Nature and Functioning of Visual Merchandising in Organized Food Retailing

The Indian food retail sector is one of the biggest industries in the country with an annual turnover of around US $18 billion. It has been estimated that organized food retailing in India which is worth US$ 666 million today will increase to US $ 33,333 million by 2015. The inherent attractiveness of the segment is luring more and more investors from both India and abroad, as is clearly indicated by the opening of a number of retail stores by major corporate houses like those of Bharti, Reliance, Pantaloons (Food Bazaar), Subhiksha, ITC (Choupal fresh), etc. However, to build long-term customer loyalty, price, quality, variety, and right image are very much needed. To attain this, the aesthetic appeal of the store and the way the products are displayed at the store are very important. Thus, the visual merchandising (VM) is the need of the hour at the food retail stores. This paper has studied various components of VM at retail stores and has analyzed the impact of indoor signages on customer’s buying behaviour. A comparative analysis of VM has been done at Food Bazaar (Ambala), Subhiksha (Chandigarh) and ITC Choupal Fresh (Chandigarh). Problems faced in implementation of VM at retail stores have been highlighted and some implications have been mentioned.Agribusiness,

Quantile-Based Generalized Entropy of Order (α, β) for Order Statistics

In the present paper, we propose a quantile version of generalized entropy measure for order statistics for residual and past lifetimes and study their properties. Lower and upper bound of the proposed measures are derived. It is shown that the quantile-based generalized information between i-th order statistics and parent random variable is distribution free. The uniform, exponential, generalized Pareto and finite range distributions, which are commonly used in the reliability modeling have been characterized in terms of the proposed entropy measure with extreme order statistics

Engineering management concepts for sustainable productivity improvements in small scale mining and minerals processing operations in South Africa

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Abstract: Literature has shown that a number of concerns have been raised with regards to the definition of small scale mining. It has been argued that the formal definition does not capture all the intricacies of small scale mining. The definition does not take into account the level of technology deployed, production output, nature and motivation of miners etc. The objectives of the research conducted were to firstly develop a formal and scientific definition for Small Scale Mining in South Africa and secondly to use and apply Engineering Management concepts to optimise and improve the productivity of selected Small Scale Mining and Minerals Processing operations in South Africa. The methodology used involved conducting a literature review of the types of small scale mining and mineral processing operations that exist within South Africa. A case study approach was used and a questionnaire was developed to gather information from selected legal small scale mining and processing operations in South Africa. A survey was developed and submitted to experts/specialists in the field of small scale mining in order to use the Pairwise Comparison Decision Making Tool to develop a scientific definition of small scale mining. By comparing the information studied in the literature with the data obtained from visiting two small scale operations (semi-precious gemstones and diamonds) and using engineering management concepts it was found that the recommended improvements that one can make to small scale mining and minerals processing operations in South Africa can essentially be categorised into four critical areas namely: Management, Chemical Analysis, Technology and Skills. These areas are captured in more detail in the Integrated Management Model proposed for Small Scale Mining and Minerals Processing Operations in South Africa within this dissertation. All aims and objectives set-out for the research conducted were achieved. The recommended improvements if implemented by small scale mining and mineral processing operations in South Africa will result in a safer and healthier working environment, increased productivity, higher production rates and improved profitability

A Feasibility Study Evaluating the Efficiency of Fine Coal Washing Using Gravity Separation Methods

Coal mining and washing activities in South Africa often lead to the generation of fine and ultra-fine coal which is in most cases discarded due to high handling and transportation costs. Studies conducted revealed that a large quantity of these fines have market acceptable calorific values and lower ash contents. In order to reduce fines discarded, processes have been developed to re-mine and process the fine coal discards with the aim of improving the calorific value, adding them to coarse washed coal to increase the yield as well as pelletizing the fines so as to meet the market specifications in terms of size. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of fine coal washing using gravity separation methods and comparing the products thereof to the market specifications with regards to the calorific value and the ash content. Coal fines from the No.4 lower seam of the Witbank coalfield in South Africa resulting from a dry coal sorting plant were subjected to a double-stage spiral test work, heavy liquid separation and reflux classifier test work respectively. The reflux classifier achieved products with low ash content and an increased calorific value, at high mass yields. At higher fluidization water flowrate, the reflux classifier performance was superior to that of the spirals with products of lower ash content and higher calorific value. At low cut point densities, heavy liquid separation yielded the cleanest products with very low ash content but at much lower mass yields. As the density increased, the mass yields increased with the ash content while the calorific value decreased. Most of the products from the different processes met most of the local industries’ specifications but none of them met the export market as well as the gold and uranium industry specifications due to the high ash content

Nature and Functioning of Visual Merchandising in Organized Food Retailing

The Indian food retail sector is one of the biggest industries in the country with an annual turnover of around US $18 billion. It has been estimated that organized food retailing in India which is worth US$ 666 million today will increase to US $ 33,333 million by 2015. The inherent attractiveness of the segment is luring more and more investors from both India and abroad, as is clearly indicated by the opening of a number of retail stores by major corporate houses like those of Bharti, Reliance, Pantaloons (Food Bazaar), Subhiksha, ITC (Choupal fresh), etc. However, to build long-term customer loyalty, price, quality, variety, and right image are very much needed. To attain this, the aesthetic appeal of the store and the way the products are displayed at the store are very important. Thus, the visual merchandising (VM) is the need of the hour at the food retail stores. This paper has studied various components of VM at retail stores and has analyzed the impact of indoor signages on customer’s buying behaviour. A comparative analysis of VM has been done at Food Bazaar (Ambala), Subhiksha (Chandigarh) and ITC Choupal Fresh (Chandigarh). Problems faced in implementation of VM at retail stores have been highlighted and some implications have been mentioned

Adjacent segment disease: Current evidence and the role of motion preservation technologies

Spinal fusion is gold-standard treatment for degenerative disc disease (DDD) both at cervical and lumbar spine, and it is time tested. Perhaps it has its bundle of complications. Elimination of motion results in accentuated degeneration of adjacent segments leading to adjacent segment degeneration radiographically and, if symptomatic, leads to adjacent segment disease. There is still a debate on whether there is such an entity or whether it is a manifestation of natural history or an iatrogenic phenomenon. Motion preservation surgeries were developed to address the same issue, which includes total disc replacement, nucleus replacement, interspinous implants, and dynamic posterior stabilization systems. The primary goal of motion preservation surgery is to maintain normal or near-normal motion in an attempt to prevent adverse outcomes, which are commonly seen with conventional spinal fusion, most notably the development of adjacent-level DDD. A search was conducted in PubMed using the terms (“adjacent segment”) AND (“disease” OR “degeneration” or “pathology”). Then the articles were shortlisted based on time of publication (2005 onward), publication in English and inclusion of human subjects. This resulted in 253 articles. Another search for ((“Motion preservation”) AND (“Spine”)) OR (“Adjacent segment disease”) OR (“Adjacent segment pathology”) OR (“Adjacent segment degeneration”) yielded 76 articles. This narrative review discusses various issues pertaining to the current evidence regarding adjacent segment disease (ASD), including the controversy on whether ASD is actually an entity, its etiopathogenesis, clinical features, as well as the role of motion preservation technologies to reduce its incidence. There is still enthusiasm and concerns regarding the benefits of motion preservation surgery since it is still an area of ongoing research

A Feasibility Study Evaluating the Efficiency of Fine Coal Washing Using Gravity Separation Methods

Coal mining and washing activities in South Africa often lead to the generation of fine and ultra-fine coal which is in most cases discarded due to high handling and transportation costs. Studies conducted revealed that a large quantity of these fines have market acceptable calorific values and lower ash contents. In order to reduce fines discarded, processes have been developed to re-mine and process the fine coal discards with the aim of improving the calorific value, adding them to coarse washed coal to increase the yield as well as pelletizing the fines so as to meet the market specifications in terms of size. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of fine coal washing using gravity separation methods and comparing the products thereof to the market specifications with regards to the calorific value and the ash content. Coal fines from the No.4 lower seam of the Witbank coalfield in South Africa resulting from a dry coal sorting plant were subjected to a double-stage spiral test work, heavy liquid separation and reflux classifier test work respectively. The reflux classifier achieved products with low ash content and an increased calorific value, at high mass yields. At higher fluidization water flowrate, the reflux classifier performance was superior to that of the spirals with products of lower ash content and higher calorific value. At low cut point densities, heavy liquid separation yielded the cleanest products with very low ash content but at much lower mass yields. As the density increased, the mass yields increased with the ash content while the calorific value decreased. Most of the products from the different processes met most of the local industries’ specifications but none of them met the export market as well as the gold and uranium industry specifications due to the high ash content

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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted at Pantnagar during spring 2012 to study the performance of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under different planting geometries tailored for mechanized intercultivation. The experiment consisted of eight planting geometry treatments viz; 60 cm single row (T1 ), 75 cm single row (T2), 45/105 cm pair (T3 ), 45/150 cm pair (T4), 45/225 cm pair (T5 ), 60/90 cm pair (T6 ), 60/150 cm pair (T7 ) and 60/225 cm pair (T8 ) was laid in randomized block design with three replications. Weeding and interculture operations were carried out both using cultivator and manually in T1 and T2 , by power weeder in T3 and T6, by power tiller in T4 and T7 and by tractor drawn small harrow in T5 and T8 . The results indicated that the planting geometries having pair row spacing of 60 cm (i.e. 60/90, 60/150 and 60/225 cm) recorded significantly more yield attributing characters viz; number of millable canes, cane length, cane girth, number of internodes per cane and individual cane weight than rest of the planting geometries. Paired row spacing of 60/90 cm being at par with 60/150 and 60/225 cm produced significantly higher cane yield (84.24 t ha-1) than rest of the planting geometries. The maximum gross (Rs. 217,836 ha-1) and net return (Rs. 152,769 ha-1) were obtained from 60/90 cm and that B:C ratio from 60/225 cm paired spacing (2.96).Not Availabl

Accidental phosgene gas exposure: A review with background study of 10 cases

Here, authors present a review on clinical presentation and management of exposure of phosgene gas after reviewing the literature by searching with keywords phosgene exposure on Google, Cochrane, Embase and PubMed with a background of experience gained from 10 patients who were admitted to our institute after an accidental phosgene exposure in February 2011 nearby a city in India. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas, occupational workers may have accidental exposure. The gas can also be generated inadvertently during fire involving plastics and other chemicals and solvents containing chlorine, which is of concern to emergency responders. Phosgene inhalation may cause initially symptoms of respiratory tract irritation, patients feel fine thereafter, and then die of choking a day later because of build up of fluid in the lungs (delayed onset non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema). Phosgene exposure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Patients with a history of exposure should be admitted to the hospital for a minimum of 24 h for observation because of the potential for delayed onset respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome