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With the incarnation of novel COVID-19, health care is getting more preference in each country. IoT-based health monitoring systems might be the best option to monitor infected patients and be helpful for elderly population. In this paper, analyzed different IoT-based health monitoring systems and their challenges. Searched through established journal and conference databases using specific keywords to find scholarly works to conduct the analysis. Investigated unique articles related to this analysis. The selected papers were then sifted through to understand their contributions/research focus. Then tried to find their research gap and challenges, created them into opportunities and proposed a GSM-based offline health monitoring system that will conduct with the healthcare providers through communication networks. Hopefully, this model will work as an absolute pathway for the researchers to establish a sustainable IoT-based health monitoring system for humankind.

Contamination of soil by antibiotics and heavy metals originating from hospital facilities has emerged as a major cause for the development of resistant microbes. We collected soil samples surrounding a hospital effluent and measured the resistance of bacterial isolates against multiple antibiotics and heavy metals. One strain BMCSI 3 was found to be sensitive to all tested antibiotics. However, it was resistant to many heavy metals and metalloids like cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, arsenic, and others. This strain was motile and potentially spore-forming. Whole-genome shotgun assembly of BMCSI 3 produced 4.95 Mb genome with 4,638 protein-coding genes. The taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis revealed it, to be a Bordetella petrii strain. Multiple genomic islands carrying mobile genetic elements; coding for heavy metal resistant genes, response regulators or transcription factors, transporters, and multi-drug efflux pumps were identified from the genome. A comparative genomic analysis of BMCSI 3 with annotated genomes of other free-living B. petrii revealed the presence of multiple transposable elements and several genes involved in stress response and metabolism. This study provides insights into how genomic reorganization and plasticity results in evolution of heavy metals resistance by acquiring genes from its natural environment.

Objective In India, a Health Management Information System (HMIS) is used to capture and aggregate data from health facilities across the country to inform decision making by healthcare managers and policymakers. In a country with the unparalleled sociocultural diversity of India, the dynamics of sociotechnical systems produce unique challenges. The study attempts to understand the sociotechnical factors that influence HMIS at the district level. Methods The study is conducted among the healthcare workers who were involved in managing the district HMIS for over a year. We employed quota sampling and conducted face-to-face interviews with eight healthcare workers. The interviews were transcribed and coded using an analytical framework derived from the Performance of Routine Information System Management (PRISM) framework for HMIS evaluation. Results We identified 61 codes sorted into 11 categories and grouped into 3 deductive themes (derived from the PRISM framework, ie, technical processes, challenges and data quality) and 2 inductive themes (ie, the role of private enterprise and human resource management). Conclusion The study reveals areas to improve and lays emphasis on change management. Future evaluations should involve a complete evaluation of the district HMIS using the four PRISM tools and will inform a collaboratively developed plan to address HMIS issues for health system strengthening.

BACKGROUND: The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) was a 3-year case-control study that measured the burden, aetiology, and consequences of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) in children aged 0-59 months. GEMS-1A, a 12-month follow-on study, comprised two parallel case-control studies, one assessing MSD and the other less-severe diarrhoea (LSD). In this report, we analyse the risk of death with each diarrhoea type and the specific pathogens associated with fatal outcomes. METHODS: GEMS was a prospective, age-stratified, matched case-control study done at seven sites in Africa and Asia. Children aged 0-59 months with MSD seeking care at sentinel health centres were recruited along with one to three randomly selected matched community control children without diarrhoea. In the 12-month GEMS-1A follow-on study, children with LSD and matched controls, in addition to children with MSD and matched controls, were recruited at six of the seven sites; only cases of MSD and controls were enrolled at the seventh site. We compared risk of death during the period between enrolment and one follow-up household visit done about 60 days later (range 50-90 days) in children with MSD and LSD and in their respective controls. Approximately 50 pathogens were detected using, as appropriate, classic bacteriology, immunoassays, gel-based PCR and reverse transcriptase PCR, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Specimens from a subset of GEMS cases and controls were also tested by a TaqMan Array Card that compartmentalised probe-based qPCR for 32 enteropathogens. FINDINGS: 223 (2·0%) of 11 108 children with MSD and 43 (0·3%) of 16 369 matched controls died between study enrolment and the follow-up visit at about 60 days (hazard ratio [HR] 8·16, 95% CI 5·69-11·68, p<0·0001). 12 (0·4%) of 2962 children with LSD and seven (0·2%) of 4074 matched controls died during the follow-up period (HR 2·78, 95% CI 0·95-8·11, p=0·061). Risk of death was lower in children with dysenteric MSD than in ch

Approaches that root national climate strategies in local actions will be essential for all countries as they develop new nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. The potential impact of climate action from non-national actors in delivering higher global ambition is significant. Sub-national action in the United States provides a test for how such actions can accelerate emissions reductions. We aggregated U.S. state, city, and business commitments within an integrated assessment model to assess how a national climate strategy can be built upon non-state actions. We find that existing commitments alone could reduce emissions 25% below 2005 levels by 2030, and that enhancing actions by these actors could reduce emissions up to 37%. We show how these actions can provide a stepped-up basis for additional federal action to reduce emissions by 49% consistent with 1.5 °C. Our analysis demonstrates sub-national actions can lead to substantial reductions and support increased national action. © 2020, The Author(s).

Peninsular India is a collage of Archaean cratonic domains separated by Proterozoic mobile belts. A number of cratonic basins, known as “Purana basins” in the Indian literature, formed in different parts of the Indian Peninsula during extensional tectonic events, from Paleoproterozoic through Neoproterozoic times. In this contribution, we present a diversity of new geochronological data for different units within the Kaladgi and the Bhima basins, which overlie the western and eastern Dharwar cratons, respectively. The new geochronology data are discussed in terms of depositional history and provenance of these poorly understood Proterozoic intracratonic basins. For the Kaladgi Group, a U–Pb baddeleyite age of 1,861 ± 4 Ma obtained for a dolerite dyke intruding the Yendigere Formation is used to constrain the minimum age of deposition of the lower Kaladgi Group. This result demonstrates that this part of the succession is comparable in age to the Papaghni Group of the Cuddapah Basin, heralding onset of Purana sedimentation at ~1,900 Ma. The detrital zircon populations from the clastic rocks of the Kaladgi and Bhima basins show unique and distinct age patterns indicating different source of sediments for these two basins. Palaeocurrent analysis indicates a change in provenance from south or southeast to west or northwest between the Kaladgi and Bhima clastic sedimentation. New U–Th–Pb and Rb–Sr radiometric dates of limestones and glauconite‐bearing sandstones of the Bhima Group (Bhima Basin) and the Badami Group (Kaladgi Basin) indicate deposition at around 800–900 Ma, suggesting contemporaneity for the two successions. Thus, the unconformity between the Kaladgi Group and the overlying Badami Group represents a time gap of up to 1,000 Myr. These new results demonstrate the complex multistage burial and unroofing history of the Archaean Dharwar Craton throughout the Proterozoic, with important implications for exploration of metal deposits and diamonds in Peninsular In

BACKGROUND: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) encoding heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) alone or with heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) cause moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in developing country children. The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) identified ETEC encoding ST among the top four enteropathogens. Since the GEMS objective was to provide evidence to guide development and implementation of enteric vaccines and other interventions to diminish diarrheal disease morbidity and mortality, we examined colonization factor (CF) prevalence among ETEC isolates from children age <5 years with MSD and from matched controls in four African and three Asian sites. We also assessed strength of association of specific CFs with MSD. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: MSD cases enrolled at healthcare facilities over three years and matched controls were tested in a standardized manner for many enteropathogens. To identify ETEC, three E. coli colonies per child were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect genes encoding LT, ST; confirmed ETEC were examined by PCR for major CFs (Colonization Factor Antigen I [CFA/I] or Coli Surface [CS] antigens CS1-CS6) and minor CFs (CS7, CS12, CS13, CS14, CS17, CS18, CS19, CS20, CS21, CS30). ETEC from 806 cases had a single toxin/CF profile in three tested strains per child. Major CFs, components of multiple ETEC vaccine candidates, were detected in 66.0% of LT/ST and ST-only cases and were associated with MSD versus matched controls by conditional logistic regression (p≤0.006); major CFs detected in only 25.0% of LT-only cases weren't associated with MSD. ETEC encoding exclusively CS14, identified among 19.9% of 291 ST-only and 1.5% of 259 LT/ST strains, were associated with MSD (p = 0.0011). No other minor CF exhibited prevalence ≥5% and significant association with MSD. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Major CF-based efficacious ETEC vaccines could potentially prevent up to 66% of pediatric MSD cases due to ST-encoding ETEC in develo

We thank Patil Pillai et al. for preparing a critique on our article (Joy et al., 2018). Patil Pillai et al. contest the analytical procedure utilized for the carbonates and “geological information” documented in our research article and raise concerns on our conclusions. We hereby provide our reply to each of their comments.

BACKGROUND: Diarrheal diseases remain a leading cause of illness and death among children younger than 5 years in low-income and middle-income countries. The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) has described the incidence, aetiology, and sequelae of medically attended moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among children aged 0-59 months residing in censused populations in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, where most child deaths occur. To further characterise this disease burden and guide interventions, we extended this study to include children with episodes of less-severe diarrhoea (LSD) seeking care at health centres serving six GEMS sites. METHODS: We report a 1-year, multisite, age-stratified, matched case-control study following on to the GEMS study. Six sites (Bamako, Mali; Manhiça, Mozambique; Basse, The Gambia; Mirzapur, Bangladesh; Kolkata, India; and Bin Qasim Town, Karachi, Pakistan) participated in this study. Children aged 0-59 months at each site who sought care at a sentinel hospital or health centre during a 12-month period were screened for diarrhoea. New (onset after ≥7 diarrhoea-free days) and acute (onset within the previous 7 days) episodes of diarrhoea in children who had sunken eyes, whose skin lost turgor, who received intravenous hydration, who had dysentery, or who were hospitalised were eligible for inclusion as MSD. The remaining new and acute diarrhoea episodes among children who sought care at the same health centres were considered LSD. We aimed to enrol the first eight or nine eligible children with MSD and LSD at each site during each fortnight in three age strata: infants (aged 0-11 months), toddlers (aged 12-23 months), and young children (aged 24-59 months). For each included case of MSD or LSD, we enrolled one to three community control children without diarrhoea during the previous 7 days. From patients and controls we collected clinical and epidemiological data, anthropometric measurements, and faecal samples to identify ent

Aggregates grown in mild shear flow are released, one at a time, into homogeneous isotropic turbulence where their breakup is recorded by three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV). The aggregates have an open structure with fractal dimension around 2.2, and their size varies from 0.9 to 3.1 mm which is large compared to the Kolmogorov length scale η = 0.15 mm. 3D-PTV allows for the simultaneous measurement of aggregate trajectories and the full velocity gradient tensor along their pathlines which enables us to access the Lagrangian stress history of individual breakup events. The analysis suggests that aggregates are mostly broken due to accumulation of drag stress over a time interval of order Kolmogorov time scale, O(τη). This finding is explained by the fact that the aggregates are large, which gives their motion inertia and which increases the time for stress propagation inside the aggregate., QC 20190402

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever is endemic in Fiji, with high reported annual incidence. We sought to identify the sources and modes of transmission of typhoid fever in Fiji with the aim to inform disease control. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified and surveyed patients with blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever from January 2014 through January 2017. For each typhoid fever case we matched two controls by age interval, gender, ethnicity, and residential area. Univariable and multivariable analysis were used to evaluate associations between exposures and risk for typhoid fever. We enrolled 175 patients with typhoid fever and 349 controls. Of the cases, the median (range) age was 29 (2-67) years, 86 (49%) were male, and 84 (48%) lived in a rural area. On multivariable analysis, interrupted water availability (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-4.00), drinking surface water in the last 2 weeks (OR = 3.61; 95% CI 1.44-9.06), eating unwashed produce (OR = 2.69; 95% CI 1.48-4.91), and having an unimproved or damaged sanitation facility (OR = 4.30; 95% CI 1.14-16.21) were significantly associated with typhoid fever. Frequent handwashing after defecating (OR = 0.57; 95% CI 0.35-0.93) and using soap for handwashing (OR = 0.61; 95% CI 0.37-0.95) were independently associated with a lower odds of typhoid fever. CONCLUSIONS: Poor sanitation facilities appear to be a major source of Salmonella Typhi in Fiji, with transmission by drinking contaminated surface water and consuming unwashed produce. Improved sanitation facilities and protection of surface water sources and produce from contamination by human feces are likely to contribute to typhoid control in Fiji.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) are used in many low-income countries but their impact on the incidence of pneumonia is unclear. The Gambia introduced PCV7 in August, 2009, and PCV13 in May, 2011. We aimed to measure the impact of the introduction of these vaccines on pneumonia incidence. METHODS: We did population-based surveillance and case-control studies. The primary endpoint was WHO-defined radiological pneumonia with pulmonary consolidation. Population-based surveillance was for suspected pneumonia in children aged 2-59 months (minimum age 3 months in the case-control study) between May 12, 2008, and Dec 31, 2015. Surveillance for the impact study was limited to the Basse Health and Demographic Surveillance System (BHDSS), whereas surveillance for the case-control study included both the BHDSS and Fuladu West Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Nurses screened all outpatients and inpatients at all health facilities in the surveillance area using standardised criteria for referral to clinicians in Basse and Bansang. These clinicians recorded clinical findings and applied standardised criteria to identify patients with suspected pneumonia. We compared the incidence of pneumonia during the baseline period (May 12, 2008, to May 11, 2010) and the PCV13 period (Jan 1, 2014, to Dec 31, 2015). We also investigated the effectiveness of PCV13 using case-control methods between Sept 12, 2011, and Sept 31, 2014. Controls were aged 90 days or older, and were eligible to have received at least one dose of PCV13; cases had the same eligibility criteria with the addition of having WHO-defined radiological pneumonia. FINDINGS: We investigated 18 833 children with clinical pneumonia and identified 2156 cases of radiological pneumonia. Among children aged 2-11 months, the incidence of radiological pneumonia fell from 21·0 cases per 1000 person-years in the baseline period to 16·2 cases per 1000 person-years (23% decline, 95% CI 7-36) in 2014-15. In the

Groundwater level measurements from 3907 monitoring wells, distributed within 22 major river basins of India, are assessed to characterize their spatial and temporal variability. Groundwater storage (GWS) anomalies (relative to the long-term mean) exhibit strong seasonality, with annual maxima observed during the monsoon season and minima during pre-monsoon season. Spatial variability of GWS anomalies increases with the extent of measurements, following the power law relationship, i.e., log-(spatial variability) is linearly dependent on log-(spatial extent). In addition, the impact of well spacing on spatial variability and the power law rel ationship is investigated. We found that the mean GWS anomaly sampled at a 0.25 degree grid scale closes to unweighted average over all wells. The absolute error corresponding to each basin grows with increasing scale, i.e., from 0.25 degree to 1 degree. It was observed that small changes in extent could create very large changes in spatial variability at large grid scales. Spatial variability of GWS anomaly has been found to vary with climatic conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the effects of well spacing on groundwater spatial variability. The results may be useful for interpreting large scale groundwater variations from unevenly spaced or sparse groundwater well observations or for siting and prioritizing wells in a network for groundwater management. The output of this study could be used to maintain a cost effective groundwater monitoring network in the study region and the approach can also be used in other parts of the globe.

BACKGROUND: The importance of Cryptosporidium as a pediatric enteropathogen in developing countries is recognized. METHODS: Data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS), a 3-year, 7-site, case-control study of moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) and GEMS-1A (1-year study of MSD and less-severe diarrhea [LSD]) were analyzed. Stools from 12,110 MSD and 3,174 LSD cases among children aged <60 months and from 21,527 randomly-selected controls matched by age, sex and community were immunoassay-tested for Cryptosporidium. Species of a subset of Cryptosporidium-positive specimens were identified by PCR; GP60 sequencing identified anthroponotic C. parvum. Combined annual Cryptosporidium-attributable diarrhea incidences among children aged <24 months for African and Asian GEMS sites were extrapolated to sub-Saharan Africa and South Asian regions to estimate region-wide MSD and LSD burdens. Attributable and excess mortality due to Cryptosporidium diarrhea were estimated. FINDINGS: Cryptosporidium was significantly associated with MSD and LSD below age 24 months. Among Cryptosporidium-positive MSD cases, C. hominis was detected in 77.8% (95% CI, 73.0%-81.9%) and C. parvum in 9.9% (95% CI, 7.1%-13.6%); 92% of C. parvum tested were anthroponotic genotypes. Annual Cryptosporidium-attributable MSD incidence was 3.48 (95% CI, 2.27-4.67) and 3.18 (95% CI, 1.85-4.52) per 100 child-years in African and Asian infants, respectively, and 1.41 (95% CI, 0.73-2.08) and 1.36 (95% CI, 0.66-2.05) per 100 child-years in toddlers. Corresponding Cryptosporidium-attributable LSD incidences per 100 child-years were 2.52 (95% CI, 0.33-5.01) and 4.88 (95% CI, 0.82-8.92) in infants and 4.04 (95% CI, 0.56-7.51) and 4.71 (95% CI, 0.24-9.18) in toddlers. We estimate 2.9 and 4.7 million Cryptosporidium-attributable cases annually in children aged <24 months in the sub-Saharan Africa and India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Nepal/Afghanistan regions, respectively, and ~202,000 Cryptosporidium-attributable deat

The field experiment was undertaken at the District Seed Farm, Kalyani at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal during summer season of 2012 and 2013 to study the growth and yield of summer groundnut as influenced by application of water soluble foliar grade fertilizer. Application of liquid grade fertilizerat early growth stage up to 45 DAE did not influence the plant height and dry matter production significantly, but towards maturity varied significantly (P ? 0.05). Crop growth rate was faster at early part of the crop age and gradually slows at later part towards maturity. Foliar application of water soluble fertilizer along with RDF 85% had the significant (P ? 0.05) influence to increase the number of pods per plant, but shelling percentage and hundred kernel weight did not vary significantly. Liquid grade fertilizer either starter dose or booster dose or in both had the positive response to increased the groundnut pod yield up to 4-6 % over RDF only. The crop was equally responsive in increasing the pod yield, when RDF was reduced by 15% along with foliar application of liquid grade fertilizer. The foliar application of water soluble fertilizer was not the substitute to soil applied inorganic fertilizer. Instead, foliar supplementation of nutrients showed positive response to increase the pod yield, in addition to the fertilizers added to soil. Gross return decreased with reduction in amount of RDF applied for the crop, but gross return increased, when water soluble foliar grade inorganic fertilizer was supplemented with RDF. The maximum gross return of `150399 was obtained. The results obtained from correlation analysis carried out to examine the linear relationship between pod yields with different plant characters. Data obtained in case of dry matter of the plant was 0.995 and 0.997 in the respective years at 1% level of significance. Thus, it was concluded that dry matter content of plant is solely responsible over the yield increase in

In this study, we tried to validate groundwater storage (GWS) anomaly obtained from a combination of GRACE and land-surface model based estimates, for the first time, with GWS anomaly obtained from a dense network of in-situ groundwater observation wells within 12 major river basins in India. We used seasonal data from >15,000 groundwater observation wells between 2005 and 2013, distributed all over the country. Two recently released GRACE products, RL05 spherical harmonics (SH) and RL05 mascon (MS) products are used for comparison with in-situ data. To our knowledge, this is the first study of comparing the performance of two independent GRACE products at a sub-continental scale. Also for the first time, we have created a high resolution (0.10 × 0.10) map of specific yield for the entire country that was used for calculating GWS. Observed GWS anomalies have been computed using water level anomalies and specific yield information for the locale of individual observation wells that are up-scaled to basin-scale in order to compare with GRACE-based estimates. In general GRACE-based estimates match well (on the basis of the statistical analyses performed in the study) with observed estimates in most of the river basins. On comparing with observed GWS anomaly, GRACE-SH estimates match well in terms of RMSE, while GRACE-MS estimates show better association in terms of correlation, while the output of skewness, kurtosis, coefficient of variation (CV) and scatter analyses remain inconclusive for inter-comparison between two GRACE estimates. We used a non-parametric trend estimation approach, the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter, to further assess the performance of the two GRACE estimates. GRACE-MS estimates clearly outperform GRACE-SH estimates for reproducing observed GWS anomaly trends with significantly (>95% confidence level) strong association in 10 out of 12 basins for GRACE-MS estimates, on the other hand, GRACE-SH estimates show significantly (>95% confidence level) st

The groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is a phenomenon of surface ero- sion, transportation and deposition in the form of Delta and ∼lood Plain. While dealing with such geomorphological units like Tableland, Flood Plain, Delta and Hill Tract in Bangladesh, we have found the possibility of having huge arsenic contaminattion free groundwater reservoir in selected areas in Bangladesh. The results presented are the outcome of our last 5 years, field survey analysing for arsenic of water of twentyfive thousand eight hundred ninetyseven hand tubewells in sixtyfour districts of Bangladesh comprising four existing geomorphological regions (a) Deltaic region (including coastal region), (b) Flood Plain, (c) Tableland and (d) Hill Tract. In this report, we will highlight (1) the area in Bangladesh where groundwater is not arsenic contaminated and the' possibility to use shallow hand tubewells as potential groundwater resource for drinking purpose and (2) arsenic contaminations scenario of deep tubewells (above 100 meters) all over Bangladesh and suitable depth in arsenic contaminated area to get safe water.

This project investigates the effect of addition of h-BN (hexagonal boron nitride) nano-particles, of size about 70 nm, to epoxy resin, cast in the form of thin circular plaques, varying in thickness from 0.46 mm minimally till 0.56 mm maximally. Different filler concentrations by volume% have been chosen, with the lowest as 0.2 volume% till the highest of 5 volume%, and incorporated into the epoxy host material. The space charge characterization of the samples is performed by the Pulsed Electro-acoustic technique, and the resultant nano-filler incorporated materials are characterized in terms of space charge accumulation in the samples, depletion rate, accumulation rate, charge accumulation characteristics. 3 distinct techniques of sample production have been adopted, to incorporate the h-BN nano-particles into the epoxy base, in case of the same fill-grade, and the study of these techniques is briefly performed as well. The aim is to isolate (if any) the sample/sample(s) which behave in a relatively better manner to neat epoxy resin (without nano-fillers) and study behaviour. The secondary aim is to investigate if the addition of nano-filler material to epoxy resin influences/changes the threshold field for space charge accumulation in the relatively better performing sample/sample(s)., High Voltage Group (DC E&S), Electrical Power Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is a phenomenon of surface ero- sion, transportation and deposition in the form of Delta and ∼lood Plain. While dealing with such geomorphological units like Tableland, Flood Plain, Delta and Hill Tract in Bangladesh, we have found the possibility of having huge arsenic contaminattion free groundwater reservoir in selected areas in Bangladesh. The results presented are the outcome of our last 5 years, field survey analysing for arsenic of water of twentyfive thousand eight hundred ninetyseven hand tubewells in sixtyfour districts of Bangladesh comprising four existing geomorphological regions (a) Deltaic region (including coastal region), (b) Flood Plain, (c) Tableland and (d) Hill Tract. In this report, we will highlight (1) the area in Bangladesh where groundwater is not arsenic contaminated and the' possibility to use shallow hand tubewells as potential groundwater resource for drinking purpose and (2) arsenic contaminations scenario of deep tubewells (above 100 meters) all over Bangladesh and suitable depth in arsenic contaminated area to get safe water.

This project investigates the effect of addition of h-BN (hexagonal boron nitride) nano-particles, of size about 70 nm, to epoxy resin, cast in the form of thin circular plaques, varying in thickness from 0.46 mm minimally till 0.56 mm maximally. Different filler concentrations by volume% have been chosen, with the lowest as 0.2 volume% till the highest of 5 volume%, and incorporated into the epoxy host material. The space charge characterization of the samples is performed by the Pulsed Electro-acoustic technique, and the resultant nano-filler incorporated materials are characterized in terms of space charge accumulation in the samples, depletion rate, accumulation rate, charge accumulation characteristics. 3 distinct techniques of sample production have been adopted, to incorporate the h-BN nano-particles into the epoxy base, in case of the same fill-grade, and the study of these techniques is briefly performed as well. The aim is to isolate (if any) the sample/sample(s) which behave in a relatively better manner to neat epoxy resin (without nano-fillers) and study behaviour. The secondary aim is to investigate if the addition of nano-filler material to epoxy resin influences/changes the threshold field for space charge accumulation in the relatively better performing sample/sample(s)., High Voltage Group (DC E&S), Electrical Power Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Cuddapah Basin is one of a series of Proterozoic basins that overlie the cratons of India that, due to limited geochronological and provenance constraints, have remained subject to speculation as to their time of deposition, sediment source locations, and tectonic/geodynamic significance. Here we present 21 new, stratigraphically constrained, U–Pb detrital zircon samples from all the main depositional units within the Cuddapah Basin. These data are supported by Hf isotopic data from 12 of these samples, that also encompass the stratigraphic range, and detrital muscovite 40Ar/39Ar data from a sample of the Srisailam Formation. Taken together, the data demonstrate that the Papaghni and lower Chitravati Groups were sourced from the Dharwar Craton, in what is interpreted to be a rift basin that evolved into a passive margin. The Nallamalai Group is here constrained to be deposited between 1659 ± 22 Ma and ~ 1590 Ma. It was sourced from the coeval Krishna Orogen to the east, and was deposited in its foreland basin. Nallamalai Group detrital zircon U–Pb and Hf isotope values directly overlap with similar data from the Ongole Domain metasedimentary rocks. Depositional age constraints on the Srisailam Formation are permissive with it being coeval with the Nallamalai Group and it was possibly deposited within the same basin. The Kurnool Group saw a return to Dharwar Craton derived provenance and is constrained to being Neoproterozoic. It may represent deposition in a long-wavelength basin forelandward of the Tonian Eastern Ghats Orogeny. Detrital zircons from the Gandikota Formation, which is traditionally considered a part of the Chitravati Group, constrain it to being deposited after 1181 ± 29 Ma, more than 700 Ma after the lower Chitravati Group. It is possible that the Gandikota Formation is correlative with the Kurnool Group.The new data suggest that the Nallamalai Group correlates temporally and tectonically with the Somanpalli Group of the Pranhita–Godavari Valley

© 2015. The Indian Sub-Continent is one of the most densely populated regions of the world, hosting ~23% of the global population within only ~3% of the world's land area. It encompasses some of the world's largest fluvial systems in the world (River Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus Basins), which hosts some of the highest yielding aquifers in the world. The distribution of usable groundwater in the region varies considerably and the continued availability of safe water from many of these aquifers (e.g. Bengal Basin) is constrained by the presence of natural contaminants. Further, the trans-boundary nature of the aquifers in the Indian Sub-Continent makes groundwater resource a potentially politically sensitive issue, particularly since this region is the largest user of groundwater resources in the world. Indeed, there is considerable concern regarding dwindling well yield and declining groundwater levels, even for the highly productive aquifers. Though irrigation already accounts for > 85% of the total ground water extraction of the region, there is a mounting pressure on aquifers for food security of the region. Highly variable precipitation, hydrogeological conditions and predicted, impending climate change effects provide substantial challenges to groundwater management. The observed presence of natural groundwater contaminants together with the growing demand for irrigated food production and predicted climate change further complicate the development of strategies for using groundwater resources sustainably. We provide an introduction and overview of 11 articles, collated in this special issue, which describe the current condition of vulnerable groundwater resources across the Indian Sub-Continent.

Tectonostratigraphic development of the c. 300 km-long Nellore schist belt (NSB) of southern India is described in relation to the post-Neoarchaean growth of the Dharwar cratonic nucleus. Lying along the eastern margin of the Dharwar cratonic nucleus, the NSB comprises several geologically and geochemically distinct tracts of deformed Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic volcanosedimentary successions: the Vinjamuru Group, the Kandra ophiolite complex (KOC), the Kanigiri ophiolitic melange (KOM) and the Udaigiri Group, arranged in relative order of younging. The high-grade Eastern Ghats belt occurs further to the east of the NSB with a tectonic contact. Thrust-transported oceanic crust remnants occur in the 1.9 Ga KOC, 1.34 Ga KOM, and the Vinjamuru Group, which show multiple deformation, amphibolite facies metamorphism and granitic intrusions. The available geological, geochemical and geochronological data have been examined to tentatively constrain the relative age of the different tectonostratigraphic units of the NSB, tectonic juxtaposition and implications in relation to global events in the Proterozoic. Subduction-related ocean closures outboard and east of the Dharwar Craton, evidenced by the KOC and KOM, possibly had links with the assembly of Columbia and its final dispersal, respectively.

Phialospores of four isolates of Gliocladium virens viz., 15GV1, 26GV1, 1AGV2 and IAGV6 responded differentially to soil fungistasis in different soils of West Bengal according to the properties of soils explored. The pH of soil appeared to be the cardinal factor. The effect of soil fungistasis was more pronounced in alkaline soil followed by neutral soil but gradually decreased due to reduction of soil pH to acidic level. Fungistasis was more in unsterilized soil compared to sterilised one.

Formulation and application methods are often of paramount importance in biological control (Papavizas and Lumsden, 1980; Papavizas and Lewis, 1983; Papavizas et al .. 1984). Accordingly several techniques viz, antagonist in liquid (Kerr, 1980), organic matter (Wells et al., 1972), as seed treatment (Harmen et al., 1980; Windel, 1981; Fravel et al., 1985) and in vermiculite or in clay such as pyrax (Fravel et al., 1983) have been tested.

Ability of Gliocladium virens Miller, Giddens and Foster to colonise groundnut stem pieces used as organic bait in soil was studied under varying conditions like inoculum density, soil pH, soil moisture and temperature. High temperature (40°C) was lethal for the saprophytic activities of the antagonist as colonisation of the bait was completely inhibited. In air dry soil (ca. 6.0% mhc) colonisation of bait was low (ca. 5.0 - 8.0 %) particularly at lower temperature (20°C) and low level of inoculum (20 mg/100 g soil). Acid soil (pH 5.6) at 50% soil moisture and 30°C temperature gave maximum colonisation of bait. Per cent colonisation of bait was less at either side of this temperature moisture optima.

Phialospores of four isolates of Gliocladium virens viz., 15GV1, 26GV1, 1AGV2 and IAGV6 responded differentially to soil fungistasis in different soils of West Bengal according to the properties of soils explored. The pH of soil appeared to be the cardinal factor. The effect of soil fungistasis was more pronounced in alkaline soil followed by neutral soil but gradually decreased due to reduction of soil pH to acidic level. Fungistasis was more in unsterilized soil compared to sterilised one.

Ability of Gliocladium virens Miller, Giddens and Foster to colonise groundnut stem pieces used as organic bait in soil was studied under varying conditions like inoculum density, soil pH, soil moisture and temperature. High temperature (40°C) was lethal for the saprophytic activities of the antagonist as colonisation of the bait was completely inhibited. In air dry soil (ca. 6.0% mhc) colonisation of bait was low (ca. 5.0 - 8.0 %) particularly at lower temperature (20°C) and low level of inoculum (20 mg/100 g soil). Acid soil (pH 5.6) at 50% soil moisture and 30°C temperature gave maximum colonisation of bait. Per cent colonisation of bait was less at either side of this temperature moisture optima.

Formulation and application methods are often of paramount importance in biological control (Papavizas and Lumsden, 1980; Papavizas and Lewis, 1983; Papavizas et al .. 1984). Accordingly several techniques viz, antagonist in liquid (Kerr, 1980), organic matter (Wells et al., 1972), as seed treatment (Harmen et al., 1980; Windel, 1981; Fravel et al., 1985) and in vermiculite or in clay such as pyrax (Fravel et al., 1983) have been tested.

The study was conducted on traditional fishing nets and crafts that are used by professional fishermen (including small, medium and large scale fishing) at Hatiya in the district of Noakhali, Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from local fishermen through Personal Interview (PI), Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and observation; secondary data were collected from District Fisheries Officer (DFO) and Upazila Fisheries Officer (UFO). The study reveals different types of fishing nets including fixed purse nets, gill nets, dip nets and cast net are used in the locality. The mesh size of the fixed purse nets vary in 0.1-2.5 inch (anterior end) and 0.2-0.5 inch (posterior end), gill nets vary in 0.5-15 inch, dip nets vary in 0.1-0.2 inch and cast net 0.5-1 inch during study. Generally these nets are lasting in 2-3 years. For nets preservation no chemical or medicine are used, only the net is dried under the sun and put it on a safe and dry place. The present study suggests that different types of boats such as chandi, kosha, balam, tempu and dinghi nauka are being used at Hatiya. Traditionally sundari, jarul, gamari, chaplas and garjan woods and bamboos are used in boat making which are locally available and last for 5-10 years. Usually 90% of the boats are propelled by the engine and 10% of the boats are propelled by the sail and row. Most of the boats have no license which reflects lack of awareness and weak control by the regulatory agency. © 2014 Knowledgia Review, Malaysia.

The study was conducted on traditional fishing nets and crafts that are used by professional fishermen (including small, medium and large scale fishing) at Hatiya in the district of Noakhali, Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from local fishermen through Personal Interview (PI), Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and observation; secondary data were collected from District Fisheries Officer (DFO) and Upazila Fisheries Officer (UFO). The study reveals different types of fishing nets including fixed purse nets, gill nets, dip nets and cast net are used in the locality. The mesh size of the fixed purse nets vary in 0.1-2.5 inch (anterior end) and 0.2-0.5 inch (posterior end), gill nets vary in 0.5-15 inch, dip nets vary in 0.1-0.2 inch and cast net 0.5-1 inch during study. Generally these nets are lasting in 2-3 years. For nets preservation no chemical or medicine are used, only the net is dried under the sun and put it on a safe and dry place. The present study suggests that different types of boats such as chandi, kosha, balam, tempu and dinghi nauka are being used at Hatiya. Traditionally sundari, jarul, gamari, chaplas and garjan woods and bamboos are used in boat making which are locally available and last for 5-10 years. Usually 90% of the boats are propelled by the engine and 10% of the boats are propelled by the sail and row. Most of the boats have no license which reflects lack of awareness and weak control by the regulatory agency. © 2014 Knowledgia Review, Malaysia.

The water quality and chemistry of the groundwater of the fluvial Bengal plains have been investigated. It has been found that shallow aquifers (< 50 m bgl) are contaminated in a few pockets, surrounded by areas with low arsenic (As)/As-free groundwater, while the deeper aquifer (> 100 m bgl) is generally free from As (< 10 mu g/L). It also reveals that multiple As mobilization processes are occurring simultaneously, rather than any single geochemical process. An attempt has been made to demonstrate the degree of As heterogeneity with groundwater quality, and this has been followed by a few local conditions. The study further suggests that the As distribution (spatio-vertical) helps to identify safe shallow aquifers, and several signatures (colour of the sediments /land use pattern/ geomorphological features /local recharge events) are apparent that can be useful for formulating long-term mitigation options., QC 20181214

BACKGROUND: Diarrhoeal diseases cause illness and death among children younger than 5 years in low-income countries. We designed the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) to identify the aetiology and population-based burden of paediatric diarrhoeal disease in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. METHODS: The GEMS is a 3-year, prospective, age-stratified, matched case-control study of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea in children aged 0-59 months residing in censused populations at four sites in Africa and three in Asia. We recruited children with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea seeking care at health centres along with one to three randomly selected matched community control children without diarrhoea. From patients with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea and controls, we obtained clinical and epidemiological data, anthropometric measurements, and a faecal sample to identify enteropathogens at enrolment; one follow-up home visit was made about 60 days later to ascertain vital status, clinical outcome, and interval growth. FINDINGS: We enrolled 9439 children with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea and 13,129 control children without diarrhoea. By analysing adjusted population attributable fractions, most attributable cases of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea were due to four pathogens: rotavirus, Cryptosporidium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing heat-stable toxin (ST-ETEC; with or without co-expression of heat-labile enterotoxin), and Shigella. Other pathogens were important in selected sites (eg, Aeromonas, Vibrio cholerae O1, Campylobacter jejuni). Odds of dying during follow-up were 8·5-fold higher in patients with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea than in controls (odd ratio 8·5, 95% CI 5·8-12·5, p<0·0001); most deaths (167 [87·9%]) occurred during the first 2 years of life. Pathogens associated with increased risk of case death were ST-ETEC (hazard ratio [HR] 1·9; 0·99-3·5) and typical enteropathogenic E coli (HR 2·6; 1·6-4·1) in infants aged 0-11 months, and Cryptosporidium (HR

We measured time-resolved differential transmission in InMnAs for different pump/probe schemes as a function of temperature, laser fluence, and external magnetic field. We observed tunability of the carrier relaxation time. In addition, we found that the sign of the differential transmission changed as a function of probe wavelength. The electronic structure for InMnAs was calculated for B = 0, using an eight-band k.p model, which includes conduction and valence band mixing as well as coupling of electrons and holes to the magnetic Mn impurities. This allows us to explain some of the carrier dynamics and the sign changes in the differential transmission.

This review contains a summary of the work done on arsenic and flouride pollution of the surface and groundwater in parts of the Indian peninsula and Ganga-Brahmaputra Alluvial and Delta Plains. Results of the investigation have been be categorized institutions wise with identification of the principal worker in the research group. © Printed in India.

Information on groundwater chemistry in the central Ganges basin can provide insights into recharge, provenance, and fate of solutes in arsenic (As)-affected areas upstream of the more intensively studied Bengal basin. The geological and geomorphological units of the region are much more discernible than the Bengal basin aquifers. Moreover, the region is less affected by groundwater abstraction, which complicates interpretation of As distributions in the Bengal basin. The study area extends from the northern edge of the Indian craton outcrops to the foothills of the Himalayas. Geologic units in the area can be broadly classified as pre-Cenozoic metamorphics and volcanics (PC), older alluvial deposits of the Ganges and its tributaries (OA), younger or active alluvial deposits of the Ganges and its tributaries in the basin (YA), and sediments of the Himalayan foothills (piedmont, PD). Stable-isotopic analyses indicate groundwater in these units has been recharged by meteoric or surface water that has generally undergone some evaporation. The hydrochemical facies is generally a Ca-HCO 3 type. While most of the solutes in the YA groundwater are derived from carbonate dissolution, many of the PD, PC and OA groundwater samples are influenced by silicate weathering, suggesting that leaching of metamorphics and volcanics acts as a major source of solutes. Redox conditions are highly spatially variable (oxic to methanic, dominated by metal reduction), with no systematic depth variation within sampled aquifers. More than 75% of YA and PD groundwater samples have As=0.01mg/L, but As was detected in only one OA sample and no PC samples. Arsenic is probably mobilized by reductive dissolution of Fe-Mn (oxyhydr)oxides in the alluvium, with possibility of competitive anionic mobilization. Hence, relative to the Bengal basin, in addition to lower groundwater abstraction influence, groundwater chemistry in the study area reflects a greater variety of differences in the geological and

The Indian shield represents a vast repository of the Palaeoproterozoic geological record. Built over the four large amalgamated Archaean nuclei (Dharwar, Bastar, Singhbhum and Aravalli–Bundelkhand) the major and minor Palaeoproterozoic sedimentary basins and supracrustal sequences in India are comparable in scale, and perhaps also in development, to those of North America, Africa, Australia and Brazil. The deformation of these supracrustal sequences, attendant metamorphism and emplacement of plutonic bodies hold important clues to their connection with major orogenies. Research in these areas has led to investigations into global correlation, which in turn has had a direct bearing on refining models of Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent assembly and break-up. This book covers various aspects of regional geology as well as broader issues of the Indian Palaeoproterozoic geology and its global context. It is an outcome of the UNESCO-IGCP 509 Palaeoproterozoic Supercontinents and Global Evolution research project. © 2012 The Geological Society of London.

The Mesoarchaean–Palaeoproterozoic stratigraphic record of the Singhbhum crustal province, eastern India, implies sedimentation and volcanism in a changing tectonic scenario, and thus assumes immense geological significance. Although efforts have been made by many researchers in the past several decades to summarize various geological aspects of the Singhbhum crustal province, a critical synthesis of various stratigraphic issues was long overdue. The present contribution is an updated critical synthesis of the Mesoarchaean–Palaeoproterozoic stratigraphic record of the Singhbhum crustal province. We have pointed out the problematic stratigraphic issues of the Singhbhum crustal province that deserve careful scrutiny in order to gain better insights into the mode of stratigraphic sequence building.

The magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Fe74Cu0.8Nb2.7Si15.5B7 alloy, which were rapidly solidified and then annealed at various temperatures between 475 and 650 degrees C for different holding time, have been studied. Grain size, silicon content and the lattice parameter of alpha-Fe(Si) nanograins at the annealing temperatures were determined. Curie temperature of the amorphous phase was determined from the temperature dependence of permeability. For higher annealing temperatures and times, some Si diffused out of the alpha-Fe(Si) phase and formed an ordered DO3 phase of Fe3Si. This changed the overall magnetostriction and average anisotropy of the matrix, which deteriorated the magnetic softness of the material at higher annealing temperatures. Ultra-soft magnetic properties were achieved by averaging the random anisotropy via exchange interaction. Hysteresis loops for samples in as-cast and annealed conditions have also been studied.

QC 20140902

In this project we have designed and demonstrated several fundamental spintronic devices for the first time. The elemental nature of these devices makes them very versatile and they are suitable for wide range of applications. Key results and accomplishments from this research are highlighted below. * Electrical Injection, Threshold Reduction and Output Circular Polarization Modulation in Quantum Well and Quantum Dot Semiconductor Spin Polarized Lasers working at temperatures up to 200 K. * Amplification of Spin Current Polarization. * Electrically Driven Spin-Dynamics of Paramagnetic Impurities: A Spin Capacitor. * A Monolithically Integrated Magneto-Opto-ElectroniCircuit., The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.

This work proposes an integrated location management scheme, which essentially rests on our previous work in which we proposed a novel Rule-Based Paging Scheme (RBPS) for reducing the cost for terminal paging in a cellular wireless environment The present work is an enhancement, where we extend our previous work to propose a complete location management scheme. This requires application of RBPS together with a judicious movement based location update (LU) scheme. Numerical results show that proposed integrated location management scheme, which we call, RBPS*, not only attempts to resolve the issue of inherent tradeoff between the cost components, comprising of paging and LU cost, it does reduce the total cost for location management compared to the other schemes referred in this work. RBPS* significantly outperforms RBPS and GSM-adopted blanket paging scheme along with movement based LU. When compared with the popular Shortest Distance First (SDF) scheme, results are again encouraging. The proposed scheme, RBPS*, is a generic one and can be deployed on-line. It has the potential for use in next generation wireless networks, irrespective of any standards., QC 20141202

This paper presents monitor placement scheme for single node fault detection in optical network. A single fault at a node may generally produce single/many alarms; as a result it becomes very difficult to detect the exact origin of failure. Our two-phased scheme minimizes the placement of the number of monitors to detect the origin of fault in polynomial time. We demonstrate the performance of our scheme on 14-node NSFnet., QC 20141202

This paper explores the possibility of developing a new variant of TCP, which would be performing equally well under wireless as in wired connections. In order to get this new variant of TCP, this work primarily looks into the behavior of TCP under various loads and error conditions and different window sizes (both variable and fixed), and compares them with TCP Reno. The simulation is carried out in ns simulator., QC 20141203

In our earlier work we proposed a novel rule-based approach for locating a mobile terminal (MT) in a mobile cellular wireless networks. The scheme, which we called Rule-Based Paging Scheme (RBPS), significantly outperformed GSM-adopted blanket paging scheme. We have found that when compared with the popular Shortest Distance First (SDF) scheme, results are again encouraging. However, in this work, we have discussed the real time implementation of our proposed scheme and compared performance of the RBPS-adopted blanket paging scheme with GSM-adopted blanket paging scheme, as it is most popularly practiced in real life. The scheme is a generic one and has the potential for use in the next generation wireless networks, irrespective of any standards., QC 20141203

This paper proposes a fast and seamless handover management scheme for the Three Level Mobility Model (TLMM) network. TLMM mobility may be more enhanced by using Fast Handover for MIPv6 (FMIPv6). The paper modifies and extends the FMIPv6 with bi-casting functions to minimize packet loss at the mobile node., QC 20141212

This paper deals with an approach for planning location areas (LAs) in a personal communication services network (PCSN) to be overlaid on an existing wired network. Given the average speed of mobile terminals, the number of mobile switching centers (MSCs), their locations, call handling capacity of each MSC, handoff cost between adjacent cells and call arrival rate, an important consideration in a PCSN is to identify the cells in every LA to be connected to the corresponding NISC in a cost effective manner. In this work, while planning a location area, we present a two-step approach, namely optimization of total system recurring cost (subproblem I) and optimization of hybrid cost (subproblem II). The planning first determines the optimum number of cells in an LA from subproblem I. Then, it finds out the exact LAs by assigning cells to the switches, while optimizing the hybrid cost which comprises the handoff cost and the cable cost, in subproblem II. This divide-and-conquer strategy provides a practical way for designing LAs. As our approach toward LA planning takes into accounts both cost and network planning factors, this unique combination will be of great interest to PCSN designers. It develops an optimum network planning method for a wide range of call-to-mobility ratios that minimizes the total system recurring cost while still ensuring a good system performance. Our study shows that acceptable results are achievable with a reasonable computational effort, which supports the engineered planning of a PCSN., QC 20111023