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The goal of sustainable economic growth is achievable only when economic growth and development occur without environmental degradation. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis explains the inverted U-shaped association between economic activity and environmental degradation. The primary objective of this study is to empirically test the truth behind the EKC hypothesis. In addition to that, the study is intended to analyze the variation in the shape of the EKC; that is, cross-country variation, as well as variation over time. In order to achieve the stated objectives, the study analyzed a long list of countries (75 countries) for a fairly long period of time (1960–2016, i.e., 57 years). The empirical literature in this area estimated the EKC using some form of a polynomial regression equation. This study also used a similar kind of modeling structure to understand cross-country as well as dynamic variation in the shape of the EKC. In this study, firstly the selected countries are grouped on the basis of the shape of the EKC. Secondly, the dynamic behavior of each parameter in the polynomial equation is analyzed to understand the degree of association between economic activity and environmental degradation. This study suggests a decline in degree of association between the two over time.

To investigate the large amplitude free flexural vibration of doubly curved shallow shells in the presence of cutouts.

Finite element model using an eight‐noded C⁰ continuity, isoparametric quadrilateral element is employed. Nonlinear strains of von Karman type are incorporated into the first‐order shear deformation theory.

Cylindrical shell shows mostly hard spring behavior whereas spherical shell shows both hard spring and soft spring behavior with the increase of amplitude ratios for different cutout sizes, radii of curvature and thickness parameters. At a particular value of the amplitude ratio, the frequency ratio of shells is governed by the interactive effects of stiffness and mass.

Aircraft, spacecraft and many other structures where shell panels are used, undergo large amplitude nonlinear vibrations.

The paper will assist researchers of vibration behavior of elastic systems.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has a critical role in boosting agricultural productivity and the growth of emerging economies. The relationship between FDI inflows and environmental factors has not received much attention in identifying its impact on agricultural output. Using annual time series data from 1990 to 2023, this study examines the causal association and short- and long-run effects of FDI inflows, forest coverage and CO2 emissions on the agricultural productivity of the India, China and US (ICU) economies. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) results confirmed that FDI inflows have a significant and positive impact on Indian and Chinese agriculture productivity, whereas CO2 emissions adversely affect US agriculture productivity in the long run. In the short run, CO2 emissions led to agricultural productivity in both China and the US economies. The bound test and error correction model (ECM) result also confirmed the long-run connection and convergence of the equilibrium path among the studied variables except India. The findings of the Granger causality test showed a unidirectional causal link between agriculture productivity and FDI inflows and forest coverage in India and a bidirectional causal link between CO2 emission and agricultural yield and forest coverage and CO2 emission in the Chinese agriculture sector. The study also revealed a unidirectional causal association between forest coverage and agricultural output and between FDI, CO2 emissions and forest coverage in the US agriculture sector. Policymakers were advised to encourage FDI in the agriculture sector and expand the use of environment-friendly technology to decrease carbon emissions and promote forest coverage for sustainable growth and higher agricultural production.

Chromium based conversion coatings have been used widely to delay the formation of white rust on galvanized steel sheets. As chromium is carcinogenic, an alternative chromium‐free conversion coating was developed for use on galvanized steel surfaces to delay the onset of white rusting. This paper seeks to address this issue.

The molybdate coating was produced on galvanized steel surface by dipping in a phosphate solution bath using Na₂MoO₄ as a corrosion inhibitor.

The cyclic polarization tests conducted on molybdates‐treated samples showed a wider potential band in 3.5 per cent NaCl solution, indicating that the coating is passivating in nature. The polarization (R_p) of both treated and untreated samples was evaluated in 3.5 per cent NaCl solution by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. It was observed that the polarization resistance (R_p) of molybdate treated galvanized sample is 2.3 times higher compared with the untreated one. The improved corrosion resistance also was evident from the simulated salt spray test results where the treated sample showed a five times improvement over the untreated sample.

The corrosion resistance of inorganic‐based chromium‐free conversion coatings has not been equivalent to that of chromium based conversion coatings. A chromium‐free conversion coating with enhanced corrosion performance by using water reducible polymer will be described in a future paper.

The developed chromium‐free passivation solution has been implemented for galvanized tube passivation. It is one of the best alternative chromium‐free chemicals for the prevention of white rust formation on galvanized materials during transit and storage.

This paper describes a new coating system for the galvanized material which will provide a significant improvement to white rusting resistance for the galvanizing industry.

Much of the environmental sociology literature calls for economic development to lead to environmental destruction, but growing bodies of work on “ecological modernization” and “environmental Kuznets curves” (EKCs) argue that, beyond a certain point, socioeconomic development can lead to environmental improvement. A third hypothesis (Boyce) argues that inequality may be more relevant than levels of prosperity. Published findings have been sufficiently mixed to warrant more detailed analyses. This chapter considers both cross-sectional and two-wave panel data and the three competing expectations, considering air emissions and toxic manufacturing releases for U.S. counties. Air emissions tend to correlate positively with economic prosperity, supporting the “core” environmental sociology hypothesis, while toxic emissions show greater support for the EKC/ecological modernization hypothesis. The most consistent theoretical support is found among indicators of inequality and power that support the Boyce hypothesis. The findings suggest implications for policy as well as for future research.

The increasing threat of global warming and climate change has been a major worldwide concern for more than two decades. As the achievement of sustainable economic growth has gradually become a major global concern both policy makers and researchers have given considerable attention over the years on the link among energy consumption, emissions and economic growth. In this study, following a solovian growth structure, the authors assume that the aggregate output depends on the stock of physical as well as human capital and energy or power. Depending on the sources, the energy can be categorised into cleaner input generated from renewable sources and a dirty input extracted from non-renewable resources having by-products like pollution. This study finds that less-developed countries (LDCs) failing to afford sufficient access to clean energy which in turn has deleterious impact on the human capital which cascades into low level of production, low saving and low per capita output forming a vicious loop. On the other side, the developed nations are better poised with access to clean energy and this is what is reflected in having larger reserve of human capital yielding higher production, higher income, higher saving and higher per capita capital stock in a circular process. This hence posits a clinching picturing divergence in per capital output and income between developed and less-developed nation mediated through degree of access to clean energy and thereof, the capacity to control emission. The convergence situation between the developed and the less-developed nations shows that each ends up with the relative energy mix below the threshold and it is not desirous for the world as a whole. In case of per capita emission, the divergence situation with the global level of emission is bit ambiguous.

The study aimed to explore the differential impact of various types of sales promotion on consumers' variety-seeking behaviour and the roles of utilitarian and hedonic shopping motivations in promotion-induced variety-seeking. The study further assessed the moderation impact of risk-taking tendencies and deal proneness in the promotion-induced variety-seeking buying episodes.

Based on the temporality of gratification of promotional rewards (immediate/delayed) and the type of promotional rewards (monetary/non-monetary), we classified consumer sales promotions into four types (MI: Monetary/Immediate; NMI: Non-monetary/Immediate; MD: Monetary/Delayed and NMD: Non-monetary/Delayed). We conducted survey research across four major metro cities in India. We collected data from the buyers of two supermarket chains in four major metro cities of India and analyzed the data using SEM techniques.

The study’s findings revealed that only MI and NMI sales promotions lead to variety-seeking buying, whereas MD and NMD do not influence variety-seeking. The study further revealed that MI, NMI and NMD influence hedonic shopping motivations and play a role in variety-seeking buying episodes. NMD does not influence utilitarian shopping motivation or play a role in inducing variety-seeking buying behaviour.

The study is one of the very few studies that explored the differential impact of various types of sales promotions on variety-seeking buying behaviour. The study’s findings enable the retailer to devise promotional strategies to induce variety-seeking among the shoppers. Further, the findings of the instrumentality of CSP in inducing HSM may help the retailer create a promotional environment and induce the shopper (in a good mood) to buy more, thus improving store performance.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.

This study investigates the asymmetric influence of renewable energy consumption (REC) and trade openness (TO) in the pathway of decarbonizing of Indian economy.

By exploiting fifty years of annual time series data spanning from 1970 to 2019 with the augmentation of nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag technique with the consideration of GDP and industry value added (IVA) as control variables.

Our This research not only demonstrates the asymmetric association among the employed variables but also shows that negative shock to REC stimulates emissions, where as positive shock on the same policy variable promotes environmental quality improvement. Negative shock to TO is found to be associated with the corresponding increase of environmental quality, but the positive shock on the same intensifies environmental pollution. IVA is also found to be associated with intensifying environmental squalor. In addition, the research provides the empirical evidence of existence of “EKC” hypothesis in India as long-run coefficient associated with GDP looks smaller than short-run coefficient of GDP.

It was difficult to include may other causal variables due to nonavailability of data pertaining to those variables.

Moreover, some policy guidelines have also been recommended for India at the end that may aid India to achieve net zero emissions by 2070.

This is an original research paper carried out by the authors and has not yet been submitted elsewhere.

The purpose of this paper is to present a general formulation of the quadrature element method (QEM). The method is then used to investigate the free vibration of functionally graded (FG) beams with general boundary conditions and different variations of material properties.

The quadrature elements with arbitrary number of nodes and nodal distributions are established on the basis of two types of FG Timoshenko beam theories. One called TBT-1 takes the cross-sectional rotation as the unknown function and the other called TBT-2 uses the transverse shear strain as the unknown function. Explicit formulas are provided via the help of the differential quadrature (DQ) rule and thus the elements can be implemented adaptively with ease.

The suitability and computational efficiency of the proposed quadrature elements for the vibration analysis of FG beams are demonstrated. The convergence rate of the proposed method is high. The elements are shear-locking free and can yield accurate solutions with a small number of nodes for both thin and moderately thick beams. The performance of the element based on TBT-1 is better than the one based on TBT-2.

The present QEM is different from the existing one which exclusively uses Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre (GLL) nodes and GLL quadrature and thus is more general. The element nodes can be either the same or different from the integration points, making the selection of element nodes more flexible. Presented data are accurate and may be a reference for other researchers to develop new numerical methods. The QEM may be also useful in multi-scale modeling and in the analysis of civil infrastructures.