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The world population is expected to increase by a further three billion by 2050 and 90% of the three billion will be from developing countries that rely on existing land, water, and ecology for food and well-being of human kind. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its fifth assessment report (AR5) stated that warming of the climate system is unequivocal and is more pronounced since the 1950s. The atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen. Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the earth's surface than any preceding decade since 1850 and the globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature data as calculated by a linear trend show a warming of 0.85°C (0.65-1.06°C) over the period of 1880-2012. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ranked 2015 as the hottest year on record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of integrated use of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients on soil quality and its relation to finger millet yield under two predominant crop rotations viz., groundnut–finger millet and finger millet monocropping in hot moist semiarid rainfed Alfisol soils in South India. Two experiments were laid out separately for each cropping system in a randomized complete block design with five treatments individually with FYM and maize residue-based combinations viz., Control (T1), FYM @ 10t ha−1or Maize residue (MR) @ 5t ha−1(T2), farm yard manure (FYM) @ 10t ha−1or Maize residue (MR) @ 5t ha−1 + 50% RDF (Recommended Fertiliser Dose) N, P2O5& K2O (T3), FYM @ 10t ha−1or Maize residue (MR) @ 5t ha−1 + 100% RDF N,P2O5& K2O (T4), Recommended N, P2O5& K2O (T5). Thus, four sets of nutrient management systems were evaluated. The results showed that farm yard manure or maize residue application in combination with recommended dose of fertilizer significantly improved the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties compared to control and application of inorganic fertilizers alone. Based on evaluation of 19 soil quality parameters under each of the four nutrient management systems, the common key soil quality indicators emerged out were: organic C (OC), available nitrogen (N), available sulfur (S), and mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates. A significant correlation between the finger millet yield and the relative soil quality indices (RSQI) indicates the importance of soil quality in these semiarid Alfisol soils. The results and the methodology adopted in the present study could be of importance in improving the soil quality not only for the region of the study, but also in other identical soils and cropping systems across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ungauged wet semi-arid watershed cluster, Seethagondi, lies in the Adilabad district of Telangana in India and is prone to severe erosion and water scarcity. The runoff and soil loss data at watershed, catchment, and field level are necessary for planning soil and water conservation interventions. In this study, an attempt was made to develop a spatial soil loss estimation model for Seethagondi cluster using RUSLE coupled with ARCGIS and was used to estimate the soil loss spatially and temporally. The daily rainfall data of Aphrodite for the period from 1951 to 2007 was used, and the annual rainfall varied from 508 to 1351 mm with a mean annual rainfall of 950 mm and a mean erosivity of 6789 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1. Considerable variation in land use land cover especially in crop land and fallow land was observed during normal and drought years, and corresponding variation in the erosivity, C factor, and soil loss was also noted. The mean value of C factor derived from NDVI for crop land was 0.42 and 0.22 in normal year and drought years, respectively. The topography is undulating and major portion of the cluster has slope less than 10°, and 85.3 % of the cluster has soil loss below 20 t ha−1 year−1. The soil loss from crop land varied from 2.9 to 3.6 t ha−1 year−1 in low rainfall years to 31.8 to 34.7 t ha−1 year−1 in high rainfall years with a mean annual soil loss of 12.2 t ha−1 year−1. The soil loss from crop land was higher in the month of August with an annual soil loss of 13.1 and 2.9 t ha−1 year−1 in normal and drought year, respectively. Based on the soil loss in a normal year, the interventions recommended for 85.3 % of area of the watershed includes agronomic measures such as contour cultivation, graded bunds, strip cropping, mixed cropping, crop rotations, mulching, summer plowing, vegetative bunds, agri-horticultural system, and management practices such as broad bed furrow, raised sunken beds, and harvesting available water using farm ponds and percolation tanks. This methodology can be adopted for estimating the soil loss from similar ungauged watersheds with deficient data and for planning suitable soil and water conservation interventions for the sustainable management of the watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching English has many challenges. Among all the challenges, teaching vocabulary and grammar are the most important areas. The past two decades have seen lot of research activities in developing effective methodologies and devices to impart language skills. One of the most important methods suggested many researchers is the Extensive reading method to improve language skills like comprehension and vocabulary. This paper attempts to trace the significant work done in the field of extensive reading and highlights the benefits and the methods to be followed for running an extensive reading programme. This paper also throws light on how the extensive reading activity can be integrated into the regular syllabus. An extensive reading programme integrated into the syllabus may have a significant positive effect on learner's language learning abilities. In the interests of academic and professional development, the authors encourage teachers to use the extensive reading as a tool to examine their beliefs about reading in general and extensive reading in particular, and the ways how the learners acquire very important language skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inceptisols in the submountainous region of Indo-Gangetic Plains in India are known as low productive areas due to several constraints like decline in soil organic matter and fertility, deterioration of soil physical and biological properties. The present study was conducted with tillage as main treatments and integrated nutrient management as subtreatments to improve soil quality and to identify the key indicators of soil quality after 5 years of experimentation in maize–wheat cropping system at Ballowal Saunkhri. Conventional tillage (CT) + interculture (IC) maintained significantly higher soil quality indices (SQI) of 1.12 which was at par with 50% CT + IC + chemical weed control (CWC) (1.08). Application of nitrogen (N) through 50% (organic) + 50% (inorganic) maintained higher soil quality with SQI of 1.10 followed by application of 100% N through organics (1.08). The results indicated that reduction in the intensity of tillage to 50% with interculture practices and combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers maintained higher soil quality in these degraded Inceptisols. The methods of principal component analysis and computation of SQI adopted will be highly useful to future researchers, land managers, and students at locations across the world having similar climatic and edaphic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the notion of boundedness in a fuzzy metric space. This notion is a special case of the notion of F-boundedness due to [1]. Using this notion, we prove a fixed point theorem for maps from a fuzzy metric space to a sub class of the set of bounded subsets of that fuzzy metric space, under Hadzic type t-norm. The proof of our theorem is non-constructive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We studied the effect of long-term cropping, fertilisation, and manuring on kinetics of nonexchangeable potassium (K) release from a Tropaquept in 0.01 M Ca[Cl.sub.2] and 0.01 M citric acid [...]

Abstract: Dy3+-doped lead phosphate (PbPKANDy: P2O5+K2O+Al2O3+PbO+Na2O+Dy2O3) glasses were prepared by melt quenching technique and their optical properties have been studied. Judd-Ofelt parameters have been evaluated for 1.0mol% Dy2O3-doped lead phosphate glass and inturn derived radiative properties for excited luminescent levels of Dy3+ ions. The yellow-to-blue emission intensity ratios and CIE chromaticity coordinates were calculated which have been used to evaluate white light emission as a function of the activator (Dy3+) ion concentration. The observed non-exponential decay nature and quenching of lifetime for higher Dy3+ ion concentration (≥1.0mol%) have been attributed due to energy transfer of dipole–dipole type between excited and unexcited Dy3+ ions. The PbPKANDy glasses exhibit better luminescence properties which are suitable for generation of white light. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sodiumsulpho borophosphate glasses with composition (40− x)Na2SO4–30B2O3–30P2O5: xMnO with x ranging from 0 to 5.0mol% were manufactures. Dielectric spectra have been studied over a wide frequency range of 102–105 Hz and in the temperature range within 30–250°C. The valance states of manganese ions and their ligand coordination in the glass network have been investigated using optical absorption, luminescence and ESR spectroscopy. The analysis of the these results has indicated that the manganese ions exist both in Mn2+ as well as in Mn3+ states and occupy prevailingly octahedral positions and serve as modifiers similarly to Na+ ions The values of dielectric parameters (dielectric constant, ε′(ω), loss tan δ and ac conductivity, σac) were found to increase with increasing MnO content. They play a role of modifiers similarly to Na+ ions, create bonding defects and free ions viz., [SO4]2−, [POO1/2O2]2−, [POO0/2O3]3–, Na+ and (NaSO4)−. The migration of these charge carriers would build up space charge polarization and may be responsible for the enhanced dielectric parameters. The ac conductivity also is enhanced with increasing MnO content. The mechanism responsible for such increase is well explained based on the modifying action of Mn2+ ions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of Platinum–Cobalt bimetallic catalyst supported on carbon (Vulcan XC-72R) were prepared by sequential deposition using an organic salt of cobalt for use as cathode in Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC). The atomic percent of non noble metal with respect to Pt in the alloy was varied from 5 to 100 and the composition of alloy catalyst was confirmed by chemical analysis and SEM – EDS spectra. Electrochemical performance of the catalyst was studied in half cell and unit cells. The exchange current densities for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), for alloys with different concentration of non noble metal was evaluated from current-potential curves, which showed values close to 10−5 A/cm2 and the mass activity and specific activity, for the (ORR), were found to be higher for Pt–Co/C compared to that of 10% Pt/C catalysts. The catalyst was tested for its stability in unit cell for a period of 500 h using air as an oxidant which showed higher performance for Pt–Co/C containing 0.5 at% Co. The nature of hydrogen adsorption and dominant crystal plane was also evaluated from cyclic voltammetry. XPS analysis was carried out to determine the surface species present. Results show significant enhancement of electro catalytic activity of Pt by alloying with Co, with maximum activity at ca 0.5 at% Co. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we show that the result of Pant Vyomesh [6] is not tenable and prove it when h > 1 in a more general setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of Li2O–Al2O3–ZrO2–SiO2 glasses doped with different concentrations of WO3 (0 to 5.0mol.%) have been synthesized. Differential thermal analysis of the samples indicated increasing glass forming ability with the increasing concentration of WO3 in the glass matrix. A variety of spectroscopic (optical absorption, IR, Raman and ESR) and dielectric properties (over a range of frequency and temperature) of these glasses have been investigated. The optical absorption and ESR spectral studies have pointed out that a part of tungsten ions do exist in W5+ state in addition to W6+ state especially in the samples containing low concentration of WO3. The IR and Raman spectral studies have suggested that there is a decreasing degree of disorder in the glass network with increase in the concentration of WO3. The values of dielectric parameters viz., dielectric constant, loss and ac conductivity at any frequency and temperature are observed to decrease as the concentration of WO3 is increased. Such changes have been attributed to decrease of redox ratio or decreasing proportions of W5+ ions that act as modifiers in the glass network. The quantitative analysis of the results of ac conductivity and dielectric properties have indicated an increase in the insulating character of the glasses with the concentration of WO3; this is attributed to the presence of tungsten ions largely in W6+ ions that participate in the glass network forming with WO4 structural units. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]