Search

Purpose To overcome the spread of the noble coronavirus, the lockdown was imposed on March 25, 2020 by the Government of India which adversely affected the education system in the country and changed the traditional classroom teaching to online teaching. This paper aims to explore the factors encouraging university teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic and to find out the major challenges faced by them in adopting e-learning systems in Odisha, an Indian State. Design/methodology/approach The population of this study was teachers of different universities in Odisha, India. An online questionnaire was administered to collect data from the teachers of the state who were involved in the e-learning system for taking their online classes during the COVID-19 situation. During the study 610 valid responses were processed for data analysis. The results of the analysis were presented through factor analysis, t-test and structural equation model. Findings The findings revealed three major factors as user-friendly, convenient and performance encouraged teachers to use and adopt e-learning systems. The results also identified major challenges such as accessibility to the internet, information and communication technologies literacy and skills and technological support, faced by university teachers in adopting e-learning systems. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study have suggested that the university authorities can develop an effective e-learning system to support their teachers for the continuance of education and learning opportunities. The insights of this study can help the regulatory authorities of higher education to redesign policy and infrastructure for promoting effective e-learning systems. Originality/value Many studies have been conducted in relation to e-learning during COVID-19. However, this is a unique study that identifies supporting factors and addresses the challenges faced by university teachers in adopting an e-learning system.

The goal of this research study is to look at how COVID affects OYO hotel chain aggregators and consumer perception throughout the COVID era. The information was gathered using a quantitative survey approach from 278 respondents from various OYO hotels in India throughout the COVID period. All returned questions were entered into SPSS and analysed using AMOS 23.0 and the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The data revealed that all of the investigated parameters had a substantial andfavourable impact on the image of OYO hotels during COVID. Furthermore, the results indicated that sales promotion and pricing contribute the most to the aggregator. Finally,the findings revealed that hotel location, ambience, and atmosphere had a considerable favourable impact on shop image. The outcomes of this study contribute to our understanding of the impact of these elements in affecting OYO hotel aggregator consumer behaviour during the COVID era in India.

Start-up as India’s economy grows, so will the contribution of private equity and venture capital to the overall economy. It is also a fair acknowledgment of unique requirements that these kinds of businesses need to maintain their business operations,which require innovation and size. Further, adding that some of the outstanding start-up country like India is adopting technology to transformation areas such as healthcare and wellness sector, education sector, agriculture and ailed sector, clean energy, security, financial inclusion and exclusion, and water management. The spirit of start-ups boosts up the next generation economies and as the one stop solution of fortunes of people in rural India and thieving economy. The Start­up and Stand­up missions can help the youth upgrade their skills to become entrepreneurs. With Gig work gaining ground, the deserving candidates can get lucrative offers for their services. The article addresses the issues and problems that start-ups in India confront. The startup Eco-system is closely watching the Indian business climate and critically assessing how much help is required from the Indian government, with their new Digital India initiatives.

As a start-up, as India’s economy grows, so will the contribution of private equity and venture capital to the overall economy. It is also a fair acknowledgment of the unique requirements that these kinds of businesses need in order to maintain their business operations, which require innovation and size. Furthermore, adding that some of the outstanding start-up countries like India are adopting technology to transform areas such as healthcare and wellness, education, agriculture and allied sectors, clean energy, security, financial inclusion and exclusion and water management. The spirit of start-ups boosts the next generation of economies and serves as a one-stop solution to the fortunes of people in rural India and the thieving economy. The Start-up and Stand-up missions can help the youth in upgrading their skills to become entrepreneurs. With gig work gaining ground, deserving candidates can get lucrative offers for their services. The article addresses the issues and problems that start-ups in India confront. The startup eco system is closely watching the Indian business climate and critically assessing how much help is required from the Indian government with their new Digital India initiatives.

In recent years, India has become the world's fastest-growing major economy. Its development has been fuelled mostly by the services sector, which accounts for over 55% of GDP, as contrasting to the industrial sector, which has remained stable at roughly 16%. To facilitate ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the government has brought in the product-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage several sectors to increase their local manufacturing and supply chain base, among other things, to help India become self-reliant for high end products. These efforts will aid in the creation of jobs, the alleviation of stressed sectors, the assurance of liquidity, the boost of manufacturing, the energization of the real estate industry, and the assistance of farmers. The chapter aims to evaluate the Balance of Payment of India as structural growth country wise and sector wise growth of FDI in India as well as the ‘Aaatmanirbhar Bharat' status and stimulus packages, which have been announced for sustainable growth of GDP during this pandemic situation.

According to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, the average employment for January 2019-March 2020 was 403 million, which declined to 282 million in April 2020 and recovered steadily thereafter to reach 393million by August 2020. In India, female labour force participation is abysmally poor and has declined over the years, despite a rise in education. The causes for this are complex and, aside from objective factors, include a whole variety of social and cultural aspects. One of the factors causing this is the social mentality of women becoming homemakers. Furthermore, the scarcity of schooling and work-oriented courses, the lack of mobility, and sexism in the workplace have been deterrents to women's access to the public workspace. Therefore, initiatives that aim to fix this void need to be holistic. Legislation alone is not enough, and to close this gap, all stakeholders should join hands. The chapter attempts to analyse facets of the gender gap in labour force participation and economic empowerment disruption through the pandemic.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are highly evolved and sophisticated systems that produce bioenergy via exoelectrogenic microbes. Artificial intelligence (AI) helps to understand, relate, model, and predict both process parameters and microbial diversity, resulting in higher performance. This approach has revolutionized BESs through highly advanced computational algorithms that best suit the systems' architecture.

This study assesses the potential of dynamic nozzle height adjustment for overhead irrigation systems. This system would maintain the nozzle or emitter a constant distance above the crop canopy throughout the growing season and would dynamically respond to variability in canopy height across the field. Within such systems, nozzle height would no longer be fixed in space and time. Nozzle heights would instead vary across space and time. This dynamic system response may therefore have adverse impacts on water application uniformity. The impact of DESA on application uniformity was assessed in three steps. First, changes in individual sprinkler patterns for pressure, nozzle type, flow rate, and nozzle height were measured in controlled experiments. Next, parametrized equations of the individual sprinkler patterns and how they are altered by nozzle height are developed. Next, the Center Pivot Evaluation and Design software was used to simulate theoretical uniformity, and these simulations were tested against field measurements of the coefficient of uniformity. Finally, we use the parameterized equations within the Center Pivot Evaluation and Design software to simulate the coefficient of uniformity for pivots with constant nozzle heights with a random distribution of nozzle heights, which simulate a dynamic elevation system. It was found that the uniformity coefficient decreased by 4-6% as the distribution of heights throughout the pivot become more variable, due to localized dynamic height adjustment. Systems equipped with nozzles with triangular spray patterns were less impacted than systems equipped with nozzles with elliptical spray patterns. Keywords: Keyword. Center pivot, Center Pivot Elevation and Design (CPED), Nozzle height, Sensor, Sprinkler pattern, Uniformity coefficient.

The study describes a novel method using instantaneous mixing torque and rotational speed to estimate insoluble solids and glucose concentrations during enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass. This method is cost-effective for real-time monitoring and control of enzymatic hydrolysis and potentially scalable. The model was developed using biomass slurries at three solids loading (20, 30 and 45%) at various rotational speeds from 50 to 400 rpm. The results showed a significant drop in mixing torque at 12 h with high solids loading. Maximum glucose concentration (205 g/l) during hydrolysis was achieved at 45% solids loading. Insoluble solids and glucose concentration as a function of torque and rotational speeds were modeled using a modified Herschell-Bulkley model. The model describes the experimental observations with high fidelity (R2 = 0.84) and can be used for real time monitoring of many multiphase reaction systems as enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and dry grind corn ethanol processes.

The present era of rapid technological changes and the rising rate of internet penetration has created a stride for an individual’s entertainment preferences. The rise of Over-the-Top (OTT) media services has made strides by altering the media space during the pandemic caused by COVID. Smart phones and access to broad band made OTT acceptable by a large part of the population worldwide. The handheld device OTT is becoming the preferred mode of content consumption by the viewers in India as well. However, there are certain shortcomings of this emerging mode of media mostly in terms of socio-economic as well as technological issues. In addition to finding the growing demands of OTT, present study emphasized on the challenges posed for the adoption of this rapidly preferred media platform. On the analysis of the data collected from the respondents in the twin city of Odisha (Cuttack and Bhubaneswar), the findings revealed three prime factors such as ‘user behaviour’, ‘technological flexibility’ and ‘customer-centric content’ to be the significant influencers of OTT content. The insights of this study can help the regulatory authorities as well as OTT media players in promotion and strategy formulation.

Access to clean energy is vital to combat global warming and climate change, and nothing but hydrogen could better deliver it with ease to secure future energy needs. Biohydrogen could be produced in different routes including photolysis, water-gas shift reaction, dark, photo-fermentation and combination of both. Dark fermentative hydrogen production (DFHP) is efficient in comparison with photo-fermentation and utilizing organic waste ensures land usage and water for agriculture. Several microbes are involved in the process of biohydrogen production via dark fermentation and characterizing them at molecular level unveils holistic approach and understanding. Limited resources were available in terms of molecular tools for microbial characterization and this paper attempts to review the evolution of advanced molecular techniques including their merits and demerits. Understanding the composition of micro-flora is important in DFHP and could be classified as pure, co-cultures, enriched mixed cultures and mixed microbiota. These cultures act as seed sources for batch and continuous fermentations that help in understanding the efficiency of these methods. The schematics and systematic assessment of the various molecular tools (cloning, PCR-DGGE, FISH, NGS, CE-SSCP) for quantification, identification, detection and characterization of the microbial cell activity have been elaborated. Lastly, a comparative tabulation recapitulates the merits and drawbacks of each technique discussed. This provides valued information for choosing the right kind of microbial and molecular assessment tool for future characterization. Such analysis aids in suitable identification and characterization of microflora as potential biocatalysts for biohydrogen production through dark fermentation.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the comparative performance of hybrid metal oxide nanorods i.e. MnCo2O4 nanorods (MCON) and single metal oxide nanorods i.e. Co3O4 nanorods (CON) as oxygen reduction catalyst in microbial fuel cells (MFC). Compared to the single metal oxide, the hybrid MCON exhibited a higher BET surface area and provided additional positively charged ions, i.e., Co2+/Co3+ and Mn3+/Mn4+ on its surfaces, which increased the electro-conductivity of the cathode and improved the oxygen reduction kinetics significantly, achieved an io of 6.01 A/m2 that was 12.4% higher than CON. Moreover, the porous architecture of MCON facilitated the diffusion of electrolyte, reactants and electrons during the oxygen reduction, suggested by lower diffusion (Rd), activation (Ract) and ohmic resistance (Rohm) values. This enhanced oxygen reduction by MCON boosted the power generation in MFC, achieving a maximum power density of 587 mW/m2 that was ∼29% higher than CON.

In the present study, hydrogen production from palm oil mill effluent (POME) was investigated with the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) comprising of nickel (NiO) and cobalt oxides (CoO). The NPs of NiO and CoO were prepared using hydrothermal method and were further applied to analyse, their effect on hydrogen production. The results demonstrated that, a maxima volumetric hydrogen production rate of 21 ml H2/L-POME/h with the hydrogen yield of 0.563 L H2/g-CODremoved was obtained with 1.5 mg/L concentration of NiO NPs. On the other hand, the addition of CoO NPs produced maximum volumetric hydrogen production rate of 18 ml H2/L-POME/h with a hydrogen yield of 0.487 L H2/g-CODremoved with 1.0 mg/L of CoO NPs. Results showed that addition of optimal concentration of NiO and CoO NPs to the POME enhances the hydrogen yield by 1.51 and 1.67 fold respectively. Besides, this addition of NiO and CoO enhanced the COD removal efficiency by 15 and 10% respectively as compared to an un-additive NPs POME. The toxicity of NPs was also tested using bacterial viability test, which revealed that application of 3.0 mg/L of NiO and CoO NPs to modified Luria-Bertani (LB) medium had 63% and 83% reduction in bacterial cell growth. The results concluded that supplementation of NiO and CoO NPs under an optimal range to the wastewater can improve the hydrogen productivity.

The feasibility of Multimodal Algal-bacterial Bioprocess (MAB) for the treatment of primary clarified municipal wastewater was demonstrated at a pilot-scale MAB system (0.2 m3/d) installed and operated in Corvallis, Oregon, USA for one year. The system consisted of an anaerobic reactor; mixotrophic and phototrophic ponds followed by algal settlers and a final wetland cell (WC). The wastewater treatment performance was monitored weekly over the one-year period in terms of onsite parameters as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation reduction potential (ORP), electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS),turbidity and chemical parameters (COD, Nitrate-N, Amm.-N and reactive phosphorus). Algal biomass production and algal community analysis in the MAB was determined regularly. A continuous improvement in the mean DO (1.57–13.98 mg/L) and ORP (−140 to +86 mV) was observed throughout the study period. Higher mean pH (8.62) and DO (14 mg/L) in the ponds indicated high algal photosynthesis. The pilot-scale system maintained an average low final effluent turbidity (14.2 NTU), TSS (

Women-run businesses appear to have mushroomed in most of the cities in the country in recent times. The collective forces of urbanisation and support from government as well as non-governmental organisations have given impetus to women entrepreneurship. This study attempts to assess the impact of entrepreneurship development on women, and reports that venturing into entrepreneurship was taken up as a survival strategy by women. However, it had a positive influence on woman entrepreneurs in terms of self-esteem, self-confidence and decision making leading to their empowerment. The findings indicate that with entrepreneurship development, the respondents developed positive selfesteem as they gained self-confidence and were independent in making their own decisions, thereby reducing their dependence on their spouse/family members. The income from business had not only made the respondents financially strong, but made them decision makers.

This study examined the adoption of e-business technology on business. e-business is expanding steadily in the country. Customers have the ever increasing choice of products at the lowest rates. e-business is probably creating the biggest revolution in the retail industry, and this trend would continue in the years to come.. Customers in the Indian market place have started adopting the new ways of getting their requirements fulfilled and in the process there is a pool of technology savvy customers have stated emerging out. The pace at which the preference towards online transactions in India is growing it has become essential to understand the technological factors influencing this recent form of getting connected to the market place. Digital India lies the development of the digital ecosystem in terms of apps and app-based government services as well as free and equal access to all these for consumers across the country. The study was undertaken by taking 143 numbers of respondents in simple random sampling method. Different statistical tools like frequency, Mean, Standard Deviation, Reliability analysis and regression analysis has been applied to complete the objectives of the study. The Research paper discusses the opportunities and roadblocks of new generation business in India.

Two-stage biogas production is reported to overcome the drawbacks of productivity in anaerobic digestion (AD). Recent publications indicate an increase in methane yield between 10 and 30% via two-stage AD. However, the industrial acceptance is minimal due to their reliability and operational issues. This paper critically reviews the two-stage AD for biogas production. Some of the research gaps identified in two-stage AD include lack of techno-economic analysis to show the industry about the feasibility of this process. There is a clear trade-off between the increase in the methane yield vs. the cost it takes to build the second digester. Practically, building a second digester is not economically feasible due to economies of scale. Other technical challenges include the recirculation leads to ammonia accumulation in the system, and disturbance in syntrophic relationships of microbes between the two-stages. Techno-economic analysis suggests that two stage AD could be about 3% expensive than a single stage AD. Further detailed analysis is required to show clear evidence about the economics and feasibility of two stage AD. The parasitic energy demand of the two-stage system will be higher than a single stage AD due to the reason that two reactors are involved for mixing or maintaining temperature. Most of the two-stage AD, operates at a different temperature and hence the energy demand will be different for different reactors. Some of the problem in the literature includes assessing the stage wise OLR, HRT data, and TS/VS balance before and after the process. To address these issues, further work is necessary to standardize the way two-stage experiments are carried out including the parameters that are necessary to be measured for reproducibility.

Excessive use of phosphorus (P) based fertilizers for improved agricultural productivity has resulted in nutrient enrichment and consequent deterioration of surface and ground waters. Naturally, available soil microbes in an agricultural set-up are capable of mineralization of organic P and/or solubilisation of inorganic P thus making it bioavailable to the crop systems. As an alternative to conventional P based fertilizers, wastewater rich in nutrients can be cheap and economic P sources ensuring phosphorous recycle and reuse. However, the treatment of these waters to check pathogens, heavy metals and other toxicants; conveyance and storage are practical constraints that limits the usage of wastewaters directly to croplands. Wastewater grown algae as proficient biofertilizer can be potentially used to immobilize P and channelize P to croplands. Such algal biomass abundantly growing in natural waters as well as in treatment ponds can be rich sources of nutrients due to their higher P uptake abilities, growth rate and productivity. Although there are huge opportunities for using algae as a bio-filter to recover P from wastewater streams. However, their use for tapping valuable P with present day technologies are still evolving and are in infancy. Efforts on understanding the mechanism of P uptake, immobilization in algal cells and subsequent P transport to agricultural soil systems are important. This can provide global solutions in stocking wastewater P and its sustainable reuse as algal-based P rich biofertilizer.

During electrocoagulation of palm oil mill effluent (POME), operating parameters as electrolysis time, current intensity, inter-electrode distance and initial pH have a profound influence on floc growth and structure. These characteristics can be determined by microscopical and particle size analysis. The microscopical analysis revealed pollutant particles agglomerating and forming a more substantial network when the treatment time increases. The floc also grows substantially when the current intensity is increased from 1 to 20 A. However, the floc’s size increase and looks denser with the decreasing space between anodes and cathodes. Meanwhile, the floc has more tendency to form in acidic solution rather than in basic or neutral condition. The results of this work can be a subject to the other researcher to find the appropriate operating parameters to treat highly polluted wastewaters based on the floc growth and structure.

In order to address existing environmental concerns as a result of non-renewable energy sources and to meet future energy demands, biohydrogen offers a suitable alternative energy reserve. Discrete as well as integrative methods of biohydrogen production have been analyzed over time, optimized for achieving high yields. In addition, key process parameters such as temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time, substrate concentration etc., which influence the rate of production have been clarified. Several studies have exploited industrial waste as feed sources for the production of biohydrogen; however, lower yields from these add an additional requirement for suitable pretreatment methods. The present communication examines various pretreatment methods used to increase the accessibility of industrial wastewater/waste for biohydrogen production. Furthermore, a brief overview addresses challenges and constraints in creating a biohydrogen economy. The impacts of pretreating wastes on biohydrogen generation and the latest trends are also supplied. This study helps in the critical understanding of agro-industrial wastes for biohydrogen production, thereby encouraging future outcomes for a sustainable biohydrogen economy.

Current perturbations in the agrarian economies and the agro-environment have sparked concerns regarding the future food security and a dire need for sustainable agricultural practices without jeopardizing the environmental assets. One such major requirement for an agrarian society is a resilient nutrient source for agriculture. In this regard algal cells that are cosmopolitan in nature with unparalleled characteristics of high biomass productivity, high photosynthetic efficiency and ability to grow in barren and non-arable lands are attractive. They grow in a wide range of water systems especially the ones that are highly enriched with salts (saline) and nutrients (eutrophied) and in numerous contaminated and polluted systems as urban wastewaters. Apart from these primary benefits, the algal route also offers important byproducts that can be further used as value-added products in industries and as C neutral commodities that help to evade climate change by negating greenhouse gas emissions. The most important aspects are its efficiency as a biofertilizer that dynamically improves the soil health and its physicochemical behaviour. The wastewater-grown algal microflora is exceptional in imparting the appropriate mineral nutrient mix with essential vitamins and plant growth promoters together with increasing the water holding capacity of the soil. Algal communities from wastewaters with optimal NPK ratio and secondary nutrients are therefore model biofertilizers. They can be substitutes of the conventional chemical fertilizers due to its ubiquity, enhanced metabolic flux, short generation time and inherent capabilities to transform inert N into plant-available N (N fixation). All the above-mentioned characteristics, techno-economic feasibility and environmental benefits make algae the most beneficial and demanding bioresource of the twenty-first century.

Globally, treatment and management of wastewater are a serious challenge. Voluminous wastewaters are generated on a day-to-day basis that is being either partly treated or untreated finds its ways into surface and groundwater thus enriching the systems with nutrients, pollutants and pathogens. In purview of the increasing water scarcity, rapid water deterioration, higher primary productivity in surface waters due to nutrient enrichment, towering wastewater production and complications related to its treatment, the understanding of water footprint, underlying mechanisms of wastewater treatment and transformation of terrestrial nutrients into value-added products and various downstream processes for their recovery needs to be understood. In this context, the algal treatment systems not only provides a simple and economical solution to wastewater treatment but also aids in the production of many valued bio-based products like lipids as feedstock for biofuels, single-cell proteins, Omega 3 fatty acids, carotenoids as astaxanthin and β-Carotene. The present chapter throws light on various mechanisms and strategies of wastewater transformations into value-added products while evaluating the techno-economics and feasibility of such systems for assessing its potential to be a bio-based industry. Various strategies for algal species selection targeting specific wastewater pollutants grown either as natural population or as engineered consortia with numerous wastewater treatment approaches until the production of valorized biomass is being discussed. Lastly, key techno-economics, environmental challenges and the scope of wastewater transformations into bio-based products are enumerated.

The concept of gazing trash or waste as a worthwhile resource is augmenting exponentially. Despite its worthiness, there are distinct factors which affect the profitability of a plant which processes waste to worthwhile products such as fuels, fertilizers, energy, or chemicals. There is the adequate literature of different processing methods of wastes; however, the majority of the studies do not consider economic perspective. This chapter focusses on the economics of handling wastes including collection and transportation and processing it into value-added products such as compost, electricity, or fuel. Different countries have different legislation for waste handling, and this chapter addresses the waste handling costs in different countries. Furthermore, the profitability of different processing methods was discussed. The critical factors affecting the profitability of waste treatment and handling were identified, and workable solutions or directions were provided to the scientific community to address the problems with an industrial outlook including profitability.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the comparative performance of hybrid metal oxide nanorods i.e. MnCo