Coupling methanol electroreforming and electrochemical water splitting via insitu growth of Copper on MnO₂/NF

Aparna Sajeev,Arunprasath Satyaseelan,Ravichandran Vishwanathan,Sang-Jae Kim 대한기계학회 2022 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2022 No.11

Coupling methanol electroreforming and electrochemical water splitting via insitu growth of Copper on MnO₂/NF

Aparna Sajeev,Arunprasath Satyaseelan,Ravichandran Vishwanathan,Sang-Jae Kim 대한기계학회 2022 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2022 No.11

Electrodeposited Copper and MnO₂ on Ni foam for Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Aparna Sajeev(아파르나 사지브),Karthikeyan Krishnamoorthy(케이 카티케이얀),Parthiban Pazhamalai(파르티반 파자말라이),Sindhuja Manoharan(마노하란 신드후자),Sang-Jae Kim(김상재) 대한기계학회 2020 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2020 No.7

Electrodeposited Stanene on Ni foam for Hydrogen Cvolution Reaction

Aparna Sajeev(아파르나 사지브),Karthikeyan Krishnamoorthy(케이 카티케이얀),Vimal Kumar Mariappan(비말 구말 마리아판),Parthiban Pazhamalai(파자말라이 파르티반),Sindhuja Manoharan(마노하란 신드후자),Sang-Jae Kim(김상재) 대한기계학회 2021 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2021 No.4

Hydrogen is a clean green fuel with zero carbon emission and is a potential candidate for the replacement of traditional fossil fuel. The electrochemical hydrogen production through water electrolyzer is one of the promising way to meet the growing renewable energy demand in the global society. In this work, we demonstrated the electrodeposition of binder free stanine on Ni foam for various time interval and analysed their electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction. Physico-chemical characterization such as X-ray, diffraction, Raman and FESEM analysis confirmed the formation of the stanene on the Ni foam. The electrochemical characterization such as linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was performed using binder free stanene coated on Ni foam. The obtained results exhibit better catalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline.

Bio-surfactant mediated synthesis of Au/g-C3N4 plasmonic hybrid nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic reduction of mono-nitrophenols

Aparna Prabha Devi,Deepak Kumar Padhi,Pravat Manjari Mishra,Ajay Kumar Behera 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.108 No.-

A bio-surfactant assisted synthesis route has demonstrated in room temperature for decoration of goldnanoparticles (AuNPs) on g-C3N4 using Averrhoa carambola leaf extract towards mono-nitrophenol reductionunder visible light irradiation. Biomolecules of the leaf extract and optimised reaction conditionplayed a vital role on tuning the morphology and optoelectronic properties of AuNPs. The size ofAuNPs were found to be 15 ± 3 nm on 2D g-C3N4 sheets by TEM and STEM-HAADF analysis. Amongthe designed plasmonic hybrid photocatalysts 3-wt% loaded AuNPs on g-C3N4 showed 99.01% of 4-nitrophenol, 97.70% of 3-nitrophenol and 98.50% of 2-nitrophenol photoreduction. The photocatalyticefficiency of Au/g-C3N4 was investigated under several parameters such as pH, initial nitrophenol concentration,and in presence of external inorganic anions. The mechanism of photoreduction of nitrophenol toaminophenol by Au/g-C3N4 was proposed based on the intermediate obtained from GCMS analysis. Theobserved higher catalytic activity of plasmonic hybrid photcatalysts is due to the synergic chemistrybetween the conduction band of g-C3N4 and AuNP plasmonic band, which is well supported by PL, EIS,and transient photocurrent analysis. Kinetic rate constant for 3Au/g-C3N4 was found to be 0.43 min1at pH 3. Moreover, the rate of reaction significantly increased in presence of Cl. ICP-OES analysis of assynthesised 3Au/g-C3N4 plasmonic photocatalyst shows there was no gold leaching even after ten cyclesconfirming the stability and reusability of the catalyst.

Spermidine alleviates oxidative stress in silk glands of Bombyx mori

Aparna Yerra,Surekha Challa,Satyavathi V. Valluri,Anitha Mamillapalli 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.4

Silk gland is a specialized organ for the synthesis of silk. Spermidine is a natural polyamine present in all living cells. It gained attention recently due to its role in longevity and growth promotion. Our earlier study reported enhancement in silk production after spermidine treatment during the 5th instar larval stage of Bombyx mori hybrid strain CSR2 × CSR4. Oxidative stress increases during the degeneration of silk glands in spinning stage. Spermidine plays an important role in relieving oxidative stress. Results showed that exogenous administration of natural polyamine, spermidine, significantly increased the metabolic activity and reduced the oxidative stress of the silk gland in the pre-pupal stage. Expression analysis also confirmed increase in metabolic activity of silk glands after spermidine treatment by showing enhancement inMYC gene expression. Finally, our results demonstrate that supplementation of spermidine enhanced cell viability and decreased oxidative stress of the silk glands. Thiswork also opens up the idea of feeding antioxidants to silkworms which would be beneficial to the sericulture farmers.

Acid polymerized V2O5-PANI aerogels with outstanding specific shielding effectiveness in X, Ku and K bands

Aparna Puthiyedath Narayanan,Kuzhichalil Peethambharan Surendran 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.116 No.-

Only very few aerogels could show exceptional electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding above 60 dBwith broad bandwidth, without employing conductive metallic fillers. Herein, a meticulously designed 3-dimensional array of V2O5 nanofibers reinforced by polyaniline (PANI) in presence of hydrochloric acid iscreated, which is demonstrated as a green and economic strategy for developing novel ultra-lightweightelectromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers. The composite aerogel showed exceptional shielding effectivenessof 68.1 dB in X-band, with a steady bandwidth. Even in the K band also, a stunning shielding performancewith a maximum of 86.1 dB is displayed, which is translated to a record-breaking specific shielding efficiencyof 2777.4 dB cm3/g. Our research findings demonstrate that hierarchically porous threedimensional(3D) architecture realized through a meticulous control of acid polymerization can lead toimpressively high shielding performance, even without employing costly metallic, carbonaceous orMAX phase fillers. These ultra-low dense, sturdy aerogels could be used as efficient electromagneticinterference shields in portable devices and avionic applications

Review of the Application of Wavelet Theory to Image Processing

Aparna Vyas,Joonki Paik 대한전자공학회 2016 IEIE Transactions on Smart Processing & Computing Vol.5 No.6

This paper reviews recent published works dealing with the application of wavelets to image processing based on multiresolution analysis. After revisiting the basics of wavelet transform theory, various applications of wavelets and multiresolution analysis are reviewed, including image denoising, image enhancement, super-resolution, and image compression. In addition, we introduce the concept and theory of quaternion wavelets for the future advancement of wavelet transform and quaternion multiresolution applications.

ROLE OF AUTHENTICITY IN LUXURY BRANDING: HOW NOVELTY IN DESIGN IS PREFERRED AS MUCH AS TYPICALITY IN LUXURY BRANDS

Aparna Sundar,John Price,Sung-Hee Wendy Paik 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2016 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2016 No.7

Marketers often attribute the premium charged on a luxury brand over a value brand to innovation in product form (Von Hippel 1986). One way of conveying this innovation is through the use of perceptual cues which use visual depiction of a product (Gregan-Paxton, Hoeffler, and Zhao 2005). Consequently, what we think of as high fashion or innovation in product form is essentially novelty in the perceptual cues of a product (Cox and Cox 2002) and it is known that moderate levels of novelty can increase complexity (or incongruity) of product design and is in general, favored by consumers (Cox and Cox 2002). However, despite the fact that novelty in form offered in high fashion or complex products is expected to bring value, we predict that novel designs are perceived as more favorable depending on their positioning as luxury (value) brands. In detail, we expect that value brands more than luxury brands benefit from novelty of form and that peripheral cues in product design informs a sense of brand authenticity which drives preferences. Past research showed that a product’s positioning in advertising moderates the effect of schema incongruence on product evaluation (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011). When products with a moderately incongruent design are positioned based on their functionality, they are evaluated more favorably. Conversely, when products are positioned based on experiential dimensions, this effect is reversed, and moderately incongruent designs are evaluated less favorably. We believe that these relationships can be explained using the perception of hedonic or utilitarian benefits offered by the product. In general, consumers are motivated by utilitarian concerns until they think that they have earned the right to indulge in hedonistic consumption (Kivetz and Simonson 2002). With congruent products, consumers may infer functionality from memory, and they are therefore liberated to indulge in hedonic pleasure. With incongruent products, however, consumers must work out the functionality of the product for themselves. Thus, we expect that brand positioning will influence the way novel designs are evaluated on functionality, such that novel designs are perceived as more functional in the value (vs. luxury) brand positioning (H1). Also, we predict that consumers of luxury brands will prefer prototypical designs to novel ones (H2). Recently, Stanton, Townsend, and Kang (2015) analyzed automobile market and showed that consumers prefer novel designs if their consideration set includes allpossible automobiles, but changed to prototypical designs, when the consideration set was entry-level automobiles. In addition, Hagtvedt and Patrick (2014) revealed that altering the form of a product has a more positive impact on product evolutions in a utilitarian context rather than a hedonic one. This is because luxury brands have a greater capacity to be extended into other product categories due to their hedonic potential, namely their ability to provide emotional benefits (Hagtvedt and Patrick 2009). Based on these findings, we postulate that brand positioning will moderate the influence of product design on functional evaluations and perceived comfort, such that only under the value (vs. luxury) brand positioning, individuals will prefer novelty over typicality. Lastly, given the consumers’ motivation of luxury brands for conspicuous consumption and desire for authenticity (Beverland and Farrelly 2010), we predict that consumers will avoid novel designs in a luxury brand. We believe this to be true because in order to convey the status which such consumers seek, the brand must be instantly and easily recognizable to others. In this case, a novel design can be a threat to this transmission of status, and may bring about less favorable evaluations of the brand. As a result, a novel design, even a moderately incongruent one, will be seen as a violation of the brand’s authenticity and the diminished authenticity will therefore explain the less favorable evaluations. Thus, we expect that for value (vs. luxury) brand positioning, brand authenticity will mediate the effect of product design on evaluations (H3). To test our hypotheses, a pilot study was conducted in advance to identify whether luxury positioning would influence the perceptions of functionality when evaluating the same novel design. Participants (N = 102; 63.7% female; Mage = 35.78) were recruited in an online panel and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions of brand positioning: a value brand positioning or a luxury brand positioning. The experiment was a between-subjects factorial design and from the pretest, Serafini brand was chosen as a luxury brand and New Balance brand was chosen as a value brand. Then, Participant saw an advertisement that featured the novel shoe design and indicated their perceived functional efficacy, the concept (value-luxury) of a presented product, and perceived status conferred by purchasing the product. As expected, participants saw Serafini as more of a luxury brand (M = 4.76) than New Balance (M = 3.92) and indicated that purchasing the same product by Serafini conferred more status to someone (M = 4.83) in comparison to purchasing the same product by New Balance (M = 4.22; t(100) = 2.18, p < .05). Importantly, participants viewed the novel design featured in the luxury brand advertisement of (Serafini) as less functional (M = 4.95) in comparison to the novel design featured in the value brand advertisement (New Balance; M = 5.50; t(100) = 2.19, p < .05) although the design of the two products were the same (H1 supported). Next, in Study 1, we intended to identify whether brand positioning would influence typical designs of a product in the same way that it would novel designs. Participants (N = 263; 59.7% female; Mage = 38.03) were recruited in an online panel and were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (brand positioning: value vs. luxury) × 2 (product design: typical vs. novel) between-subjects factorial design. In this study, however, we used a fictitious watch brand (Dali) to manipulate the brand positioning. Manipulations were adopted from Hagtvedt and Patrick (2009). Like pilot test, pretestconfirmed that the manipulations worked as intended (Mvalue = 4.85; Mluxury = 5.67; t(39) = 2.19, p < .05) and participants rated Dali as having different abilities to confer status (α = .81; Mvalue = 4.43; Mluxury = 5.26; t(39) = 2.68, p < .05). After, each participant saw an advertisement that featured the new product and that corresponded to the randomized condition that they were assigned and responded to the questionnaires asking their perceived functional efficacy, overall attitudes toward the product, perceived comfort as well as the measures for the manipulation checks. As expected, result showed that in the absence of luxury brand positioning, the novel design was evaluated more favorably (M = 5.00) than the typical product design (M = 3.90; F(1, 259) = 18.74, p < .001). This effect was consistent with past studies that demonstrate the moderate incongruity effect (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011; Meyers-Levy and Tybout 1989; Mandler 1982). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.46 vs. Mtypical= 4.25; p = .41). Also, an analysis of functionality indicated that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to be higher in functionality (M = 4.88) than the typical product design (M = 4.39; F(1, 259) = 4.25, p < .05). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.57 vs. Mtypical= 4.79; p = .35). Finally, analysis of comfort indicated that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to have more comfort (M = 4.45) than the typical product design (M = 3.82; F(1, 259) = 6.97, p < .01). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.14 vs. Mtypical= 4.33; p = .44). Thus, the results supported H1 and H2. To replicate the observed effects and to identify the underlying mechanism, Study 2 was followed. Same recruitment method and experimental design in Study 1 was used with a fictitious camera brand OLEG. Pretest confirmed that the manipulations worked as intended. Experimental procedures were similar to Study 1. However, this time, brand authenticity was measured (Morhart et al. 2015) in addition to the measures used in Study 1. Again, result indicated that in the absence of luxury brand positioning, the novel design was evaluated more favorably (M = 4.85) than the typical product design (M = 3.92; F(1, 209) = 10.30, p < .005) and in the presence of luxury branding, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.50 vs. Mtypical= 4.57; p = .80). Also, result showed that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to be higher in functionality (M = 4.79) than the typical product design (M= 3.89; F (1, 209) = 11.75, p < .001) and in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.44 vs. Mtypical= 4.51; p = .79). Regarding comfort, in the value brand condition, using the camera with the novel design was perceived to be more comfortable (M = 4.49) than the typical product design (M= 3.82; F(1, 209) = 6.34, p < .01). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.06 vs. Mtypical= 4.25; p = .46). Lastly, mediated moderation analysis (Hayes 2012; Model 8; bootstrapped with 10,000 draws) found that only when design presented was typical, was there mediation through authenticity (95% confidence interval [CI]: .07, .86), but not when presented with the novel design (95% CI: -.60, .24) and thus, provided support to H3.Overall, three studies showed that while product evaluations and functional inferences with novel designs are higher for value brands, they are not for luxury brands. Also, we provided perceived authenticity as an underlying mechanism. From our findings, we provide four theoretical contributions. First, by showing that only value, not luxury brands benefit from novel product design, we demonstrated that brand positioning is another moderator to the effect of schema incongruity that consumers prefer a moderately incongruent product design over a congruent design or an extremely incongruent design (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011; Meyers-Levy and Tybout 1989; Mandler 1982). Second, although the research in product design and innovation has shown that the novelty in perceptual cues may signal innovativeness to consumers and thus engender favorable product evaluations (Gregan-Paxton, Hoeffler, and Zhao 2005; Cox and Cox 2002), we found that such novelty in perceptual cues in product design may not work in certain circumstances – when the product is positioned as luxury. Third, this research contributes to the understanding of luxury branding by offering evidence that prototypical designs benefit luxury brands because they increase perceived authenticity. Fourth, we broaden the research on authenticity in the aspect that merely having a novel or fashion forward design may impair authenticity and cause unexpected results. Managerially, we provide guidelines in that although brands benefit from novel designs in general, the manager of a luxury brand should be cautious when changing the design of a luxury good, especially ones in which functionality and comfort are important attributes. In other words, a luxury brand manager should adopt fashion and design in a way that is beneficial to the consumer. Some luxury brands, such as Porsche, are well-respected for their innovation, while other luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton create value through promotion of a particular lifestyle (Reddy and Terblanche 2005). For brands that are particularly sought for their functional benefits, like Porsche, the importance of the impact of novel designs on perceptions of authenticity is particularly important. In addition, managers must be aware that novelty is not always perceived the same way. Consumer inferences on functionality and comfort can be elicited for fashion forward designs for value brands, where the novelty of design is used as a strategic tool. Nevertheless, when it comes to the luxury products, this effect might not appear and impairs brand authenticity. To extend our research, potential future research may examine the effect of novel designs on inconspicuous luxury goods. When conspicuous consumption is decoupled from the luxury brand, it is doubtful that prototypical designs would still be favored among consumers of luxury brands. Also, future research could examine the effect of other kinds of innovation. In our research, we mainly examined the product form and design as a method of innovation. However, it is possible that other kinds of innovation method can be used (i.e., change in product concept) and thus, can be potential future research topics. Finally, we believe that how other kinds of positioning might influence the relationship that we revealed could be studied further. For example, there are instances where value brands try to create a luxury line. In such instances, the effect of authenticity may differ from what we observed.

Environmental sustainability, trade and economic growth in India: implications for public policy

Aparna Sajeev,Simrit Kaur 경희대학교 글로벌 통상·금융연구원 2020 International Trade, Politics and Development Vol.4 No.2

Based on the hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental pollutants (as measured by CO 2 emissions) and GDP for India, over the period 1980–2012. The presence of an inverted “ U ” shape relationship is examined while controlling for factors such as the degree of trade openness, foreign direct investment, oil prices, the legal system and industrialization. To verify whether the EKC follows a linear, quadratic or polynomial form, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach for cointegration with structural breaks is adopted. The annual time series data for carbon emissions (CO 2 ), economic growth (GDP), industrial development (industrialization), foreign direct investment and trade openness have been obtained from World Development Indicators online database. Crude oil price (international price index) for the period is collected from the International Monetary Fund. Data for total petroleum consumption are collected from the US Energy Information Agency. Data for economic freedom variables are from the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom Index's online database. The findings support the existence of inverted U -shaped EKC in the short-run, but not in the long-run. A linear monotonic relationship has also been estimated in select model specifications. Additionally, trade openness has been estimated to reduce emissions in models, which incorporate FDI. Else, where significant, its impact on carbon emissions is adverse. A rise in fuel price leads to reduction in carbon emissions across model specifications. Further, the lower size of government degrades the environment both in the long-run and short-run. Given the existence of the pollution haven hypothesis, wherein more trade and foreign direct investments cause environmental degradation, the paper proposes formulation of appropriate regulatory mechanisms that are environmentally friendly. Additionally, India's new economic policies, favoring liberalization, privatization and globalization, reinforces the need to strengthen environmental regulations.Incorporation of economic freedom as measured by the “Size of Government” in the EKC model is unique. “Size of Government” deserves a special mention. The rationale for including this explanatory variable is to understand whether countries with lower government size are more polluting. After all, theory does suggest that goods and services, which have higher social cost vis-à-vis private cost, shall be overproduced in economies that adopt more market-friendly policies, necessitating government intervention. In the study, size of government is measured as per the definition and methodology adopted by Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World Index. Based on the hypothesis of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental pollutants (as measured by CO 2 emissions) and GDP for India, over the period 1980–2012. The presence of an inverted “ U ” shape relationship is examined while controlling for factors such as the degree of trade openness, foreign direct investment, oil prices, the legal system and industrialization. To verify whether the EKC follows a linear, quadratic or polynomial form, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach for cointegration with structural breaks is adopted. The annual time series data for carbon emissions (CO 2 ), economic growth (GDP), industrial development (industrialization), foreign direct investment and trade openness have been obtained from World Development Indicators online database. Crude oil price (international price index) for the period is collected from the International Monetary Fund. Data for total petroleum consumption are collected from the US Energy Information Agency. Data for economic freedom variables are from the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom Index's online database. The findings support the existence of inverted U -shaped EKC in the short-run, but not in the long-run. A linear monotonic relationship has also been estimated in select model specifications. Additionally, trade openness has been estimated to reduce emissions in models, which incorporate FDI. Else, where significant, its impact on carbon emissions is adverse. A rise in fuel price leads to reduction in carbon emissions across model specifications. Further, the lower size of government degrades the environment both in the long-run and short-run. Given the existence of the pollution haven hypothesis, wherein more trade and foreign direct investments cause environmental degradation, the paper proposes formulation of appropriate regulatory mechanisms that are environmentally friendly. Additionally, India's new economic policies, favoring liberalization, privatization and globalization, reinforces the need to strengthen environmental regulations.Incorporation of economic freedom as measured by the “Size of Government” in the EKC model is unique. “Size of Government” deserves a special mention. The rationale for including this explanatory variable is to understand whether countries with lower government size are more polluting. After all, theory does suggest that goods and services, which have higher social cost vis-à-vis private cost, shall be overproduced in economies that adopt more market-friendly policies, necessitating government intervention. In the study, size of government is measured as per the definition and methodology adopted by Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom of the World Index.