Search

The sugarcane industry has assumed an increasingly important role at a global level, with countries such as Brazil and India dominating the field. However, this causes environmental problems, since the industry produces large amounts of waste, such as sugarcane bagasse. This by-product, which is energetically partially recovered in sugar mills and in the pulp and paper industry, can make a significant contribution to the general use of biomass energy, if the usual disadvantages associated with products with low density and a high moisture content are overcome. From this perspective, thermochemical conversion technologies, especially torrefaction, are assumed to be capable of improving the fuel properties of this material, making it more appealing for potential export and use in far-off destinations. In this work, sugarcane samples were acquired, and the process of obtaining bagasse was simulated. Subsequently, the bagasse was dried and heat-treated at 200 and 300 °C to simulate the over-drying and torrefaction process. Afterward, product characterization was performed, including thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, calorimetry, and energy densification. The results showed significant improvements in the energy content, from 18.17 to 33.36 MJ·kg−1 from dried bagasse to torrefied bagasse at 300 °C, showing that despite high mass loss, there is potential for a future value added chain for this waste form, since the increment in energy density could enhance its transportation and use in locations far off the production site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropospheric systems are widely used by military forces as they provide long-distance, real-time communication. Slow-fading propagation loss reduces link availability and limits its data-carrying capacity. Beam pointing dynamics provides knowledge of favorable heights at different times of the day in different seasons and a useful steering range. Beam steering, based on the beam pointing dynamics of the link, can overcome slow fading. The main contributions of this paper are the derivation of a realistic and accurate tropospheric channel model obtained by making important modifications to Dinc's ray-based model. This paper also presents a method for determining beam pointing dynamics using the modified model. Beam pointing dynamics for two different links located in India have been determined in this paper using real-world data obtained from the Indian Meteorological Department. Another significant contribution of the paper is presenting the prospect of dual data streaming on tropospheric links using a fixed beam and a dynamically steered beam, based on the examination of beam pointing dynamics obtained for the two links. The main result presented in this paper is the comparison of powers received from the most favorable heights in a steerable beam system with the powers received in conventional fixed-beam systems for different days of the year. It has been shown that a higher received power can be achieved with beam steering. Another important result shown is the comparison of the achievable data rates for a single fixed-beam system and a dual-beam (one fixed beam and one dynamically steered beam) system. It has been shown that almost double the data rate is achievable in a dual-beam system. The method for the determination of beam pointing dynamics and the possibility of dual data streaming presented in this paper can significantly enhance the availability and capacity of tropospheric links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous requirement for pre-bleaching processes on kraft pulp, employing a range of compatible enzymes, aims to mitigate the pollution caused by chemical bleaching agents. In the present study, the laccase-producing bacterium Bacillus licheniformis BK-1 was isolated from the Bakreshwar hot spring in India and tested for laccase production using different lignocellulosic substrates. The isolate was found to produce maximum laccase (8.25 IU/mL) in the presence of rice bran as a substrate, followed by 5.14 IU/mL using sawdust over a 48 h period. Laccase production doubled when medium parameters were optimized using a central composite design. The bleaching of rice straw pulp was accomplished using a laccase, xylanase (previously extracted from the same bacteria), and laccase–xylanase mixture. The mix-wood kraft pulp treated with the enzyme mixture at pH 7.0 and 50 °C temperature for up to 180 min reduced the chlorine amount by 50% compared to the control. The results also revealed that the enzyme mixture improved the pulp's optical (brightness 10.39%) and physical (tear index 39.77%, burst index 22.82%, and tensile strength 14.28%) properties with 50% chlorine dose. These exceptional properties underscore the enzyme mixture's suitability for pulp pre-bleaching in paper manufacturing, offering a safer and more environmentally friendly process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the existing literature has emphasized the role of governance in controlling corruption, they have paid less attention to its multidimensional nature. With this background, this paper identifies the configuration(s) of governance dimensions inducing a high control of corruption (low corruption) across Indian states using Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA). The analysis presented several configurations of governance dimensions instrumental in causing a high control of corruption across the states. A remarkable result was that low performance in the human resource development dimension is one of the core causal factors that lead to a high control of corruption within the Indian context. This paper attempts to interpret this notable result and proposes a suggestion for the Indian government in light of this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the discourse on Muslim women's rights in India, aiming to trace how policies concerning Muslim women affect their constitutional rights to equality and non-discrimination. In doing so, this paper explores a colonial continuity of policies in the post-independence era and the subsequent governments. The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive and nuanced discussion on Muslim women's rights in light of their historical evolution, the existence of personal laws, and the ongoing debates on a Uniform Civil Code. This article concludes that Muslim women continue to struggle for their rights to equal citizenship at the intersection of gender, religion, colonialism, and secularism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan is a biocompatible polymer with vast applications in pharmacology, medicine, paper making, agriculture, and the food industry due to its low toxicity. Chitosan also plays an important role in the sustainable environment since chitosan is able to absorb greenhouse gases, harmful organic matter, and heavy ions. Therefore, this paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of chitosan for sustainable development using the Scopus database from 1976 to 2023. A performance analysis on the 8002 documents was performed with Harzing's Publish or Perish. Science mapping was conducted using VOSviewer. The annual publication on chitosan for sustainable development showed an upward trend in recent years as the annual publication peaked in 2022 with 1178 documents with most of the documents being articles and published in journals. Material science, chemistry, and engineering are tightly related subject areas. China had the highest publication of 1560 total documents while the United States had the most impactful publication with 55,019 total citations, 68.77 citations per document, 77.6 citations per cited document, h-index 110, and g-index of 211. India had the largest international collaboration with 572 total link strength. "International Journal of Biological Macromolecules", "Carbohydrate Polymers", and "Polymers" have been identified as the top three source titles that publish the most documents on chitosan for sustainable development. The emerging trends in chitosan on sustainable development focus on the application of chitosan as an antibacterial agent and biosorbent for contaminants, especially in water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how Hindu nationalist social service organizations, specifically the Deseeya Seva Bharathi (DSB), reconfigured the religious conception of 'Seva' to advance the project of constructing a Hindu social identity during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Kerala. The southern Indian state of Kerala has remained an exception in the story of the rise of the Hindu nationalist movement in contemporary India, which has repeatedly failed to make any considerable political inroads in the state. However, the disastrous economic consequences and livelihood challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, which was heavily dependent on foreign remittance and service industries, have opened up new spaces of engagement for Hindu nationalists. Drawing on the fieldwork conducted in central Kerala during the pandemic, this paper will elaborate on how the DSB used the crisis moment of the pandemic to reach out to economically and socially disadvantaged communities using the language of 'Seva' to build a Hindu social identity, which imbues the influence of majoritarian Hindu nationalist politics. The paper argues that the DSB's articulation of 'Seva' as a distinct and superior form of social service that is 'self-less', 'non-instrumental' and 'non-reciprocal' is significant in understanding the growing appeal of Hindu nationalist social service in the contested political sphere of Kerala, which is marked by competing social provisions by the state as well as other secular and religious groups. The paper notes that the reconfiguration of 'Seva' as a continuous religious concept enables Hindu nationalists to attain greater acceptance and legitimacy that even the secular state welfare could not achieve, while also concealing the inherent instrumental nature of its social service towards the construction of a Hindu social identity in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic posed substantial challenges to healthcare systems globally and severely disrupted essential health services, including routine immunization programs. In India, these disruptions were exacerbated due to the sudden emergence of the pandemic and lockdown measures, leading to mass migrations and a shortage of healthcare workers. Caregivers' concerns about routine immunization sessions further compounded the problem, resulting in a sharp increase in zero-dose children. This review paper examines India's strategies for conducting one of the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination programs while effectively restoring and perpetuating its Universal Immunization Program (UIP). The UIP played a pivotal role in sustaining immunization services during the pandemic, ultimately improving immunization coverage compared to pre-pandemic levels. India's accomplishments in this regard are highlighted through key performance indicators, the reach of immunization services, a reduction in zero-dose children, and antigen-wise coverage. The paper also discusses the successful integration of COVID-19 vaccination within the UIP framework, underscoring the significance of existing infrastructure, technology, and capacity building. India's dedication to concurrently managing routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination showcases the adaptability and resilience of its healthcare system. India's journey serves as a global example of efficient mass immunization during challenging times, emphasizing the importance of political will, healthcare infrastructure investment, skilled healthcare workforces, and comprehensive vaccination programs. In a world grappling with the dual challenge of COVID-19 and routine immunization, India's experience provides a roadmap for strengthening healthcare systems and promoting public health as the critical agenda in challenging times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate prediction of noise levels at outdoor locations requires detailed data of the noise sources and terrain parameters and an efficient model for prediction. However, the possibility of predicting noise with reasonable accuracy using less input data is a challenge and needs to be studied scientifically. The qualities of the noise data, terrain parameters, and prediction model can impact the accuracy of the prediction significantly. This study primarily focuses on the dependency of noise data for efficient noise prediction and mapping. This research article proposes a detailed methodology to predict and map the noise and exposure levels in Ratapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, with various granularities of noise data inputs. The noise levels were measured at various places and at different times of the day at 10 min intervals. Different data input proportions and qualities were used for noise prediction, namely, (1) a large data-based method, (2) a small data-based method, (3) a source point average data-based method, (4) a Google navigation data-based method, and (5) accurate modelling using an ANN-based method, integrating accurate noise data with a sophisticated modelling algorithm for noise prediction. The analysis of the variation between the predicted and measured noise levels was conducted for all five of the methods using the ANOVA technique. Various methods based on less noise data methods predicted the noise levels with accuracies within the ±4–10 dB(A) range, while the ANN-based technique predicted it with an accuracy of ±0.5–2.5 dB(A). Interestingly, the estimation of the noise exposure levels (>85 dB(A)) and the identification of hazard zones around the studied road intersection could also be performed efficiently even when using the data-deficient models. This paper also showcased the possibility of predicting an accurate 3D map for an area by extracting vehicles and terrain features from satellite images without any direct recording of noise data. This paper thus demonstrated approaches to reduce the noise data dependency for noise prediction and mapping and to enable accurate noise-hazard zonation mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first fully homomorphic encryption scheme was published in 2009, many papers have been published on fully homomorphic encryption and its applications. Machine learning is one of the most interesting applications and has drawn a lot of attention from researchers. To better represent and understand the field of Homomorphic Encryption in Machine Learning (HEML), this paper utilizes automated citation and topic analysis to characterize the HEML research literature over the years and provide the bibliometrics assessments for this burgeoning field. This is conducted by using a bibliometric statistical analysis approach. We make use of web-based literature databases and automated tools to present the development of HEML. This allows us to target several popular topics for in-depth discussion. To achieve these goals, we have chosen the well-established Scopus literature database and analyzed them through keyword counts and Scopus relevance searches. The results show a relative increase in the number of papers published each year that involve both homomorphic cryptography and machine learning. Using text mining of articles titles, we have found that cloud computing is a popular topic in this field, which also includes neural networks, big data, and the Internet of Things. The analysis results show that China, the US, and India have generated almost half of all the research contributions in HEML. The citation statistics, keyword statistics, and topic analyses give us a quick overview of the development of the field, which can be of great help to new researchers. It is also possible to apply our methodology to other research areas, and we see great value in this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of a decade-long technology-enabled teacher professional development (TPD) initiative for government-run school teachers in India. The TPD aimed at capacitating teachers in integrating project-based or constructivist learning with technology in curriculum and pedagogy. Teachers are central to the teaching–learning processes, and hence capacitating them to leverage digital technologies confidently is essential to improve the quality of education imparted to learners. This paper focuses on the use of innovative technologies leading to the education of teachers. A decade of TPD is divided into three phases providing an analytical framework for the evolving technologies and pedagogies across the phases. Documents, resources and tools used for the TPD activities, researchers' first-hand experiences and documented research studies supported the comparative analysis of the three phases of TPD. This comparison highlighted leading-edge technologies influencing changes in TPD delivery mode, learning support, pedagogy, scale, etc., across the phases. The paper also maps the interrelationship between technologies and pedagogies of TPD, suggesting various features of innovations such as continuous, practice-based, collaborative, scalable, shareable, transferable, and adaptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent stock market fall and rise sequel by COVID-19, rising global inflation, increase in Fed interest rates, the unprecedented meltdown of technology stocks, fear of trade wars, tightening of governments' fiscal policies call for a new trend in international investing. It is time for the investors to rethink, rebalance and reset their investment strategies to position and protect their portfolios during and post-pandemic period. This paper attempts to forecast the gold prices for the post-pandemic era and explores whether gold will serve as a decisive hedge during this transition period. The techniques of ARCH, GARCH, E-GARCH, A-PARCH, and GARCH-M is employed in forecasting the conditional volatility of gold spot price from Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) of India. A total of 3631 observations were collected from the daily spot prices of gold from January 2009 to December 2022. The findings show that the gold prices in India are highly persistent similar to other emerging markets and that gold will remain a safe haven for investors and institutional investors in the post-pandemic period. This paper is the first of its kind to forecast gold prices for the post-pandemic period. The forecast price of 10-gram gold is expected to trade for 65,948 ₹ in the Indian MCX by 2026 if the gold prices behold its previous momentum. This forecast will help the investors to plan their portfolio diversification for the post-pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews and assesses India's energy policy in the context of its commitment to achieve the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. It emphasizes the central role of green electrification, particularly through the expansion of solar power capacity. It discusses policies outside the energy sector that need to be part of a strategy of achieving this target, including the use of information technology, infrastructure development, and transportation. Furthermore, it examines possible policy options for accelerating the target date to 2050, especially with the use of carbon capture to manage the transition from the current heavy use of coal. The paper also discusses the possible financial and growth implications of various strategy options, arguing that feasible external financing commitments can allow India to achieve net-zero goals without sacrificing economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to empirically examine the effect of promoters' holdings and institutional holdings on dividend payout ratio and the firm value. Most importantly, this paper explores the age and size of the firm as the moderators in the relationships. Data collected from 23 companies from India and 253 data points were analyzed to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that promoters' holdings and institutional holdings are positively associated with dividend payout ratio and firm value. Further, moderator hypotheses suggest that (i) firm age moderates the relationship between promoters' holdings and dividend payout ratio, (ii) firm size moderates the relationship between institutional holdings and dividend payout ratio, (iii) firm age moderates the relationship between promoters' holdings and firm value, and (iv) firm size moderates the relationship between institutional holdings and firm value. The implications for theory and practice are discussed. The conceptual model developed and tested in this research contributes to both the literature on dividend payout ratio and firm value and to the needs of institutional investors interested in increasing the firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review delves into the processing of tannery solid waste, emphasizing fleshings and chromium-tanned leather waste. This paper centers on fat recovery, chromium elimination, and protein preservation, aiming to make them apt for animal consumption. This paper also assesses the potential of introducing such recycled products to the global market. Drawing on the literature from the past two decades, sourced comprehensively from Scopus and Web of Science, 36 articles were selected because of their significant contributions from leather production powerhouses such as India and Brazil. Fleshings have shown immense potential as animal feed, and the extraction of tallow and collagen from rawhide trimmings yields up to 98% and 93%, respectively. Fermented tannery fleshings, notably with Enterococcus faecium HAB01, also demonstrate strong antioxidant capabilities. The overarching consensus emphasizes the need for rigorous purification when dealing with chromium-containing wastes, addressing concerns tied to Cr (III) and Cr (VI). Furthermore, raw tannery fleshings stand out as a sustainable, cost-effective, and globally marketable solution for animal feed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores business models for community energy storage (CES) and examines their potential and feasibility at the local level. By leveraging Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches and real-world case studies in Europe and India, it presents insights into CES deployment opportunities, challenges, and best practices. Different business models, including community energy cooperatives, utility–community partnerships, demand response, energy services, and market mechanisms, are analyzed. The proposed method combines the MCDM method PROMETHEE II with the fuzzy set theory to obtain a complete CES business model ranking, addressing project uncertainties. The analysis emphasizes CES's role in balancing local renewable energy supply and demand, facilitating energy sharing, and achieving energy independence. Findings prioritize models like Community Cooperative, Energy Arbitrage, and Energy Arbitrage Peak Shaving for CES with renewables. Environmental benefits include reduced diesel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Efficient cooperatives are advocated to recover costs and enable competitive energy prices. The paper highlights the need for novel value propositions to boost the energy transition in local communities. This research contributes to the discourse on CES business models, fostering knowledge exchange and promoting effective strategies for sustainable energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the advancement of noise trader theory by examining the connection between aggregate news sentiment and stock market returns during days of significant stock market movement. In contrast to previous studies that solely focused on company-specific news sentiment, this research explores the impact of aggregate news sentiment. To draw conclusions, GARCH modeling, regression analysis, and dictionary-based sentiment analysis are employed. The findings, based on data from India, reveal that aggregate news sentiment has a short-lived influence, with notable effects stemming from the business and politics categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite great efforts in facing climate change challenges—especially by the UN Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and companion documents (Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the New Urban Agenda)—generally speaking, current policies on climate change and Disaster Risk Reduction at both national and international levels have not yet been centrally positioned in respective plans for heritage, and cultural heritage still does not have a central role in such policies. The main aim of this paper is to explore the culture/cultural heritage's complex interrelationship with climate change by delving into critical issues/gaps and recommendatory encounters of heritage framework in climate change framework and vice versa at the international level and an example in India. Accordingly, this paper showcases a type of Indian Water Infrastructure Heritage; Stepwells, traditional underground water management systems in arid western India which, unfortunately, with modernization, lost their original function and hence, nowadays, most are abandoned. Thus, by the situational analysis of such an Indian urban-scale type of heritage, this paper concludes with critical reflections on the necessity of the systemic relationship among sustainability, conservation, and development, especially in practice and the need to recall the notion of sustainability again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myths and mythological figures serve as cultural symbols that people live by and emulate. Śravaṇ Kumār is one such mythological figure. He carried his blind parents on his shoulders and, with great hardships, tried to fulfil their wish for a pilgrimage. However, before he could complete the journey, he met a tragic end at the hands of Prince Daśrath. Due to his devotion to his parents, he is revered as an ideal youth in the Indian Hindu context. One wonders what values are conveyed about a society that has, for centuries now, idealised the tragic mythical figure of Śravaṇ Kumār? What could be the underlying fascination with the tragic story of Śravaṇ Kumār, his parents, and the guilt-ridden prince responsible for their tragic deaths and the subsequent ordeal the prince's son Rām had to endure in accordance with a curse? This paper reinterprets this myth and examines its relevance in contemporary times. The reinterpretation of the myth is further discussed in connection with the relevant psychoanalytic identity development theories, keeping in view the adolescents in the urban metropolitan context in India. The paper concludes by discussing the significance of having relevant mythical and cultural ideals for the identity development of youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The log-linearized present value model (PVM) has been widely used in corporate finance to understand the long-run relationship between share price and dividends using panel data. However, the application of recently established panel econometric approaches that account for slope heterogeneity and cross-section dependency in the recent literature regarding the long-run link between share price and dividends in an Indian setting is limited. This paper re-examines the log-linearized PVM in an Indian setting using newly developed panel unit root, cointegration, and long-run dynamic estimation approaches. This study employed a panel dataset of 60 Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)-listed Indian firms paying regular dividends for 28 years (1990–2017). The study found unit root, cointegration, and a long-run relationship between dividend and share price series for Indian firms during a 28-year sample period. By demonstrating the presence of a long-run link between share price and dividends, this paper contributes to the literature on the PVM, which is crucial in comprehending market rationality and share price behavior in India. This paper also discusses issues related to panel data, such as cross-section dependency and slope heterogeneity, as well as panel econometric approaches that can be applied in the appropriate settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the renowned and Oscar award-winning American actor and film director Marlon Brando, "privacy is not something that I am merely entitled to, it is an absolute prerequisite." Privacy threats and data breaches occur daily, and countries are mitigating the consequences caused by privacy and data breaches. The Indian healthcare industry is one of the largest and rapidly developing industry. Overall, healthcare management is changing from disease-centric into patient-centric systems. Healthcare data analysis also plays a crucial role in healthcare management, and the privacy of patient records must receive equal attention. Purpose: This paper mainly presents the utility and privacy factors of the Indian healthcare data and discusses the utility aspect and privacy problems concerning Indian healthcare systems. It defines policies that reform Indian healthcare systems. The case study of the NITI Aayog report is presented to explain how reformation occurs in Indian healthcare systems. Findings: It is found that there have been numerous research studies conducted on Indian healthcare data across all dimensions; however, privacy problems in healthcare, specifically in India, are caused by prevalent complacency, culture, politics, budget limitations, large population, and existing infrastructures. This paper reviews the Indian healthcare system and the applications that drive it. Additionally, the paper also maps that how privacy issues are happening in every healthcare sector in India. Originality/Value: To understand these factors and gain insights, understanding Indian healthcare systems first is crucial. To the best of our knowledge, we found no recent papers that thoroughly reviewed the Indian healthcare system and its privacy issues. The paper is original in terms of its overview of the healthcare system and privacy issues. Social Implications: Privacy has been the most ignored part of the Indian healthcare system. With India being a country with a population of 130 billion, much healthcare data are generated every day. The chances of data breaches and other privacy violations on such sensitive data cannot be avoided as they cause severe concerns for individuals. This paper segregates the healthcare system's advances and lists the privacy that needs to be addressed first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India continues to grapple with a significant burden of HIV infections. Despite notable progress in prevention and treatment efforts, multiple challenges, such as high-risk populations, inadequate testing facilities, and limited access to healthcare in remote areas, persist. Though the Government of India offers HIV-1 plasma viral load testing at various medical centers, aiding treatment decisions and monitoring antiretroviral therapy effectiveness, enhancing care for individuals living with HIV under the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), the nation's large population and diverse demographics further complicate its outreach and response. Hence, strategic interventions and alternative methods of testing remain crucial to curbing HIV transmission and improving the quality of life for those affected. Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling has emerged as a convenient and cost-effective alternative for HIV-1 viral load testing, revolutionizing the landscape of diagnostic and monitoring strategies for HIV infection. Though the plasma-based viral load remains the gold standard for monitoring HIV-1, DBS-based HIV-1 viral load testing holds immense promise for improving access to care, particularly in resource-limited settings where traditional plasma-based methods may be logistically challenging. DBS entails the collection of a small volume of blood onto filter paper, followed by drying and storage. This approach offers numerous advantages, including simplified sample collection, transportation, and storage, reducing the need for cold-chain logistics. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of DBS-based HIV-1 viral load testing, revealing a strong correlation between DBS and plasma measurements. Its implementation can enhance the early detection of treatment failure, guide therapeutic decisions, and ultimately contribute to better clinical outcomes for HIV-infected individuals. Hence, this review explores the principles, advancements, feasibility, and implications of DBS-based HIV-1 viral load testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to verify whether the transportation infrastructure investment carried out by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has promoted the economic development of its recipient countries. Since the establishment of the AIIB, its investments in infrastructure development, aimed at promoting economic growth in Asian developing countries, have garnered considerable attention. This study selects India, the largest recipient country of the AIIB, as the research object and chooses the Gujarat Road Project as the research case, since it is a completed infrastructure construction investment project in the transportation field. This paper provides an overview of the project's operation and summarizes key factors in the project's implementation. In the data analysis section, the per capita GDP is selected as the explained variable to measure economic development, and the LASSO regression method is used to select several variables that affect economic development. Moreover, the random forest model is used to obtain the causal relationship between road construction and the per capita GDP from 2001 to 2022. The results indicate that road construction in India has a significant positive effect on per capita GDP growth, the Gujarat Road Project supported by the AIIB also has a positive effect on per capita GDP growth, and this effect is stronger than that at the national level. The main contribution of this work is the validation of the investment strategy of the AIIB and the quantification of the economic contribution of AIIB investment projects to the local area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the classical philosophical landscape of India, the Advaita of Śaṅkara occupies central stage. Besides the Upaniṣadic literature, the Gauḍapāda-kārikā (GK) of Gauḍapāda is the primary text in this school. Relying primarily on the GK, this essay explores the ways the issue of change can be addressed within the Advaita paradigm. For Advaitins, there exists only the singular reality of Brahman, of the character of non-differentiated consciousness. In this paradigm, the attributes of both being and blissfulness never change. Furthermore, the central teaching of Gauḍapāda is the doctrine of 'non-origination' (ajāti), that nothing is ever originated. For Advaita, change or deviation is possible only under the spell of illusion, as the absolute is changeless. By comparing the position of Gauḍapāda with other classical, non-dual philosophies, this paper explores arguments for and against change in the classical philosophical school of Advaita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust assessment of water used in agriculture, including livestock production systems and supply chains, is critical to inform diversification and the development of productivity and sustainable food production systems. This paper presents a detailed analysis of water used and consumed in nine dairy milk processing plants spread across Punjab, India's leading dairy milk-producing state. Over the five years (2015–2019), the direct water use (DWU) was quantified at 3.31 L of groundwater per kg of milk processed. Only about 26% of the direct water used was consumed, including evaporative losses in various milk processing operations, while the remaining 74% was returned as effluent discharges. The average total water footprint (TWF), accounting for both direct and indirect water consumption, was quantified at 9.0 L of water per kg of milk processed. The majority share (~89%) of the total water footprint was contributed by the indirect water footprint associated with the consumption of electricity (energy) in dairy milk processing activities. The plant's milk processing capacity and processing products mix also affected significant seasonal and annual variations in the direct and indirect water footprints of dairy milk processing. The analysis also found an inverse relationship between the average total water footprint and the average monthly amount of milk processed in the study plants. Therefore, efforts to reduce the indirect water footprint (associated with energy consumption), the treatment and recycling of effluent discharges, and the optimization of milk processing capacity, the dairy processing product mix, and the locations of dairy processing plants are expected to help reduce the water footprint of dairy processing in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data breaches result in data loss, including personal, health, and financial information that are crucial, sensitive, and private. The breach is a security incident in which personal and sensitive data are exposed to unauthorized individuals, with the potential to incur several privacy concerns. As an example, the French newspaper Le Figaro breached approximately 7.4 billion records that included full names, passwords, and e-mail and physical addresses. To reduce the likelihood and impact of such breaches, it is fundamental to strengthen the security efforts against this type of incident and, for that, it is first necessary to identify patterns of its occurrence, primarily related to the number of data records leaked, the affected geographical region, and its regulatory aspects. To advance the discussion in this regard, we study a dataset comprising 428 worldwide data breaches between 2018 and 2019, providing a visualization of the related statistics, such as the most affected countries, the predominant economic sector targeted in different countries, and the median number of records leaked per incident in different countries, regions, and sectors. We then discuss the data protection regulation in effect in each country comprised in the dataset, correlating key elements of the legislation with the statistical findings. As a result, we have identified an extensive disclosure of medical records in India and government data in Brazil in the time range. Based on the analysis and visualization, we find some interesting insights that researchers seldom focus on before, and it is apparent that the real dangers of data leaks are beyond the ordinary imagination. Finally, this paper contributes to the discussion regarding data protection laws and compliance regarding data breaches, supporting, for example, the decision process of data storage location in the cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Triage is a dynamic and complex decision-making process to determine fair access to medical care in mass casualty situations. Triage takes place through healthcare settings including Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Triage governing principles have been subject to ethical debates for a long time specifically with the recent global pandemic of COVID-19. This study aims to revisit the ethical principles guiding patient prioritisation during recent COVID-19 disaster triage in the Indian subcontinent and attempts to look for principles with consideration of social justice. Methods: Key electronic databases such as WHO, EMBASE, and DOAJ were used to access published literature relating to ICU triage in the Indian subcontinent. Literature on and from 2015–2022 were included in this study. The SPICE framework was used to identify the literature. The Inclusion criteria were as follows: Literature with ethical connotations focusing on India and neighbouring countries, and in an ICU setting during pandemics. The Exclusion criteria were as follows: Literature focusing on other countries, without ethical foundations, hospital admissions, and non-COVID-19 ICU admissions. The PRISMA standard was applied to screen the appropriate literature. The BOOLEAN operator "OR" was used to enhance the literature search. Finally, six papers were found suitable for this study and thus were included in the literature review. Additionally, for the second time, the frequency of certain ethical phrases was reassessed in the plans and guidelines to check the changed awareness of ethical pandemic planning, if any. A thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data and generate findings and new knowledge. Results: The findings highlight gaps in knowledge around ICU triaging in the region which indicates the scope of better ethical pandemic preparation at the regional level. The findings show that there is a debate between researchers on prioritisation from available resources and ethical perspectives and principles associated with fair access to healthcare even during pandemic times. The literature also highlights enhancing the regional capacity and building equitable approaches to reduce existing health inequities and the need of the social justice framework for ICU triaging during a pandemic. Conclusions: ICU triaging in five South Asian neighbour nations was studied for the presence of a guided ethical framework. Additionally, for the second time, certain ethical phrases were reassessed in the plans and guidelines; however, usage of those terms was found to be significantly low. The discussion shows that the plans and guidelines have the scope to improve ethical ICU triaging in these countries and in the specific region. After analysing different ethical guidelines, this study emphasises that there is a need for a just and fair framework, specifically a social justice framework in ICU triage in the subcontinent to address the underlying health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-structured digital database is essential for any national priority project as it can provide real-time data analysis and facilitate quick decision making. In recent times, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, invasive fungal infections (IFIs) have emerged as a significant public health challenge in India, affecting vulnerable population, including immunocompromised individuals. The lack of comprehensive and well-structured data on IFIs has hindered efforts to understand their true burden and optimize patient care. To address this critical knowledge gap, the ICMR has undertaken a Pan-India pioneer initiative to develop a network of Advanced Mycology Diagnostic research centres in different geographical zones of the country (ICMR-MycoNet). Under the aegis of this project, a clinical registry on IFIs in the ICUs is initiated. This process paper presents a detailed account of the steps involved in the establishment of a web-based data entering and monitoring platform to capture data electronically, ensuring robust and secure data collection and management. This system not only allows participating ICMR-MycoNet centres to enter patient information directly into the database using standardized Case Report Form (CRF) but also includes data validation checks to ensure the accuracy and completeness of entered data. It is complemented by a real-time, web-based, and adaptable data visualization platform. This registry aims to provide crucial epidemiological insights, promote evidence-based hospital infection control programs, and ultimately improve patient outcomes in the face of this formidable healthcare challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's world, a situational awareness of sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Leaving a better world for future generations is becoming the main interest of many studies. It also puts pressure on managers to change production methods in most industries. Reducing carbon emissions in industry today is crucial to saving our planet. Theoretical research and practical industry requirements diverge, even though numerous researchers have tackled various strategies to handle carbon emission problems. Therefore, this work considers the carbon emission problem of the furniture manufacturing industry in Hosur, Tamilnadu, India. The case study company has a manufacturing system that resembles a hybrid flow shop (HFS) environment. As the HFS scheduling problems are NP-hard in nature, exact solution techniques could not be used to solve the problems. Hence, a sequential hybrid optimization algorithm (SHOA) has been developed in this paper to minimize the carbon footprint. In the SHOA, the pigeon-inspired optimization algorithm (PIOA) is hybridized sequentially with the firefly algorithm (FA). A computational experimental design is proposed to analyze the efficiency of the introduced strategy, and the solutions indicate that the developed approach could reduce the carbon footprint by up to 9.82%. The results motivate us to implement the proposed algorithm in the manufacturing industry to reduce the carbon footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the cervical cancer screening rate dropped by 84% soon after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges facing cervical cancer screening were largely attributed to the required in-person nature of the screening process and the measures implemented to control the spread of the virus. While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer screening is well-documented in high-income countries, less is known about the low- and middle-income countries that bear 90% of the global burden of cervical cancer deaths. In this paper, we aim to offer a comprehensive view of the impact of COVID-19 on cervical cancer screening in LMICs. Using our study, "Prevention of Cervical Cancer in India through Self-Sampling" (PCCIS), as a case example, we present the challenges COVID-19 has exerted on patients, healthcare practitioners, and health systems, as well as potential opportunities to mitigate these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literature survey was proposed, aiming at summarizing the state of the art and, consequently, the research potential, in the increasingly popular field of circular economy, specifically applied to the construction industry in South Asian countries (Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh). In particular, the role of a life cycle assessment (LCA) to support the circular building design concept in construction projects was investigated. This review organized 71 published papers that examined environmental building assessments, certifications for sustainable buildings, the awareness of sustainable buildings, and recent advancements in this field between 2005 and 2022. The review pointed out that half of the LCA studies used the cradle-to-grave LCA methodology for environmental impact assessment, while the other half used the cradle-to-cradle LCA methodology. Regardless of the recent research, the literature still lacks the cradle-to-cradle implementation of the LCA methodology in selected countries which is essential for implementing truly circular building strategies. Moreover, the literature showed a lack of interest and awareness among all stakeholders in the construction of environmentally friendly buildings. The main barrier to carry out LCA for building performance is the unavailability of a regional database, which was pointed out in the literature, as well as the criteria for certification that are not available or do not comply with the standards of the specific contexts of Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is among the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world. To continue its growth, energy is and will continue to be one of its most important considerations. With a population of over one billion, India is the third largest consumer of petroleum on the globe. To maintain this ranking, India imports a large percentage of its total oil consumption. Given India's current position as a large importer of oil, how does oil price volatility affect the Indian economy? This paper examines the effect of oil price volatility on inflation, economic growth, and the stock market in India. Statistical tests suggest that the overall price level, the real effective exchange rate, and oil prices are negatively related to aggregate output in the long run. Granger causality test results derived from a vector error correction model support bidirectional causality between oil prices and aggregate output, indicating that a change in oil prices also affects aggregate output in the short run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is thought to have been domesticated many times independently in China and India, and many modern cultivars are available. All rice tissues are rich in specialized metabolites (SPMs). To date, a total of 181 terpenoids, 199 phenolics, 41 alkaloids, and 26 other types of compounds have been detected in rice. Some volatile sesquiterpenoids released by rice are known to attract the natural enemies of rice herbivores, and play an indirect role in defense. Momilactone, phytocassane, and oryzalic acid are the most common diterpenoids found in rice, and are found at all growth stages. Indolamides, including serotonin, tryptamine, and N-benzoylserotonin, are the main rice alkaloids. The SPMs mainly exhibit defense functions with direct roles in resisting herbivory and pathogenic infections. In addition, phenolics are also important in indirect defense, and enhance wax deposition in leaves and promote the lignification of stems. Meanwhile, rice SPMs also have allelopathic effects and are crucial in the regulation of the relationships between different plants or between plants and microorganisms. In this study, we reviewed the various structures and functions of rice SPMs. This paper will provide useful information and methodological resources to inform the improvement of rice resistance and the promotion of the rice industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant majority of the population in India makes their living through agriculture. Different illnesses that develop due to changing weather patterns and are caused by pathogenic organisms impact the yields of diverse plant species. The present article analyzed some of the existing techniques in terms of data sources, pre-processing techniques, feature extraction techniques, data augmentation techniques, models utilized for detecting and classifying diseases that affect the plant, how the quality of images was enhanced, how overfitting of the model was reduced, and accuracy. The research papers for this study were selected using various keywords from peer-reviewed publications from various databases published between 2010 and 2022. A total of 182 papers were identified and reviewed for their direct relevance to plant disease detection and classification, of which 75 papers were selected for this review after exclusion based on the title, abstract, conclusion, and full text. Researchers will find this work to be a useful resource in recognizing the potential of various existing techniques through data-driven approaches while identifying plant diseases by enhancing system performance and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, there was a global energy crisis that affected different parts of the world. In most countries, energy heavily relies on natural gas, including Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. Several studies have explored the differences in the energy of crude oil and natural gas. Nonetheless, little effort has been made toward exploring the exportation of energy for exchange markets in Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. This paper primarily aims at comparatively exploring the energy of crude oil and natural gas for exchange markets in the aforementioned countries. The methodology used in this paper is qualitative content analysis (QCA) and a systematical literature review (SLR) which includes various sources such as journals, the core collection of the Web of Science (WOS), oil peer review resources, and library sources. The study systematically mapped out different bibliographic materials whereby the visualization of similarities (VOS) was used to explore exchange markets for energy, crude oil, and gas in Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. The results of the analysis indicated that, in Africa, Nigeria is regarded as the largest producer of natural gas and crude oil, with an approximation of 1.2 million barrels per day. Concerning oil and gas reserves, the country is considered the 10th and 8th largest producer in the world, having 37 billion barrels and roughly 206 trillion cubic feet, respectively. Thus, the exportation of energy is considered a central pillar of the country's economy. In addition, India is regarded as the second largest producer of crude oil with 4.972 million barrels per day, which is approximately 5.1% of the entire world's capacity for refining crude oil. Similarly, at the global level, India is considered the topmost consumer of crude oil, accounting for 4.8% of the world's consumption. In the context of Bangladesh, their gas reserves account for 39.4 trillion cubic feet, and they are considered to be 70% of the commercial energy supply in the country. In conclusion, the importance of energy, crude oil, and natural gas cannot be underestimated, specifically, for the exchange import markets in the current context of the aforementioned countries. It is, therefore, suggested that the governments of Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh should strengthen their national policies on energy in order to be responsive to the global energy crisis as well as boost the exchange market in the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hindu civilizationism is more than a century old phenomenon that has been steadily gaining strength. Its recent amalgam with populism has made it ascendant, popular, and mainstream in India. This paper explores how Hindu civilizationism is not only an essential part of the Hindutva and BJP's narrative but also the mainstay of several government policies. The "other" of the BJP's populist civilizationist rhetoric are primarily Muslims and Muslim civilization in India and the aim is to make India "vishwaguru" (world leader) again after 1200 years of colonialism. The evidence of this heady mixture of civilizationism and populism is numerous and ubiquitous. This paper analyzes topics such as Akhand Bharat, the golden age, denigrating Mughals, Hindutva pseudoscience, and Sanskrit promotion to highlight the evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying a renewable energy integrated power system's features is essential, especially for deregulated systems. The unpredictability of renewable sources is the main barrier to integrating renewable energy-producing units with the current electrical grid. Due to its unpredictable nature, integrating wind power into an existing power system requires significant consideration. In a deregulated electricity market, this paper examines the implications of wind farm (WF) integration with CAES on electric losses, voltage profile, generation costs, and system economics. Comparative research was done to determine the impact of wind farm integration on regulated and deregulated environments. Four randomly chosen locations in India were chosen for this investigation, together with real-time information on each location's real wind speed (RWS) and predicted wind speed (PWS). Surplus charge rates and deficit charge rates were created to assess the imbalance cost arising from the discrepancy between predicted and real wind speeds to calculate the system economics. When the effect of imbalance cost is considered, the daily system profit shows a variation of about 1.9% for the locations under study. Customers are always seeking electricity that is dependable, affordable, and efficient due to the reorganization of the power system. As a result, the system security limit could be exceeded or the system might function dangerously. The final section of this paper presents an economic risk analysis using heuristic algorithms such as sequential quadratic programming (SQP), artificial bee colony algorithms (ABC), and moth flame optimization algorithms (MFO). It also discusses how the CAES is used to correct the deviation of WF integration in the real-time electricity market. Economic risk analysis tools include value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). The entire piece of work was validated using a modified IEEE 30-bus test system. This works shows that with a three-fold increase in wind generation, the risk coefficient values improves by 1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Envisioning the airport's expanding relevance as a hub for passenger movement and its immediate ancillaries and as a focal point for inducing growth that embraces enormous conurbations and associated services, this paper seeks to identify factors likely to impact the regions surrounding the airport, especially from a viewpoint of planning and development. The rationale for focusing on these areas is to determine the impact of change in landside connectivity in an airport region on the hierarchy and interaction of settlements. In order to explore the objective, the application of GIS, as well as statistical analysis, has been undertaken for the selected case study of Bagdogra Airport, West Bengal, India in the North-East region and with geographically challenging terrain. Methodologically, this paper tries to identify changes in the various types of socio-economic and urbanizing factors to find out the impact of change in connectivity on settlement patterns in the region. It is evident from the results that, while visualizing the spatial structure of the factors affected in the airport's region, the airport can be considered a pivot that induces urbanization and increases the number of amenities in its vicinity. As a result, it is apparent that large airports are transitioning from airport cities to new focus locations in the regions for the development of regional infrastructure that catalyze the phenomenon of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buddhist heritage in India is receiving reasonable attention for tourism development with a particular emphasis on promoting Buddhist circuits. One Buddhist pilgrimage circuit covering eight locations including four most sacred places, namely, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Lumbini, is popular for spiritual and religious reasons. Fieldwork conducted in these four sites reveals complex patterns of visitation that question the idea of a circuit as a tourism product. The primary circuit-goers are foreign Buddhist followers, but the magnitude of their visitation is very low. They constitute less than 10 percent of visitors and are far outnumbered by domestic visitors. Domestic visitors driven by recreational purposes hardly complete the entire circuit; their visits are directed to two popular sites while other sites are used as "middle-of-the-trip centers" or places for daytrips. The interviews with various stakeholders including religious institutions, private tour operators, and relevant government agencies, show that the itineraries of circuit-goers depend on several factors including the convenience of travel, accommodation facilities, the ability to perform pilgrimage rituals, and institutional governance for tourism. This paper argues that Buddhist pilgrimage circuits operate more as a cultural landscape at a cognitive level rather than as a distinct physical route and a product that can be effectively translated into as strategy for tourism development in Buddhist sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents several novel findings from a comprehensive analysis of about 50,000 Tweets about online learning during COVID-19, posted on Twitter between 9 November 2021 and 13 July 2022. First, the results of sentiment analysis from VADER, Afinn, and TextBlob show that a higher percentage of these Tweets were positive. The results of gender-specific sentiment analysis indicate that for positive Tweets, negative Tweets, and neutral Tweets, between males and females, males posted a higher percentage of the Tweets. Second, the results from subjectivity analysis show that the percentage of least opinionated, neutral opinionated, and highly opinionated Tweets were 56.568%, 30.898%, and 12.534%, respectively. The gender-specific results for subjectivity analysis indicate that females posted a higher percentage of highly opinionated Tweets as compared to males. However, males posted a higher percentage of least opinionated and neutral opinionated Tweets as compared to females. Third, toxicity detection was performed on the Tweets to detect different categories of toxic content—toxicity, obscene, identity attack, insult, threat, and sexually explicit. The gender-specific analysis of the percentage of Tweets posted by each gender for each of these categories of toxic content revealed several novel insights related to the degree, type, variations, and trends of toxic content posted by males and females related to online learning. Fourth, the average activity of males and females per month in this context was calculated. The findings indicate that the average activity of females was higher in all months as compared to males other than March 2022. Finally, country-specific tweeting patterns of males and females were also performed which presented multiple novel insights, for instance, in India, a higher percentage of the Tweets about online learning during COVID-19 were posted by males as compared to females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genome size variation is an important attribute in evolutionary and species characterization. Musa L. is regarded as one of the taxonomically complicated genera within the order Zingiberales, with more than 75 species from wild seeded to seedless cultivars that may be diploid, triploid or tetraploid. The knowledge of total nuclear DNA content in terms of genome size and ploidy level in wild species of Musa is absolutely important in evolutionary and genomic studies. Methods: In this paper, chromosome spreading was performed via protoplast isolation and a fast air-dry dropping method and flow cytometry were used with Raphanus sativus L. (Brassicaceae) as a standard for ploidy and genome size estimation. Results: The results showed that genome size (2C) varied amongst Musa species, based on the ratio of G1 peak positions. The lowest genome size (2C) was found in M. balbisiana var. andamanica (1.051 ± 0.060 pg) and the highest genome size (2C) was recorded for Musa ABB.cv. Meitei-hei (1.812 ± 0.108 pg) for the section Eumusa. Among the species belonging to the section Rhodochlamys, M. rosae had the lowest 2C content of 1.194 ± 0.033 pg whereas the highest nuclear DNA content (2C) was observed in M. velutina (1.488 ± 0.203 pg). Cytogenetic analysis revealed that the chromosome number of 14 wild Musa species was 2n = 22, while 1 species—Ensete glaucum—showed a chromosome number of 2n = 18 (diploid), and for 3 species, the chromosome number was 2n = 33 (triploids). An association study based on the Pearson correlation coefficient showed 2C nuclear DNA content was significant and positively correlated with ploidy level (R = 0.9) and chromosome number (R = 0.84). Conclusions: The present study provides reliable information on the genome size and ploidy level of wild Musa species from the Indian region through flow cytometric analysis, which could be further utilized in taxonomic and crop improvement programs. For the first time, the nuclear DNA content of eight wild diploid and three triploid Indian species were estimated and reported. Genome size could be an effective indicator in identification of species and evolutionary studies in Musa with varying ploidy levels and morphological similarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the link between creative and innovative leadership and FinTech adoption through the transmission mechanisms of perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU). This study used a questionnaire survey method to collect data from a sample of 721 employees working in the Indian financial services sector. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The study results revealed a significant and positive influence of creative and innovative leadership, PEOU, and PU on FinTech adoption. Moreover, PEOU and PU mediated the link between creative and innovative leadership and FinTech adoption. This study proposes a new vision for managerial procedures to understand the critical aspects regarding FinTech adoption. The study advises that engineering managers should offer simple and user-friendly technology to enhance the adoption rate. Additionally, the results suggest the importance of creative and innovative leadership for competitively exploiting novel technologies. Given India's digital revolution and huge market potential, the FinTech sector could prove a game-changer, especially in generating employment for the young and technologically qualified population. Tech-driven organizations could use the study findings strategically in this digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the emergence of the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement in the early 1990s, a group of female ascetics and sadhvis displayed tendencies of eschewing conventional gendered images and reinforcing the ideals of virtuous motherhood and female warriorhood in an effort to establish women's alternative authority in the public and private domains. In order to galvanise women's participation in the public sphere, these sadhvis allowed women to assume roles that would otherwise be reserved for men on the grounds that men are no longer living according to their dharma. In reality, the sadhvis were reorganising the feminine space within a predominately masculine Hindutva movement by recommending a level of politicisation of women's private responsibilities in the public sphere with a distinctive articulation of particular gender stereotypes. Taking into account these factors, my aim in writing this essay is to examine the ramifications of the agency and authority that these sadhvis achieved while actively participating in the Hindutva movement. This paper also aims to find out which types of approaches they employed to address the conflicts between conventional womanhood, asceticism, and heroic femininity in the arena of public life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is a unique global natural geographical unit with a high altitude and fragile ecology, where land cover change has been affecting its regional ecological security and sustainable development. The plateau covers nine countries with different variations in climate change and human activities, which cause significant spatial variations in its land cover change. This paper uses land cover data to reveal the spatiotemporal characteristics and multi-country differences in land cover change on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau from 1992 to 2020 by applying spatiotemporal characteristic analysis and mapping methods. The results show that grassland (65.70%), bare land (15.56%), and woodland (10.25%) are the main types of land cover on the plateau, accounting for 91.51% of the total area. The interconversion of bare land and grassland was dominant in 1992–2020, with an area share of 67.83%. The turning point year of grassland change occurred in 2015. The grassland area increased by 6312 km2 in 1992–2015, while it decreased by 14,646 km2 in the plateau in 2015–2020. The areas of woodland, cropland, and water increased by 2.77%, 5.85%, and 7.57%, respectively, and the area of built-up land increased from 299.17 km2 to 1206.29 km2. Overall, a warming and wetting trend of the climate in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has driven the expansion of natural vegetation and water in the central plateau within China, with its natural vegetation area increasing by 0.11%. However, the development of regional warming and drying caused local grassland degradation, where Kyrgyzstan and India within the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau experienced the most prominent vegetation degradation. Human activities are relatively frequent in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau within China and India, causing higher growth rates of built-up land and cropland than in other countries. The establishment of reserves and effective forest management policies have led to significant increases in woodland areas in China and Nepal within the plateau, while weak forest management and limited investment in forest conservation have led to high rates of deforestation in India and Myanmar. Accelerated temperature rises and regional differences in precipitation are the main drivers of large-scale land cover change on the plateau and differences in human activities and land use policies are responsible for the dramatic and diverse localized land cover change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, agriculture serves as the backbone of the economy, and is a primary source of employment. Despite the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the agriculture and allied sectors in India exhibited resilience, registered a growth of 3.4% during 2020–2121, even as the overall economic growth declined by 7.2% during the same period. The improvement of the agriculture sector holds paramount importance in sustaining the increasing population and safeguarding food security. Consequently, researchers worldwide have been concentrating on digitally transforming agriculture by leveraging advanced technologies to establish smart, sustainable, and lucrative farming systems. The advancement in remote sensing (RS) and machine learning (ML) has proven beneficial for farmers and policymakers in minimizing crop losses and optimizing resource utilization through valuable crop insights. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of studies dedicated to the application of RS and ML in addressing agriculture-related challenges in India. We conducted a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and evaluated research articles published from 2015 to 2022. The objective of this study is to shed light on the application of both RS and ML technique across key agricultural domains, encompassing "crop management", "soil management", and "water management, ultimately leading to their improvement. This study primarily focuses on assessing the current status of using intelligent geospatial data analytics in Indian agriculture. Majority of the studies were carried out in the crop management category, where the deployment of various RS sensors led yielded substantial improvements in agricultural monitoring. The integration of remote sensing technology and machine learning techniques can enable an intelligent approach to agricultural monitoring, thereby providing valuable recommendations and insights for effective agricultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green and decent work in the Global South is inextricably linked to sustaining rural livelihoods especially in agriculture that has undergone significant deskilling under the top-down, technocentric assemblages of the Green Revolution. Additionally, agrarian communities are also seeing youth quitting farming occupations in search of better livelihood options. Scholarly attention to green transitions though has been largely limited to the ecological dimensions. Enacting futures with a focus on ecologically responsible livelihoods need to go beyond existing narratives of technocentric and economic change and foreground the diverse micro institutional innovations that offer newer framings of reskilling. The growing evidence of agroecological initiatives across India indicates less discussed stories of transformation and innovations. Recognising the processes and linkages that allow for, and hinder, transformations at multiple scales and organisational levels is crucial for designing transformative initiatives and policies. Using two illustrative case studies, this paper explores opportunities for green work and the newer skills that might be required to enable sustainable agri-food systems. The case of Natural Farming Fellows (NFFs), a unique programme to encourage young agri-graduates to pursue Natural Farming is presented to understand enabling processes at the grassroots level. The second study explores institutional initiatives to engage rural youth through discussing the pedagogy and curricular approach of a Gandhian university along with opportunities to intern with field organisations. Together, these cases illustrate possible pathways and complexities underlying the process of nurturing sustainable livelihoods, the conception of which needs a broader idea of skilling based on personal aspirations and institutional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy harnessing from renewable energy sources has become more flexible with power electronic technologies. Recent advancements in power electronic technologies achieve converter efficiency higher than 98%. Today, reliable power electronic devices are needed to design a PV-based energy converter (inverter) to reduce the risk of failure and maintenance costs during operation. Wide-bandgap SiC devices are becoming more common in power electronic converters. These devices are designed to reduce switching loss and improve the efficiency of the system. Nevertheless, the cost of SiC devices is a major concern. Hence, to improve the reliability of the PV inverter while considering the economic aspects, this paper develops a highly reliable PV inverter with a hybrid Si/SiC power module that consists of a Si-IGBT with a SiC anti-parallel diode. A test case of a 3 kW PV inverter is considered for reliability analysis. The loading of the PV inverter is done under uncertain environmental conditions by considering the yearly Mission Profile (MP) data related to Ambient Temperature (AT) and Solar Irradiance (SI) at the India and Denmark locations. The effectiveness of the proposed hybrid Si/SiC power module is tested by comparing it with a conventional IGBT power module. The results showcase the marked improvement in PV inverter reliability with the proposed hybrid power module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As India faced multiple waves of the pandemic, religious responses arose to accommodate and make sense of the situation. In the face of uncertainty, disease and death, people turn not just towards the medical sciences but also religion. The emergence of a new Hindu goddess, Corona Mātā/Coronavirus Mardhinī encapsulates people's fear, faith, and devotion. Although the goddess is new, the tradition of disease goddesses is ancient. The Indian Subcontinent has a long history of mother goddesses who have been protecting their devotees from diseases such as smallpox, fever, plague, etc. This paper attempts to examine the emergence of Corona Mātā in the historical context of these 'protective mothers'. On one hand, historically, these goddesses have emerged as a result of interaction between Brahmanical religion and regional practices. On the other hand, these disease-centred goddesses can also be seen as the result of fear and faith. This paper will analyse the location of Corona Mātā in the ever-evolving pantheon of Hindu deities in the context of a 21st-century pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is endowed with a lot of solar radiation as a result of its location. The Indian government therefore intends to maximize the usage of its solar energy resources through the development of solar power plants across the country. The concentrated solar power plant (CSP) is one of the technologies that rely on solar energy for its electricity generation. The type of condenser model in the CSP technology has the potential to affect its techno-economic viability. In this paper, a 100 MW solar tower power plant (STPP) with two different condenser models, i.e., the dry-cooled STPP and wet-cooled STPP models, are studied using the System Advisor Model (SAM) at six different geographical areas in India. The study employed the optimization of the thermal energy storage and the solar field size to identify the minimum levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for all six locations. Results from the simulation show that the LCOE will range between 13 and 17 cents/kWh under the optimization conditions for the STPP dry-cooled condenser model, while that of the wet-cooled condenser model will range between 12.40 and 12.96 USD cents/kWh for the study locations. It was also observed that the optimized solar multiple (SM) for the dry-cooled STPP model ranges between 1.4 and 1.8, whereas that of the wet-cooled model ranges between 1 and 1.8. The study identified Bhopal as the best location for installing the STPP plant for both condenser models. In addition, this paper also discusses major potential barriers and government policies that are needed to develop CSP technologies in India. The outcome of the study is expected to help both government and other stakeholders in decision making and policy formulation for the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure on freshwater resources is leading to diminishing flows in some of the critical river systems across the globe. India is no exception, and this is mainly because of water withdrawal for irrigation, which is often to the tune of 70% to 80% of the lean season flows, with some proportion for domestic and industrial use. While graduating from the concept of environmental flows and its assessment methodologies in India, the water-managers, the researchers and the conservationists are now moving towards answering the next question, if the rivers are to be revived, where will the water come from, especially in the case of over-allocated rivers, including the River Ganga. While the logical way is to look at the biggest user of water, i.e., irrigation, it remains to be seen whether the irrigation water savings will actually lead to enhancing flows in a river, complementing the efforts towards maintaining e-flows in rivers, or whether it will lead to more area under agriculture, bring changes in cropping patterns towards more water-intensive crops or result in something else. This is a growing debate across the globe, where India is no exception, and there has been a wide range of opinions in this regard. This paper discusses the process, findings and lessons from a joint initiative involving farmers, the Uttar Pradesh state Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Bijnor District Administration and a conservation organisation, WWF, to enhance flows in a sub-tributary, called the Karula River, which is part of the Ganga River system. Another objective of this paper is to look at the scalability and replicability of similar approaches in other irrigation command areas to benefit nearby river systems in general. Under this initiative, the team attempted to enhance flows in the river Karula by routing the saved water from irrigation supplies in a canal commanded area. This saving of water is being achieved due to supply-side and demand-side measures that are being adopted in the project area. With the objective of ensuring the sustainability of the initiative, efforts are made to form an institutional arrangement, through which this initiative can be sustained beyond the project support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]