Search

The current paper describes the shared ideas around feminism and social work profession. Based on the theoretical discourses, it attempts to contextualise the practice framework for feminist social work. It seeks to present few efficacious initiatives in the form of case studies from Indian grassroots and highlight various success stories based on social work practice from a feminist perspective. The central idea of the paper is to explore learning insights from the field based on successful practice based models and how these can be amalgamated to develop an indigenous framework for the practice of feminist social work in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on critical theoretical perspectives and ethnographic field research related to HIV/AIDS in northern India, this paper argues for a cultured-centered approach to stigma reduction interventions and communication practices that are based on an assessment of larger social and structural processes on the one hand and the lived experiences and narratives of people living with HIV (PLWH) on the other. This paper suggests that while the complex nature of stigma, particularly as it relates to HIV/AIDS, makes it difficult to understand and respond to, this problem is further exacerbated by a largely individual and behavior-centered research that still dominates the field of Health Communication. Such research sees human cognition as the main source of stigma and underplays issues of power, structure, domination, and control. More specifically, and with concrete examples from the everyday lived experiences of PLWH – such as their experiences within family and health-care settings, this paper demonstrates how power and structure deeply impact their lives and remain central to their experience of (and resistance to) stigma, thus opening up space for alternative theorizing and practices in Health Communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues surrounding migration are receiving unprecedented attention at the global, regional, as well as national levels. However, a review of the literature shows that there is more focus on international migration compared to internal migration. Further, there is more emphasis on issues related to the migration destination rather than those at the source of migration. Using the cultural preparation process model as a framework, this paper aims to understand the career and livelihood planning needs of those who are left behind. The left-behind families of pine resin tappers in the Changar region of the Indian Himalayas are presented as a case study to draw the attention of career guidance and counselling professionals to this unattended population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus that shook the world population has restructured the world order. While the scientists are grappling hard to find a solution to the imminent problem at hand, the pandemic has thrown the human race into a perplexed stage questioning and mostly changing everything they believed in. The pandemic has replaced human beings as social animal to virtual being. The social distancing mandate required for the survival as propounded by WHO has forced individuals to keep the other humans at bay. The present paper is an attempt to look at the changes the world is facing with respect to the social, cultural, economic, and psychological aspects with a special focus on the internationally acclaimed Kerala model of survival. Kerala, a small state located within the southern peninsula of the country has played an important role in containing the spread of the virus despite its larger population density. The paper focuses on the innovative mechanics followed by the state to curtail the spreading. It also attempts to look at the changes that have been brought in the general human behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the pollution from the atmosphere or polluted cities like the capital city Delhi of India, use of artificial rain is a solution. In this paper, we have proposed and analyzed a nonlinear mathematical model to reduce the pollution level by rain making. In the proposed model five variables are considered, namely; (i) number density of water vapor, (ii) number density of cloud drops, (iii) number density of raindrops, (iv) cumulative concentration of aerosols, and (v) concentration of pollutant particles suspended in the region of consideration. The effect of environmental fluctuations has been studied with the help of Lyapunov functionals. The model is analyzed in the presence of white noise and proved that if rain persists, the pollutants can be totally washed out. It has been observed that the environmental disturbances are not much favorable in such experiments as the presence of environmental disturbance may destabilize the system. It is found that to remove pollutants completely, it is necessary to prevent the formation of pollutants. The simulation is performed to support the analytical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and tuning of controllers for the industrial process is an art, which plays a vital role in many of the process control industries. The industries such as sugar, chemical, paper and other process control-based industries hold the nature of non-linearity due to their uneven distribution of load influence with disturbances. This paper highlights the study and investigation of different controlling parameters associated with the sugar industry which is located in the southern region of Tamil Nadu, India. After the analysis of various processes, the impact of controlling strategy needs to be implemented in an advanced way to minimize the resource utilization with high productivity. The behaviour of various process parameters, such as flow, temperature, level, pressure, is studied and one of these has been discussed in detail along with the controller design. The controller, such as proportional, integral, derivative, has been modified with advanced control phenomena and applied to process model with the presence of delay time provides the excellent tracking of operating point to bring the stability of a certain process in a tremendous manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores assets for health and well-being for women in extremely poor rural areas in Ghana, Haiti, India, the Philippines, and Tanzania. Data were collected through individual interviews and focus group interviews with local women. The paper asks (i) which assets women draw on for well-being in resource-poor settings, and (ii) whether an assets approach, as understood in the Salutogenic Model, is appropriate and meaningful in the most deprived areas. Low levels of natural, material and infrastructural resources were reported by the respondents to cause stress, and assets of a human, social and cultural character were identified as being important in coping with this stress. By mobilizing the capacity and assets of people and places, local development initiatives will make sense logically (comprehensibility), they will be perceived to be practically realistic (manageability), and they will be motivating because they are meaningful, based on involvement in decision-making (meaningfulness). The assets focus must co-exist with initiatives to improve distributional justice. We conclude that an asset approach to well-being is not only appropriate, but also necessary, in even the poorest contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the role of service climate (SC) in the link connecting human resource management practices (HRMP) to commitment to service quality (CSQ). Data were collected from 1236 hospital staff working in different private hospitals in India. The model linking HRMP to CSQ with the moderation of SC was tested using Hayes PROCESS. Results revealed that human resource management practices found to be influencing CSQ and with the interaction of SC the effect is further augmented. The interacting role service climate has been found to be significant at mean and high levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet technology has flourished in India keeping pace with other developing countries. In keeping pace with this advancement, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology is also spreading in India. Government of India (GOI) has realised IoT's business prospect and published draft policy on IoT in 2015. To achieve a better result, the prospective users are required to be kept aware regarding the prospect of IoT and for this, social media is expected to play a pivotal role. Social media can highlight advantages of IoT and in turn, these advantages would be made known to other potential users through Word of Month (WOM). This would bring in projection of a new business paradigm as contemplated by GOI. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting actual use of IoT by the potential users of India and to develop a conceptual model. The model has been verified through survey with inputs from 208 participants identified from three metropolitan cities of India. The responses have been quantified through 5-Point Likert scale. The result shows the implication that social media and WOM almost equally influence Indians to use IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing industries all around the world have embraced the philosophy of lean thinking. The realm of “lean” is no longer limited to shop floor; it has propagated to almost every aspect of business. Thus, lean thinking is now applicable to complete supply chain. This paper investigates the interrelationships between pillars and constructs of a proposed framework of lean supply chain management in Indian manufacturing sector. The results establish a mental model of framework of lean supply chain using interpretive structural modeling and path analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper responds to the recent advocacy of subjective wellbeing in policy evaluation with an investigation of food security in rural Chhattisgarh, India, in 2010-2013. Conceptually, it suggests the need to move beyond a primary focus on happiness to consider a broader-based investigation into people's subjective perceptions. In particular, it introduces a multi-domain model with some affinities to the capability approach, which asks what people think and feel themselves able to be and do. Methodologically, it suggests that the primary reliance on quantitative measures should be complemented by more qualitative approaches to give a more rounded appreciation of how people view their lives. Three approaches are presented: qualitative analysis of interview text; statistical analysis comparing a single measure of happiness with a broader, domain-based approach; and mixed qualitative and quantitative data generated from an individual case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity is an enormously important resource for speeding up economic growth and human development, especially in Third World settings in which social transformation from traditionalism to modernity is urgent. This paper takes the view that Human Resource Management models need to be extended to embrace whole societies, not confined just to business organizations. It seeks to identify the factors that advance creativity and innovation in Third World societies, especially India. Based on the views of a number of scholars representing diverse disciplines, it develops a model of the factors that propel a society towards more creativity and innovation. It makes a preliminary face validity test of the model on a few societies known to be relatively highly innovative. On applying the model to India, it locates three key areas for accelerating creativity and innovation in India: government, educational institutions and civil society. The paper presents a number of suggestions on how creativity and innovation in Third World contexts can be spurred through innovation-enhancing design and functioning of government administration, educational bodies and civil society institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Serving people with HIV encompasses the traditional social work role of advocate for an under-served client population and poses professional challenges for all social work professionals. This issue makes social work practice more distinct in an Indian setting, due to the complex multi-pluralistic nature of society and the need for multi-pronged interventions. The current paper begins with a brief introduction of the contemporary scenario of HIV in an Indian setting. It then examines the multiple levels of intervention at the grassroots. Citing various case studies from the field, the paper analyses social work roles, tasks, and challenges in the field of HIV. The uniqueness of the paper lies in its analysis of several models being implemented by non governmental organisations to deal with the issue. Adopting the theoretical framework of social work practice, it explores the role of social workers in HIV testing, crisis intervention, counselling, building support groups, awareness generation with various stakeholders e.g. schools, community, formation of advocacy groups, developing innovative programmes. The paper also seeks to critique several micro and macro-level field projects. In addition to these, the author develops an indigenous framework for building effective strategies in working with HIV from a social work perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper explores the heterogeneities in antenatal care (ANC) utilization in India's most populated state, Uttar Pradesh. Taking an intersectionality lens, multiple individual- and district-level factors are used to identify segments of any antenatal care usage in Uttar Pradesh Objective: This paper seeks to understand the multilevel contexts of ANC utilization. The planning and programming challenge is that such knowledge of contextual specificity is rarely known upfront at the initial stages of planning or implementing an intervention. Exploratory data analysis might be needed to identify such contextual specificity. Methods: Tree-structured regression methods are used to identify segments and interactions between factors. The results from the tree-structured regression were complemented with multilevel models that controlled for the clustering of individuals within districts. Results: Heterogeneities in utilization of any ANC were observed. The multiple segments of ANC utilization that were developed went from a low utilization of 23.7% for respondents who were not literate and did not have home ownership to a high of 82.4% for respondents who were literate and at the highest level of wealth. Key variables that helped define the segments of ANC utilization include: woman's literacy, ownership of home, wealth index, and district-level sex ratio. Based on the multilevel model of any ANC utilization, cross-level interactions also were obtained between sex ratio and ownership of home as well as between sex ratio and literacy. Increases in sex ratio increased the influence of ownership of home on any ANC, while increases in sex ratio reduced the impact of woman's literacy on receiving any ANC. Conclusion: We argue that a focus on heterogeneous segments of utilization can help build knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie inequities in maternal health utilization. Such knowledge of heterogeneity needs to be incorporated in contextualizing interventions to meet a variety of recipients' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key agenda of policy-makers in both the developing and the developed worlds is to have an inclusive growth. Financial services have been recognised as one of the fundamental services that have the potential to achieve this objective and help move towards a more just and equitable society. This paper attempts to assess the impact of three information and communication technology-driven initiatives in the field of financial services by differentiating them on the basis of service design. This study goes beyond the stated objective of these services and uses Sen’s capability perspective to study their impact across three non-economic outcome variables viz. literacy, service-specific well-being and empowerment. The data for the study are collected from the urban poor across different locations in a large metropolitan city in South India where the three different services are being offered. The study follows a quasi-experimental design (field study) and ensures matching of the treatment and control groups through propensity score matching. The matched data are analysed using an independent samplet-test. The result of the analysis shows that service design plays a key role in increasing service literacy, improving service-specific well-being and empowering end users. The study suggests that the true challenge for providers (government and partner agencies) of these services is in designing a service that ensures a balance of structure and flexibility without constraining the choice of end users through innovative service blueprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Need and importance of modelling in human body vibration research studies are well established. The study of biodynamic responses of human beings can be classified into experimental and analytical methods. In the past few decades, plenty of mathematical models have been developed based on the diverse field measurements to describe the biodynamic responses of human beings. In this paper, a complete study on lumped parameter model derived from 50th percentile anthropometric data for a seated 54- kg Indian male subject without backrest support under free un-damped conditions has been carried out considering human body segments to be of ellipsoidal shape. Conventional lumped parameter modelling considers the human body as several rigid masses interconnected by springs and dampers. In this study, concept of mass of interconnecting springs has been incorporated and eigenvalues thus obtained are found to be closer to the values reported in the literature. Results obtained clearly establish decoupling of vertical and fore-and-aft oscillations. Practitioner Summary:The mathematical modelling of human body vibration studies help in validating the experimental investigations for ride comfort of a sitting subject. This study clearly establishes the decoupling of vertical and fore-and-aft vibrations and helps in better understanding of possible human response to single and multi-axial excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes vehicular speeds at a micro level and studies the relationships between the important elements of speed, namely space mean speed (SMS) and time mean speed (TMS) under heterogeneous traffic conditions. Vehicular speed data were collected at selected road stretches around Delhi, India, in an attempt to understand and model the type of relationships between SMS and TMS under heterogeneous traffic conditions. To demonstrate the superiority of the proposed models, comparisons are made with existing traditional models. The results reveal that the proposed models are consistent in predicting speeds with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical models could be helpful in assisting the Indian government's new initiative of issuing biometric cards to its citizens. This note examines the role of mathematical models in estimating the missing, non-enumerated population numbers, and in estimating the number of cards required by age, gender and regions annually in India. The link between the National Population Register and biometric cards is also highlighted. There are other scientific issues, such as electronic security, data storage management and identity verification, which we do not model in this paper, though we address the role they play in successful implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sustainability is the holy grail of many development projects, yet there is limited evidence about strategies that effectively support transition of programs from donor funding to national governments. The first phase of Avahan, the India AIDS Initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2003--2009), aimed to demonstrate an HIV/AIDS prevention program at scale, primarily targeted at high-risk groups. During the second phase (2009--2013), this large-scale program will be transitioned to its natural owners: the Government of India and local communities. This paper describes the evaluation design for the Avahan transition strategy. Methods/Design: A detailed logic model for the transition was developed. The Avahan transition strategy focuses on three activities: (1) enhancing capacities among communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government entities, in line with India's national AIDS control strategy; (2) aligning technical and managerial aspects of Avahan programs with government norms and standards; and (3) promoting and sustaining commitment to services for most-at-risk populations. It is anticipated that programs will then transfer smoothly to government and community ownership, become institutionalized within the government system, and support a sustained HIV/AIDS response. The research design evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of (1) activities undertaken by the program; (2) intermediate effects including the process of institutionalization and the extent to which key Avahan organizational procedures and behaviors are integrated into government systems; and (3) overarching effects namely the impact of the transition process on the sustained delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention services to high-risk groups. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches are employed so that the evaluation will both assess outcomes and explain why they have occurred. Conclusions: It is unusual for donor-supported projects in low- and middle-income countries to carefully plan transition processes, and prospectively evaluate these. This evaluation is designed so as to both inform decision making throughout the transition process and answer larger questions about the transition and sustainability of donor programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advance of the human development perspective has seen education being established not just as a means of development but as an end in itself. This has created a case for focusing on mass education, even if it implies lower growth rates in the initial years. Such an approach is bound to influence the very pattern of development over the long run. For one, a sustained emphasis on mass education within a framework that assures adequate social security could increase the well-being of workers to a point where it affects the choices they make. In this paper a combination of a simple mathematical model and the experience of the south Indian state of Kerala is used to suggest some patterns of development over the long term that this approach throws up. It argues that the effects of this approach could be wide-ranging, including contributing to the creation of non-agrarian villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to examine the role of technological efforts and firm size in determining the export behaviour of firms belonging to the basic chemical industry in India. The basic chemical industry is an important industry that provides intermediate chemicals to firms operating in diverse industries in both India and abroad. In this study technological efforts have been considered in terms of in-house R&D, import of embodied technology, and import of disembodied technology. Three different econometric models, namely, the Tobit, the two-part (Probit + Truncation) and the sample selection (Heckman), have been used for estimation and the results have been compared. The authors find evidence in support of the view that export behaviour of the firm can be modelled in a more appropriate manner using a two-part or a sample selection model rather than the popular Tobit model. The results of the econometric exercise confirm that technological efforts, firm size and other firm-specific characteristics are important in explaining the export behaviour of the firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the rotational transformation process is explained as a problem of rotation of remotely sensed data in the variance-covariance space. In particular, the rotation which maximizes the covariance-variance ratio is examined in detail for various land use and land cover classes in the Bombay suburban and Thana district area in India. A statistical approach to determine transformed components and other statistical variables on different band combinations is discussed. The results are analysed, and the best possible combinations selected for accurate classification are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employer attractiveness models need to include student-centric attributes related to the education-to-work transition. A four-factor Aspire model consisting of benefits, nature of work, employer value, and employer visibility was tested using structural equation modelling, with data collected from 2048 full-time college students from India over a period of five years. Behavioural insights were extracted using multivariate analysis of variance of Aspire factors across gender, programmes, course and graduating year. Prominent student-centric and employer-centric attributes that students find more attractive were identified. Institutional and recruiter strategies to enhance employer attractiveness among job aspirants are proposed. The limitations and scope for further work are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to barriers in accessing and using healthcare services, a large proportion of the care homeless populations receive comes from informal providers. In Delhi, one such informal programme, called Street Medicine, provides healthcare outreach to homeless communities. Clinical practice guidelines are set to be developed for Street Medicine teams in India and form the object of this research. This study uses a social-ecological model to understand the barriers facing Street Medicine teams and the homeless as they attempt to address the latter's healthcare needs; coupling it with an analytical approach which situates these barriers as the issues within practice through which standardisation can take place. A qualitative inquiry, comprising three months of observations of Street Medicine outreach and interviews with over 30 key informants, was conducted between April and July 2018. The analysis identified novel barriers to addressing the needs of homeless individuals, which bely a deficit between the design of health and social care systems and the agency homeless individuals possess within this system to influence their health outcomes. These barriers – which include user-dependent technological inscriptions, collaborating with untargeted providers and the distinct health needs of homeless individuals – are the entry points for standardising, or opening up, Street Medicine practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation of water quality variation in a particular river stretch or at a particular location with time requires mathematical modelling based on advection and dispersion phenomenon. In this context, estimation of an appropriate dispersion coefficient, which is a function of characteristics of a water body, is very essential and forms an important step in mathematical modelling. The tracer study conducted in this context on the river Ganga to estimate the dispersion coefficient is described in this paper with an analysis of data based on a stream-tube approach. For the wide river Ganga, with a velocity in the range 0.3-0.5 m/s, the estimated transverse dispersion coefficient is 1.33 m 2 /s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young adults with visual impairments encounter a twin burden of attitudinal and access barriers, which inhibits their employment inclusion. There exists a dearth of comparative research focused on the negative influence of attitudinal barriers on their employment outcomes. This article juxtaposes previously un-researched barrier perceptions associated with employers' discrimination of qualified YAVI from Oslo and Delhi. Employers' discrimination is couched in the social model approach, and its nuances are understood through the concept of disablism. A qualitative case study was conducted from November 2017 to June 2018, wherein 29 YAVI (12 from Oslo and 17 from Delhi) were interviewed. This article demonstrates unanticipated similarities associated with the perception of employers' discrimination in two dissimilar labour markets. It calls for further Global North South research to better comprehend the influence of employers' discrimination and concludes with some potential recommendations for different stakeholders. Globally, vision impaired people face difficulties to get employment. Employers discriminate against vision impaired people during the recruitment process in developed and developing countries. It is rare to come across comparative research involving Norway, a developed country, and India, a developing country. Comparing employment experiences of vision impaired youth across developed and developing countries is also scarce. For the first time, stories of discrimination from young adults with visual impairments from Oslo and Delhi are compared. These youths shared similar experiences linked to discrimination during job interviews. The voice of youth with visual impairments from developed and developing countries should be heard to better deal with the problem of employers' discrimination. Based on the employment experiences of the vision impaired youth, recommendations are offered to policy-makers, prospective employers, disability organisations and other vision impaired youth to overcome discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to identify how brand relationship quality mediates the relationship between different online relational bonds, and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. A total of 316 valid questionnaires from respondents aged 20–35 were collected using quota sampling from five different clusters in Bangalore, India. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. This study finds that convenience bonds and structural bond have no impact on brand trust and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. All five relational bonds namely, convenience, structural, financial, empathy, and social bonds are seen to influence their sense of community and attitudinal attachment. Sense of community is the primary influencer of brand loyalty. This study reveals that brand dimensions of brand quality relationship mediate the effect of financial, empathy, and social bonds on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. It also illustrates the role of different relational bonds as a stimulus, and relationship quality dimensions as an organism that lead to improved customer loyalty in online grocery retailing. Managers of online grocery stores can consider these new relational bonds, along with the traditional bonds, to develop positive emotions and achieve competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, pedestrian safety is an issue of major concern. Although an extensive body of literature is available on the identification of elements related to the pedestrian's risk; the studies are primarily conducted in urban areas of developed countries. The findings from these studies may only be partially relevant to the cities of an emerging country such as India. The present study analyzes historical crash records obtained from the "Kolkata Police" and identifies the risk factors at the road network level for the hazardous corridors posing a high risk to the pedestrians. The study findings reveal that pedestrians' fatalities at intersections are associated with a high vehicular volume, higher pedestrian-vehicular interaction, high approach speed, overtaking tendency of vehicles, certain land-use type, encroachment of footpath, inadequate sight distance, inaccessible pedestrian crosswalk, wider minor carriageway, the absence of a pedestrian signal head, and lack of enforcement. On the other hand, the models outcomes reveal that pedestrians' fatalities at midblock road segments are associated with low pedestrian volume, high approach speed, overtaking tendency of the vehicle, encroachment of footpath, on-street parking, wider road width, certain land-use type, inadequate sight distance, insufficient lighting, and inadequate pavement markings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated romantic expectations in a cross-cultural comparison of India and the United States (US). The study was grounded in expectancy violations theory (EVT), which argues that expectancies are a universal phenomenon whose content is influenced by communicator, relational, and contextual factors. The expectations of romantic partners in the two countries were assessed in conjunction with relational models, sex, and gender roles in a cross-sectional study (N = 366). Results indicated that romantic partners from the two countries placed different importance on specific expectations. Furthermore, expectations were successfully predicted by one's culture, relational models, sex, and gender roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We drew on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model, and perceived risk construct to propose an integrated model to explain continuance usage of mobile shopping applications. Espoused national cultural values of individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term/short-term orientation act as moderators to examine the influence of within-culture variation on app usage. Findings reveal habit as the strongest predictor of both continuance intention and use behaviour, but interestingly perceived risk did not influence the post-acceptance behaviour of users significantly. Individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and long-term/short-term orientation espoused cultural values significantly moderated the relationships in the model. Noteworthy theoretical and managerial implications of the research are discussed further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the literature that advocates the use of consumer segmentation by family life cycle (FLC) stages, which are found to have a greater influence on changes occurring in an individual’s life than age. It addresses the youth bias of most research on e-shopping adoption and the emergence of older e-shoppers as an attractive market segment by covering women of all age groups. It evaluated the effect of perceptions and attitudes towards e-shopping acceptance, as well as their variations across FLC stages, by using the technology acceptance model. The 10 FLC stages were selected by modifying the Duvall FLC classification system to reflect the Indian context. The results show that the different FLC stages have a significant impact on the e-shopping behaviour of women. While deals and discounts were found to influence all groups, time-saving and better decision-making through online shopping sites also significantly influenced e-shopping behaviour. Furthermore, the perceived usefulness and/or attitude were important factors that directly affected e-shopping technology adoption and usage patterns across a majority of the FLC stages. The study proved that FLC stages had greater power than age in explaining e-shopping adoption and e-retailers should not ignore them in designing e-marketing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of the current research is to understand the influence of vendor cues like brand reputation. Brand familiarity and offline presence on trust and attitude of online shoppers and consequently on online purchase intention. Data was collected through a web based survey. The findings of the study reported that vendor offline cues have a strong and positive impact on the online purchase intentions of the shoppers. Further, this study also contributed by proving that the trust has a strong relationship with purchase intention as compare to attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:This study sought to examine the pathways through which interpersonal relationship strain and loneliness (stressors) influence elder mistreatment. In addition, the study tested the buffer effects of social support within the stressor-mistreatment relationship. Method:Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 897 randomly selected older adults in rural Tamil Nadu, India. Mediation and moderation models were tested using the process module. Results:Results showed that, in addition to the direct effects, interpersonal problems also influenced mistreatment via loneliness (partially mediating model). In the moderation model, social support buffered the influence of interpersonal strain on mistreatment (unconditional direct effect) and also buffered the influence of interpersonal strain on mistreatment through loneliness (conditional indirect effects). Discussion:Intervention on mistreatment should involve elimination of risk factors and strengthening of social resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study is to conceptualize a digital library acceptance model and its validation. Based on the extant literature and interviews with experts, a sixty-three statement questionnaire was developed and a survey was conducted to test the proposed model. The target population included library professionals and users from academic institutions in India including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. These sixty-three statements were categorized into seventeen dimensions on the basis of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model and two information success models. The model was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings suggest that digital libraries can become more useful and acceptable to targeted user groups when they are developed in accordance with four major factors: systemic aspects, informational aspects, perception of the relevant social group, and user learning. This study is unique as it is the first time such a model has been developed for digital libraries with respect to social construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, while female sex workers (FSWs) are one of the groups most susceptible to HIV/AIDS transmission, research and interventions typically sidestep FSWs’ stories. The authors use interviews with 20 FSWs to reflect a more recent trend of research that encourages FSWs to tell their stories. Based on the findings that suggest both individual and structural factors influencing women's involvement in sex work, the authors suggest a theoretical framework for designing more comprehensive and culturally grounded intervention strategies targeting this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Two decades after the launch of the Safe Motherhood campaign, India still accounts for at least a quarter of maternal death globally. Gujarat is one of the most economically developed states of India, but progress in the social sector has not been commensurate with economic growth. The purpose of this study was to use district-level data to gain a better understanding of equity in access to maternal health care and to draw the attention of the policy planers to monitor equity in maternal care. Methods: Secondary data analyses were performed among 7,534 ever-married women who delivered since January 2004 in the District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) carried out during 2007-2008 in Gujarat, India. Based on the conceptual framework designed by the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, associations were assessed between three outcomes--Institutional delivery, antenatal care (ANC), and use of modern contraception--and selected intermediary and structural determinants of health using multiple logistic regression. Results: Inequities in maternal health care utilization persist in Gujarat. Structural determinants like caste group, wealth, and education were all significantly associated with access to the minimum three antenatal care visits, institutional deliveries, and use of any modern method of contraceptive. There is a significant relationship between being poor and access to less utilization of ANC services independent of caste category or residence. Discussion and conclusions: Poverty is the most important determinant of non-use of maternal health services in Gujarat. In addition, social position (i.e. caste) has a strong independent effect on maternal health service use. More focused and targeted efforts towards these disadvantaged groups needs to be taken at policy level in order to achieve targets and goals laid out as per the MDGs. In particular, the Government of Gujarat should invest more in basic education and infrastructural development to begin to remove the structural causes of non-use of maternal health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors refer to the laboratory testing carried out on model caisson embedded in marine clay collected from the Chennai coast in India. The response of lateral load–ground level deflection of caissons under static and cyclic lateral loading is presented and discussed for the varied parameters such as caisson embedment depth ratio (L/D), load eccentricity ratio (e/D), and undrained strength (su) of clay. The results showed that as the caisson L/D increases, the lateral load required to cause a specified ground level deflection increases. At a given lateral load, the deflection levels are increased as the load eccentricity ratio increases from 0.5 to 2.0. As L/D increases from 2 to 3, the increase in the ultimate lateral capacity is found to be 1.8 to 2.0 times. Similarly, for the change in L/D from 3 to 4, this increase in capacity is found to be 1.6 to 1.8 times at all the undrained strength values and e/D values tested. From the cyclic load test results, it was noticed that the deflections mobilized at the cyclic load ratio (CLR = 0.6) were so small and these are hardly 1% to 2% of the diameter of the caisson. A marked increase in the ground level deflection up to about 900 cycles was observed and thereafter the deflection almost remained the same. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the relationship between economic growth and financial development, it is generally conceded that both variables are likely to be interdependent. However, no attempt has been made so far to estimate a simultaneous equations model to test whether finance causes growth or vice versa. This article uses the Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) method to estimate a two equations model of growth and finance for India to determine the strength of this interdependence. Our results show that Financial Developments (FD) have a small but significant permanent growth effect. However, there is no evidence to support the view that ‘where enterprise leads, finance follows’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Community-based distribution of family planning services is particularly appropriate for South Asia, which has hard-to-reach rural populations. In Uttar Pradesh (UP), India, local status hierarchies of gender, caste, and generation shape the nature of relationships that community-based distributors (CBDs) create with their clients. In this case study of an 'ideal' distributor, we uncover the conflicting expectations that many CBDs experience: to comply with project objectives without violating local social norms that limit interactions across status boundaries. Our CBD responded to these dual pressures with varying strategies, often perpetuating social distance and restricting information and services for men, adolescents, and other marginalized populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]