6,011 research outputs found
India-Iran relations: a budding strategic friendship
No full textLast month, the Indian Prime Minister made his first official visit to Iran, underlining the extent to which relations between India and Iran have improved since he took office in 2014. In this article Sumit Kumar analyses some of the key agreements signed during the visit and discusses how they fit in to both India and Iran’s wider foreign policy objectives
sj-docx-1-pie-10.1177_09544089221131155 - Supplemental material for Thermo-mechanical and degradation properties of naturally derived biocomposites for prosthesis applications: Analysis of the interface pressure and stress distribution on the developed socket
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-pie-10.1177_09544089221131155 for Thermo-mechanical and degradation properties of naturally derived biocomposites for prosthesis applications: Analysis of the interface pressure and stress distribution on the developed socket by Santosh Kumar, Sumit Bhowmik and Vijay Kumar Mahakur in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering</p
Explaining Risky driving behaviour among the young motor riders in Manipal, Karnataka, India: A psychosocial study on objectives for educational interventions
No full textRoad traffic crashes have emerged as the new public health threat in India and many
other developing countries. With a population of nearly 1.37 billion people, India now
faces the worst-ever road congestion in most cities and towns, and Indian roads have
become more vulnerable to road crashes. Young MTWs riders are more vulnerable to
road crashes due to a lack of experience in comprehending, assessing and responding
to hazards. Young riders in the age range of 18-25 years contribute to more than half
of total fatal crashes. The current research was based in the Indian university town of
Manipal with a sizeable young student population in this age range. Manipal is home to
the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), and it hosts approximately 30,000
young students from all across India and 60 countries all over the world. The overall
aim of this dissertation is to understand the risky riding behaviour among young MTWs
in Manipal, Karnataka, India. A comprehensive understanding of these factors is
necessary, given that little is known about risky riding behaviour and its psychological
implications in India. Furthermore, the resulting information can inform interventions
to promote less risky or safer riding among young MTWs in Manipal and similar
settings.
To better understand the characteristics of fatal road crashes in Manipal from 2008–
2018, in chapter 2, we used the data on fatal crashes retrieved from the office of the
Superintendent of police. Also, we forecasted crashes by time series analysis prediction
from 2019-2025. The analysis indicates an increase in crashes in the last few years. The
analysis revealed that most fatal crashes are due to head-on collision followed by rearend collision. The current chapter highlighted the involvement of motorcyclists in a
fatal crashes much more than any other vehicle. Speeding the vehicle beyond the lawful
limit is the most common cause of fatal crashes in more than 90% of cases. Crashes are
more common on Saturday evenings, primarily due to riding under the influence of
alcohol after weekend parties and get together. For the distribution of fatal crashes
according to the types of roads, the study reported that the highest proportion of fatal
crashes has occurred on National Highways, followed by State Highways and other
roads. As for the distribution of fatal crashes depending upon local weather conditions,
most fatal crashes were found to occur during heavy rains followed by light rain. For
the distribution of fatal crashes per vehicular defect, defective brakes, worn-out tyres,
and defective lighting systems contribute to more than half of the total share of fatal
crashes.
Chapter 3 was a cross-sectional study which focused on the factor structure of a
modified version of MRBQ. Furthermore, it assessed whether the extracted MRBQ
factors were associated with self-reported crash involvement and the number of fines paid to examine the MRBQ’s potential in predicting risky riding behaviour. The
exploratory factor analysis for the MRBQ questionnaire revealed a 36-item five-factor
solution: traffic errors, control errors, stunts, protective equipment, and violations.
Riders who reported violations and performing stunts also had more risk of getting
involved in recent near-crash experiences. No positive associations were found for the
other two factors (traffic and control errors) with near-crash involvement. Riders
reporting frequent traffic errors, violations, and control errors had twice the odds of
paying fines compared to those who reported low traffic, violations, and control errors.
Further, in Chapter 4, we focused on the perspectives of young riders in practising risky
riding behaviours. From the FGD’s held, significant factors have been derived which
determine the dangerous riding ideas the youngsters are involved. Indicators for these
risky riding practices were speeding, drinking and driving, using mobile phones while
riding, not wearing a helmet, and improper maintenance of motorbikes. Furthermore,
the indicators for the infrastructural factors were non-functional traffic signals,
streetlights, barricades, signboards, and speed breakers. The participants enumerated
several reasons why a rider speeds up while riding. For example, the participants gave
different reasons for speeding, such as rushing for essential purposes, looking for peer
consideration, getting late to arrive at the destination, hustling with individual riders and
the impact of films. However, the primary reason for indulging in speeding activity was
thrill-seeking. Moreover, participants were critical of the local authorities in maintaining
the basic road safety infrastructure and the existing loopholes. As for ways to improve
the road safety of younger riders, participants suggested conducting awareness
programmes through the coordinated effort of public bodies, educational institutions,
and the traffic department. Additionally, the authorization of student volunteers to
monitor other youths if they abide by traffic laws in and around the city was proposed.
In Chapter 5, we did a qualitative study to understand the traffic police personnel's
perceptions of the risky riding behaviour of young riders in the city. Five themes were
derived from the data collected (1) Current traffic scenario in the city, (2) Common
practices observed among the young riders, (3) Determinants of crashes observed
among the young riders, (4) Strategies to improve road safety in the city, and (5)
Proposals suggested by the traffic police personnel. The traffic scenario has changed
drastically for Manipal. The reason is that the number of occupants in the city has
expanded on the grounds of job security and educational purposes, which has added to
an increment in the number of vehicles in the city. Nevertheless, the city has seen a
hefty traffic load during the morning and evening hours and at the end of the week. It
was reported that young female riders adhered better to traffic rules and well-being when contrasted with young male riders. This chapter highlights the young riders' lack
of adherence to traffic rules and vague reasons for not abiding by the traffic rules or
approaching the traffic police to convince them. Talking and texting on mobile phones
while riding is a common behaviour among young riders reported by the majority of
traffic police personnel. The chapter also points out the city's most crash-prone areas,
i.e., the railway bridges used for road transportation connecting the cities. It was
recommended to improvise the city's road safety measures by considering the target
population group. Establishing a coordination committee that can locally organize
awareness programmes for road safety and proper traffic police personnel training
could improve road safety and reduce crash fatalities.
Finally, in Chapter 6, we did a cross-sectional study to identify the psychosocial
determinants of risky riding behaviour in young, motorized two-wheeler riders guided
by the empirical literature and the TPB. The result of the study indicated that speeding
behaviour had a significant positive correlation with all its psychosocial determinants.
Furthermore, the results stated that the riders believe that mobile phone usage while
riding is normal and less risky than performing stunts on the road. It was observed that
mobile phone usage behaviour had a significant positive correlation with all its
psychosocial determinants except for habits and past behaviour. Moreover, there is a
strong significance between the participants' behavioural intention, PBC, normative
beliefs, barriers, and attitudes toward using mobile phones behaviour. The participants
in the study clearly understand the benefits associated with helmet usage and have a
positive attitude toward following the rule of helmet usage. Riders’ perceived benefits
and attitudes are considered to be the strong predicting factors for helmet usage.
Furthermore, subjective norm was found to be positively associated with helmet usage.
Policymakers and strategy planners should be encouraged to consider these valuable
leads to design future interventions aiming toward controlling risky riding behaviours
among young riders in India. Behavioural change programmes like behaviour change
communication and persuasive communication programmes targeting speeding and
mobile phone usage behaviour can be initiated with the involvement of young riders
and support from government authorities, university officials, and the regional transport
office.
In the general discussion in Chapter 7, the main findings are summarized and discussed.
Finally, the following recommendations of the findings are proposed:
1. Academic recommendations- (a) Future research on collecting detailed
information on crash configuration to support in-depth research, (b) MRBQ
research with the incorporation of helmet and mobile phone usage behaviour in other settings in India using a larger population and broader age group involvement,
(c) research on what extent the young riders themselves performed the risky riding
behaviours.
2. Practical recommendations- (a) the practitioners should engage young riders for
behavioural change programmes like behaviour change communication and
persuasive communication programmes targeting speeding and mobile phone usage
behaviour, (b) software manufacturers should research and develop applications for
mobile phones to minimize the direct usage of mobile phone while riding, (c) it is
recommended to have an active experimental approach, such as a simulator, where
riders personally experience the impact of speeding to better assess the relationship
between speeding and crash risk.
3. Policy approaches for licensing procedure- (a) policymakers should
implement strict regulations for those riding underage or without a proper valid
licence, (b) graduated driving licence programmes for better driving skills.
4. Policy approaches for MTWs safe systems- It is recommended for the
policymakers to implement and sustain the concept of “safe system approach” like
advanced rider assistance systems (ARAS) such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS),
assist and slipper clutches (A&S clutch), adaptive cruise controls (ACC).
5. Policy approaches for a Road Safety Information Database- It is mandatory
to have Road Safety Information Database in a country like India. Although, due
to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the entire focus of the government has
shifted towards it, the government and policymakers should still take cognizance of
it and implement National Road Safety Information System sooner.
6. Policy approaches for strict law enforcement- Policymakers must take
appropriate measures to assist the enforcement authorities to strengthen and
improve the quality of enforcement in order to ensure effective and uniform implementation of traffic laws. For instance, establishing and strengthening
highway patrolling on National and State Highways in cooperation with State
Governments.
7. Policy approaches for road infrastructure improvements- It is necessary to
improve the existing road safety infrastructure in India to achieve “vision zero” for
the MTW riders in India. The policymakers should focus on immediate fixation to
neutralize any possible threats for the riders. Fixing the infrastructural issues with
advanced road engineering under a coordinated multi-sectoral effort will result in a
more significant commitment to reducing road crashes
Fig. 1. Axonchium nitidum Jairajpuri, 1964 in Six new and four known species of the genus Axonchium Cobb, 1920 (Nematoda: Dorylaimida: Belondiroidea) from the Western Ghats of India
No full textFig. 1. Axonchium nitidum Jairajpuri, 1964 (LM photographs). A. Anterior region. B. Anterior end showing amphid. C. Junction between two parts of pharynx. D. Cardia. E–F. Female vulva and vagina. G. Female genital branch. H. Female posterior region. Scale bars: A–F, H = 10 µm; G = 20 µm.Published as part of Kumar, Sumit & Ahmad, Wasim, 2023, Six new and four known species of the genus Axonchium Cobb, 1920 (Nematoda: Dorylaimida: Belondiroidea) from the Western Ghats of India, pp. 1-56 in European Journal of Taxonomy 857 on page 4, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.857.2039, http://zenodo.org/record/762926
Explaining Risky driving behaviour among the young motor riders in Manipal, Karnataka, India: A psychosocial study on objectives for educational interventions
No full textRoad traffic crashes have emerged as the new public health threat in India and many
other developing countries. With a population of nearly 1.37 billion people, India now
faces the worst-ever road congestion in most cities and towns, and Indian roads have
become more vulnerable to road crashes. Young MTWs riders are more vulnerable to
road crashes due to a lack of experience in comprehending, assessing and responding
to hazards. Young riders in the age range of 18-25 years contribute to more than half
of total fatal crashes. The current research was based in the Indian university town of
Manipal with a sizeable young student population in this age range. Manipal is home to
the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), and it hosts approximately 30,000
young students from all across India and 60 countries all over the world. The overall
aim of this dissertation is to understand the risky riding behaviour among young MTWs
in Manipal, Karnataka, India. A comprehensive understanding of these factors is
necessary, given that little is known about risky riding behaviour and its psychological
implications in India. Furthermore, the resulting information can inform interventions
to promote less risky or safer riding among young MTWs in Manipal and similar
settings.
To better understand the characteristics of fatal road crashes in Manipal from 2008–
2018, in chapter 2, we used the data on fatal crashes retrieved from the office of the
Superintendent of police. Also, we forecasted crashes by time series analysis prediction
from 2019-2025. The analysis indicates an increase in crashes in the last few years. The
analysis revealed that most fatal crashes are due to head-on collision followed by rearend collision. The current chapter highlighted the involvement of motorcyclists in a
fatal crashes much more than any other vehicle. Speeding the vehicle beyond the lawful
limit is the most common cause of fatal crashes in more than 90% of cases. Crashes are
more common on Saturday evenings, primarily due to riding under the influence of
alcohol after weekend parties and get together. For the distribution of fatal crashes
according to the types of roads, the study reported that the highest proportion of fatal
crashes has occurred on National Highways, followed by State Highways and other
roads. As for the distribution of fatal crashes depending upon local weather conditions,
most fatal crashes were found to occur during heavy rains followed by light rain. For
the distribution of fatal crashes per vehicular defect, defective brakes, worn-out tyres,
and defective lighting systems contribute to more than half of the total share of fatal
crashes.
Chapter 3 was a cross-sectional study which focused on the factor structure of a
modified version of MRBQ. Furthermore, it assessed whether the extracted MRBQ
factors were associated with self-reported crash involvement and the number of fines paid to examine the MRBQ’s potential in predicting risky riding behaviour. The
exploratory factor analysis for the MRBQ questionnaire revealed a 36-item five-factor
solution: traffic errors, control errors, stunts, protective equipment, and violations.
Riders who reported violations and performing stunts also had more risk of getting
involved in recent near-crash experiences. No positive associations were found for the
other two factors (traffic and control errors) with near-crash involvement. Riders
reporting frequent traffic errors, violations, and control errors had twice the odds of
paying fines compared to those who reported low traffic, violations, and control errors.
Further, in Chapter 4, we focused on the perspectives of young riders in practising risky
riding behaviours. From the FGD’s held, significant factors have been derived which
determine the dangerous riding ideas the youngsters are involved. Indicators for these
risky riding practices were speeding, drinking and driving, using mobile phones while
riding, not wearing a helmet, and improper maintenance of motorbikes. Furthermore,
the indicators for the infrastructural factors were non-functional traffic signals,
streetlights, barricades, signboards, and speed breakers. The participants enumerated
several reasons why a rider speeds up while riding. For example, the participants gave
different reasons for speeding, such as rushing for essential purposes, looking for peer
consideration, getting late to arrive at the destination, hustling with individual riders and
the impact of films. However, the primary reason for indulging in speeding activity was
thrill-seeking. Moreover, participants were critical of the local authorities in maintaining
the basic road safety infrastructure and the existing loopholes. As for ways to improve
the road safety of younger riders, participants suggested conducting awareness
programmes through the coordinated effort of public bodies, educational institutions,
and the traffic department. Additionally, the authorization of student volunteers to
monitor other youths if they abide by traffic laws in and around the city was proposed.
In Chapter 5, we did a qualitative study to understand the traffic police personnel's
perceptions of the risky riding behaviour of young riders in the city. Five themes were
derived from the data collected (1) Current traffic scenario in the city, (2) Common
practices observed among the young riders, (3) Determinants of crashes observed
among the young riders, (4) Strategies to improve road safety in the city, and (5)
Proposals suggested by the traffic police personnel. The traffic scenario has changed
drastically for Manipal. The reason is that the number of occupants in the city has
expanded on the grounds of job security and educational purposes, which has added to
an increment in the number of vehicles in the city. Nevertheless, the city has seen a
hefty traffic load during the morning and evening hours and at the end of the week. It
was reported that young female riders adhered better to traffic rules and well-being when contrasted with young male riders. This chapter highlights the young riders' lack
of adherence to traffic rules and vague reasons for not abiding by the traffic rules or
approaching the traffic police to convince them. Talking and texting on mobile phones
while riding is a common behaviour among young riders reported by the majority of
traffic police personnel. The chapter also points out the city's most crash-prone areas,
i.e., the railway bridges used for road transportation connecting the cities. It was
recommended to improvise the city's road safety measures by considering the target
population group. Establishing a coordination committee that can locally organize
awareness programmes for road safety and proper traffic police personnel training
could improve road safety and reduce crash fatalities.
Finally, in Chapter 6, we did a cross-sectional study to identify the psychosocial
determinants of risky riding behaviour in young, motorized two-wheeler riders guided
by the empirical literature and the TPB. The result of the study indicated that speeding
behaviour had a significant positive correlation with all its psychosocial determinants.
Furthermore, the results stated that the riders believe that mobile phone usage while
riding is normal and less risky than performing stunts on the road. It was observed that
mobile phone usage behaviour had a significant positive correlation with all its
psychosocial determinants except for habits and past behaviour. Moreover, there is a
strong significance between the participants' behavioural intention, PBC, normative
beliefs, barriers, and attitudes toward using mobile phones behaviour. The participants
in the study clearly understand the benefits associated with helmet usage and have a
positive attitude toward following the rule of helmet usage. Riders’ perceived benefits
and attitudes are considered to be the strong predicting factors for helmet usage.
Furthermore, subjective norm was found to be positively associated with helmet usage.
Policymakers and strategy planners should be encouraged to consider these valuable
leads to design future interventions aiming toward controlling risky riding behaviours
among young riders in India. Behavioural change programmes like behaviour change
communication and persuasive communication programmes targeting speeding and
mobile phone usage behaviour can be initiated with the involvement of young riders
and support from government authorities, university officials, and the regional transport
office.
In the general discussion in Chapter 7, the main findings are summarized and discussed.
Finally, the following recommendations of the findings are proposed:
1. Academic recommendations- (a) Future research on collecting detailed
information on crash configuration to support in-depth research, (b) MRBQ
research with the incorporation of helmet and mobile phone usage behaviour in other settings in India using a larger population and broader age group involvement,
(c) research on what extent the young riders themselves performed the risky riding
behaviours.
2. Practical recommendations- (a) the practitioners should engage young riders for
behavioural change programmes like behaviour change communication and
persuasive communication programmes targeting speeding and mobile phone usage
behaviour, (b) software manufacturers should research and develop applications for
mobile phones to minimize the direct usage of mobile phone while riding, (c) it is
recommended to have an active experimental approach, such as a simulator, where
riders personally experience the impact of speeding to better assess the relationship
between speeding and crash risk.
3. Policy approaches for licensing procedure- (a) policymakers should
implement strict regulations for those riding underage or without a proper valid
licence, (b) graduated driving licence programmes for better driving skills.
4. Policy approaches for MTWs safe systems- It is recommended for the
policymakers to implement and sustain the concept of “safe system approach” like
advanced rider assistance systems (ARAS) such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS),
assist and slipper clutches (A&S clutch), adaptive cruise controls (ACC).
5. Policy approaches for a Road Safety Information Database- It is mandatory
to have Road Safety Information Database in a country like India. Although, due
to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the entire focus of the government has
shifted towards it, the government and policymakers should still take cognizance of
it and implement National Road Safety Information System sooner.
6. Policy approaches for strict law enforcement- Policymakers must take
appropriate measures to assist the enforcement authorities to strengthen and
improve the quality of enforcement in order to ensure effective and uniform implementation of traffic laws. For instance, establishing and strengthening
highway patrolling on National and State Highways in cooperation with State
Governments.
7. Policy approaches for road infrastructure improvements- It is necessary to
improve the existing road safety infrastructure in India to achieve “vision zero” for
the MTW riders in India. The policymakers should focus on immediate fixation to
neutralize any possible threats for the riders. Fixing the infrastructural issues with
advanced road engineering under a coordinated multi-sectoral effort will result in a
more significant commitment to reducing road crashes
sj-docx-1-pie-10.1177_09544089221111291 - Supplemental material for Estimation of fatigue crack growth rate in different zones of friction stir welded AA7039
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-pie-10.1177_09544089221111291 for Estimation of fatigue crack growth rate
in different zones of friction stir welded AA7039 by Chaitanya Sharma, Vijay Verma, Basanthkumar and
Sumit Kumar Sharma, Ajay Tripathi, Sanjay Kumar Singh, Pankaj Sonia in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering</p
Mergers and Wages in Digital Networks: a Public Interest Perspective
No full textDue to copyright restrictions and/or publisher's policy full text access from Treasures at UT Dallas is limited to current UTD affiliates (use the provided Link to Article).This article has examined the relationship between mergers and their impact on average per-person wages for incumbents, over long periods of institutional changes within the United States telecommunications industry, from a public interest perspective. We evaluate the relationship of mergers and wages across two differing periods; one, when the sector was completely regulated, and, the other, when competition was introduced after the Telecommunications Act of 1996. We treat mergers as endogenous and use treatment effects analysis to examine the relationship of mergers and wages. Having split the data set into data for regulated and deregulated periods, we find no impact of mergers on wages in the regulated period. In the deregulated period, however, between 1996 and 2001, we find a significant negative impact on mergers and wages. For firms experiencing mergers, real average wages per employee are a third lower than in non-merging firms. This suggests a post-merger cost-cutting approach by firms. Our before-and-after findings of wages declining after mergers, in the 1996 to 2001 period, lead us to conclude that the merger approvals given after the passage of TA 1996 will not have met public interest guidelines as per which merger outcomes ought to be fair to affected firms’ employees and stakeholders. Additionally, we suggest a resolution to the empirical puzzle, of half-negative and half-positive merger and wage outcome findings existing in the literature, by incorporating institutional context into our analysis to explain why during some periods of time the relationship of merger and wage outcomes may be positive and at other times may be negative. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Naveen Jindal School of Managemen
Tuning the Extracellular Vesicles Membrane through Fusion for Biomedical Applications
No full textMembrane fusion is one of the key phenomena in the living cell for maintaining the basic function of life. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have the ability to transfer information between cells through plasma membrane fusion, making them a promising tool in diagnostics and therapeutics. This study explores the potential applications of natural membrane vesicles, EVs, and their fusion with liposomes, EVs, and cells and introduces methodologies for enhancing the fusion process. EVs have a high loading capacity, bio-compatibility, and stability, making them ideal for producing effective drugs and diagnostics. The unique properties of fused EVs and the crucial design and development procedures that are necessary to realize their potential as drug carriers and diagnostic tools are also examined. The promise of EVs in various stages of disease management highlights their potential role in future healthcare
sj-rar-1-het-10.1177_09603271221084276 – Supplemental Material for Protective effects of apigenin on methylmercury-induced behavioral/neurochemical abnormalities and neurotoxicity in rats
No full textSupplemental Material, sj-rar-1-het-10.1177_09603271221084276 for Protective effects of apigenin on methylmercury-induced behavioral/neurochemical abnormalities and neurotoxicity in rats by Rajeshwar Kumar Yadav, Sidharth Mehan, Rakesh Sahu, Sumit Kumar, Andleeb Khan, Hafiz Antar Makeen and Mohammed Al Bratty in Human & Experimental Toxicology</p
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