Distances in Geographically Distributed Team: A Review

Distributed team is a group of people collaborating together virtually from different locations, different time zones and are culturally diverse from each other. Such team have the characteristics of both virtual team and culturally diverse team and is termed as Geographically Distributed Team (GDT). Members of geographically distributed team (GDT) experiences different forms of distances while working together as team both in terms of objective distance based on physical location and subjective distance based on perception. Since the members are located in different continents and working at different time zones they heavily rely on computer mediated communication tools to collaborate.Being distant from each other members experiences a unique set of challenges compared to traditional collocated team which hinders collaboration. The most commonly highlighted issues are related to absence of social ties, distorted flow of information, misunderstanding, misperception and miscommunication. The inability to observe each other work and lack of spontaneous communication due to physical distance builds in perceptual distances among members. The cultural differences among the members being from different nationality, values, beliefs, work style and languages adds to the complexity of working together as a team. Several research studies have looked into both positive and negative effect of distances on team effectiveness. This paper examines the various forms of distances experienced by individuals working in a distributed teams, how it has been measured and the challenges posed by it in GDT

GIS-based air pollution distribution mapping of emissions from public buses for Coimbatore Corporation, Tamil Nadu, India

947-951Vehicle transport on roads is a dominant source of air pollution, and hence spatial assessment of its risks is necessary for the decision makers to evaluate its impact on the public. Indian road transport, especially buses, contribute significantly to air pollution, that too in highly accessible areas like bus stands and bus stops. This paper proposes a three-step integrated method to map relative pollution levels of bus stops and bus routes of Coimbatore Corporation using spatial analysis tools of ArcGIS and suggestion of routes for eco-friendly buses and vehicles

Health-Seeking Behaviour and the use of Artificial Intelligence-based Healthcare Chatbots among Indian Patients

Artificial Intelligence (AI) based healthcare chatbots can scale up healthcare services in terms of diagnosis and treatment. However, the use of such chatbots may differ among the Indian population. This study investigates the influence of health-seeking behaviour and the availability of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine systems on healthcare chatbots. A quantitative study using a survey technique collects data from the Indian population. Items measuring the awareness of chatbot’s attributes and services, trust in the chatbots, health-seeking behaviour, traditional, complementary and alternative medicine, and use of chatbots are adapted from previous scales. A convenience sample is used to collect the data from the urban population. 397 samples were fetched, and statistical analysis was done. Awareness of the chatbot’s attributes and services impacted the trust in the chatbots. Health-seeking behaviour positively impacted the use of chatbots and enhanced the impact of trust of a chatbot on the use of a chatbot. Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine was not included in the chatbot, which negatively impacted the use of chatbots. At the same time, it dampened the impact of trust in chatbots on the use of chatbots. The study was limited to the urban population and a convenience sampling because of the need to use the Internet and a smart device for accessing the chatbots. The results of the study need to be used cautiously. The results can be inferred from the relationships’ existence rather than the impact’s magnitude. The study’s outcome encourages the availability of chatbots due to the health-seeking behaviour of the Indian urban population. The study also highlights the need for creating intelligent agents with knowledge of Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine. The study contributes to the knowledge of using chatbots in the Indian context. When earlier studies focus mainly on the chatbot features or user characteristics in the intention studies, this study looks at the healthcare system and the services unique to India

Transitional Challenges in Technology Adoption among Academic Communities in Indian Higher Education Institutions

Due to the lockdown and remote working practices, academic universities around the world have been forced to adopt new technology. Online courses and exams enabled the use of new applications. During the pandemic, innovative technological adoption became faster, overriding the usual diffusion time lag. The transition was so fast that it presented a slew of new challenges to India\u27s academic communities. An open-ended online survey was used to gather data from faculty members, students, and non-teaching staff at higher educational institutions. Several concepts about transitional challenges emerged from the qualitative data analysis. The results revealed the significant commitment needed to implement modern online technologies, the lack of necessary resources, and the obstacles that participants\u27 home environments presented for teaching and learning. There were also questions about the effectiveness of online learning as well as anxiety and stress could cause. Participants\u27 suggestions unraveled the importance of flexibility and change needed for the appraisal and evaluation methods employed in higher education. The results expanded the notion of the rate of adoption under the diffusion of innovation theory. The study results shed light on how academic institutions could create successful technology adoption procedures for remote learning policies

Genetic diversity within and among populations of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx assessed through RAPD analysis

Genetic diversity was studied among 40 different zone samples in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Samples were collected from 127 locations in different districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Polymorphism at molecular level was studied by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker technique. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 30 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers was applied to the 40 zone samples. Out of 30 random primers screened, 22 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. PCR product of bat genome revealed a total of 234 bands, out of which 171 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram displaying the relative genetic similarities between the zones ranged from 0.42 to 0.92. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the first two components accounted for 51.4% of the total variation. The results show that considerable genetic diversity was observed in this species from different zonal populations, possibly due to complete dispersal of juveniles of both sexes from their natal groups and gene flow between the zones. The results obtained from this study suggest not only a predictive framework for future studies, but also the use of genetic data in the management and meaningful conservation of this species

Sustainable textile waste management practices among consumers: Implications of textile knowledge and environmental concerns

Textile products are an indispensable part of our life. Our ever-growing demand for clothing and other textiles has resulted in an exorbitant increase in production, leading to the overuse of natural resources, pollutant emissions, and environmental degradation. This alarming situation can be controlled by adopting sustainable waste management practices such as reuse and recycling. A circular economy in the textile industry promotes repair, regeneration, and reuse of used products. However, the attitude toward sustainable waste management can be influenced by many factors. The study investigates whether the consumers' sustainable waste management practice is influenced by knowledge of textiles, environmental concerns, and product preferences. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the data randomly from 328 consumers in different cities of India. The consumers were reached online and requested to volunteer to complete the questionnaire. The questionnaire results are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the simultaneous associations between the variables used in this study. The study results indicate that consumers' environmental concerns significantly influence their sustainable waste management practice when mediated by product preferences. The study's findings could benefit the policymakers to improve consumers' knowledge in various aspects such as textile, environmental concerns, and waste management

Assessing the genetic diversity of Indian Kharif sorghum landraces through agro-morphological characterization (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)

The agro-morphological characterization of local germplasm provides insight into existing diversity, enables the identification of desirable traits, and enhances crop improvement. The present study evaluated 96 kharif sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) landraces and 6 checks using 20 agro-morphological traits at two locations, ICAR-IIMR in Hyderabad and Experimental Farm at Annamalai University in Annamalai Nagar, using alpha lattice design with 2 replications during 2021 kharif to assess genetic diversity. Results showed significant genetic variability among the 20 traits (P<0.01), providing opportunities for improvement. The high genotypic (GCV) and phenotypic components of variance (PCV) exhibited among the traits indicated their genetic determination and potential for improvement through breeding programs. High heritability and genetic advance also indicated the presence of additive genes, offering reliable improvement through trait selection. The correlation analysis showed a strong positive relationship between grain yield and several desirable traits, including panicle length, width, primary branch length, hundred seed weight, number of leaves, and total tillers per plant, indicating that grain yield can be improved by selecting accessions with desirable characteristics for these traits. The Cluster analysis using Euclidean distance revealed (four distinct clusters), with Cluster I being the most differentiated. These clusters may serve as valuable resources for hybridization programs. The PCA analysis indicated that the first three PCs accounted for 43.26% of the total variation and highlighted the key agro-morphological traits driving diversity. The results of this study demonstrated the significant genetic diversity among kharif sorghum landraces, providing a promising opportunity for varietal development programs.

Robot-aided assessment of wrist proprioception

Introduction: Impaired proprioception severely affects the control of gross and fine motor function. However, clinical assessment of proprioceptive deficits and its impact on motor function has been difficult to elucidate. Recent advances in haptic robotic interfaces designed for sensorimotor rehabilitation enabled the use of such devices for the assessment of proprioceptive function. Purpose: This study evaluated the feasibility of a wrist robot system to determine proprioceptive discrimination thresholds for two different DoFs of the wrist. Specifically, we sought to accomplish three aims: first, to establish data validity; second, to show that the system is sensitive to detect small differences in acuity; third, to establish test–retest reliability over repeated testing. Methodology: Eleven healthy adult subjects experienced two passive wrist movements and had to verbally indicate which movement had the larger amplitude. Based on a subject’s response data, a psychometric function was fitted and the wrist acuity threshold was established at the 75% correct response level. A subset of five subjects repeated the experimentation three times (T1, T2, and T3) to determine the test–retest reliability. Results: Mean threshold for wrist flexion was 2.15° ± 0.43° and 1.52° ± 0.36° for abduction. Encoder resolutions were 0.0075° (flexion–extension) and 0.0032° (abduction–adduction). Motor resolutions were 0.2°(flexion–extension) and 0.3° (abduction–adduction). Reliability coefficients were rT2-T1 = 0.986 and rT3-T2 = 0.971. Conclusion: We currently lack established norm data on the proprioceptive acuity of the wrist to establish direct validity. However, the magnitude of our reported thresholds is physiological, plausible, and well in line with available threshold data obtained at the elbow joint. Moreover, system has high resolution and is sensitive enough to detect small differences in acuity. Finally, the system produces reliable data over repeated testing

The Role of Applied Behaviour Analysing in Zoo Management System for Animals

This study examines the use of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in animal management systems in zoos with an emphasis on how well it enhances animal wellbeing. The goals of the study were comparing ABA-based approaches to conventional zoo management techniques and evaluating the effect of ABA on stress reduction in captive chimpanzees. Over the course of a year, information was gathered from a chosen group of chimpanzees, including baseline and post-ABA stress levels. Following the use of ABA techniques, the data from Table 1 show a consistent trend among the chimpanzees, suggesting a considerable reduction in stress levels. Strong evidence for the effectiveness of ABA in lowering stress levels in the chimpanzees was given by statistical analysis of the data (Table 2). With a high t-statistic of 8.25, the mean baseline stress level of 7.7 substantially decreased to 3.5 post-ABA treatments (p 0.05), emphasizing the significance of this reduction. With regard to reducing stress, Objective 2 compared ABA-Based and Traditional groups. Compared to the Traditional group, the ABA-Based method had a reduced baseline stress level, according to the findings in Table 3. The ABA-Based group showed a significant reduction in stress levels following ABA sessions, while the Traditional group also showed a reduction in stress levels, albeit to a lesser extent. Both strategies significantly reduced stress, according to statistical analysis (Table 4), with the ABA-Based strategy having a greater degree of statistical significance (p 0.05). This study concludes by offering empirical proof that Applied Behaviour Analysis is a useful method for enhancing animal wellbeing in the context of zoo management. The findings imply that when compared to conventional management techniques, ABA therapies can significantly lower stress levels in caged animals

A robot-aided visuomotor wrist training induces motor and proprioceptive learning that transfers to the untrained ipsilateral elbow

Background: Learning of a visuomotor task not only leads to changes in motor performance but also improves proprioceptive function of the trained joint/limb system. Such sensorimotor learning may show intra-joint transfer that is observable at a previously untrained degrees of freedom of the trained joint. Objective: Here, we examined if and to what extent such learning transfers to neighboring joints of the same limb and whether such transfer is observable in the motor as well as in the proprioceptive domain. Documenting such intra-limb transfer of sensorimotor learning holds promise for the neurorehabilitation of an impaired joint by training the neighboring joints. Methods: Using a robotic exoskeleton, 15 healthy young adults (18-35 years) underwent a visuomotor training that required them to make continuous, increasingly precise, small amplitude wrist movements. Wrist and elbow position sense just-noticeable-difference (JND) thresholds and spatial movement accuracy error (MAE) at wrist and elbow in an untrained pointing task were assessed before and immediately after, as well as 24 h after training. Results: First, all participants showed evidence of proprioceptive and motor learning in both trained and untrained joints. The mean JND threshold decreased significantly by 30% in trained wrist (M: 1.26° to 0.88°) and by 35% in untrained elbow (M: 1.96° to 1.28°). Second, mean MAE in untrained pointing task reduced by 20% in trained wrist and the untrained elbow. Third, after 24 h the gains in proprioceptive learning persisted at both joints, while transferred motor learning gains had decayed to such extent that they were no longer significant at the group level. Conclusion: Our findings document that a one-time sensorimotor training induces rapid learning gains in proprioceptive acuity and untrained sensorimotor performance at the practiced joint. Importantly, these gains transfer almost fully to the neighboring, proximal joint/limb system