Reverse Innovation: An Exploratory Study on Tata Nano Motors

This article unpacks the concept of reverse innovation by studying the Nano version of the Tata engine, the cheapest car in the world to be unveiled in India. The document examines the concept process, product development and marketing strategy used by the company. Nano was made with the people of India in mind, so it was the first local production for local buyers before it exports to the developed world, the development of Nano products became known for its cost-saving features, which initially influenced the price of promotion, but later increased due to car innovations. The car is known for its cost-cutting features, such as three walnut camera wheels, access to the trunk from the inside and a windshield wiper. The price was marked at $2,000, which was equivalent to a motorcycle. Some notable aspects that led to Tata Nano's success include the recruitment of competent and trained human resources, creating synergies with chain offerings for easy distribution. But the company faced challenges ranging from looming safety standards causing a car fire, a longer wait for the vehicle and ultimately a marketing strategy that was unsustainable and ultimately led to a drop in sales. Key words: Reverse innovation, emerging economies, Tata Nano motor DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-6-11 Publication date:March 31st 202

Recommendation of Micro Teaching Video Resources Based on Topic Mining and Sentiment Analysis

Video learning resources are preferred by many students, owing to their intuitiveness and attractiveness. It is of practical significance to study the recommendation methods of video learning resources. Most of the existing research methods treat the scoring matrix as the main element, failing to consider video contents and learner interests. As a result, few of them can realize precise recommendation of videos. To solve the problem, this paper explores the recommendation of micro teaching video resources based on topic mining and sentiment analysis. Firstly, the dialog text features of English dialog videos and learner interest features were mined based on the deep word vector, and a topic mining model was established to achieve similarity-based resource recommendation. Next, the micro teaching videos with text information were subjected to sentiment analysis, improving the pushing accuracy of micro teaching videos. Finally, the scientific nature of our algorithm was demonstrated through experiments

Evaluation of College English Teaching Quality Based on Grey Clustering Analysis

Currently, there are two main problems with the evaluation of college English teaching quality: the lack of a complete evaluation system, and the limited quantification of evaluation indices. To solve the problems, this paper sums up the evaluation contents of college English teaching quality, and identifies the factors affecting the teaching quality of college English. On this basis, an improved evaluation system was established for the assessment of college English teaching quality, which is theoretically innovative. Next, grey clustering analysis and entropy weight method were combined into a robust evaluation model for college English teaching quality. This research provides a new and applicable solution to quantification of college English teaching quality

Reference-free approach for mitigating human-machine conflicts in shared control of automated vehicles

Shared control is a promising approach that can facilitate the mutual understanding and cooperative control between human and machine. In this study, a novel reference-free framework for shared control of automated vehicles is proposed with the aim of mitigating conflicts between the human driver and the automatic system during their interactions. Position constraint and time to collision are deployed to prevent collision and guarantee stability by limiting the yaw rate and sideslip angle of the vehicle. The design of the shared controller is formulated as a model predictive control problem. It determines vehicle state based on the current driver command and implements control actions only if the vehicle state induced by the human driver violates the pre-defined constraints. The system models, safety constraints and the proposed shared controller are then integrated. The algorithm is validated through computer simulation under two different driving scenarios. The simulation results show that the proposed reference-free approach can offer the human driver more degrees of freedom during shared control, effectively mitigating human-machine conflicts, compared to the previous work. In addition, the algorithm ensures the safety and stability of the system under risky driving conditions, validating its feasibility and effectiveness.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Nanyang Technological UniversityThis work as supported in part by th SUG-NAP Grant (no.M4082268.050) of nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and A*STAR Grant(no.1922500046), Singapor

Performance Analysis of Reverse and Frugal Innovations in Nigeria a Case Study of IVM Automobile Company

Nigeria which is considered as the ‘giant' of Africa and is currently the largest economy in West Africa is also Fast becoming the largest economy in the entire Africa. The country is in the process of developing a broader base for her economy which for many years has been reliant on oil and gas and non-renewable fossil fuels which are already saturated. However, the country has many other natural resources, and one of the major companies in the “non-oil” economy is the Innoson Vehicles and Motors (IVM) in Nigeria. In recent decades, many West African companies, including IVM, have begun to accept the need for innovation if they are to sell their products to a wider market and to increase exports. Noteworthy to companies in West Africa are Reverse Innovation and Frugal Innovation. This research observes the interaction these two forms of innovation adopts, innovation, and the ways in which they have been accepted by the IVM and their supply chain. There are three stages of management considered in this research (Macro; Directors and Educational Advisors Managers, members of this level precipitate policies that advance the economy and business inside the company. Meso; Senior Management at the production unit in the IVM, and Micro; The Organizational Supervisors of manufacturing and distribution). To achieve the purpose of this research, several personnel's at the three different levels of management were interviewed about their understanding of the terms and the application of Reverse and Frugal innovations in their experience. A total of 20 interviews (each lasting 15-20 minutes) were carried out, 8 at the Macro level, 5 Meso level and 7 at the Micro level. This led to a discovery that West African businesses found Reverse Innovation and Frugal very satisfactory, and inherent, should it be that the economic proliferation designed is continued. The study, by analyzing their opinions concerning the drivers and limitations of Reverse Innovation and Frugal Innovation, has successfully generated a framework for R&F innovations which establishments in other developing economies seeking to proliferate their exports back to the developed countries might find beneficial. Finally, sustainability is also seen as an underlying influencing factor throughout the research

Generation of Sulfamoyl Radical for the Modular Synthesis of Sulfonamides

Efficient synthesis of sulfonamides has long been pursued by chemists due to their frequent occurrence in pharmaceuticals, especially in anti-inflammatory medicines. The traditional assembly from sulfonyl chlorides and amines, as well as the recently developed one-step synthesis of sulfonamides involving sulfur dioxide, still faces challenges such as poor substrate compatibility and/or stringent reaction conditions. Herein, we present a strategy for the in situ generation of sulfamoyl radicals for the one-step modular synthesis of both alkenyl and alkyl sulfonamides with wide substrate applicability (&gt;100 examples), mild reaction conditions, and easily accessible starting materials. This method is successfully applied to the late-stage modification of drug molecules (23 examples), the one-step synthesis of the drug molecule naratriptan, and the 15N-labeling of sulfonamides.</p

Advanced Sensing and Control for Connected and Automated Vehicles

In recent years, connected and automated vehicles (CAV) have been a transformative technology that is expected to reduce emissions and change and improve the safety and efficiency of the mobilities [...]PolyU (UGC): A004025

Fabrication of Nano TiO2-Polymer Encapsulated Fluorescent Pigments for Weatherability Improvement of Powder Coating

Fluorescent coatings have attracted attention due to their bright colors. However, they have fewer outdoor applications due to low stability, especially the poor weather resistance of the fluorescent pigments. In order to improve their weather resistance and maintain the excellent appearance, this study used polymer binders to coat a light shielding agent nano TiO2 on the surface of the fluorescent pigment to extend the durability. Three organic binders, polyester varnish, polyurethane varnish, and polyvinyl alcohol, were selected. Each binder was dissolved and mixed with pigments and nano TiO2 particles to make a polymer-TiO2 layer on the pigment surface. The effects of binder types and loadings were investigated and evaluated by accelerating weather test of corresponding fluorescent powder coatings. According to SEM and ash test, nano TiO2 was successfully coated on the surface of fluorescent pigments. The modified fluorescent pigment shows a strong ability to absorb ultraviolet rays, and the weather resistance of prepared coatings has been significantly improved compared with the original fluorescent powder coating. When using clear coat PE as a binder and setting the ratio of the binder to the nano TiO2 of 1:2, the UV exposure time of fluorescent powder coatings can be extended by over twelve times compared to the coatings with original pigment for the same color change. This study provides an effective approach to enhance the weather resistance of fluorescent coatings and thus expand their applications

Gill damage and neurotoxicity of ammonia nitrogen on the clam Ruditapes philippinarum

Ammonia nitrogen has been a potential menace to aquatic animals along the coastline of China. Presently, the toxicological effects of ammonia nitrogen were mainly concentrated on fishes, while little attention has been paid to molluscs. In this study, the clam Ruditapes philippinarum was used as the target animal to investigate the toxic effects of ammonia nitrogen. Our results showed that ammonia exposure could significantly reduce the integrity of lysosomes in a dose-dependent manner. Metabolite analysis revealed that exposure doses and duration time of ammonia nitrogen could affect the variation profiles of gill metabolites. In detail, branched chain amino acids, glutamate, choline and phosphocholine were significantly decreased after a one-day exposure. Inosine and phenylalanine were found significantly increased and ATP was decreased after a three-day exposure. The changes of metabolites implied that metabolisms of muscle element, neurotransmission and cell apoptosis of gill tissues would be affected by ammonia exposure. Such inferences were supported by the diminished muscle element, decreased concentrations of catecholamines and increased apoptosis rates, respectively. Therefore, we take advantage of metabolomics integrated with conventional biological assays to find out that ammonia exposure could cause lysosome instability, metabolic disturbance, aberrant gill structures and changes to neurotransmitters, and would result in mollusk gill dysfunction in feeding, respiration and immunity