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Unauthorised coal mining activities may result in development of hidden hollows, rat holes, galleries, goafs, shafts etc., which pose great threats of land subsidence, fire, water flooding leading to severe environmental hazards, health problems and safety issues to the local people. Present study deals with delineation and mapping of unauthorised coal mine voids/galleries over an abandoned old mine around Khudia open cast mine, Nirsa, Raniganj coalfield, India. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) study comprising Wenner, Schlumberger, Dipole-Dipole, and Gradient arrays has been carried out along three parallel profiles over the affected area. Further joint inversion of all combined arrays has also been carried out using 2.5D resistivity inversion program, to combine the relative advantages of all the arrays, for producing superior results. 2D ERT sections have been generated for the filtered data sets with a constant quality factors and two different current thresholds. The best results have been obtained, from joint inversion of all combine arrays for the filtered data with higher current threshold. The observed resistivity anomalies are well correlated with the depth of coal seam occurrences as observed in the borehole litholog of nearby area. Finally, a geoelectric model of four unauthorised coal mine galleries has been established with their extension and orientation over the study area. The results demonstrate the suitability of the ERT technique through joint inversion of all combined arrays for characterization of illegal coal mine workings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavity due to underground old mine workings is one of the major threats to the coal mines and the overlying subsurface and surface properties, which need to be protected. The detection of old mine workings and stability assessment of overlying strata are common problems in most of the Indian coalfields. Several coal mines in India are loss‐making, mainly due to different types of mine hazards. Khandra mine is one such mine at Raniganj Coalfield, Eastern Coalfields Ltd., a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. In the present study, 2‐dimensional and 3‐dimensional electrical resistivity tomography were carried out for detailed subsurface characterization. It supports delineating underground workings, including the nature of voids/cavities (air or water‐filled). Excessive distortions were reported in electrical resistivity tomography application, especially at the near‐surface, owing to large resistivity variations. Refinement of the model by half‐unit electrode spacing was attempted here to reduce the distortions with minimum possible absolute errors. 3‐Dimensional resistivity volumetric model was also developed with the help of five electrical resistivity tomography parallel profiles for better apprehension of the subsurface. Analysis provided important inputs for stability analysis using 3‐dimensional numerical modelling. The physico‐mechanical properties of the overlying strata, pre‐excavation in situ stresses, boundary conditions and the mine geometry simulation were incorporated for understanding the stability analysis. Stability analysis was carried out using the finite difference technique. The analysis of 3‐dimensional numerical modelling indicated that two distinct layers comprising (i) laterite/part of the course to medium‐grained sandstone and (ii) developed galleries of R‐IX seam exhibited a very low safety factor below 1.0, indicating potholing/subsidence susceptibility. The other three layers comprising parts of fine‐grained sandstone exhibited a relatively higher safety factor of around 2.0, indicating moderately stable zones, but not on a long‐term basis. Parts of Siduli stream embankments need suitable retaining walls to avoid water inundation for the stability of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-resolution satellite gravity data of gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) generated by Earth Gravity Model-2008 (EGM2008) have been utilised for geological mapping of the Jharia coalfield. The generated GRACE EGM2008 classical gravity data have been processed for estimation of gravity anomaly map. The gravity anomaly map has been enhanced using the first and second Vertical Derivatives techniques. Geological and structural maps of the study area have been overlapped over different derivative maps to analyse the correlation with the subsurface geological structures of the study area. Major distinct geological signatures, on different derivative maps, are correlated well with the existing geological map. Moreover, vertical derivative maps of the gravity data generated from GRACE EGM2008 model provide better agreement and understanding for geological setting of the Jharia coalfield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Parental care in free-ranging dogs was investigated in Katwa town, India. Six lactating bitches, 4 were monogamous. The gestation period varied from 62 to 65 days. Mean (±S.D.) litter size of 5.83 (±1.57) with a sex ratio of 1.69:1 in favour of male was recorded in this study. High mortality (63%) of pups occurred by the age of 3 months. Mothers were in contact with the litters for 13 weeks of the litters’ life. There was a negative correlation between the duration of mother–litter contact in any observation session and the age of the pups. Milk feeding by the mothers was continued for 10–11 weeks of the litters’ life. The duration of milk feeding in any 30-min observation session reached a maximum of 27.54min during the 1st week and a minimum of 2.22min during the 11th week of the litters’ life. All the mothers in this study were observed to feed the pups by regurgitation. For the first 2 weeks immediately after parturition, the lactating females were observed to be more aggressive to protect the pups. The four males (male parents) were in contact with the litters as ‘guard’ dogs for the first 6–8 weeks of litters’ life. In absence of the mothers, they were observed to prevent the approach of strangers by vocalizations or even by physical attacks. Moreover, one male fed the litter by regurgitation showing the existence of paternal care in free-roaming domestic dogs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Reporting any uncommon or untapped changes in bacterial genetics or physiology would be of great importance to support the drug development process. We studied 120 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates with different geographical origin within India and their resistance profile and found a significant number of isolates (109) harboring the polymorphism at nucleotide positions 61 and 284 of the gyrA gene. Bioinformatics analysis of these changes for drug binding suggested no significant change in the binding of the drug but have lower binding energies as compared with the wild-type proteins. Although functionally silent for the gyrA gene, these changes are indicating a silent geographical and evolutionary change that needs to be further studied for drug discovery and bacterial fitness., (© 2024 Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society.)

Retraction notice The publisher of The TQM Journal wishes to retract the article: Mukherjee, S., Baral, M.M., Chittipaka, V., Nagariya, R. and Patel, B.S. (2024), “Achieving organizational performance by integrating industrial Internet of things in the SMEs: a developing country perspective”, The TQM Journal, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 265-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-07-2022-0221. It has come to our attention that there are statistical errors present within the article. As part of an investigation into the article's findings, the authors were requested to provide a copy of the data so that the editorial team could verify the findings. The authors were unable to provide the requested data. As a result, the findings of the article cannot be relied upon. The publisher of the journal sincerely apologises to the readers.

[Display omitted] • As a result of diatom test, cause of drowning can be detected. • Chemical treatment with reverse aqua regia is suitable method. • Abundant diatoms detected in antemortem drowning. • Accidental drowning was common cause of death in Himachal Pradesh. • Seven case studies were solved. In forensic pathology, solving the crime mystery of death due to drowning still remains a challenging issue. The amalgamation of autopsy findings and comparative study of diatoms recovered from the victim's body organs and suspected drowning site help to decipher the cause of death due to drowning or post-mortem immersion. Since the correct interpretation of the cause of death is an important criterion to provide justice to the victim, therefore, the main objective of our study is to throw light on the application of photoautotrophic micro-algal organisms, known as Diatoms, in solving seven cases of victims whose bodies were recovered from various water bodies of Himachal Pradesh, India. The diatom test was conducted by using reverse aqua regia solution (15 ml HNO 3 : 5 ml HCl) on the bone marrow extracted from the organs and water samples respectively. The informative outcomes of the experimental analysis demonstrated that the diatom test acts as a beneficial adjunct to solve drowning-related crimes where the exact cause of death remains hidden even after performing an autopsy of the victims. The protocol followed by the authors can be used conveniently to recover diatoms from bone marrow as well as from water samples. Our results showed that the maximum cases were of death due to accidental drowning but for one case of suicidal drowning in extremely cold water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous factors determined the performance of COVID-19 vaccination coverage. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of factors such as government stewardship, planning and implementation, and community participation on COVID-19 vaccination coverage. This study applied partial least square structured equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by analyzing 187 responses from the stakeholders involved in vaccination programs in four select states of India. This study empirically validates a framework for improving vaccination coverage by confirming the significant impact of planning and implementation on vaccination coverage followed by government stewardship and community participation. Additionally, this study highlights the individual impact of each factor on vaccination coverage. Based on the findings, strategic recommendations were proposed that can be utilized for formulating policy-level actions to facilitate the vaccination program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of changing climatic conditions, uneven distribution of rainfall occurs throughout India. As a result, dependence on groundwater for irrigation has increased tremendously for industrial and domestic purposes. In India approximately 89% of agricultural demands are met through groundwater. Due to increases in population, demand for groundwater and lack of effective utilization have resulted in rapid depletion of groundwater in most parts of the country. Therefore, quantifying groundwater resources is a serious concern in populated states of India, because it is now difficult to supply enough water to every citizen, and will remain so in the future. Because of difficulties in accessing observation data, researchers have begun to depend on satellite-based remote sensing information to deal with groundwater variations. The present study deals with filling the data gap between Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow On (GRACE FO) missions using multilayer perceptron's (MLPs) during 2017–2018 to obtain a continuous terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) series from 2003 to 2020 for Telangana state, India. The MLP model performed well in predicting the TWSA, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.96 between modeled TWSA and GRACE TWSA during the test period. Telangana state observed negative TWSAs (annual) in the years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2016–19. This TWSA series (2003–2020) was then used to evaluate regional groundwater storage anomalies (GWSAs) in Telangana state, which is considered to be one of the water stress regions in India. The TWSAs were converted to GWSAs using Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) parameters. The Telangana state experienced decreasing GWSA in the years 2005, 2009, and 2012, and from 2015 to 2019, leading to severe droughts. Groundwater well measurements were obtained from the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) and converted to GWSA at a seasonal scale. The GWSAs obtained from GRACE (GWSAGRACE) were converted to seasonal values and compared with GWSAs obtained from observation well data (GWSAobs). The performance metrics of r = 0.74, RMSE = 5.3, and NSE = 0.62 were obtained between (GWSAGRACE) and (GWSAobs), representing a good correlation among them. Over the past decade, Telangana state has significantly relied on groundwater resources for irrigation, domestic, and industrial purposes. As a result, evaluating groundwater storage variations at a regional scale may help policy makers and water resource researchers in the sustainable utilization and management of groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Previous knowledge about animal sheltering systems and perspectives of staff working in animal shelters has been centered around Western countries. However, staff in Indian shelters must tackle different kinds of problems, such as care of free-ranging dogs. We conducted interviews with ten participants working in animal shelters in India to begin to gain an understanding of their experiences. Participants reported that inadequate funding, community conflict, and too many animals in need created a challenge for animal shelter work. However, flexibility and positive relationships in their workplace, feelings of duty to animals, and understanding animal needs were identified as positive factors. The perspectives of Indian animal shelter staff showed that certain issues are similar to those encountered in Western shelters; however, other issues are specific to social, political, and cultural influences. Context specific research in animal sheltering is needed to gain a broader world understanding of human–animal relationships. Animal shelters in India are at the forefront of efforts to improve free-ranging dog welfare and tackle animal overpopulation. In terms of cultural and political context, access to resources, and public health challenges, they operate in a very different environment than Western counterparts. Despite these distinctions, current sheltering literature is largely centered around countries such as the United States. The goal of this exploratory study was to examine the experiences of Indian animal shelter staff. Researchers conducted ten semi-structured interviews, in a mix of Hindi and English, with managers, veterinary nurses, and animal caretakers from three shelters. Using thematic analysis, shelter challenges as well as resiliency factors that enable staff to cope with these challenges were identified. Key challenges were inadequate funding, community conflict, and high intake numbers. Resiliency factors included flexibility, duty of care, co-worker relationships, and understanding animal needs. The results of this qualitative study revealed that the experiences of shelter staff are shaped by social, political, and cultural factors and that there is a need for further, context specific research on Indian sheltering rather than only relying on Western perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Palaeo- to Meso-Proterozoic (1.0–2.4 Ga) North Singhbhum Mobile Belt (NSMB) is an assembly of multiphase folded, low- to medium-grade meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous rocks, lying within the north Singhbhum crustal province. The mobile belt is situated between the Archean Singhbhum craton in the south and the Meso/Neo-Proterozoic (0.9–1.7 Ga) Chotanagpur Gneissic Complex in the north. Gold mineralisation of moderate concentration is reported from different parts of NSMB along shear /fracture zones within the volcano-sedimentary and meta-sedimentary rocks sequence. The mineralisation is structurally controlled and is associated with higher order shear zones. Gold occurs in association with sulfides like pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, etc. This work attempts to map the auriferous shear/fracture zone along the Babaikundi-Birgaon axis (BBA), which lies within the NSMB. In the present study, combined geophysical approach comprising self-potential (SP), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and induced polarisation (IP) methods were used for mapping of subsurface gold prospects. SP data were collected along 7 profiles at 10 m station interval with approximate profile separation of 100 m. The anomalies of possible ore bodies were found at depth of about 18–25 m using Euler deconvolution of SP data. The ERT and IP data were collected along four profiles at 10 m electrode spacing with approximate profile separation of 100 m. The inverted resistivity sections indicate very low resistivity value in the depth range of ∼20 m inferring highly conducting, while relatively high chargeability are also observed at the depth range of ∼25 m. The possible existence of Babaikundi-Birgaon lineation and the occurrences of sulfide minerals in quartz reef associated with gold mineralisation were mapped based on the horizontal locations and extensions of negative anomaly in SP data, low resistivity in 2-dimensional (2D)-inverted resistivity section and high chargeability in 2D-inverted IP section. Previous studies based on electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis over the study area substantiate our combined geophysical interpretations for the presence of gold prospective zones along the BBA. Highlights Integrated geophysical approach comprising SP, ERT and IP methods Delineation of BBA Mapping of subsurface gold prospects/ mineralisation Validation of results using borehole data, EPMA and SEM–SED analysis of rock samples (a) Map showing profiles AA/, BB/, CC/ and DD/across the Babaikundi-Birgaon Axis (BBA). (b) Upward continued (60 m) self-potential (SP) anomaly map showing possible extension of a part of BBA. Schematic resistivity (c) and chargeability (d) distribution models showing possible extension of a part of the BBA. (e) mineralised sample with sulfide hosted quartz reef in BBA. The possible existence of BBA and the occurrences of gold-bearing sulfide minerals in quartz reef are mapped based on the horizontal locations and extensions of negative SP, high conducting / low resistivity in electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and high chargeability in Induced Polarization (IP). Note that profiles C-C/ and D-D/ are not parallel to each other; their field orientation is shown in Figure 1(c) and Figure 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at Research Farm of ICAR-Directorate of Groundnut Research, Junagadh for consecutive three summer seasons of 2013, 2014, and 2015 with the objectives of identifying optimum plant density and nutrient doses under check basin irrigation and drip fertigation for higher productivity and net returns. The treatments were; three plant densities viz., 3,33,333 plants/ha (100% of recommended plant density; P1); 4,16,666 plants/ha (125% of recommended plant density; P2), and 4,99,999 plants/ha (150% of recommended plant density;P3) in main plots, and three nutrient doses viz., 18.75–37.5–22.5 NPK kg ha−1 (75% of recommended nutrient dose; F1), 25-50-30 NPK kg ha−1 (100% of recommended nutrient dose; F2), and 31.25–62.5–37.5 NPK kg ha−1 (125% of recommended nutrient dose; F3) in sub-plots, and replicated thrice. The same sets of treatments were tested under both check basin irrigation and drip fertigation. The data were analyzed using split plot design. Pod yield, haulm yield, and net returns were significantly higher with P3 as compared to P1 under check basin irrigation but only haulm yield was found significantly higher with P3 under drip fertigation. Under check basin irrigation, NH4–N, NO3–N, and available P and K in soil were found in the order P1 > P2 > P3 (p < 0.05) while in case of drip fertigation, differences were significant only for available K which was significantly higher in P1 over both P2 and P3. Under check basin irrigation, F2 i.e., application of 100 percent of recommended nutrient doses, being at par with F3, significantly improved pod yield, haulm yield and net returns over that with F1 however, differences were not significant under drip fertigation. NH4–N, NO3–N and available P and K in soil under both the irrigation systems were in the order F3 > F2 > F1 (p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advanced Spectral Analysis (ASA) technique, one of the most advanced remote-sensing tools, has been used as a possible means of identifying mineral occurrences over Dalma and Dhanjori. The ASA technique is a sixfold tool, which includes the continuous processes of (1) the reflectance calibration of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images of the study area, (2) the generation of minimum noise fraction (MNF) transformation, (3) the calculation of the pixel purity index (PPI), (4) the n-dimensional visualization and extraction of endmember spectra, (5) the identification of endmember spectra for mineral occurrences and (6) the mapping of mineral occurrences. The identification of the extracted endmember spectra is obtained by comparing it with available pre-defined library spectra (United States Geological Survey (USGS), John Hopkins University (JHU) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) spectral libraries) using the Spectral Analyst tool of ENVI 4.1 software (Research Systems Inc., Boulder, CO, US), which provides scores of matching. Three techniques, namely Spectral Feature Fitting (SFF), Spectral Angle Mapping (SAM) and Binary Encoding (BE), are used for identification of the collected endmember spectra to produce a score between 0 and 1, where the value of 1 equals a perfect match showing the exact mineral type. A total of six endmember spectra are identified and extracted in the study area. Mapping of mineral occurrences is carried out using the Mixture-Tuned Matched Filtering (MTMF) technique over the study area on the basis of collected and identified endmember spectra. Results of the present study using the ASA technique ascertain that Landsat ETM+ data can be used to generate valuable mineralogical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Palghar region (north Maharashtra, India), located in the northwestern part of the stable continental region of India, experienced a low magnitude earthquake swarm, which was initiated in September 2018 and is continuing to date (as of October 2021). From December 2018 to December 2020, ~5000 earthquakes with magnitudes from M1.2 to M3.8 occurred in a small region of 20 × 10 km2. These earthquakes were probably triggered by fluid migration during seasonal rainfall. In this study, we have used multi-temporal Landsat satellite data of the year 2000, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020, extracted lineaments, and studied the changes in frequency and pattern of lineaments before and after the initiation of the swarm in the Palghar region. An increase in the lineament density and amount of rainfall are found to be associated with the increasing frequency of earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of lineaments and anomalous patterns in the Singhbhum Shear Zone, Jharkhand, India, has multifaceted applications for mineral exploration as well as for geological interpretation of neotectonic movements. ERS-1 SAR data are very useful for such applications because of their structural information content. A comparative study has been attempted with ERS, Landsat and IRS images for the interpretation of various geological structures over the Singhbhum Shear Zone. The Rose diagram generated from this study has shown major trends that matched well with the geological map of the area and the associated tectonic boundary as well as with the results obtained from ground based studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potassium releasing capacity of fifteen soil samples of Anantnag district of Kashmir were assessed by using five chemical extractants. The decreasing order of potassium release by the different chemical extractants in the soils was 1M HNO3 > 0.01 N HCl--12 extractions>0.01 N HCl--9 extractions> 0.3 N NaTPB-16 hours > 0.01N HCl 3 extractions> 1.38N H2SO4=0.01N HCl-1 extractions> % K saturation. The K released by 1M HNO3 was significantly correlated with 1.38N H2SO4 (0.995**) and 10.28 N H2SO4 (0.996**) .The significant correlations among different form of K in Anantnag soils indicate the various K pools (exchangeable=Non-exchangeable) for proper K fertilizer management. The potassium status in Anantnag soils was variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To produce natural gas (methane) and simultaneously sequester CO2 in unconventional geologic reservoirs such as gas shale, coalbeds and so on, it is necessary to understand the adsorption behavior of methane and CO2 in these reservoir formations. In this article, adsorption behavior of methane and CO2 on shale samples from Gondwana Basin and KG Basin of India are studied. Adsorption experiments are conducted on as‐received shale samples from these basins at a temperature of 313 K to a maximum equilibrium pressure of approximately 9 MPa for methane and 6 MPa for CO2. The methane and CO2 adsorption data are applied to test the applicability of Langmuir, Dubinin‐Polanyi, BET, and Ono‐Kondo models. A comparison of these models is performed using linear and nonlinear Chi‐squared methods. It was observed that Dubinin‐Astakhov equation was the most accurate adsorption isotherm model for adsorption of methane and CO2 on tested shales. Further, the better fitting by Dubinin‐Polanyi equation over BET, Langmuir, and Ono‐Kondo models suggest that the mechanism of volume filling may be applicable during the adsorption of methane and CO2 on shales. The preferential adsorption of methane and carbon dioxide on Pakur, KG, and Salanpur shales were investigated. The Pakur shale had CO2:CH4 adsorption ratio ~1. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 13222, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]