB. 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
Theoretical and experimental validation of thermal and heat transfer performance of novel ethylene glycol - Cr2AlC nanofluids
Synthesizing stable nanofluids with favourable thermal properties that can cater to practical applications is a challenge over the past few years. This paper presents the preparation and analyzes the thermal efficiency of the novel nanofluid prepared by the suspension of nanocrystalline Cr2AlC MAX phase powder in ethylene glycol (EG). Incorporation of h-BN, MoS2, Al2O3, and Cr2AlC showed a thermal conductivity enhancement at 303 K when compared to EG. Accurate experimental models for the thermal conductivity and the viscosity of EG + Cr2AlC nanofluids are estimated. The theoretical analysis of the flow profiles of EG + Cr2AlC/Al2O3/MoS2/h-BN nanofluids is carried out with Blasius and Sakiadis flow models. The Cr2AlC MAX phase possesses both ceramic and metal properties that help these nanofluids to show high heat transfer performance. The results show that 0.50 wt% EG + Cr2AlC nanofluid displays maximum improvement in heat transfer performance. There is a substantial rise in the thermal conductivity when both temperature and weight fraction increase. The simulated flow of the nanofluid past a plate indicated superior heat transfer and thermal profiles for the EG + Cr2AlC nanofluids. For the flow past a moving plate, the nanofluid possesses less skin friction at the plate, which is favourable for various practical applications. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
The importance of servicescapes in Maldivian higher education: application of the stimuli-organism-response(SOR) framework
Purpose: This study aims to use the servicescape model of higher education environments to measure the students perceptions of the learning environment (classroom) and the effect this has on students learning ability. Design/methodology/approach: The present study follows the stimulus-organism-response paradigm framework. A self-administered and well-structured survey questionnaire is used to collect data. The snowball sampling technique is used to collect samples of 403 students belonging to Maldivian higher education institutions. Findings: Findings show that the physical appearances of these higher education institutions greatly influenced the pleasure dimension. Furthermore, pleasure is found to have a significant and positive relationship with the approach behaviour and engagement/involvement of the students. Originality/value: The main contribution of the study is that it successfully tests the Eduscape model adopted from the servicescape model, and thus helps to extend existing knowledge on the critical elements in the Maldivian higher education learning environments and students behaviour within them. The findings have implications for higher education institutions to improve their learning environments and better engage with their students. 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited. -
A facile and economic electrochemical sensor for methylmalonic acid: A potential biomarker for vitamin B12 deficiency
A facile and cost-effective method based on a modified pencil graphite electrode (PGE) has been developed for the sensing of methylmalonic acid (MMA). The electrode (Ag-PEDOT/PGE) was designed by the electrodeposition of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on carbon fibre paper (CFP) coated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other electroanalytical techniques were used to characterize the modified electrodes. The fabricated sensor showcased a wide linear dynamic range (0.50 pM-55 nM) and a low detection limit (0.16 pM). A sharp increase in anodic peak current shows the excellent rate of electron transfer arising from Ag-PEDOT and PGE. The developed electrode was effectively utilized towards electrochemical MMA determination in urine and human blood serum samples. The results obtained certainly indicate that the sensor has high selectivity, ensures rapid detection, is reproducible, and has high stability towards the quantification of MMA in real samples. This journal is The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. -
Studies on Tensile Properties of Graphene Hydroxyl Reinforced Aluminium 6061 Composites for Vehicle Structures Applications
Aluminium composite plays a significant role in the mechanical structures. Low tensile strength of the aluminium alloy limits its application in mechanical structures. Graphene hydroxyl (GrOH) is a noble emerging material which is an allotropic form of carbon. It has high cohesive strength, good bonding ability with other materials. Carbon bonds processes high compatibility when it reinforced with other material. Reinforcement of GrOH with aluminium composites enhances the wear strength of composite material. This paper focused on analysis of tensile properties and percentage elongation of aluminium composites reinforced with GrOH with various weight percentage (wt. %). The characteristics of aluminium composites, particularly related to its tensile properties are very much important for its use in vehicle structures applications. 2022. MechAero Foundation for Technical Research & Education Excellence. -
PA1 cells containing a truncated DNA polymerase ? protein are more sensitive to gamma radiation
Purpose: DNA polymerase ? (Pol?) acts in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Mutations in DNA polymerase ? (Pol?) are associated with different cancers. A variant of Pol? with a 97 amino acid de-letion (Pol??), in heterozygous conditions with wild-type Pol?, was identified in sporadic ovarian tumor samples. This study aims to evaluate the gamma radiation sensitivity of Pol?? for possible target therapy in ovarian cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: Pol?? cDNA was cloned in a GFP vector and transfected in PA1 cells. Stable cells (PA1Pol??) were treated with60Co sourced gamma-ray (015 Gy) to investigate their radiation sensitivity. The affinity of Pol?? with DNA evaluated by DNA protein in silico docking experiments. Results: The result showed a statistically significant (p < 0.05) higher sensitivity towards radiation at different doses (015 Gy) and time-point (4872 hours) for PA1Pol?? cells in comparison with nor-mal PA1 cells. Ten Gy of gamma radiation was found to be the optimal dose. Significantly more PA-1Pol?? cells were killed at this dose than PA1 cells after 48 hours of treatment via an apoptotic pathway. The in silico docking experiments revealed that Pol?? has more substantial binding potential towards the dsDNA than wild-type Pol?, suggesting a possible failure of BER pathway that results in cell death. Conclusion: Our study showed that the PA1Pol?? cells were more susceptible than PA1 cells to gamma radiation. In the future, the potentiality of ionizing radiation to treat this type of cancer will be checked in animal models. 2022 The Korean Society for Radiation Oncology. -
Divine Consulting Services: A Sinking Ship or Back to Land Safely?
[No abstract available] -
An Efficient Routing Strategy for Energy Management in Wireless Sensor Network Using Hybrid Routing Protocols
In these days, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) shows a huge impact on all appliances but one of the huge challenges in WSN is management of energy because the nodes in the network run with battery power. As the replacement of energy drained nodes is difficult, and frequent failure of links may occur and it incurs huge data loss. To avoid this issue the we proposed a Hybrid Krill Herd and Spider Monkey with Grid-Based Data Dissemination (HKHSM-GBDD) protocol with the Shortest Energy Resourceful Routing (SERR) mechanism to develop an efficient and better wireless communication channel. The presented HKHSM framework is utilized to classify malicious and energy drained nodes in earlier stage and to detect the link failure. Furthermore, the SERR mechanism is processed to recover the link and route maintenance. This novel proposed protocol has improved packet delivery ratio and energy consumption. It also enhances energy state of sensor nodes by mounting its lifetime and rerouting. Finally, the competence of the proposed mechanism is compared with existing works and it shows significant improvement over existing algorithms for the considered parameters. 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. -
Exploring the Plausibility of Pre-Purchase Decision Process in User Acceptance of Smart Wearable Technology Devices
The market for smart wearable technology products is growing rapidly. Although wearable technology is still in its early stages, a longer-term outlook is required. This study inspected the existence of consumers pre-purchase stage for smart wearable technology devices. It further analyzed the factors that influenced customers decisions in the pre-purchase phase. The methodology adopted was quantitative, using which 240 users of smart wearables were given a structured questionnaire to fill up. The Smart PLS 3.0 software was used for structural equation modeling and path analysis. The results indicated that customers go through a pre-purchase decision journey. Their decisions are influenced by individual characteristics, product description, information source utility, data usefulness, trust, visibility of the product, and demonstrability. Together, these factors resulted in the customers successful transition from the pre-purchase stage to the purchase decision stage. 2022, Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.. All rights reserved. -
Evaluation of test methods for fracture resistance of high modulus asphalt binders from rheological and mechanical perspectives
High modulus asphalt binder (HMAB) has excellent rutting resistance but it might have premature cracking concerns due to its high stiffness. In this study, the intermediate temperature fracture performance of six HMABs was evaluated from a rheological and mechanical standpoint. The linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test, Glover-Rowe (G-R) parameter, and pure linear amplitude sweep (PLAS) test were employed for the rheological characterization, while the binder fracture energy (BFE) test and the double-edge notched tensile (DENT) test were implemented to investigate mechanical performance. The results show that HMABs have lower cracking resistance than conventional asphalt binders, and this was due to the insufficient ductility of their internal polymer networks. Of the five test methods, the PLAS, BFE, and DENT tests are highly recommended for evaluating the cracking resistance of HMABs at intermediate temperatures. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Zagreb Radio Indices and Coindices
Zagreb radio index or coindex of a graph is defined based on the optimal radio labelling of the graph, where optimal refers to the labeling with a span equal to the radio number of the graph. We have defined the first and second Zagreb radio coindex, third Zagreb radio index, and coindex and calculated its value for some famous graphs. Furthermore, we established a certain relationship between Zagreb radio indices and the coindices of graphs. 2021 by the authors. -
Humanising History through Graphic Narratives: Exploring Stories of Home and Displacement from the North-East of India
Literature from the North-East has responded to national, global and local issues, including questions on immigration and ethnic violence. They have resisted the colonial framework of representation and have invoked a sense of cultural and ethnic particularity (Sarma, 2013). This literature has adopted a multilingual register to respond to 1) patriarchal and 2) ethnonationalist discourses that have a forced and overbearing presence in the everyday lives of people and their stories. These writings evoke an ethno-critical approach that engages otherness and difference in such a way as to provoke an interrogation of and a challenge to our familiar realms of experience and is consistent with a recognition and legitimation of heterogeneity (Sarma, 2013). Select stories from First Hand (Volume II, 2018) - The Lonely Courtyard (2018), My Name is Jahanara (2018), and A Market Story (2019) by Kumdo Yumnam provide the heterogeneity that is characteristic of the works of literature emerging from the North-East, thereby resisting the homogeneity often indicative of the term 'North-East'. The analysis will explore how the selected texts negotiate textuality and visuality in a specific manner to present an archive of everyday life that humanises history. 2022 Aesthetics Media Services. All rights reserved.