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In the 21st century, global waste challenges worsen in developing nations relying on manual sorting. This improper waste disposal poses significant threats to human health and the environment, necessitating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence-Based Solid Waste Segregation Technology (AIBSWST). In this context, the advanced Frank t-norm captures nuanced relationships in fuzzy logic, crucial in scenarios where fuzzy set order matters. Building on these principles, the complex q-rung picture fuzzy set (Cq-RPFS) becomes instrumental in representing decision-makers preferences in a two-dimensional manner, enhancing the handling of vague information in real-world scenarios. Expanding on these foundational principles, the paper introduces innovative Frank operations grounded in Frank t-norms within the context of Cq-RPFS. Leveraging these operations, the paper proposes four robust aggregation operators (AOs) under Cq-RPFS: complex q-rung picture fuzzy Frank weighted average (Cq-PFFWA), complex q-rung picture fuzzy Frank weighted geometric (Cq-PFFWG), complex q-rung picture fuzzy Frank ordered weighted average (Cq-PFFWOA), and complex q-rung picture fuzzy Frank ordered weighted geometric (Cq-PFFWOG). These AOs exhibit essential properties such as idempotency, monotonicity, and boundedness. A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method based on the proposed AOs is suggested to validate these strategies. A real-life case study on India's adoption of AIBSWST serves as a practical application, with thorough analyses, including sensitivity, comparative, and superiority assessments, evaluating the performance of the approaches. A thoughtful discussion of the pros and cons of the proposed AOs accompanies the analysis, emphasizing the significance of the approach in ensuring the cleanliness and health of developing nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying artificial intelligence in education is relevant to addressing the current educational crises. Many available solutions apply Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to help improve educational outcomes. Therefore, a series of works have been developed integrating techniques in different educational contexts, for instance, in online teaching practices. Given the various studies and the relevance of CNNs for educational applications, this paper presents a systematic literature review to discuss the state-of-the-art. We reviewed 133 papers from the IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and Scopus databases. Based on our revision, we discuss characteristics of studies such as publication venues, educational context, datasets, types of CNNs models, and performance of models. We evidence that the literature regarding CNNs still misses more studies discussing educational problems faced by Global South students, considering both teaching and learning perspectives. Such a population cannot be neglected during experiments due to specific educational weaknesses (for example, basic skills) demanding personalized solutions. • A systematic literature review of 133 published papers. • China covered most publications, followed by India. • There is a research gap regarding using CNNs in some regions of the Global South. • The main educational context with CNN applications is students' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several research evaluating the connection between sustainability and the bottom line of firms, the existing research is inconclusive. In addition, most studies focus on multinational firms based in the United States or Europe, while research in the context of emerging economies is scant. This paper endeavours to investigate the strength of the association between Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure scores and the financial performance of 272 Indian firms listed on National Stock Exchange for the period 2015 to 2021 by employing panel data regression techniques. The results indicate that organisations having better ESG performance outperform their industry peers financially and are valued more by the market. Moreover, the data indicates that financial markets for lenders consider ESG disclosure when determining creditworthiness. In accordance with this, businesses can examine their operations and become more aligned with eco-friendly methods. Even though ESG disclosure appears to be associated with improved financial success, this is not the case across all industries and during COVID-19 pandemic. This study is relevant due to the growing significance of sustainability and the role of emerging nations in international commerce. It helps managers prioritize resource allocations to ESG-related activities that may affect financial performance differently across industry sectors, thus adding to the literature on the financial effects of ESG disclosures, particularly industry-specific aspects. This research represents a pioneering effort by assessing the impact of ESG disclosure on the profitability, market value, and cost of financing of Indian firms using both aggregation and disaggregation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the emerging landscape of Industry 5.0, the integration of innovative technologies such as Cognitive Digital Twins (CDTs) is pivotal for steering industrial processes towards sustainability and inclusivity, particularly in developing nations striving to align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study explores the transformative capabilities of CDTs in Industry 5.0, concentrating on India's quest for inclusive and sustainable industrialization in alignment with SDGs. The inclusion of the TOE-HOT framework enriches the research's analytical foundation, providing a nuanced perspective to investigate the multifaceted dynamics of technology, organization, environment, and human aspects within the sphere of industrial evolution. By employing the Best-Worst Method (BWM), Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM), and MICMAC analysis, the study delves deep into the synergies between industrial strategies, technology, and sustainable development. The findings reveal the paramountcy of the Technological Dimension, emphasizing CDTs strategies like real-time optimization and data analytics, which are instrumental in dynamically adjusting manufacturing processes and fostering alignment with market demands. The research also stresses the roles of various CDTs strategies like strategic alignment, change management, job security, skill augmentation, and environmental compliance in industrial sustainability and inclusivity. The paper concludes with invaluable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, emphasizing the necessity for a holistic, interconnected approach to fully harness the potential of CDTs in realizing the aspirations of Industry 5.0 and contributing to India's sustainable industrial advancement by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous driving is the future of the automotive industry across the globe. Many challenges must be resolved in designing and developing successful Autonomous Driving Systems (ADS), especially in developing countries with poor road infrastructure. Detecting obstacles in lanes is essential for robust ADS to decide whether to change lanes, slow down, or even stop. Developing countries like India present challenges, including poor or no lane line demarcation, poor traffic management, and diverse driving behaviors. That brings many challenges to developing robust lane-keeping or lane-changing decision systems in an ADS. Publicly available driving datasets have an inherent bias towards the road infrastructure of developed countries and hence cannot cater to the needs of the Indian requirements. That makes the existing obstacle-lane segment detection models unsuitable for road infrastructures in developing countries. Due to these factors, the rate of advancement of ADS and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in developing countries is meager compared to other developed countries. This makes it even more critical for future research to focus on these developing countries. This paper proposes a deep-learning-based novel decision-making network named LaneScanNET to assist the ADS in lane-changing or lane-keeping decision-making. The proposed system assists ADS in detecting obstacles, localization of the Ego Vehicle (EGV) on roads, and estimating lane status in its Field of View (FOV). The proposed LaneScanNET uses a parallel pipeline with an Obstacle Detection Network (ODN) and a Lane Detection Network (LDN) to simultaneously process the incoming image frames for detecting obstacles and segmenting lane lines, respectively. Further, the Obstacle-Lane Fusion Network (OLFN) fuses these results to predict the status of the obstacle lane in the FOV of autonomous vehicles. Vellore Institute of Technology's (VIT's) real-time driving dataset on indigenous roads has been collected to train the proposed LaneScanNET with 2464 obstacle-lane images obtained by driving over 60 km. The dataset generated for obstacle detection and its corresponding lane detection has also been made publicly available to promote research work for these developing countries. The proposed system outperforms all existing networks on Indian roads with an accuracy of 75.28% in obstacle detection and 91.36% in lane detection. Additionally, the proposed system can analyze the lane status with an accuracy of 92.54%. The proposed network performs exceptionally well in unforeseen circumstances like shadows, fog, dust, and occlusions making LaneScanNET a robust network that can be an add-on for ADS to make lane-keeping or lane-changing decisions. The LaneScanNET can be integrated into real-time vehicles to assist drivers or ADS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The problem of informal areas is the most significant urban challenge facing third world countries. Most of the urban population has become informal areas dwellers. These areas consume many resources and suffer from bad conditions. Therefore the need arose to transform them into sustainable societies in order to save resources and improve their quality of life. This paper discusses the sustainability as means of achieving quality, efficiency and improvements in informal areas using the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. It also aims at carrying out a comparative analysis of case studies for sustainable upgrading of informal areas in Brazil and India to observe the impact on their dwellers' life after upgrading. Analysis is examined on three levels: economic, social and environmental. Moreover, the comparison and evaluation of results ends with suggestions to be applied on Egyptian informal areas in order to achieve more efficient and sustainable upgraded areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In most developing countries, at the household level, traditional burning of biomass or use of inefficient technologies for domestic applications like lighting is common, triggering concerns related to fuel or technology switching. The paper focuses on opportunities to promote cleaner energy options through development of value chains delivering improved energy efficiency and access in developing countries. We discuss the example of Uttam Urja, a field project involving the dissemination of photovoltaic lighting technologies in rural areas of India. We focus on the challenges of introducing radical innovations into the residential energy sector in developing countries. For the purpose of this paper the Uttam Urja project is conceptualized as an ‘experiment’ and analysed using the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework. The paper emphasizes that to effect socio-technical transitions to clean energy options on the ground, it is desirable to focus on technology customization and innovative financing to cater to the needs and concerns of end users. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Finance has always been considered as one of the important parameter of the growth for any economic activity. The economic growth of a country can be enlarged by using financial inclusion as a bridge that would facilitate fuller participation by weaker sections of the country. Financial inclusion is a system through which a developing country like India can attain inclusive growth by connecting the contribution of weaker or rural population of the country with the main stream. If there is an easy access of weaker section to the financial system of the country, country can move towards higher economic growth. In the available literature, it has been found that one or the other indicator is absent for different reasons. However, since each of the indicator is important for calculating the more comprehensive financial inclusion index. The main objective of this paper is to introduce an index that allows for a general overview of India in terms of financial inclusion. The index is calculated using three dimensions related to the measurement of the levels of access and usage of financial services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observed meteorological data demonstrates that temperature has increased by 0.74 °C in the last hundred years with the bulk of the warming occurring in the last 50 years. This paper examines the impact of climate change on five major crops in the former state of Andhra Pradesh using district level panel data for the period 1981–2010. Analysis of data shows that crop yields are significantly impacted by climate for rice, tobacco and groundnut. Crops grown in rabi are more susceptible to changes in climate than those in kharif, while drought crops like jowar are found to withstand changes in climate better than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade liberalization in the electricity market has become widespread over the past three decades. Emergent electricity markets are still exposed to challenges such as the seasonal effect on demand and respective trade volume; lack of optimum financial instruments; less effective practices to manage operations and risks in the extremely price volatile market. In this backdrop, the paper aims to examine the condition of the dominant nation for electricity consumption, India, where for the establishment of advance seasonal hedging practices hybrid seasonal options can be introduced and the corresponding cost of hedging has been estimated. The entire study is evaluated in the electricity trading market in the mid of 2013−2018. The analysis not only helps in estimating the cost of hedging for electricity spot exposures but also suggests optimum time frame to traders, policymakers and trading institutions where through this application risks can be well managed and costs can be controlled. The outcome of the paper depicts the seasonal variation impact on hedging cost and also portrays optimum days for trading to hedge against price risks. This study also provides a background for policymakers to amend policies where gaps are persistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The co-benefits approach has been proposed as a means for mainstreaming environmental concerns into urban development, especially in developing countries. This paper reviews the Indian situation setting out the urban-environmental challenge. National policies related to urban development, climate change and specific sectors are examined and then, with the aid of cases, analysed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of generating co-benefits in the world's second most populous country. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of the current status of the main CCS initiatives in the major emerging economies: China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. This study first covers all six countries as a group and describes their natural resources. The second part of this study embraces each country individually and includes current initiatives and current legal and technological status of CCS. At the end, this study summarizes the main findings in the emerging economies and the potential of including CCS as part of the CDM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper presents an overview of the existing indicators of development and positions them within the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development. It presents empirical evidence of sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) at the district level in Gujarat. SLSI is a composite index having three component indices, i.e. the ecological security index (ESI), the economic efficiency index (EEI), and the social equity index (SEI). It finds that the SLSI based on its simplicity and flexibility, is one of the most comprehensive yet simple indices for measuring long-term livelihood security in rural areas. For instance, the eastern districts of the state, dominated by scheduled tribes’ population have very low EEI and SEI rankings, although they have high ESI ranking. These districts also have very low ranks in gender development index, education index, health index and housing index. Thus, the SLSI not only identifies the general priorities for development but also the nature and types of policies to be pursued in each study unit to enhance livelihood security. The SLSI facilitates consensus among different partisan groups like economists, environmentalists, and egalitarians by balancing their mutual concerns, could provide guidelines for achieving sustainable development. It can function as an educational and a policy tool for promoting a holistic perspective among planners, administrators, and development workers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As the world gets ready to begin the second decade of the twenty-first century, global climate change has been recognized as a real threat to civilization as we know it. The rapid and successful economic growth of developing nations, particularly China and India, is contributing to climate change. The route to initial economic success in China followed that of the developed nations through the development of industries. Unfortunately, China''s environmental protection efforts have not been the same as in developed countries because China is vastly different culturally, socially, economically and, especially, politically from developed nations. When China started to deal with environmental concerns in the late 1970s, it took advantage of the experiences of other countries in establishing environmental standards and regulations, but it did not have a model to follow when it came to implementing these standards and regulations because of the abovementioned differences. Economically, China is transitioning from an agricultural base into an industrial base; however, even now, 60% of the population remains farmers. China has been and still is heavily dependent upon coal for energy, resulting in serious atmospheric particulate pollution. While growing efforts have been expended on the environment, at this juncture of its economic development, China would be well served to revisit the traditional “develop first and clean up later” approach and to find a balance between development and protecting the environment. Against this backdrop, a reflective look of the effort to manage air quality from 1949–2008 (with an emphasis on the past 30years) in China is presented in this paper. The environmental component of the 2008 Olympic Games is examined as a special example to illustrate the current measures being used to improve air quality in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Structural efficiency enables affordable construction in developing countries. • Efficient concrete floors and beams reduce tall building costs and embodied energy. • Constrained optimization minimizes concrete and steel and meets structural demands. • Shape optimization accounts for fabrication constraints in affordable construction. Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) are struggling to meet the demand for affordable housing in their growing cities. There are several reasons for this, but a major constraint is the high cost of construction materials. In India, which needs over 20 million urban housing units by 2022, material costs can constitute 60 to 80% of the total cost of residential construction. Nonetheless, their construction mimics the materially inefficient practices of the More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs), which were developed to reduce labor over material costs. As a result, prismatic beams and flat slabs are often used despite their structural inefficiency. The mounting use of steel-reinforced concrete structures in LEDC cities also raises concern for the environmental costs of construction; for example, construction accounts for 22% of India's carbon emissions. At the building scale, at least 50% of the structural mass and embodied energy is just in the horizontal spanning elements. This research addresses these challenges with a flexible methodology for the design and engineering of materially efficient structural floor systems that can reduce the economic and environmental costs of urban construction. Construction costs and embodied energy are direct products of material choice and quantity. In response, this paper presents a strategy for the numerical shape optimization of ribbed one-way concrete floor slabs. Designed for the constraints of India, the elements are optimized to reduce the embodied energy associated with the slab's concrete and reinforcing steel while resisting the same loads of an equivalent solid flat slab. The optimization method includes a novel approach to 3D shape parameterization, as well as a decoupled analytical engineering analysis method that accounts for the key failure modes and constraints of reinforced concrete design. The result of this work is a shaped slab design method that can reduce the embodied energy of one-way concrete floors by 48–64%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: How big a threat is global warming to climate-sensitive and economically important sectors such as agriculture in developing countries? How well will farmers be able to adapt to the threats of global warming? This paper attempts to shed light on these two important questions. A cross-sectional analysis is employed to estimate the climate sensitivity of agriculture in Brazil and India. Using panel data from both countries, the study measures how net farm income or property values vary with climate, and consequently, how farmers in India and Brazil react and adapt to climate. The estimated relationships are then used to predict the consequence of alternative climate scenarios. Global warming by the end of the next century could cause annual damages in Brazil between 1% and 39% and between 4% and 26% in India, although some of this effect may be potentially offset by carbon fertilization. These estimates do not factor into account climate-induced extreme weather events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the economic development of any developing country due to their innate capability of transforming novel ideas into innovations and thus building profitable enterprises. Globalisation has necessitated smaller firms to target on Sustainable Oriented Innovation (SOI) practices, as an essential parameter for achieving competitive advantage. However, transforming MSMEs towards the incorporation of SOI practices is not an easy task for a developing country like India. For this, MSMEs will have to focus on significant innovation factors that would help them sustain global competition. This paper highlights essential Critical Factors (CFs) to implement SOI practices in MSMEs of the Delhi NCR region of India catering to sector which manufactures products. A novel multi-criteria decision-making technique called an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is employed in identifying the vital CFs amongst these. The AHP evaluation results' robustness is checked by performing a sensitivity analysis. Research results indicate that 'Top management support'; 'Government initiatives' and 'Financial resources' are the most important factors contributing significantly in implementing SOI practices. This research is useful for developing recommendation for companies, academic experts, and Governmental professionals. The authors believe that research outcomes would be helping India in contributing for the sustainable development of MSMEs. Image 1 • Factors influencing innovation practices towards sustainability are proposed. • The focus is on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), India. • The ranking framework of the identified factors is developed. • Sensitivity analysis is used to validate the developed ranking framework. • Policy implications are derived for sustainably oriented innovation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than a decade climate change has been the focus of much research and analysis. Despite the global implications of the problem, the overwhelming majority of the researchers involved worldwide in studying the problem and its possible solutions are from industrialized countries, and participation of lesser-industrialized countries has been limited. While the wide-ranging implications of this South-North divide are sometimes recognized, there is little analysis on the reasons for this divide, why it continues to exist, and what steps might be required to narrow it. Towards this end, this paper analyzes how climate change research and analysis is performed in India, a major lesser-industrialized country. Based on detailed interviews, it explores the factors that play a role in shaping the capability of India to perform, and respond to, climate-change analyses. Drawing on the Indian case study, the paper examines developing-country participation inthe international climate science and assessment enterprise. This allows some reflection on the potential pitfalls for international discussions on climate change and what the international community and countries of the South can do to overcome them in order to address thisconspicuous South-North divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]