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Crop physiology can be studied using crop simulation models based on weather conditions, soil, crop variety, and crop management information. Crop simulation models allow simulation of the growth and yield of the crops to signify and estimate the impact of various factors. The DSSAT cropping system model is one of the most widely used globally and contains a CROPGRO module for soybean. For soyabean (Glycine max) yield estimation, a homogeneous grid of 25 km has been used. The automatic sowing window considered is 26th June–17th July, and the crop variety is JS72-44, one of the currently prevailing varieties in that state. The analysis showed that from 9 selected districts of Madhya Pradesh, Rewa estimated Yields from the crop model were ~ 24% higher than the actual yield. Spatial crop yield estimation is essential to understand the variation of crop yield. In contrast, Alirajpur, Barwani, Datia, Jabalpur, Dindori, Khargone, Rajpur and Shivpuri simulated yield ranges from − 1% to + 8%. When there are multiple locations to process, the CROPGRO-Soyabean has to be implemented to simulate yield for various locations in Batch automatically. Still, a substantial amount of time is the requirement for data preparation, simulation and analysis of the desired results. To optimize the whole process, starting from the data preparation to the final yield estimation using the DSSAT-CROPGRO-Soyabean, we need an automated script for this process, which prepares the required data, simulates the crop model in Batch and reads the simulation output, analyzes the work, prepares the spatial maps and graphs.

Use of tributyl phosphate (TBP) in industry leads to generation of large volume of TBP-containing wastes. TBP causes toxicity to marine life in aquatic habitats. Animal studies have shown toxicity in rats and rabbits upon ingestion of TBP. Sphingobiumsp. RSMS (RSMS) was reported to efficiently utilise TBP (30 mM in 3 days) as the sole source of carbon and phosphorous at laboratory scale. Here, we develop processes for the step-wise scale-up of TBP biodegradation utilizing RSMS strain. At 30 L scale, under optimised conditions, we could achieve almost complete mineralisation (28 mM in 3 days). Computational fluid dynamics modelling was used to visualise the flow patterns and to identify the optimum values of operating parameters for scale-up to 205 L. To develop an economical process, the 205 L scale-up was standardized under non-sterile conditions, ambient temperature and low initial culture density. Under these conditions, the strain could efficiently utilise TBP for growth and achieve a total of 21 mM TBP degradation over 15 days, which is approximately 70% of the TBP biodegradation observed at laboratory scale.

The water requirement of the crop is an important phenomenon to estimate the crop yield and understanding the crop water necessity at different crop phenological stages as soil and plant water deficits cause yield reduction. The most crucial crop stages that dictate crop yield are at the vegetative and reproductive stages, reducing the crop yield by more than 35% and 50%, respectively. Our study is to determine the crop water stress using the Crop Environmental Resource Synthesis (CERES)-Sorghum model, which is a component of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT)—crop simulation model (CSM). Crop water stress is simulated spatially for Rainfed Kharif Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) in 10 districts of Maharashtra state, India, from 2000 to 2018 using DSSAT-CSM. Besides other factors as well that impact crop yield, rainfall also has an impact on crop growth, development, and managing water efficiency for the crops. Simulated crop water stress above a specific threshold value of ≥ 0.5 (50%) impacts crop growth and development process. Considering the drought year 2015 with sowing dates June (15, 22, 29) and July (6, 15); it shows that late sowing of kharif sorghum for 2015 minimal crop water stress can be seen. CERES-Sorghum model can efficiently determine the crop water stress at different crop phenological stages with different dates of sowing.

A comprehensive field study has been carried out to measure the background air quality status and identify the air pollution sources from opencast mines around a heritage site in India. Air quality modeling has been carried out to envisage dust concentration due to the existing and closed mines in the region. The predicted total PM10and PM2.5levels at the selected receptor locations ranged from 86.39 to 194.89 and from 34.82 to 99.55 μg m−3, respectively. The air quality modeling exercise predicted that levels of PM10and PM2.5might increase from 3.2 to 23.1 and from 2.1 to 8.9 μg m−3respectively due to mining activities when some of the closed mines will be operated in the region without the controlled emission. Hence, adequate measures have been suggested to control air pollution from mining activities. An intelligent dry fog system has been designed to suppress dust emission efficiently from mineral processing plants and opencast mines. The developed system has special features for facilitating eco-friendly mining.

Flood is the most catastrophic event occurring in developing countries which causes heavy toll on the economy and human lives. The destruction caused by the event can be minimized by prior information of flood magnitude, its extent, and time of occurrence, as timely action can be taken by planners and managerial authorities. In developing countries, due to data scantiness, this information is inaccessible. This study demonstrates the use of 30 m and 90 m resolution Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission Digital Elevation Models to perform 1 D hydrodynamic modeling using MIKE Hydro (River) for Krishna River Basin, India. The research proposes a new methodology to improve flood magnitude estimates using modified cross sections with limited data. The analysis employs two flood events of the Krishna river basin that occurred in years 2006 and 2009 for simulation. The model parameters were calibrated using data from 2006, and the results were validated utilizing the data from year 2009. Manning’s Roughness coefficient (n) was used as simulating parameter to perform hydrodynamic modeling. The flood magnitude estimates procured with the modified cross sections are encouraging as model performance indices viz. Correlation coefficient, root mean square error, Index of agreement (d), Nash Sutcliffe efficiency, and percentage deviation in peak (% deviation) are improved significantly.

A number of morphological features of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been reported, as conducted through field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM), which were synthesized by conventional arc discharge process. The observation of a classical variety of structural feature from TEM, some of them not reported before, has been used to make interpretation from existing growth models. Mechanism and kinetics of different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been also discussed. Results indicated that formation of pentagonal, heptagonal and pentagonal-heptagonal carbon rings play vital role in the formation of Complex structure of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).

The solidification of spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI) plays an important role in production of sound quality castings. However, owing to the complex solidification behaviour of SGI, prepouring melt quality evaluation technique such as thermal analysis is used to predict quality of liquid metal by analysing the cooling curve pattern. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the role of speed of recalescence (SOR) in nucleation of graphite during solidification of SGI. Cooling curve analysis of liquid samples was carried out at different inoculation degrees. Recalescence and SOR data were obtained from thermal analysis, whereas nodule counts were obtained from microstructural examination of respective sample. It was observed that recalescence and nodule counts (nucleation sites) have a statistically significant inverse linear relationship; with the increase in recalescence, the nodule count was found to get reduced. However, the multiple values of nodule count at same recalescence degree were to be understood, which was clearly justified by SOR studies. After analysing the SOR vs nodule count relation, almost each SOR value corresponds to different nodule counts and the relation was statistically more significant. This infers that for an in-depth nodule count estimation, SOR analysis will be more helpful as compared to ∆Tr; hence, it is envisaged that speed of recalescence is true indicator of graphite nucleation as compared to recalescence in SGI.

Liquid–liquid solvent extraction process consists of dispersion of one phase into another in the form of fine drops and allowing the solute of interest to migrate from one phase into the other. Subsequently, it is essential to separate the two phases for further processing. In this regard, it is critical to continuously monitor the interface of two liquid phases as entrainment of one phase with another will lead to severe issues in downstream equipment and processes to follow. In this regard, an ultrasonic (UT) based online interface tracking device is developed which can detect the top layer of liquid–liquid interface (30% TBP/DD and water containing trace amounts of uranium) as well as estimate its dispersion thickness. This has been achieved using a single minimally invasive sensor. A novel signal-processing algorithm is developed to denoise and extract meaningful parameters for this estimation from the reflected and highly scattered/attenuated UT signal. The paper reports development of a mathematical model of the algorithm, experimental setup, and validation of the proposed system in a batch gravity settler.

ABSTRACTIn this work, we use two different methods to determine the opacity of the TeV gamma-rays caused by the extragalactic background light (EBL) via e—e+ production due to photon-photon interaction. The first method, Model-Dependent Approach, uses various EBL models for estimating the opacity as a function of the redshift and energy of the TeV photons. The second method, Model-Independent Approach, relies on using the simultaneous observations of blazars in the MeV-GeV energy range from the Fermi-LAT and in the TeV band from the ground-based gammaray telescopes. We make the underline assumption that the extrapolation of the LAT spectrum of blazars to TeV energies is either a good estimate or an upper limit for the intrinsic TeV spectrum of a source. We apply this method on the simultaneous observations of a few blazars at different redshifts to demonstrate a comparative study of six prominent EBL models. Opacities of the TeV photons predicted by the model-independent approach are systematically larger than the ones estimated from the modeldependent method. Therefore, the gamma-ray observations of blazars can be used to set a strict upper limit on the opacity of the Universe to the TeV photons at a given redshift.

Calibrated probabilistic forecasts of weekly rainfall were developed for the state of Bihar in northern India and issued in real time during the June–September 2018 monsoon period, up to 2 weeks in advance. The forecasts are based on subseasonal forecasts from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction CFSv2 model and were calibrated against observed gridded rainfall fields from the India Meteorological Department using canonical correlation analysis. Hindcasts over the 1999–2010 period exhibit appreciable skill at Week 1 lead (Days 3–9), with some skill at Week 2 (Days 10–16), over Bihar as well as over a larger region. Forecasts were issued in real time during the 2018 Indian summer monsoon season for four districts in Bihar on a 1° grid in tercile probability format every Thursday. Verification of the district‐level real‐time forecasts over the 2018 season is evaluated and moderate skill demonstrated in terms of the Brier and Heidke skill scores, especially for the northern districts and for the below‐normal category. Successful monsoon onset and break phase forecasts in 2018 over Bihar are related to episodes of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation, which the model is shown to capture quite well at 1–2 week lead. Real‐time probabilistic subseasonal forecasts of the 2018 monsoon for Bihar, India, have skill at district scale 2 weeks in advanceSuccessful monsoon onset and break phase forecasts in 2018 over Bihar are related to episodes of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation

The increasing demand for pre-pouring melt quality evaluation by thermal analysis has led to some important breakthroughs in understanding the solidification of spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGI). The two important parameters which characterize the solidification cooling curve of SGI are temperature of eutectic undercooling (TEU) temperature of eutectic recalescence (TER). In this study, the response of preconditioning treatment (0.1% Al,Zr,Ca–FeSi) on TEU and TER was investigated in several samples from different heats. It was found that preconditioning increases both TEU and TER. The average eutectic graphitization ability after preconditioning was found to increase from 60 to 75. The average undercooling (?T) and recalescence (?Tr) in preconditioned samples were 12 °C and 2 °C, whereas in samples without preconditioning average ?Tand ?Tr are 19 °C and 7 °C, respectively. Preconditioning improves graphitization ability thereby increasing the graphite nodule count. The actual nodule count of SG iron samples obtained by image analysis was found to be in agreement with that of nodule counts predicted by thermal analysis.

In this work, constant amplitude fully reversible tension-compression (t-c) fatigue behaviour of two-phased epoxy/glass fibre and three-phased MWCNT/epoxy/glass fibre laminates modified with 0.5 and 1.0 vol.-% of MWCNTs is presented. Addition of 0.5 and 1.0 volume fraction of nanoparticles in the matrix phase increased the fatigue strength of the laminates by approximately 10% and 4%, respectively. GFRP laminates subjected to quasi-static compression and t-c fatigue were found to fail by matrix crushing and shearing contrary to matrix crushing, ply splitting and kink band failure presented by CNT modified laminates. Such mechanisms were due to additional matrix toughening imparted by the nanotubes. Two-parameters Weibull distribution was implemented for the statistical evaluation of the fatigue life data. For safety limits of the test results, S-N curves with reliability levels of 0.99, 0.5, 0.368 and 0.10 were produced using Weibull shape and scale parameters.

AbstractComposite materials are nowadays having gained a lot of interest. Through numerous studies, the damage to glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites increased, while traditional machining processes, like cutting and drilling. This is due to the fact that difference in the material properties of fibre and matrix. However, unconventional methods showed minimal damage to the surface with precision. The damage occurred in GFRP composite comprised of delamination, cracking of the material at the edge as well as tool wear so laser machining is generally preferred as there is no contact between tool and workpiece, any tool wear and vibrations. The objective of this study to give an overview of the cutting of GFRP composite and the quality of cut surface by analysing the heat-affected zone, taper angle and kerf width. The aim of this study to reveal the damages occurred due to operational parameters and found that the surface quality improved by optimising laser power, scan speed and standoff distance.

The fiber orientation plays a vital role in mechanical performance of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. In the present work, symmetric glass/epoxy composites are manufactured, and their mechanical performance was evaluated using interlaminar shear strength test, mode-I, and mode-II interlaminar fracture toughness test, and flexural and tensile test. The experimental results reveal best performance of 0° layups, followed by 15°–75°, 30°–60°, and 45° layups. Compared to 0° layups, the shear strength in other layups was reduced by 18.86–50.16%. Similarly, the mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness was decreased by 9.85–31.05%. In mode-II test, the toughness was reduced by 11.5–37.27%. On the other hand, the flexural and tensile strength were reduced by 20.16–36.07% and 32.43–57.78%, respectively. The viscoelastic performance measured in terms of storage, loss modulus and damping factor produced similar observations. The digital image correlation technique enabled full-field strain measurement in these composite and improved understanding of damage propagation. The Weibull statistics revealed higher scattering in results with 0° layups; however, it is least with 45° layups.

In this paper, we discuss the necessity of mapping of characterisation of unapproachable underground mine workings by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Initially, numerical forward modelling is conducted for considering the possibilities of water fill and air fill void in old workings using Wenner–Schlumberger (WS), dipole–dipole (DD) and inversion of joint of both arrays (WS+DD). Considerable accuracy of cavities dimension, depth and extensions could be recovered from data inversion of joint of both arrays (WS+DD). In field, 2D ERT survey was conducted along three parallel profiles using said configurations over Jharia coalfield, India. Inversion of joint of both arrays was introduced during data analysis for propensities of better demarcation of underground mine workings characterisations under complex geological formations. Furthers, pseudo-3D model was also done by merging 2D ERT parallel profile data for improved visualisation of 3D resistivity distributions of surveyed area. High resistivity contrast in 2D ERT model and 3D volumetric iso-resistivity model provided comfortable guidance in the investigation of possible continuity of barrier between caved panels of XVIA seam. Moderately low resistivity indicated anticipation of XVII seam working filled with water and also validated through the existing mine plan. Thus, interpretation of 3D data eventually helped in convincing outcomes.

Predicting the impacts of future climate on food and fibre production are essential for devising suitable adaptations strategy. This study aims to understand the impact of climate change on cotton crop change using Regional Climate Model (RCM) in the near and far future. The RCM model considered for the study is RegCM4 from CORDEX-SA experiment for the two RCP scenarios at RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. To refine these projections, we have bias-corrected the data using quantile mapping approach. This study is based on two locations: one in Hisar (mostly irrigated) and the other in Akola (mostly rainfed), located in the northern and central agro-climatic zones for cotton. The daily projected data have been summarised as 1971–2005(1990), 2006–2035(2020), 2036–2065(2050) and 2066–2095(2080). The RCM projections show good agreement with the observed climatology, but still bias exists, which is fine-tuned by bias-correction. The RCM model showed reduced diurnal temperature and night warming as it highly underestimates maximum temperature and slightly the minimum temperature. It also predicts rise in temperature at higher rates in northern than central zones. Also, the amount of rainfall is increasing in the northern region and decreasing in the central region at RCP8.5. The spatial variability is observed as the amount of rainfall is increasing in the northern irrigated region and decreasing in the central rainfed region. The rainfall intensity in Hisar is projected to increase till 2050 and a further decline in 2080. And in the central zone, it is presently higher than the northern region, but projected to decrease further from 1990 to 2080. These daily weather data were then employed in the cotton-CROPGRO model under DSSAT-CSM (v4.6) to assess its impact on future climate. The crop model has been simulated with these weather projections for the three sowing dates under rainfed, irrigated, and potential conditions. It is observed that the simulated crop yields and LAI in Akola are higher at RCP8.5 than RCP4.5, whereas in Hisar, it is lower at RCP8.5 than RCP4.5. So, in the cooler and wetter central zone, temperature may slightly rise at RCP8.5 along with increased rainfall and CO2, favouring the cotton crop. This shows the suitability of crops in this region even at RCP8.5 and far future. Whereas in the hot and dry northern agro-climatic cotton zone, it is projected that the temperature slightly increases from present at RCP4.5 and further at RCP8.5, and the amount of rainfall increases at RCP4.5 and reduces at RCP8.5. So, the crop here could stand the increased temperature at RCP4.5 and is also favoured due to increased CO2and precipitation. But, at RCP8.5, the comparatively higher rate of increase in temperature and decreasing amount of rainfall may affect cotton crops adversely, with its maximum effects in the far future. Also, in future climate with temporal variability in the amount of precipitation and increasing temperature, late sown cotton crops are favoured, especially with proper irrigation practices in both the regions. The study embraces utilisation of RCMs and crop models to study the vulnerability of crops to climate change, which could help to assess the site-specific adaptive potential and mitigation measures for future climate.

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have proliferated in the last few decades over conventional materials. The rapid growth and preference of FRP composites are attributed to their strength-to-weight, high stiffness-to-weight ratio, cost-effectiveness, and ease of manufacturing. The modern FRP composites emerged as an important class of tribo-material in the field of automotive, aerospace, transportation, and mining industries. In these industrial applications, the FRP composites experienced tribological complications. These applications of FRP composite materials as, for example, FRP conveyer belt, FRP leaf spring, FRP bearing, marine boat, exterior body component of the automobile, space shuttles, wing, fuselage and FRP bridge deck panel are subjected to severe tribological complications That is why tribological characteristics are important criteria in designing of FRP components. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the fundamental aspects of tribology and explore the nature of ongoing researches carried out in recent past on the tribo-performance of carbon or glass fibre-reinforced thermoset polymer composites, specifically the adhesive wear. This paper also focuses on the transfer film characteristics of fibre-reinforced thermosets polymer composites and attempts to throw light upon the areas requiring extensive probing for the upcoming investigations in future.

The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing throughout the world and is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Gene therapy to treat cardiac dysfunction is gaining importance because of the limited therapeutic benefit offered by pharmacotherapies. The growing knowledge of the complex signaling pathways and the development of sophisticated vectors and delivery systems, are facilitating identification and targeting of specific molecular candidates involved in initiation and progression of CVDs. Several preclinical and clinical studies have shown the therapeutic efficiency of gene therapy in different disease models and patients. Hence, gene therapy might plausibly become an unconventional treatment modality for CVD patients. In this review, we summarize the gene delivery carriers, modes of delivery, recent preclinical/clinical studies and potential therapeutic targets. We also briefly discuss the existing limitations of gene therapy, technical challenges surrounding gene carriers and delivery systems, and some approaches to overcome these limitations for bringing CVD gene therapy one step closer to reality.

AbstractThis paper describes the experimental investigation in the drilling of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with three dissimilar tools, having different materials and geometries (i.e. helical flute (HSS) drill, Carbide tipped straight shank (K20) drill, and Solid carbide eight-facet drill). Tool geometry and materials are considered to be major factor, which is responsible for drilling-induced damage. Cutting parameters also influence drilling-induced damage. These damages were measured by two delamination factors. Image processed technique was utilized to determine the damaged area and maximum damaged zone diameter. The results showed that qualities of drill holes significantly improved when solid carbide eight-facet drill was used.

The structural integrity of composites faces severe challenge in the form of environmental extremes. Therefore, its performance in those cases were of great interest. In the present work, flexural strength of glass/epoxy composites were analysed in the environment of thermal shock generated by cryogenic exposure as well by thermal conditioning. Four cases were chosen, room temperature (RT), cryogenic conditioning (LN), thermal conditioning below (BG) and above glass transition temperature (AG). The exposure time for all the environments was kept constant at 24 hours. These responses are investigated with two sets of loading rates (i) 1 mm/minute and (ii) 10 mm/min. The experimental results indicate that; all three scenarios deeply impact the flexural response of the specimen. The first set experiences changes in flexural strength, strain, and chord modulus by (2.75, -8.52, 11.32), (21.36, 39.75, -6.47), (-35.8, -11.37, -22.94) % with LN, BG and AG condition respectively. Moreover, with high rate of loading these responses change by (-23.89, -28.41, -5.17), (-37.45, -43.56, -1.86), (-19.4, -27.46, 16.37) % respectively. The prolonged exposure indicates a strain hardening phenomenon in LN specimen, which improves the flexural strength with a 1 mm/min loading rate. However, this plasticization of the specimen was unable to bear the load at an elevated rate of loading, and therefore a loss in all the properties is seen with a 10 mm/min loading rate. Therefore, it is anticipated that the properties will further deteriorate with a higher rate of loadings.

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are readily used in industries due to their exceptional characteristics, such as high strength to weight ratio and corrosion-free nature. However, their manufacturing methods may cause a change in their fiber volume fraction. The amount of fiber used in a laminate directly affects its adhesion characteristic with matrix material, which changes the mechanical response. Therefore, in the present work, glass–epoxy composites were prepared in four different fiber volume fractions: 48.13%, 54.6%, 58.15%, and 65.34%. Response of these composites was examined for mode-I and mode-II interlaminar fracture toughness and interlaminar shear strength test. Mid-plane fiber orientation is also an interesting scenario, which can affect these properties. In the present work, four different configurations of 0°//0°, 0°//15°, 0°//30° and 0°//45° were taken for all the four different fiber volume fraction cases. The experiments were conducted in a computer-controlled universal testing machine with a 1 mm/min loading speed. The interlaminar shear strength results indicate no influence of fiber fraction and mid-plane fiber orientation. However, with the increase in number of fiber layer, interlaminar shear strength increases in the range of 20.87–23.58%. Similar observation was noted in mode-I test, where increase in fiber layer causes improvement in mode-I propagation toughness by 9.86–16.74%. In mode-II test, this improvement was in the range of 2.56–17.45%. However, in the same number of fiber layer specimen, both mode-I and mode-II toughness decreases.

AbstractThe extractant-impregnated polymeric beads (EIPBs), containing polyethersulfone as base polymer and 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC-88A) as an extractant, were prepared by phase inversion method. These EIPBs were characterized by FTIR, TGA and SEM techniques. The beads were found to have excellent acid stability, since these did not exhibit any structural deformation or loss of the extractant into aqueous nitric acid solution (6 M), for a period of 15 d. The feasibility of Pu(IV) extraction, using these beads, from nitric acid solution was tested by batch equilibration method. Parametric dependence of Pu(IV) extraction on experimental variables, like strength of nitric acid, equilibration time, Pu(IV) concentration, etc., was investigated. The present study also addressed the important practical issues, like maximum loading capacity and the reusability of these beads. Under optimized conditions, equilibrium capacity and maximum loading capacity for Pu(IV) were found to be 2.03 and 7.50 mg per gram of the swollen beads, respectively. The reusability of the beads was also ascertained by repetitive extraction-stripping of Pu(IV) up to 7 cycles of operation, without significant change in their extraction performance. The extraction of Pu(IV) by the blank polymeric beads was observed to be almost negligible, under the similar experimental conditions.

The present study deals with the detection of underground concealed voids/cavities/galleries in Chinchuria railway station, Raniganjh coalfield in India for ground stabilization using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) technique. Initially, numerical analysis of ERT data was carried out using Wenner–Schlumberger and dipole–dipole array configurations corrupted by 5–10% Gaussian random noise for better understanding of real field conditions. The two types of voids, i.e., water and air, filled in old mine workings were simulated accordingly in the forward model. The dipole–dipole array provides superior results compared to Wenner–Schlumberger array. Considerable accuracy of voids/cavities/galleries dimension could be acquired from dipole–dipole array. In field, two number of ERT profiles (Profile-AA′ and Profile-BB′) were conducted over the study area using said configurations. The data was acquired using Syscal-Pro resistivity imaging system with 96 electrodes and the data processing was carried out using the tomographic inversion software RES2DINV to analyse true resistivity based on the robust or blocky regularization inversion technique (L1-norm). High resistivity contrast with backgrounds in the occurrence of possible old mine workings consisting of hard rock and alternative coal pillars interconnected cavities and mining galleries was identified. Considering the indirect approach of ERT method, a borehole was being drilled along the profile-AA′ of dipole–dipole array, drilling and resistivity results indicated the presence of air-filled cavity associated with old mine workings. Hence, it is concluded that the technique used in this study is useful in increasing the technical merit of electrical resistivity interpretation for old mine workings areas.

AbstractDTDGA solvent system was evaluated for hydrolytic and radiolytic stabilities to ascertain its application in separation and recovery of palladium from High Level Liquid Waste (HLW) solutions. Hydrolysis of DTDGA solvent system was not observed when it was kept in contact with 3.0 M nitric acid solution for two weeks. Moreover, contrary to other ‘S’ donor extractants used for the said purpose, the oxidation of thioetheric sulphur to sulphoxide or sulphones was also not observed. On the other hand, radiolysis of DTDGA solvent system was notably observed, which was found to increase with increase in absorbed dose. At gamma radiation dose of 0.2 MGy, no significant loss of DTDGA was observed. Aliphatic diluent namely n-dodecane was found to have sensitization effect on degradation of DTDGA. The degradation products were identified by GC-MS, the major ones were found to be formed by cleavage of thioetheric and amidic bonds of DTDGA molecule. The liquid–liquid extraction studies of palladium with irradiated solvent indicate that there was no significant change in DPdup to an absorbed dose of 0.2 MGy above which it decreases gradually. Further, the radiolysis does not affect the stripping behavior of palladium. Extraction studies of Simulated High Level Liquid Waste (SHLW) elements with irradiated solvent system showed that, except palladium, any other element is hardly extracted thus retaining its remarkable selectivity.

AbstractHydrolytic and radiolytic stability of T(2EH)TDGA solvent system has been investigated to establish its application in separation and recovery of palladium from High Level Liquid Waste (HLW) solutions. Hydrolysis of T(2EH)TDGA solvent system with nitric acid was not observed. Moreover, unlike other “S” donor extractants used for the said purpose, the oxidation of thioetheric sulphur to sulphoxide or sulphones was also not observed. However, radiolytic degradation was notably observed and found to increase with increase in absorbed dose. n-dodecane was found to sensitize the degradation of T(2EH)TDGA. At gamma radiation dose of 0.2 MGy, no significant loss of T(2EH)TDGA was observed. The degradation products were identified by GC-MS. The major products were found to be formed by cleavage of thioetheric and amidic bonds of T(2EH)TDGA molecule. The extraction studies of palladium with irradiated solvent indicate that with 0.025 M T(2EH)TDGA/n-dodecane, there was no significant change in DPdup to an absorbed dose of 0.2 MGy above which it decreases significantly. However, with 0.05 M T(2EH)TDGA/n-dodecane, there is gradual decrease in DPdwith increase of absorbed dose. Further, the radiolysis does not affect the stripping behavior of palladium. Extraction studies of Pd(II) and other fission products from simulated high level liquid waste (SHLW) solutions to irradiated solvent system showed that, except palladium, any other element is hardly extracted thus retaining its remarkable selectivity.

In this paper, a surface roughness (SR) study on the powder mixed electrical discharge machining of EN8 steel has been carried out. Response surface methodology has been used to plan and analyse the experiments. Average current, pulse on time, diameter of electrode and concentration of chromium powder added into the dielectric fluid of electrical discharge machining were chosen as process parameters to study the powder mixed electrical discharge machining performance in terms of SR. Experiments have been performed on a newly designed experimental set-up developed in the laboratory. An empirical model has been developed for SR. In addition, the recommended model has been verified by conducting confirmation experiments.

AbstractTo establish the use of TEHDGA/isodecylalcohol/n-dodecane solvent system for actinide partitioning from HLW, the hydrolytic and radiolytic stability of the solvent was investigated. Hydrolysis of TEHDGA with nitric acid at room temperature was not observed. Radiolytic degradation was observed and found to increase with increase in absorbed dose. It was found that the presence of n-dodecane enhances the degradation of TEHDGA whereas isodecyl alcohol, the phase modifier, has no such effect. At gamma-radiation dose as high as 0.2 MGy, no significant loss of TEHDGA was observed. The degradation products were identified by GC-MS, the main products were formed by cleavage of ether and amide bonds of TEHDGA molecule. The extraction behavior of Am(III) at 4.0 M HNO3does not vary much with increase in absorbed dose, however stripping behavior is affected by the presence of acidic degradation products formed during radiolysis. The findings indicate that the solvent retains its expected extraction and stripping properties up to a high gamma-radiation dose of 0.2 MGy. Irradiated solvent was purified and made suitable for reuse by treating it with 5% w/v Na2CO3solution, basic alumina and finally by distillation at reduced pressure.

With the changing climate, reliable climate projections are essential for agriculture risk management. The present study aims to explore the output of a regional climate model (RCM) at different climatic regimes and its applications in crop simulation models. Here, a comparative study of the cotton crop growth and yield response for Akola in the central and Hisar northern agroclimatic zone of India represents rainfed and irrigated growing regions of cotton, respectively. The RegCM4 projections and its bias-corrected values of temperature and precipitation data for the period 1971–2005 are compared with the observations to assess its reliability with the crop simulation models as weather inputs. The results signify that the RCM model is wet, which implies that, it shows high rainfall intensity in terms of frequency as a number of rainy days and amount. The model also shows night warming as there is a significant decline in maximum temperature and minimal decline in minimum temperature, thus there is a reduced diurnal temperature difference. Overall model highly underestimates temperature and overestimates rainfall. Strikingly reduced numbers of intense warm and cold events are simulated. Model is highly biased for rainfall events >0 mm/day and 5mm/day, and moderately biased for rainfall >5 mm/day. Precipitation bias-correction, using quantile mapping approach, shows excellent agreement at an annual scale. But precipitation variability could not be captured that well as it is a ‘distribution-based method'. However, it worked well in the irrigated Hisar region than the rainfed Akola region. The bias-corrected RegCM4 climate inputs are utilized in Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) simulations for cotton yields, Leaf Area Index (LAI) and ball number at maturity/m2(NM) for both regions. Bias-corrected outputs are in better agreement with corresponding observations than non-bias-corrected outputs in both regions. Future research could apply these simulated model data complemented with reliable bias correction techniques to explicitly study climate change's impact on crop productivity.

Screw press performance with a given oilseed depends on the method of preparation before pressing. Oil recovery and press rate of two screw configurations, R-8 and R-11, that differed in flight pitch, height, and width, were compared at dehulling levels from 0% to 100%. The oil recovery with the R-11 screw was better than that of the R-8 at dehulling levels ≥ 40%, and the press rate was similar. Thus, the R-11 was selected for a subsequent experiment involving four preparation parameters (dehulling level, cooking time, cooking temperature, and moisture content), each at five levels, using a central composite rotatable design. Multiple regression analysis of the experimental results revealed that linear quadratic, and interaction terms of the parameters cooking time, cooking temperature, and dehulling level were non-significant even at P > 0.10; however, the linear term for moisture content was significant at P ≤ 0.001. A comparison of oil recovery for cooked seed/kernel versus uncooked at different dehulling levels (30% to 70%) indicated a significant difference at P ≤ 0.01, but the improvement in oil recovery due to cooking was small. A steady rise in oil recovery with decrease in moisture content from 9% to 3% was observed. Moisture content was the major factor influencing press rate, followed by dehulling level and cooking temperature, respectively. It was concluded that acceptable screw press performance was achieved with dehulled crambe seed, that proper moisture content adjustment before pressing dehulled seed was important, and that cooking dehulled seed was of negligible benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very thin disc type ceramic membrane (0·3-0·8 mm thickness, 25-30 mm diameter) made of pure alumina and suitable for microfiltration applications has been prepared by a tape casting process. A sol coating was applied to the disc to form an ultrafiltration membrane. T he pore size of the membrane could be varied in the range 0·1-0·7 μ m and porosity in the range 25-55% by optimising the ex perimental parameters. The most important factor for determining the pore size of the membrane was found to be the initial particle size distribution of the ceramic powder. Firing temperature and soaking time are other crucial parameters affecting volumetric porosity. Water permeability through the membrane under suction and under positive pressure is comparable with that of ceramic membranes prepared by conventional methods. In addition, a typical membrane shows a very narrow pore size distribution in the range 0·1-0·4 μm, with a median pore size of 0·28 μm. A very sharp drop in the pore size distribution pattern around 0·4 μm indicates that no pores larger than this exist. This implies that all particles with radius > 0·4 μm are trapped in the membrane, providing excellent separation efficiency. Results of microbial separation tests confirmed the possibility of micro-organism separation through these membranes.

The plastic deformation behaviour of two different batches (having differences in chemical composition) of 316L austenitic stainless steel has been explored in the 200-800°C temperature range as a function of grain size. The plastic behaviour is correlated with microstructural observations of annealed and deformed samples. The microstructural parameters measured in this study are grain size, grain size and shape distribution, grain aspect ratio, and the distribution of dihedral angles. Hardness measurements were also performed to assess the hardness profile across the grains. The applicability of Hall-Petch relationship was tested in the 200-800°C temperature range. It is observed that the Hall-Petch relationship is applicable in the coarse grain regime (d=6 µm) and Kocks composite relationship (sversus d-1) in the fine grain regime (d=6 µm) of batch 1 samples in the 200-600°C temperature range. At 800°C, the Hall-Petch data is widely scattered and the scatter increases with increasing strain. The variation of Hall-Petch parameters and Kocks parameters with strain and temperature are analysed on the basis of changes in the microstructural parameters. The operating deformation mechanisms in different temperature and strain ranges are discussed on the basis of variation of microstructural parameters with strain and temperature.

The optimum sowing dates for soybean cv. Gaurav were derived for Jabalpur, Raipur and Gwalior in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Dates were derived based on two strategies: (a) probabilities of rainfall and temperature events using ClimProb, a PC based software package, and (b) the CROPGRO Soybean v3.0 crop growth simulation model. In Madhya Pradesh, the optimum sowing dates for multiple cropping, with the first crop as soybean under rainfed conditions, are between weeks 25 and 27, while the optimum sowing dates for rainfed mono‐cropping are between weeks 28 and 29. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society

The room temperature plastic deformation behaviour of two different batches (with differences in chemical composition) of 316L austenitic stainless steel has been studied. By thermomechanical treatments, a wide range of grain sizes varying from 2·7 to 64·0 ?m was obtained in this study. The different microstructural parameters, such as grain size, distribution of grain size and shape, dihedral angle distribution, and grain aspect ratio were measured for annealed and deformed specimens of the two batches. The Hall–Petch behaviour of batch 1 showed two distinctly different linear regions, one in the fine grain size range (d=6?m) and the other in the coarse grain size range (d6?m). The Hall–Petch parameter KH(?) was significantly higher in the fine grain regime than coarse grain regime at all strains. Hardness measurements were also performed across the grain at different strain levels. The applicability of the Hall–Petch relationship was assessed in batch 1 and batch 2. It was observed that the Hall–Petch relationship was applicable in the coarse grain regime and Kocks composite relationship in the fine grain regime of batch 1. In batch 2 of 316L austenitic stainless steel, a single linear Hall–Petch relationship could describe the deformation behaviour over the entire range of grain size (from 2.9 to 46 ?m) studied. The variation of the Hall–Petch and Kocks composite parameters with strain was discussed in terms of changes in the microstructural parameters.

The cooking and drying conditions for oilseeds preparatory to screw pressing are some of the most important factors that influence screw-press performance. Screw-press oil recovery, residual oil, pressing rate, and oil sediment content were measured for uncooked crambe seed and crambe seed cooked at 100°C for 10 min, pressed at six moisture contents ranging from 9.2 to 3.6% dry basis. Oil recovery significantly increased (P=0.01) from 69 to 80.9% and 67.7 to 78.9% for cooked and uncooked seeds, respectively, as moisture content decreased. Residual oil significantly decreased (P=0.01) from 16.3 to 11.1% and 16.9 to 11.9%, respectively, as moisture content decreased. The reduced oil loss due to only drying the seed from 9.2 to 3.6% was 32% for cooked seed, whereas cooking contributed only 3.6 to 7% reduced oil loss. Pressing rate decreased from 5.81 to 5.17 kg/h and 6.09 to 5.19 kg/h for cooked and uncooked seeds, respectively, whereas sediment content increased from 0.9 to 7.8% and 1.1 to 5.4%, respectively, as moisture content decreased. The effects of moisture content on pressing rate and sediment content were significant at P=0.05. All relationships of screw-press performance to moisture content were fitted to a second-order polynomial.

ABSTRACTFour antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosisthat are expressed in vivo after aerosol infection but prior to the development of clinical tuberculosis (TB) in rabbits were identified by immunoscreening of an expression library of M. tuberculosisgenomic DNA with sera obtained 5 weeks postinfection. Three of the proteins identified, PirG (Rv3810), polymorphic GC-repetitive sequence (PE-PGRS; Rv3367), and proline-threonine repetitive protein (PTRP) (Rv0538), have multiple tandem repeats of unique amino acid sequences and have characteristics of surface or secreted proteins. The fourth protein, MtrA (Rv3246c), is a response regulator of a putative two-component signal transduction system, mtrA-mtrB,ofM. tuberculosis. All four antigens were recognized by pooled sera from TB patients and not from healthy controls, confirming their in vivo expression during active infection in humans. Three of the antigens (PE-PGRS, PTRP, and MtrA) were also recognized by retrospective preclinical TB sera obtained, prior to the clinical manifestation of TB, from human immunodeficiency virus-TB patients, suggesting that they are potential candidates for devising diagnostic tests for active, preclinical TB.

The OGG1 gene encodes a highly conserved DNA glycosylase that repairs oxidized guanines in DNA. We have investigated the in vivo function of the Ogg1 protein in yeast mitochondria. We demonstrate that inactivation of ogg1 leads to at least a 2-fold increase in production of spontaneous mitochondrial mutants compared with wild-type. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) we show that a GFP-Ogg1 fusion protein is transported to mitochondria. However, deletion of the first 11 amino acids from the N-terminus abolishes the transport of the GFP-Ogg1 fusion protein into the mitochondria. This analysis indicates that the N-terminus of Ogg1 contains the mitochondrial localization signal. We provide evidence that both yeast and human Ogg1 proteins protect the mitochondrial genome from spontaneous, as well as induced, oxidative damage. Genetic analyses revealed that the combined inactivation of OGG1 and OGG2 [encoding an isoform of the Ogg1 protein, also known as endonuclease three-like glycosylase I (Ntg1)] leads to suppression of spontaneously arising mutations in the mitochondrial genome when compared with the ogg1 single mutant or the wild-type. Together, these studies provide in vivo evidence for the repair of oxidative lesions in the mitochondrial genome by human and yeast Ogg1 proteins. Our study also identifies Ogg2 as a suppressor of oxidative mutagenesis in mitochondria.

The CERES‐Rice version 3.0 crop growth simulation model was calibrated and evaluated for the agroclimatic conditions of the state of Kerala in India. Genetic coefficients were developed for the rice crop variety Jaya and used for the model evaluation studies. In four experiments using different transplanting dates during the virippu season (June to September) under rainfed conditions (i.e. no irrigation), the flowering date was predicted within an error of four days and date of crop maturity within an error of two days. The model was found to predict the phenological events of the crop fairly well. The grain yield predicted by the model was within an error of 3% for all the transplanting dates, but the straw yield prediction was within an error of 27%. The high accuracy of the grain yield prediction showed the ability of the model to simulate the growth of the crop in the agroclimatic conditions of Kerala. It can be concluded from this study that the model can be used for making various strategic and tactical decisions related to agricultural planning in the state. Copyright © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society

ABSTRACTThis is the first report of a case in which diagnosis of en-plaque tuberculoma on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings was confirmed by a Mycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex-specific PCR assay of cerebrospinal fluid. The accuracy of the diagnosis was supported by good response to antitubercular drugs, which was shown by repeat MRI studies performed after treatment.