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This paper aims to identify the factors affecting the adoption of plastic money and mobile wallets by comparing rural and urban perspectives. For this, the study uses a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT3) model with additional variables, perceived value and perceived risk, to predict use behavior.

This research incorporates two cross-sectional surveys, Study R, which includes 417 rural respondents and Study U, which includes 431 urban respondents, regarding plastic money and mobile wallet adoption. This paper used the Statistical Package for Social Science and partial least squares-structural equation modeling for data analysis.

Both studies showed that performance expectancy, social influence and hedonic motivation substantially influence behavioral intention and use behavior. In contrast, effort expectancy has an insignificant influence in rural (Study R) and urban (Study U). In addition, personal innovativeness and perceived value positively influence, whereas perceived risk negatively influences behavioral intention and use behavior in both studies. However, facilitating conditions had a positive effect in Study U, but it had a negative effect on behavioral intention and use behavior in Study R.

This research lays a practical foundation for governments, policymakers and marketers to encourage a phygital payment service that explicitly addresses the rural and urban context. In addition, the findings of this paper also help regulatory authorities develop effective strategies and campaigns to encourage the sustainable development of countries.

This paper attempts to address the gap in the prevailing literature by investigating the role of geographical differences in the technology adoption system, especially in emerging nations like India, where these studies are missing. The adoption differences between rural and urban areas, along with the insightful findings by the authors, help to highlight the unique aspects of the context. As one of the pioneering studies, this research tests the UTAUT3 model, incorporating two additional constructs, to provide a comprehensive framework for using plastic money and mobile wallets – valuable for both researchers and practitioners.

Doppler-Bearing Tracking (DBT) is commonly used in target tracking applications for the underwater environment using the Hull-Mounted Sensor (HMS). It is an important and challenging problem in an underwater environment.

The system nonlinearity in an underwater environment increases due to several reasons such as the type of measurements taken, the speeds of target and observer, environmental conditions, number of sensors considered for measurements and so on. Degrees of nonlinearity (DoNL) for these problems are analyzed using a proposed measure of nonlinearity (MoNL) for state estimation.

In this research, the authors analyzed MoNL for state estimation and computed the conditional MoNL (normalized) using different filtering algorithms where measurements are obtained from a single sensor array (i.e. HMS). MoNL is implemented to find out the system nonlinearity for different filtering algorithms and identified how much nonlinear the system is, that is, to measure nonlinearity of a problem.

Algorithms are evaluated for various scenarios with different angles on the target bow (ATB) in Monte-Carlo simulation. Computation of root mean squared (RMS) errors in position and velocity is carried out to assess the state estimation accuracy using MATLAB.

The growing incidence of precarious employment across many sectors is a serious challenge for a developing country like India. Neo-liberal arguments justify precarity as essential for the development of the free market economy and advocate realigning human resource practices with an ever-changing business environment and labor cost conditions. This chapter seeks to identify the determinants and dynamics surrounding precarity of workers engaged in temporary employment in India. It uses the unique Employment and Unemployment Survey data set published by the National Sample Survey Organisation of Government of India for two time periods 2009–2010 (66th Round) and 2011–2012 (68th Round) to bring out the dimensions of precarity and identify the determinants (both micro- and macro-levels) of participation in temporary employment. We find that precarious employment is most likely to affect the young, women, non-union members, those belonging to minority and socially deprived communities with low land holding and low educational status. Precarious employment is also most pronounced in states where labor-intensive industries are exposed to global import competition and where labor laws are rigid. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for the economic and social policies that Indian governments have adopted in recent years.

Flowers and fruits of Madhuca longifolia (Koenig) (mahua) tree are edible and used as traditional Indian medicines. The physicochemical properties of different parts of mahua are investigated. This study aims to estimate the different mineral contents, polyphenols compounds and antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl inhibition, reducing power, free radical scavenging activity using 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays of mahua flower, ripe and unripe fruit.

Flavonoids were identified and quantified in yellow flowers and fruits of M. longifolia tree by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. Low molecular weight carbohydrates were determined by the ICBio scan, a specific method for determining of carbohydrates. Mineral content is determined by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Physicochemical, nutritional and mineral properties of mahua flower, ripe and unripe fruit were investigated by the statistical approach of principal component analysis (PCA).

Ascorbic acid, gallic acid (GA), quercetin and myrcetin were the phenolic compounds identified and quantified in mahua flower and fruit extracts. Sugar profiling of mahua flowers and fruits confirmed the presence of inositol, sorbitol, mannitol, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, raffinose and maltose. The mineral content of Na, K, Mg and Ca was present in quite a good amount in all samples. Total phenolic content (TPC) was significantly high in mahua flower (25.3 ± 1.0 mg GA equivalent/g FW) followed by mahua unripe (15.8 ± 1.0 mg GA equivalent/g FW) and ripe fruit (14.3 ± 1.0 mg GA equivalent/g FW) at p = 5%. In contrast, total flavonoid contents (TFCs) were highest in ripe fruit, then mahua flower and unripe fruit. Positive correlations were predicted by PCA for mahua flower with TPC, antioxidant activity assays and minerals except for Na; ripe fruit with TFC and Na; and unripe fruit with maltose and sorbitol.

This study demonstrates the application of LIBS for the determination of elements present in the mahua flowers and fruits and reveals that mahua can be a good source of nutrients. Sugar profiling of mahua flower showed that it is a rich source of reducing and non-reducing sugar, proving that mahua flower juice can be used as a natural sweetener in the development of different food products, namely, biscuits, cookies, cake, jam, jelly, juice and squash.

Among the various global options for self-employment, venturing into the micro-enterprise sector has been recognized as an important way for employment generation and poverty alleviation in many developing/emerging economies. In this context, women-owned businesses at the grassroots play a vital role in developing countries like India far beyond contributing to job creation and economic growth. The informal sector is a sizeable and expanding feature of the contemporary global economy.

However, the informal economy operates at the cusp of the institutional framework, which makes them susceptible to many risks like lack of formal financing options, legal aid or increasing margin through access to formal markets. Non-Profit Development Agencies (NPDAs) have emerged as a viable and essential middle ground support in promoting women entrepreneurship in their capacity to contribute beyond governmental institutions.

The study adopted an inductive qualitative option through a case study design to explore the approaches adopted by NPDAs in promoting micro-entrepreneurship among women at the base of the pyramid (BoP) in the urban informal sector in India. The findings suggest that the NPDAs created an impact through the services, which translated into monetary earnings for the entrepreneurs. They could make financial contributions to their families, which boosted their self-confidence and overall personality. The findings also indicate positive changes like increased self-confidence, self-dependence, and inner strength as reported by the entrepreneurs.

Activists understand that achieving social reform via advocacy campaigns requires competencies in a wide range of cultural and political venues. However, differences in movement organizations’ identities and subsequent strategy choices often lead to inter-organizational conflict that detracts from achieving the desired reform goals. In this study, the argument is presented that the exchange of resources, such as proficiencies and skills derived from organizational specialization, in combination with strong personal ties between the organizations’ leadership structure, which forge a degree of trust despite ideological differences, will lead to cooperation. To understand when groups engage in strategic resource exchange and inter-organizational cooperation within a particular issue field, several women’s rights action campaigns organized by women’s groups in New Delhi, India are analyzed. The qualitative data utilized in this chapter consist of in-depth interviews with members of several women’s groups as well as organizational documents; thus, enabling a process-tracing approach to support the argument that personal ties drive the formation of informal inter-group coalition building to advance women’s rights in India.

The purpose of this study is to examine the advancement of cultural transformation over time demands certain alterations in human perceptions. It also aims to examine the 21st century’s many radical changes in India, the constant legal battles to decriminalize homosexuality, and challenges to the rigid dichotomy between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Besides, it influences popular culture among the masses, which has turned out to create a more visible space for the lesbian community. In India, lesbian literature begins synchronously under the shades of women’s writing and feminism that wires new hopes for their identity.

This paper examines a primary text as Indian writer Abha Dawesar’s Babyji (2005). There comes the iconic work of Abha Dawesar’s Babyji (2005), which creates a turning point by introducing the life, inner conflict and turbulence of a teenage girl. In addition, a textual analysis of this novel brings forth an analysis of attributes such as sexuality, gender and the interplay of caste and class that meld lesbian childhood and adolescence. This paper also examines how a lesbian girl adapts to and negotiates her maturation amidst vivid social scenarios and cultural conditioning.

A few studies (Hidalgo, et al., 2013; Bem, 1989; Pyne, 2016) show many children have reached or crossed their teenage life without accurate or affirmative knowledge of sexuality and gender. Parents, teachers and even other intellectuals of the adult world fail to transfer their knowledge effectively to children. Definitely, the relevance of sex education is paramount, but more important is what implementation tactics should be used for the same cause. The point is that sex education should not be condensed into a certain gender or perpetuate parochial discrimination. It needs to adapt an age-appropriate curriculum for the cognitive and emotional development of the individuals. Considering these factors, understanding comprehensive sex education is what is most likely to find sustainable remedies for this matter. Gerald writes about a socialization process and gays and lesbians hiding their identity from family and society; a fear of rejection; there is a social gap in peer and family spheres. These fears prevent lesbian or gay young persons from fully developing their identities (1999). Rao and Mason tested a model derived from minority stress theory in which the perceived impact of Section 377 increases depressive symptoms of sexual minorities by increasing concealment stress, leading to a diminished sense of belonging. Because of their minority status, they are more vulnerable to and have a higher prevalence of mental illness than heterosexual individuals (2018).

Babyji has created a discourse to perpetuate normativity and gives importance to the mental health of the excluded lesbian group. It opens a door to studying teenage groups’ issues and their challenges to understanding social and mental issues regarding their identity. A study on this untouched area is required to highlight their issues and mental health problems. This research is an initiative step to create and provide a platform to raise awareness in society.

The banking sector requires a major comeback with the series of bank frauds that has shook the nation. The rising non-performing assets (NPAs) and corporate frauds find their roots in the top-level management or executive levels. The purpose of this study to analyse the behavioural component with corporate governance lapses for creating a trail and to what extent it can contribute to forensic analysis to help reduce and prevent fraud in the future.

This study is investigative in nature. This study uses case study approach by taking into account the major Advance–NPA–Fraud cases over period of 2010–2022. RBI data for bank advances, NPAs and advances-relate frauds from 2005 to 2019 were studies and interpreted for creating a trend and pattern for the reduction and prevention of frauds.

The authors found that behavioural factors and personalities affect the systems and culture of the company, thereby giving a jolt to the corporate governance mechanisms along with various entities like depositors, consumers and shareholders.

Assessing the behavioural aspects for risk mitigation remains unexplored in the banking sector. The personality dimension can help in contributing to comprehending the mental aspects and the reasons behind the combination of dark triads with economic offences.

This study is beneficial to all the beneficiaries of the banking sector and the economy at large in understanding the implications of risks because of patterns formed by emotions and vulnerability towards economic and fugitive economic crimes.

The purpose of this paper was to determine the antifungal activities of different solvent extracts of common plants in vitro and in vivo against banana anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum musae (Berk & M.A. Curtis) Arx, and to investigate its effects on the pathogen and identify the bio active component(s).

Extracts were obtained from leaves, tender shoots, rhizomes, bulbs, seeds and fruits of 42 naturally growing plant species following hot sequential extraction. Preliminary screening of the solvent extracts was done based on the inhibition of radial mycelial growth of C. musae following poison food technique and conidial germination inhibition by cavity slide technique. The selected extracts were assessed for their effect on harvested banana in reducing anthracnose during storage. The active components in the bio-active fractions of plant extract were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy.

Methanol extracted a larger quantity of material (between 6.9 and 12.5 per cent) than hexane or chloroform, and all its extracts were active against the test pathogen with mycelial growth inhibition ranging from 13.70 to 88.89 per cent. Zingiber officinale rhizome extract as well as Polyalthia longifolia and Clerodendrum inerme leaf extracts exhibited more than 80 per cent inhibition of mycelial growth. Total inhibition of spore germination of C. musae was recorded in Z. officinale and P. longifolia extracts at 0.3 per cent w/v and 0.5 per cent w/v concentration, respectively, while only 68 per cent spore inhibition was recorded in C. inerme at 0.5 per cent w/v concentration. Of the three plant species, Z. officinale had the best antifungal activity (18.0 per cent disease incidence; 2.2 disease severity scale) when banana fruits were dipped in the extract at a concentration of 0.5 per cent w/v at 5 days of storage in ambient condition (80-82 per cent R.H., 27 ± 1°C). The bio-active compounds in the extract of Z. officinale were identified as alpha-curcumene and zingerone.

Based on the antifungal activity, plant extract of Z. officinale can be used as an effective alternative to chemicals in controlling anthracnose pathogen in harvested banana.