Search

The essay utilises autoethnography while adopting an explorative research strategy. The PhD thesis project on randonneuring served as the inspiration for the paper. The article details the complete process in a chronological way. It is a reflection on the fieldwork experiences. The fieldwork was carried out between August 2015 and October 2018 in Hyderabad, India. It is divided into three stages. The paper presents a detailed descriptive account of how the researcher was moving through different stages of the study. In stage 1, I describe how I stepped into the cycling world. This stage is marked by learning about the cycle and getting acquainted with the city's cycling community. This includes more of commuting and leisure riding. In stage 2, I participate in local races and venture into longer rides and eventually become a randonneur, i.e., further improving my skills, training and gauging my fitness level. In Stage 3, I have participated in the randonneuring events as a randonneur completing the Super Randonneur series (i.e., 200, 300, 400 and 600kms rides). The article provides specific anecdotes to build a better context for understanding the subjective experience of the cycling culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total electron data (TEC) from GPS nowadays can be used as a tool for understanding the space weather phenomena. The development of prediction model for TEC is quiet crucial and challenging due to the dynamic behavior of the ionosphere, since it depends on different factors such as seasonal, diurnal and spatial variations, solar geomagnetic conditions etc. In this paper, an attempt is made for predicting the GPS derived TEC values for different GNSS stations over India using a hybrid method based on Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep learning method. The daily TEC time series data from the IISc Bangalore (Latitude 13.021, Longitude 77.570), Lucknow (Latitude 26.912, Longitude 80.956) and Hyderabad (Latitude 17.417, Longitude 78.551) stations over India during the period 2008 to 2015 of solar cycle 23 and 24 is used for analysis. The assessment of model performance for testing predicted output compared with LSTM and EMD-LSTM models, and their comparison results show that the hybrid EEMD-LSTM model presents better than the other models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to build a hybrid personalized multicriteria model in the Indian transportation industry to identify the most feasible transport mode suitable for commuters' customized preferences. A hybrid multicriterion model, i.e., Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), was used to compute the criteria weights, which were subsequently analyzed by three approaches, namely, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Fuzzy TOPSIS, Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDA), and Interpretive Ranking Process (IRP). The case of an Indian metropolitan city, Hyderabad, is taken to illustrate the proposed approach. The paper highlights the following transport modes: metropolitan train (unconventional mode) and conventional modes such as the car, public bus transport, and bikes for Hyderabad. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the consistency in ranking with variation in weights, and the Ensemble Ranking and transportation experts validate the rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to build a hybrid personalized multicriteria model in the Indian transportation industry to identify the most feasible transport mode suitable for commuters' customized preferences. A hybrid multicriterion model, i.e., Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), was used to compute the criteria weights, which were subsequently analyzed by three approaches, namely, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Fuzzy TOPSIS, Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDA), and Interpretive Ranking Process (IRP). The case of an Indian metropolitan city, Hyderabad, is taken to illustrate the proposed approach. The paper highlights the following transport modes: metropolitan train (unconventional mode) and conventional modes such as the car, public bus transport, and bikes for Hyderabad. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the consistency in ranking with variation in weights, and the Ensemble Ranking and transportation experts validate the rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to perform a scientometric analysis of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, from 2002 to 2020. The study has used different scientometric dimensions to evaluate the quantitative growth of research publications. The affiliation search was performed to find out the research publications by using the Scopus database. To make the analysis complete and to get better outcomes, authors have considered total publications produced since the inception of ISB, Hyderabad. This study has analysed the year-wise growth of publications, most preferred sources, authorship pattern, subject-wise distribution of papers, etc. Furthermore, the study also explored international research collaboration. During the study period, the study identified a total of 561 publications and 12029 citations. The study found that 2015 and 2018 are the most productive years with 52 publications. The majority of the papers have appeared under three authorship patterns, and the Degree of Collaboration and Collaborative Coefficient is apparent with a total of 0.90 and 0.57, respectively. The "Panel data models with spatially correlated error components" published by "Kapoor M., Kelejian H.H., Prucha I.R published in the Journal of Econometrics Section is a highly cited (335) paper, and Production and Operations Management is the topmost source for publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the step-by-step development and implementation of real-time data transmission from a distant Observatory. Using Python programming language, we have developed an algorithm for automated data transmission of high resolution real-time magnetic data from Choutuppal (CPL) and Hyderabad (HYB), India to INTERMAGNET Edinburgh GIN, with minimal internet services. We have designed a system to transfer the data in a secured and encrypted pattern with SSH keys and save the same dataset in the local server at CSIR-NGRI. Both the Observatories data are transmitted to GIN in real-time with a time frame of less than 300 s. After successfully transmitting real-time 1 min geomagnetic data from CPL and HYB Observatories to Edinburgh GIN, CPL's 1 s real-time data is also initiated and is one of the first Indian observatories to transmit real-time 1 s data to GIN. The details of algorithm development, function libraries and the challenges faced for 1 s and 1 min data transmission at both the Observatories are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss the ethical underpinnings to the anthropological analysis of age and reproductive decline in the 'management' of infertility, by suggesting that assisted reproductive technologies (ART) 'use' age and reproductive decline to further endanger women's bodies by subjecting it to disaggregation into parts that do not belong to them anymore. Here, the category of age becomes a malleable concept to manipulate women seeking fertility management. In ethnographic findings from two Indian ART clinics, amongst women aged between 20 and 35 years visiting an IVF/ART clinic in Hyderabad city in South India, and women above 50 years of age visiting an IVF/ART clinic in Hisar in North India—reproductive bodies are similarly disaggregated. In case of younger women, the treatment is fixated on rescuing eggs that may be in 'decline', and in case of older women, the aim is to engineer a viable pregnancy. Thus, the constant focus on eggs and wombs in infertility treatment creates a body that is not only not whole but also completely without agency. Age becomes a category that has rhetorical value to 'push' or persuade women into particular forms of fertility management through infertility medicine. I undertake a problematization of the egg and the uterus through the identification of the recurring motif of the menstrual cycle within IVF treatment to suggest that bodily holism is not part of ART discourse that unethically thrives on promoting technological intrusions to promote its use and normalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping earlycareer researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Ajay Singh is first author on ' Local DNA synthesis is critical for DNA repair during oocyte maturation', published in JCS. Ajay is a postdoc in the lab of Dr H. B. D. Prasada Rao at the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad, India, investigating the quality of and lifespan-determining factors of mature oocytes in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes and analyses the Hadrami migration to and adaptations in Hyderabad, India. The various adaptive niches exploited by the Hadramis in Hyderabad before the merger with India in 1948 are outlined, particularly the ones relating to the military field. Hadrami officers and soldiers were a typical features of the Nizam's army. But this was to change with the Indian take-over in 1948. The second part of the paper outlines these changes as they relate to Hyderabad in general and to the new adaptive strategies adopted by the Hadramis in particular. The new evolving adaptations during the 1950s was based on petty trade and represented a downward turn in the fortunes of the Hadramis. During this period the Hadrami identity was fading and they tended to disappear among the other Muslims in the city. In the 1970s, however, labour migration to the Gulf helped improve the economic status of the Hadrami families, and it lead to a strengtheneing of the diasporic organisations that could facilitate the migration and which also strengthened the Hadrami diasporic identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new Functional link broad learning system is used for solar irradiance prediction. • Large number of mapped feature nodes is created from expanded cluster of inputs. • Random weights and biases and suitable activation functions are used for these nodes. • Mapped feature nodes are used as inputs to enhancement nodes for FLBLS. • A new hybrid optimization technique is used for optimization of FLBLS parameters. A new machine learning approach for forecasting short-termsolar irradiance is presented in this paper considering different weather conditions and time horizon in a microgrid environment. Using historical solar irradiance, a short-term forecasting model known as Robust optimized functional link broad learning system (FLBLS) is developed. Here the original input comprising delayed historical solar irradiance samples is initially expanded by exponential trigonometric functions and the expanded features are then used to create a large number of feature nodes using random weights and biases. Further the newly created features are fed as inputs to the enhancement nodes forming a broad learning system (BLS). This newly formed flat FLBLS facilitates incremental learning in fast remodelling of the network if needed for efficient performance without a retraining process unlike deep neural networks using several hidden layers and filters, etc. The proposed approach is designed on the basis of the standard random vector functional link network (RVFLN), however unlike the traditional RVFLN that applies inputs directly and set up the enhancement nodes, in our proposed approach, initially the inputs are expanded and map the expanded inputs to generate a set of mapped features. It reduces the lengthy process unlike deep neural networks that involves the back propagation algorithm for error minimization. The proposed FLBLS approach simplifies the learning process with the proper choice of feature nodes as it can be implemented to a flat network or a simpler network such as ELM that requires only the simple calculation of the output weight and obtain the final output where retraining is not required for adding extra feature nodes or enhancement nodes like deep neural architectures. Also, the minimum variance strategy with the training samples is useful in rejecting the effects of noise and outliers in the system and make the network robust which gets reflected in computing output weights using generalized least square. The minimum variance strategy further enhances the performance of the proposed system. To improve the prediction accuracy, the FLBLS parameters are optimized using an efficient metaheuristic chaotic firefly-sine cosine levy flight algorithm. Also, to reject the effects of noise and outliers and make the network robust a minimum variance strategy is used with the training samples that gets reflected in computing output weights using generalised least squares. The suggested method is experimented rigorously and analysed with different time frames designed for 30 min and 60 min ahead solar irradiance prediction. The obtained results from experiments confirm that the proposed FLBLS approach outperforms other randomized neural network forecasting methods as well many state-of-the-art methods using solar irradiance data of Hyderabad, India collected from National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This approach exhibits with the lowest errors in different case studies among all the compared methods. This FLBLS designed approach is an efficient approach for the purpose of solar irradiance prediction with highly nonlinear data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Shivnarayan Dhuppar is first author on ‘Investigating cell cycle-dependent gene expression in the context of nuclear architecture at a single-allele resolution’, published in JCS. Shivnarayan is a postdoc in the lab of Dr Aprotim Mazumder at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, India, where he likes to think ‘how does it work?’, with the ‘it’ being anything from the biology of a cell to its functions and the physics behind them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper life cycle energy (LCE) demand of a residential building of usable floor area about 85.5m2 located at Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), India is evaluated under different envelopes and climates in Indian context. The house is studied with conventional (fired clay) and alternative wall materials (hollow concrete, soil cement, fly ash and aerated concrete) under varying thickness of wall, and insulation (expanded polystyrene) on wall and roof. The house is modelled for five different climatic zones of India, i.e. hot and dry, warm and humid, composite, cold and moderate. Study suggests that alternative wall materials alone (without insulation) reduce LCE demand of the building by 1.5–5%. Aerated concrete (AC), as wall material, has better energy performance over other materials. LCE savings are significant when insulation is added to external wall and roof. It varies from 10% to 30% depending on the climatic conditions. Maximum LCE savings with insulation are observed for warm and humid climate and least for moderate climate. For same thickness of insulation, LCE savings are much more with roof insulation than wall insulation. But wall insulation is found to be preferable to a thicker wall. It is also observed that there is a limit for thickness of insulation that can be applied on external walls and roof from life cycle point of view. This limit is found to be about 10cm for composite, hot and dry, warm and humid, and cold climates and 5cm for moderate climate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Highly sophisticated balloon-borne scientific payloads have stringent requirement on the telemetry and command system. The development and fabrication of the on-board TT&C package for telemetry, tracking, command, safety and ranging for these experiments is done in-house at the National Balloon Facility (NBF) at Hyderabad. In the last few years, we have made major improvements both in the ground station and the on-board sub-systems, thereby improving the data quality, data handling speed and the general flight control along with aviation safety. The new system has telemetry data rate up to 1Mbps. A reduction in weight, power and cost of the reengineered on-board integrated package has also lead to the ease of operation during field tests prior to launch and at remote recovery sites. In this paper, we describe the details of the new control package, its flight performance and our plans for portable S-band telemetry and telecommand system to cater to the balloon flights from Antarctic station and long duration balloon flights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the urbanisation drive comes steady growth in urban water demand. Although in the past this new demand could often be met by tapping unclaimed water sources, this option is increasingly untenable in many regions where little if any unclaimed water remains. The result is that urban water capture, and the appropriation of associated physical and institutional infrastructure, now often implies conflict with other existing uses and users. While the urbanisation process has been studied in great depth, the processes and, critically, impacts of urban water capture and appropriation are not well researched or understood. This paper undertakes a critical examination of the specific case of Hyderabad, one of India's fastest growing cities, to shed light more generally on the process of water capture by cities and the resultant impacts on pre-existing claims, particularly agriculture. It does this by examining the history and institutional response to Hyderabad's urban–rural water contest; how the results of that contest are reflected in surface and groundwater hydrology; and the eventual impacts on agriculture. The findings show that the magnitude, and sometimes even direction, of impact from urban water transfer vary in space and time and depend on location-specific rainfall patterns, the nature of existing water infrastructure and institutions, and farmers' adaptive capacities and options, notably recourse to groundwater. Broader consideration of the specific findings provides insights into policy mechanisms to reduce the possible negative impacts from the global, and seemingly inexorable, flow of water to the world's growing cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to report a bacterium designated as 88D, capable of producing poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P (3HB-co-3HV)] copolymer from a single carbon source, which was isolated from a municipal sewage treatment plant in Hyderabad, India. This microorganism, based on the phenotypical features and genotypic investigations, was identified as Bacillus sp. The optimal growth of Bacillus sp. 88D occurred between 28 and 30°C and at pH 7. The strain yielded a maximum of 64.62% dry cell weight (DCW) polymer in the medium containing glucose as carbon source, which was followed by 60.46% DCW polymer in glycerol containing medium. Bacillus sp. 88D produced P (3HB-co-3HV) from glucose or glycerol, when they were used as a single carbon substrate. This bacterium produced polyhydrxybutyrate (PHB) when sodium acetate was used as sole carbon substrate. The viscosity average molecular mass (Mv) of the copolymers ranged from 523 to 627 kDa. The physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the biopolymers were characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study deals with the impact of extensive anthropogenic activities associated with festivities and agricultural crop residues burning in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) on satellite-derived reflectance during November 2007. Intense smoke plumes were observed in the IRS-P4 OCM satellite data over IGP associated with agricultural crop residue burning during the study period. Terra-MODIS AOD and CALIPSO LIDAR backscatter datasets were analysed over the region to understand the spatial and temporal variation of the aerosol properties. Ground-based measurements on aerosol optical properties and black carbon (BC) mass concentration were carried out during 7–14 November 2007 over urban region of Hyderabad, India. Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance estimated from IRS-P4 Ocean Color Monitor (OCM) data showed large variations due to anthropogenic activities associated with crop residue burning and fireworks. Atmospheric corrections to OCM satellite data using 6S radiative transfer code with inputs from ground and satellite measurements could account for the variations due to differential aerosol loading. Results are discussed in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]