Exploring Impact of Consumer and Product Characteristics on E-Commerce Adoption: A Study of Consumers in India

The paper aims at examining the impact of various consumer and product characteristics on adoption of e-commerce among consumers in India. The study is based on primary data collected through survey of consumers residing in and around Delhi. A structured non- disguised questionnaire has been employed for collecting the information from the respondents about their demographics, shopping orientations, security and privacy concerns, technological familiarity, past online shopping experiences and intentions to buy various types of products through internet in future. Past online shopping satisfaction, recreational shopping orientation, education and income emerge as significant factors affecting consumer past online purchases. In respect of future online shopping intentions, only three consumer-related factors viz., past online shopping satisfaction, past online shopping frequency and education, are found as significant predictors. Amongst product characteristics, product expensiveness is found to be negatively related to consumer future online purchase intentions. While consumers appear quite willing to buy services online that are high in their intangible value proposition, they appear somewhat ambivalent in their intentions to buy online the 'frequently purchased products'. Some of the consumer and product characteristics do influence consumer adoption of e-commerce. Study findings entail interesting implications for the marketers. They need to give adequate attention to consumer and product characteristics while designing their e-marketing strategies. As compared to goods, the surveyed respondents have expressed greater willingness to buy services online in future. Services thus appear to be more promising product category for sale through internet channel in future

EUDRAGIT COATED ALGINATE BEADS BEARING OXALIPLATIN LOADED LIPOSOMES: FORMULATION, OPTIMIZATION AND IN VITRO CHARACTERIZATION

Objective: The present investigation aimed to develop and characterize Eudragit S-100 coated alginate beads bearing oxaliplatin loaded liposomes for colon-specific drug delivery. Methods: Liposomes were formulated by the thin-film hydration method. The process and formulation variables were optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD) with the help of Design-Expert® Software. Three independent variables taken were HSPC: Chol molar ratio (X1), hydration time (X2), and sonication time (X3). The response variables selected were entrapment efficiency of oxaliplatin, polydispersity index, and vesicle size. Results: The liposomes possessed an average vesicle size of 110.1±2.8 nm, PDI 0.096±0.3, zeta potential of-6.70±1.4 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 27.65%. The beads were characterized for their size, in vitro drug release, and swelling index. The degree of swelling of the beads was found to be 2.3 fold higher at pH 7.4 than at pH 1.2. The in vitro drug release depicted a sustained drug release in 48 h. Conclusion: The outcomes of the study proposed that the developed system can be effectively used for site-specific drug delivery to the colon via the oral route

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF AMOXICILLIN-TRIHYDRATE, METRONIDAZOLE AND FAMOTIDINE LOADED-MUCOADHESIVE GASTRO-RETENTIVE FILMS

Objective: To developed mucoadhesive gastro-retentive films of amoxicillin trihydrate, metronidazole and famotidine by using polymers and plasticizer for eradication of H. pylori infection. Methods: The mucoadhesive gastro-retentive films of amoxicillin trihydrate, metronidazole and famotidine were prepared using solvent casting method. The optimized gastro-retentive films were characterized by using various parameters such as DSC, drug content uniformity, in vitro drug release, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM and ex-vivo drug permeation studies across the mucous membrane. The prepared mucoadhesive gastro-retentive films were evaluated with in vitro growth inhibition study and in vivo bacterial clearance study. Results: The FTIR spectra indicated that there was no any interaction between the drugs and polymer. Drugs content was found to be in the range and there was no significant change in the surface morphology of the films after under storage. The bioadhesive property of prepared films exhibited highly bioadhesive property when increased the amount of chitosan and PAA (Polyacrylic Acid) used. We found that CH-PAA IPC (Chitosan-Polyacrylic Acid Inter-polymer Complex) films exhibited greater bioadhesion. The percent of growth inhibition by using each drug such as amoxicillin, metronidazole and famotidine was found to be 51.61%, 46.59% and 34.76%, respectively whereas the combination of drugs were exhibited highest % growth inhibition. The % inhibition was found to be 81.00%. The optimized formulation CH-PAA IPC (C1P2G2) and CH film (C1G2) showed highest growth inhibition of H. pylori bacteria. The growth inhibition was found to be 96.77% and 92.26%, respectively. In vivo Bacterial Clearance Studies showed that the drugs loaded CH-PAA IPC film (C1P2G2) formulation exhibited better clearance from infection than CH film (C1G2) formulation and plain drugs solution at same doses. Drugs loaded CH-PAA IPC film formulation was found to be effective in the treatment of H. pylori infections effectively. Conclusion: The developed gastro-retentive films of amoxicillin trihydrate, metronidazole and famotidine combination could be used for batter management of mucosal ulcer disease and eradication of H. pylori bacteria

Current practice and recommendations for modelling global change impacts on water resource in the Himalayas

Global change is expected to have a strong impact in the Himalayan region. The climatic and orographic conditions result in unique modelling challenges and requirements. This paper critically appraises recent hydrological modelling applications in Himalayan river basins, focusing on their utility to analyse the impacts of future climate and socio-economic changes on water resource availability in the region. Results show that the latter are only represented by land use change. Distributed, process-based hydrological models coupled with temperature-index melt models are predominant. The choice of spatial discretisation is critical for model performance due to the strong influence of elevation on meteorological variables and snow/ice accumulation and melt. However, the sparsity and limited reliability of point weather data, and the biases and low resolution of gridded datasets, hinder the representation of the meteorological complexity. These data limitations often limit the selection of models and the quality of the outputs by forcing the exclusion of processes that are significant to the local hydrology. The absence of observations for water stores and fluxes other than river flows prevents multi-variable calibration and increases the risk of equifinality. The uncertainties arising from these limitations are amplified in climate change analyses and, thus, systematic assessment of uncertainty propagation is required. Based on these insights, transferable recommendations are made on directions for future data collection and model applications that may enhance realism within models and advance the ability of global change impact assessments to inform adaptation planning in this globally important region

Influence of soil fabric on dynamic properties of sand: An experimental study

Natural field sites originate under the action of external sources such as rivers, wind, or marine environments. These sources are responsible for constituting a variety of soil fabrics, which ultimately modify the deformation characteristics. Additionally, the dynamic properties of a site present the characterization of a region and have been profusely utilized by field engineers and researchers. In the present study, the dynamic properties of soil specimens have been evaluated for specimen preparation techniques, namely, air pluviation (AP) and water sedimentation (WS). The cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on the strain-controlled consolidated undrained specimens at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. This frequency has been used in several studies to replicate earthquake or liquefaction scenarios. The calculation of shear modulus (G) and damping ratio (D) was performed using symmetric hysteresis loops generated through cyclic loadings. The outcomes suggest that the specimen prepared using the WS technique possesses a larger shear modulus value than AP ones. The reason behind this observation was the lower degradation characteristics of the WS-prepared specimens. Additionally, the liquefaction susceptibility of the specimens has been noticed for different specimens. © 2023 ISEC Press

Synergistic anti-cancer activity of combined 5-fuorouracil and gallic acid-stearylamine conjugate in A431 human squamous carcinoma cell line

Purpose: To evaluate the individual and synergistic anti-cancer effects of 5-fuorouracil (5-FU) and synthesized gallic acid-stearylamine (GA-SA) conjugate in A431 human squamous cancer cell line. Methods: Characterisation of the synthesised conjugate was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry (MS). The synergistic effect of the combination therapy (5-FU/GA-SA) was assessed by determining their inhibitory concentration (IC30) whereby A431 cells were treated with 5-FU:GA–SA conjugate at various ratios ranging from 5:1 to 1:5. Results: The cytotoxicity of 5-FU was 29 %, while that of the combination of 5-FU with GA–SA conjugate was as high as 60 %. Thus, this combination showed significant synergistic enhancement in cytotoxicity (p < 0.05). The results obtained also revealed that the IC30 values of 5-FU and the GA–SA conjugate were 1 and 10 µg/mL, respectively. The IC30 values of the combination ratios indicated that the dosages used in the study were safe in HaCaT normal cell line. Conclusion: These results indicate that 5-FU/GA–SA conjugate at a ratio of 1:1 is effective against A431 cell line (cancer cells)) but safe in HaCaT cell lines (normal cells)

Pier Failure of Bridge and Geotechnical Investigation − A Case Study

In this paper a case of foundation failure, due to which the complete bridge structure has collapsed, is considered. The bridge is situated in Km. 26/6 on Langi Durg Road. It was constructed in the year 1980-81. This bridge has two solid slab spans of 15.25 meters each. The substructure is of solid coarse rubble stone masonry. The base dimensions of pier foundation are 3780 mm. in traffic direction and 10080 mm. in current direction at R.L. 94.00m. The pier foundation is resting on bouldary strata. During the floods in the year 1995 the pier constructed in mid-stream failed. This brought down both the deck slabs of the bridge at the bed level. Both the deck slabs are in good condition and it is proposed to use them by lifting of slabs and reconstructing central pier after complete investigation of founding strata

Low Cost Roof System For Rural Housing

Near about 5.6% of the total tribal population of India live in “MEWAR” and “VAGGAR” region of Rajasthan state. In this region, lot of tribals are residing in the out-skirts of Banswara, Udaipur, Pratapgarh and Dungarpur districts. They prefer to live in the jungle with the nature and build their huts by using local material and local skill. It is imperative to introduce the innovative technology of the construction of rural cost-effective huts, which is based on the adoption of the local environment and constructed with the house-hold themselves without the need of the modern tools & equipment

DEVELOPMENT AND VLAIDATION OF SIMPLE UV-SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD OF QUANTIZATION OF DIAZEPAM IN BULK DRUG AND SOLID DOSAGE FORMULATION USING MIXED SOLVENCY CONCEPT

Objective: Commonly used organic solvents for spectrophotometric analysis of water insoluble drugs are methanol, ethanol, chloroform, benzene, toluene etc. The main drawbacks of organic solvents include high cost, toxicity, and pollution. Organic solvents have numerous adverse effects caused by single exposure like dermatitis, headache, drowsiness, nausea, eye irritation and long term exposure causes serious effects such as neurological disorder, chronic renal failure, and liver damage. They should be replaced by other ecofriendly alternative sources.Methods: The present study is an attempt to show that solid can also be used to act as solvent precluding the use of organic solvents. A simple, safe and sensitive method of spectrophotometric determination of diazepam obeyed beers law in the concentration range of 5-25 mcg/ml at 306 nm.Results: The results of analyses have been validated statistically for Linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD and LOQ. The results of validation parameters also indicated that proposed method was found to be accurate, precise, reproducible, sensitive, and suitable for routine quality control analysis for estimation of diazepam in bulk drug and solid dosage formulation.Conclusion: A rapid, simple, and non toxic UV spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination and quantification of diazepam. The present method also validated as per ICH guidelines for linearity, precision, accuracy

Role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pknD in the Pathogenesis of central nervous system tuberculosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Central nervous system disease is the most serious form of tuberculosis, and is associated with high mortality and severe neurological sequelae. Though recent clinical reports suggest an association of distinct <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>strains with central nervous system disease, the microbial virulence factors required have not been described previously.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We screened 398 unique <it>M. tuberculosis </it>mutants in guinea pigs to identify genes required for central nervous system tuberculosis. We found <it>M. tuberculosis pknD </it>(<it>Rv0931c</it>) to be required for central nervous system disease. These findings were central nervous system tissue-specific and were not observed in lung tissues. We demonstrated that <it>pknD </it>is required for invasion of brain endothelia (primary components of the blood-brain barrier protecting the central nervous system), but not macrophages, lung epithelia, or other endothelia. <it>M. tuberculosis pknD </it>encodes a "eukaryotic-like" serine-threonine protein kinase, with a predicted intracellular kinase and an extracellular (sensor) domain. Using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry we demonstrated that the <it>M. tuberculosis </it>PknD sensor is sufficient to trigger invasion of brain endothelia, a process which was neutralized by specific antiserum.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings demonstrate a novel <it>in vivo </it>role for <it>M. tuberculosis pknD </it>and represent an important mechanism for bacterial invasion and virulence in central nervous system tuberculosis, a devastating and understudied disease primarily affecting young children.</p