Research Papers
Corporate Social Responsibility in India: Revisiting Carroll’s Pyramid and The Road Ahead
Mahajan Ritika
| 2015
Section 135 of the recently implemented Indian Companies Act, 2013 made Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandatory for a certain category of companies in India but a debate on pros and cons of mandatory CSR is still going on. Significant issues in this debate are definition, scope and legitimacy of CSR. The existing definitions of CSR in the literature are congruent to a large extent but there is no universally acceptable definition.
Commingled nanocomposites of LDPE/PP/Nylon 6/EPDM reinforced with MWCNT and Kenaf Fiber with enhanced mechanical, thermal and flammability characteristics
Khan M Ameen , Kumar S Satish , Raghu T S, Kotresh T M, Sailaja R R N
| 2015
Multicomponent commingled composites comprised of LDPE, PP, Nylon 6 and EPDM have been prepared using a mixture of two epoxy functionalized polyolefins as compatibilizers to enhance interfacial interactions. Kenaf fiber has also been added for reinforcement along with Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The mechanical and thermal properties for the nancomposites have been determined and assessed using predictive theories. The flammability characteristics for the nanocomposites were also assessed.
Chitosan–nanohydroxyapatite composites: Mechanical, thermal and bio-compatibility studies
Roy Pratik , Sailaja R R N
| 2015
Bionanocomposites of chitosan were prepared with nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) using 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as coupling agent. The tensile and flexural properties for 8% nHA loading showed optimal values. Compressive modulus also considerably increased from 525.16 MPa (0% nHA) to 1326.5 MPa with 10% nHA. Surface functionalization of fillers along with the addition of HEMA as coupling agent led to enhanced mechanical properties similar to human bone.
Changes in oil content and fatty acid composition in Jatropha curcas during seed development
Sinha Pratima, Islam Md Aminul, Negi Madan Singh, Tripathi Shashi Bhushan
| 2015
Seed development in Jatropha curcas L. was studied with respect to morphology, oil content and lipid profiles. Seeds were collected at 8 different stages of development starting from 6 days after pollination till maturity. Seed oil content increased from 6.15% to 35.86%. Palmitic acid (16:0) decreased from 34.27- 15.62, whereas linolenic acid (18:3) reduced from 26.32 to 0.65%. A sharp increase in oleic acid (18:1) content from 8.05 to 29.56% was observed at stage 5 which increased further to 44.38% at maturity.
Benchmarking sustainability using indicators: An Indian case study
Kwatra Swati, Kumar Archna,Sharma Prateek, Sharma Sumit, Singhal Shaleen
| 2015
This paper develops an index to measure sustainability based on the broad themes of social, economy and environment. Nineteen appropriate indicators were selected based on relevance, data availability, and periodicity for each leg of sustainable development. A correlation analysis was carried out to assess relationships between the 19 indicators representing different parameters under the three themes. These parameters were then normalized using Z-score technique. The Z -scores computed for each of these parameters were then used to develop a Sustainable Development Index (SDI).
Assessment and mitigation of the environmental burdens to air from land applied food-based digestate
Tiwary A, Williams I D, Pant Dinesh Chander, Kishore V V N
| 2015
Anaerobic digestion (AD) of putrescible urban waste for energy recovery has seen rapid growth over recent years. In order to ascertain its systems scale sustainability, however, determination of the environmental fate of the large volume of digestate generated during the process is indispensable. This paper evaluates the environmental burdens to air associated with land applied food-based digestate in terms of primary pollutants (ammonia, nitrogen dioxide) and greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide).
Assessing the lignocellulosic biomass resources potential in developing countries: A critical review
Ullah Kifayat, Sharma Vinod Kumar, Dhingra Sunil, Braccio Giacobbe,Ahmad Mushtaq , Sofia Sofi
| 2015
This review paper analyses the potential environmental impacts and economic viability of producing biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass resources in various countries of the world. In many developed and developing countries, lignocellulosic biomass is a significant feedstock for bioenergy used in industrial sector for power generation but the fact remains that the detail study on current status of lignocellulosic utilization for bioenergy industry is still estimated and partial.
As Green Delhi Turns Grey
Bandyopadhyay Kaushik Ranjan, Das Kasturi
| 2015
The joint study by economists from the University of Chicago, Harvard,and Yale (Michael Greenstone et al, “Lower Pollution, Longer Lives: Life Expectancy Gains if India Reduced Particulate Matter Pollution,” EPW, 21 February 2015) has reignited the debate on the issue of unsustainable air pollution in Indian cities, particularly Delhi.
Analysis of genetic diversity and fatty acid composition in a prebreeding material of Jatropha
Sinha Pratima, Islam Md Aminul, Negi Madan Singh, Tripathi Shashi Bhushan
| 2015
Genetic and fatty acid variability in four datasets of accessions and prebreeding lines of Jatropha curcas was analyzed. The datasets were comprised of J. curcas accessions (13), BC1 (28), BC1F2 (12) and single seeds (12). The BC1, BC1F2 and single seed dataset were derived from an interspecific cross between J. curcas and J. integerrima. The average within-group (within dataset) polymorphism revealed by AFLP markers was 28.5 %. The average genetic similarity within the four datasets, namely, J.
An overview of local credit systems and their implications
Gerber Julien-Franc¸ois
| 2015
Credit and debt are bound to play a central and challenging role in a post-growth economy, seen as an economy that seeks to stabilize or downscale production and consumption for more well-being and sustainability. This is so because on one hand the current credit system is widely seen as the major engine behind the unsustainable imperative of growth. On the other hand, access to credit is essential for the survival of countless low-income households worldwide. In this context, what kind of credit arrangement is compatible with a sustainable and equitable economy?