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• Help in attaining enhances absorption due to multiple reflections as well as concentrating effect within the enclosure. • Reduces the absorption on the side wall temperature and hence, the resultant temperature and the side losses (reduction in both conductive as well radiative heat loss). • A lower heat capacity of the cooking interior due to reduced absorbing surface area which generally do not participate in heat transfer to load but act as surface that loses heat to ambient. • Selection of a TPP that could reflect minimal change- cooker opto-thermal ratio (COR) • Detailed discussion of additionality achieved in terms of performance, economy and carbon saving (environmental aspect) post-retrofit in Indian SBC • Introduced carbon mitigation potential as an objective parameter derived from cooker opto-thermal ratio (COR) Design intervention for improvement in the performance of a solar cooker is required for its mass adoption and popularization. It has remained stagnant for decades for want of a holistic tool which provides metric for prediction of its cumulative optical and thermal(opto-thermal) performance, cooking type/objectives, techno-economic feasibility and climatic impact/carbon mitigation potential. In this work assessment of effectiveness of novel design intervention through retrofitting of internal radiative control in an Indian solar box cooker, one of the most popular family cookers in India, has been investigated using available tools. The solar cooker, with the minimal design intervention, and negligible cost implication shows an improvement of 6.74%, and 6.86% in the values of figures of merit, F 1 and F 2 , respectively, used for the thermal performance evaluation. Here, the standard test procedure for figures of merit mainly accounts for the thermal aspect of the performance as it excludes the use of external booster reflector. Alternatively, the Cooker opto-thermal ratio (COR), a parameter measuring opto-thermal performance, shows a 1.25-fold increase. The retrofitted reflectors enhance localised targeted absorption and reduce thermal losses, resulting in a 25% improvement in COR. The retrofitting process is simple, and easy; and offers superior performance, favourable economics, and potential for carbon mitigation, making it highly attractive. Also, this work demonstrates COR as a tool with higher resolution enabling analysis of the impact of even minimal design intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: AOAC Method 2015.06 is a Final Action Official MethodSM for the determination of 12 elements (Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, and Mo) in infant formula and adult nutritional products, based on inductively coupled plasma (ICP)- MS. Currently, its scope does not include certain kinds of formulations used in India. The method would likely be used more in Indian laboratories if its performance were characterized on Indian matrixes. Objective: In this study we describe a typical single-laboratory validation (SLV) exercise designed to characterize the precision and accuracy of AOAC Method 2015.06 for common Indian nutritional matrixes so that the scope of the method can be extended to include them. Method: Six matrixes specific to the Indian market were carried through an SLV and the Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRsVR) previously published for this method were used to evaluate the results. Results: The method demonstrated typical repeatability (<5% RSD), and intermediate precision (5-8% RSD) on the Indian matrixes, with very few exceptions. Accuracy was demonstrated by overspike recoveries in the range of 90-110% over 3 days for the Indian matrixes, as well as excellent agreement with previously published results for three additional matrixes tested. Some of the new Indian matrixes required alternate sample preparation procedures versus the usual reconstitution prescribed by the SMPRs. Conclusions: The SLV results showed that AOAC Method 2015.06 can be extended to include these Indian matrices. Highlights: The two special sample preparation procedures can now be considered validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global clinical trials depend on a range of standards in order for research results to be comparable. As standardization is more than a mere technical exercise, tensions can arise when things are not uniform. This paper uses empirical data from interviews with principal investigators as well as Clinical Research Organization and pharmaceutical industry representatives working in India's clinical trial industry to critically examine the ways Indian researchers navigate quests for standardization. It turns the analytical lens to the often obfuscated work of standardization aiming to transcend the biological and cultural specificity of research participants and research sites. Drawing on the concept of local biologies, it illustrates that the universal body presumed by clinical trial methodology is, in fact, a specifically Euro-American one: Indian participants not only need to be made globally comparable but also aligned with the drugs' future consumers. Focusing on the tensions between biomedicine's postulation of bodily universality and trial participants' local biologies, this paper advances recent interventions problematizing the structural violence undergirding global clinical trials. It also contributes to the literature on local biologies in its discussion of how these are negotiated in Indian for-profit clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work assesses the real-world performance of novel improved mud-based cookstoves (MBC) - Pavak 1 (P1) and Pavak 2 (P2) in a remote community in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India. These MBC's were designed using multi-parameter optimization based on extensive laboratory testing. These MBCs are affordable and durable, and can be locally manufactured without compromising cooking quality, taste, or convenience while still meeting the Indian cookstove performance standards (BIS IS 13152 (Part 1): 2013) for emissions and efficiency. MBC's performance was compared to traditional stoves (TS) in accordance with the ISO 19869:2019 cookstove field testing protocol. 45 cooking sessions were captured (22 P1; 13 P2; 10 TS). Fuel-based emission factors (EF) for PM 2.5 and CO were estimated using the carbon balance method. Results indicate reductions in PM 2.5 (56% for P1 and 46% for P2) and CO emissions (15% for P1 and 0.85% for P2) compared to TS. Analysis of real-time modified combustion efficiencies showed that MBCs exhibited prolonged periods in pure flaming conditions compared to TS. A user perception survey was conducted in the intervention households to understand community acceptability. Our results demonstrate the potential for increased adoption rates, emphasizing the importance of information, education, and communication (IEC) programs to maximize health and climate benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been research attempts to automate the process of lithology identification from the well-logs using machine learning algorithms. However, a single algorithm cannot be applied on a universal scale due to the nonstationary nature of geological data sets. The notion of changes in the well-log signal must be considered to resolve the issue. This paper presents a multistage method using multivariate change detection and statistical machine learning to (a) identify the significant changes in the well-logs, (b) map multivariate change in log signal with the lithofacies classes, (c) enhance the data set by removing the highly populated class, (d) using statistical machine learning tools, i.e., Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify target classes. We apply the algorithm to the data collected from a mostly shale-contained subsurface environment in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin, India. The primary objective of the research is to locate thin layers of hydrocarbon-contained sand in the subsurface while dealing with challenges such as intra-well and inter-well heterogeneity and a severe class imbalance. The algorithm satisfactorily performs in lithofacies classification with significantly better performance than the standard machine learning algorithm. • Lithofacies identification using a multi-stage change detection approach • Lithofacies identification in a non-stationary subsurface • Lithofacies classification in an unbalanced condition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India has a vast public health infrastructure with 23,391 primary health centers (PHCs) and 145,894 subcenters providing health services to 72.2% of the country’s population living in rural areas. Although the numbers look impressive, their functional status needs to be studied in terms of physical infrastructure, manpower, equipment, drugs, and other logistical supplies that are greatly needed for ensuring quality services. This work aims to study the infrastructure facilities and manpower in a sample of PHCs in the district of Nellore in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Methods: Randomly selected samples of 15 PHCs have been studied using structured and pretested performance standard questionnaire. Data have been analyzed with reference to the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) of the Government of India. Results: Many deficiencies were identified in infrastructure and manpower in the PHCs studied. Some of the important findings were that the deficiency of AYUSH medical officers was 86.6% and the deficiency of health workers (female) was 13.33%. Some of the important drugs such as antihypertensives, anticonvulsants, emergency drugs, drops, ointments, and solutions were available in less than 50% of the PHCs. Only 47% of the PHCs had Typhidot tests and H2S test strips, and in the labor rooms only 20% of the PHCs have a Standard Surgical Set for episiotomies in accordance with IPHS. Conclusion: PHCs lack the manpower and vital infrastructure that are necessary for the effective day‑to‑day functioning and provision of primary healthcare to the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability reporting across companies continues to be diverse, with many variations on the specific dimensions that companies may choose to report under the voluntary reporting standards. A standardized pathway for safety related information is built with special relevance for India and its suitability to reflect organizational safety culture explored through a review of ten oil and gas and process sector companies. The review attempts to find a balance between priority accorded to safety and safety performance indicators across organizations through a multi-dimensional index encompassing management commitment and operational performance standards. Organizations are classified across three levels of safety culture reporting: high, medium and low. The findings show that sustainability reporting across the multi-dimensional index is at best inconsistent across the selected organizations. This illustrates the need for companies to adopt comprehensive and standardized reporting before sustainability reporting may function accurately as a pathway for understanding an organization's safety information system, and, as a reflection of organizational safety culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper identifies technology as a key solution for the challenges of sustainability and quality in housing and recognizes benchmarking as a tool for selection of appropriate technologies. Suitability of technologies for housing has been explored in respect of functional needs, sustainability needs, and performance standards. These issues have brought out the need for an objective methodology for selection of appropriate technologies, especially for mass housing. The objective framework has been developed by identification of needs of large scale projects, assessment of current issues and their shortcomings and development of objective parameters. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has been used as tool for benchmarking. The case example of the technologies promoted by Government of India for "Housing for All" Mission has been taken up for development of the framework and benchmarking. Findings from the QFD process highlight that these emerging technologies cater to limited building elements and not for the building system as a whole. Inconsistencies amongst performance of these technologies on various parameters have been demonstrated. It is concluded that assessment and benchmarking of technologies give useful insights into the comparative performance of each of these technologies and is hence, a useful tool for selection of appropriate technology for housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile telephony influences nearly all aspects of people׳s lives and is expected to grow in importance as a revenue and information source. Mobile phones are reported to have a positive and significant impact on the overall economic performance of individuals and the growth of a country. In India, however, the adoption pace of mobile telephony in rural regions is slower than that in urban areas. We examine the differences in the intention to adopt mobile telephony across different segments of the rural Indian population using the extended technology acceptance model (TAM), partial least squares regression, and multigroup analysis. Results suggest that gender, age, technology subscription, and region play a moderating role on the relationships in the extended TAM for rural India. These findings can help service providers design and develop group-specific offerings that lead to faster adoption of mobile telephony in rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on outsourced operations has primarily focused on working conditions in call centers. This study sought to focus attention on other outsourced operations to document employees' experience of shift work. In-depth interviews with both management and employees at two Indian organizations suggest that the negative consequences of shift work and working conditions are not merely individual problems, but they have adverse consequences for organizations as well. In particular, the study suggests that high attrition rates in the outsourcing industry may be an indirect result of shift work, indicating that shifting operations from India to other offshore locations may not resolve the issue. A model linking the effect of shift work on employees to attrition rates is proposed, and implications for future research and strategies organizations can implement to minimize the impact of shift work on employees' health and performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]