Sambalpur University

Mahua (Madhuca indica) flowers are rich in natural sugars, minerals, and bioactive compounds, yet remain underutilized in value-added beverage applications. Mahua tree has several chemical elements such as alkaloids, ethylcinnamate, sesquiterene alcohol, triterpenoids, b-carotene, xanthophylls, amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins, saponins, and tannins. The present study aimed to develop and optimise a non-fermented ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage from mahua flower extract fortified with ginger and mint at varying concentrations (5%, 7.5%, and 12%). Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale revealed that 7.5% ginger and 12% mint incorporation resulted in significantly higher overall acceptability scores (7.02 and 7.35, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). The optimised formulations were subjected to storage stability assessment under ambient and refrigerated conditions for three months. Physicochemical parameters, including total sugars, pH, and total soluble solids (TSS), were analysed at monthly intervals. A gradual decline in total sugars, pH, and TSS was observed during storage, with significantly greater deterioration under ambient conditions. Two-way ANOVA (n=3) indicated significant effects of storage period, storage condition, and their interaction (p ≤ 0.05). Microbial analysis showed earlier contamination in ginger-blended RTS under ambient conditions, whereas mint-blended RTS exhibited extended microbial stability. All samples remained microbiologically safe under refrigerated storage throughout the study period. The results demonstrate that incorporation of mint at 12% enhances sensory quality and shelf-life stability of mahua RTS beverage compared to ginger fortification. Refrigerated storage significantly improved physicochemical retention and microbial safety. By reducing enzymatic and metabolic activity, low temperatures most likely inhibited the growth of microorganisms. Essential oils and phenolic components with established antibacterial qualities may be responsible for the increased microbiological stability of mint-fortified RTS. These substances impede enzymatic function and damage microbial cell membranes. The developed mahua-based RTS beverage offers potential for commercial exploitation and value addition of this underutilised forest resource.

Purpose Extant research on the knowledge-intensive dynamic capabilities (DCs), in general, and information technology-enabled dynamic capabilities (ITDCs) has been criticized for lacking clarity and prescriptive value, reification of the focal construct and offering black box explanations of important organizational phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues and clarify the ITDC construct by discussing the role of IT in enabling DCs, classifying ITDCs based on function served, classifying the enablers of ITDCs and proposing a framework integrating the enablers and ITDCs. Design/methodology/approach Through a deep-dive into the extant literature, the authors develop a conceptual framework to bring out the dynamics around ITDCs. Findings The authors find that IT plays a critical role in enabling DCs, as these capabilities are knowledge intensive. Further, they develop a typology of ITDCs and classify the enablers of ITDCs. Research limitations/implications This paper will help future research by clarifying the confusion surrounding an important construct leading to accretion of related research and by facilitating more granular empirical studies. The proposed typology and framework will also help managers seeking to develop, deploy and maintain appropriate ITDCs in their respective organizations. Originality/value The DC theoretical perspective is an important theoretical perspective for examining the value added by information technology (IT) to businesses operating in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environments, with dynamic IT capabilities and ITDCs being the two key conceptualizations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is arguably the first paper to examine ITDCs in sufficient detail to unpack the associated dynamics.

A study was undertaken during November, 2021–June, 2022 to evaluate twenty-four varieties of cashew collected from Cashew Research Station, All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Cashew, OUAT, Bhubaneswar. The experiment was laid on experimental design RBD comprises of 24 treatments and 2 replications investigated for the physical, processing and quality attributes which included nut weight, breadth, length, thickness, kernel weight, shelling percentage, kernel count, percentage yield, moisture %, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sugar content of whole kernel. Cashew, an important nut crop in the world market, including India and this influenced adaptation of breeding program for targeting higher yield and profitability with good quality kernel of consumer’s interest. Results indicated that significant differences were observed for various traits for studied cultivars. Highest nut weight (8.33 g), nut length (3.90 cm), nut width (2.76 cm) and nut thickness (19.45 mm) were observed in BPP-8 followed by Jagannath. However, for processing attributes best results observed in Jagannath for characters kernel weight (2.49 g), shelling percentage (32.02), percent yield of whole kernel (85.95%) and kernel count (182) followed by Balabhadra, BPP-8 and Vengrula-7. Balabhadra showed best results for quality attributes like Protein content (21.91%) and fat content (42.87%) while vengurla-7 (H-255) showed best quality attributes like carbohydrate content (22.05%) and sugar content (0.220 %). Out of 24 commercial cashew genotypes BPP- 8 and Jagannath variety exhibited better yield and processing quality.

India’s negotiations over climate issues have been a major key agenda of India’s foreign policy since 2014, under the NDA-led Modi government. India’s engagement has also been reflected through its bilateral and multilateral actions, while attending several global climate summits and formulating the climate agenda with global leaders. The Narendra Modi government has therefore introduced several ranges of climate agendas on these global platforms while conducting India’s climate diplomacy as a key aspect of India’s foreign policy. This not only shows India’s evolving role in global climate dialogue but also an increasingly leading role to strengthen global financial institutions, the industrial potential of states, and technologically advanced world governments to combat climate change. Thus, the foreign policy of India is, in fact, paying serious heed while putting India’s domestic agenda in front of the global climate regime. Although India's role cannot be undervalued as a pioneer country, to raised its voice to settle global climate issues like climate justice, carbon equity, and sustainability on the global platform from time to time. Moreover, the problem of clean energy, International Solar Alliance (ISA), and technology sharing and innovation are a few important areas of India’s emerging climate diplomacy in its foreign policy. However, focusing on energy security, climate finance, circular economy, and green building techniques begins a new phase of India’s modern climate diplomacy. Hence, the study tries to examine the historical growth of India’s climate diplomacy in terms of its foreign policy, along with the changing agenda of India’s climate diplomacy under the Narendra Modi government, and its new priorities that remain inadequate to fulfil the primary objective of India’s foreign policy. At the end, the major issues and challenges of India’s climate diplomacy have been critically examined in the course of India’s foreign policy. Priorities have also been extended to understand Modi’s bold step to make India a responsible state to lead the COP summit and influence the current World Climate deliberations.

The CBD grown polymorphic copper sulfide shows both digital and analog memristive switching.

Cancer researchers now consider spheroids a valuable in vitro model for cancer research and personalized medicine. They are used to studying cancer development, testing drug effectiveness, and potentially guiding treatment decisions for individual patients. Spheroids represent the simplest form of three-dimensional (3D) cellular arrangement and encapsulate the essential tumor microenvironment. These characteristics are crucial for studying processes such as tumor invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and cell cycle kinetics. In particular, spheroids excel in chemo-response assays where traditional monolayer cell cultures often fall short. A PDMS microwell device was developed to generate uniform-sized cancer spheroids. This device is user-friendly and capable of producing a large number of spheroids. The device measures 13 mm in diameter (1200 microwells per well if the device has microwells 400 µm in size, and 300 microwells per well if the device has microwells 800 µm in size). It advances 3D cultures by requiring only a small volume of cell culture supplements and is easy to manage. The hydrophobic nature of the PDMS device prevents cells from adhering to it, thereby promoting spheroid formation. Spheroids can be created on microwell devices, and subsequent experiments may either be conducted on the device or transferred to cell culture dishes for additional 3D biological assays. Seeding cells is notably easier compared to other 3D cell culture techniques, and the number of cells in each spheroid can be adjusted according to specific requirements. Overall, the PDMS-based microwell device offers a simple and efficient means to produce large quantities of uniform-sized spheroids for 3D cell culture studies, showcasing high throughput, short generation times, long-term effectiveness, and ease of handling.