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The study was conducted on the economic analysis of cotton crop and its returns in two districts viz. Sirsa and Hisar of Haryana selected purposely having the highest area. The collected data was used to calculate the cost and returns and resource use efficiency of cotton crop in Haryana. The cost benefit ratio for the study area came out as 1:1.22, 1:1.04 and 1:1.13 Sirsa, Hisar and overall, respectively. The findings concluded that resource use efficiency of the cotton farms is showing decreasing returns to scale in both Sirsa (0.419) and Hisar (0.413) districts, which means that there is no scope for improvement in the yield of cotton and there is over-utilization of the resources for the cotton cultivation in Haryana.

The quality and quantity of irrigation water is most important issue for agriculture dominated country like India. Agriculture is the largest consumer sector of water and India is second highest irrigated country of the world, but over exploitation of groundwater and intensive irrigation in canal commands areas has created many serious problems like salinization, depletion of water tables, groundwater contamination, drying of aquifers, water logging and etc. It has been observed that in many parts of the country the water table is reducing with the rate of 1-2 m/year. The fresh water availability for domestic purpose, irrigation and industrial uses are decreasing with an alarming rate and if this problem not taken seriously, India mayface major water crisis in the near future. This paper highlights present scenario of irrigation in India with its major challenges.

Experiments were conducted to determine the physical quality of vacuum freeze-dried Button Mushrooms. Different treatments without and with blanching, before and after segmenting the mushrooms were taken for study. Three samples of Button Mushrooms (T1, T2, and T3) and the working pressure of 0.75 Torr or 100 Pa and temperature (-28°C) were considered for experimental investigations. Various physical parameters like density, shrinkage, color, and rehydration ratio were determined. The lowest and highest density recorded was 0.119 g cm¬¬-3 & 0.1568 g cm-3 for T3 and T1, respectively at 0.75 Torr. In the same way low and high shrinkage was 1.8% and 4.28 % for T2 and T1, respectively at 0.75 Torr. The L* value which expresses the color exhibited high at 71.13 and low at 71.96, respectively for T3 ¬ and T1 at 0.75 Torr. For samples T1 and T2, the lowest and maximum rehydration ratios were found as 2.33 and 4.44, respectively at 0.75 Torr. Treatment T2 was found to have a better rehydration ratio.

Present study was carried out to examine the status and growth of Farmer Producer Organizations across the states in India based on the secondary data collected for the periods 2015–16 to 2020–21. It was found that SFAC and NABARD promoted 3044 FPOs registered in the country. NABARD supported 2168 FPOs (71.22%) and remaining 876 FPOs (28.78%) have been supported by SFAC. Madhya Pradesh has the largest number/share of FPOs accounting to 10.15% of the total FPOs registered throughout the country. The FPOs promoted by SFAC increased at the compound growth rate of 15.22% and those promoted by NABARD increased at the rate of 1.34% per annum. At the country level, the average number of farmers per FPO are found to be 582. In addition, about 50% of the total farmers who are members of FPOs belong to five states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The region-wise study revealed that central region has the highest average number of FPOs (194.67) promoted by SFAC and the average number of FPOs promoted by NABARD were found highest in southern region (634.5). The variability and CAGR was highest in north-eastern region (39.77% and 26.43%) and eastern region (9.58% and 6.17%) promoted by SFAC and NABARD, respectively. In line with the policy framework of the Govt. of India, the State Governments may introduce appropriate flexible policy to scale up FPO promotion so as to become a self-sustaining commercially viable business enterprise of the farmers’ particularly of small producers.

Urban air pollution and exposure-related health impacts are being noticed and discussed very intensely in India. On the other hand, source-specific control is the primary focus for policymakers; however, diverse and complex sources make it difficult to immediately see the action and consequent impacts on better air quality. Many cities across the world have witnessed high air pollution levels at traffic junctions, more so in all Indian cities. Site-specific air pollution reduction can be a promising solution for managing the pollution level at highly polluted locations. CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, India, has designed and developed Wind Augmentation and purifYing Unit (WAYU) to remove particulate and gaseous pollutants from urban hot spots such as traffic locations. In the present study, the authors attempted to evaluate the performance of two different designs of WAYU for the removal of particulate matters from polluted air at different traffic locations in Delhi City, the national capital territory of India. The performance analyses show that the current design of WAYU removes PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in the range of 34–49% and 19–25%, respectively from the inlet air. The total PM collected from all WAYU devices was 34.19 kg from 120,557 operating hours’ at all the sampling sites. The PM removal rate depends on the size-segregated particulate matter pollution load in the ambient air. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13762-021-03641-3.

To overcome the problems of excessive consumption of white sugar, attempts are being made to find out alternate sweeteners preferably from sugarcane, which are less harmful. A study was conducted to develop jaggery based biscuits using scientific technology to evaluate the quality and acceptance of fresh as well as stored samples. Hunter colour lab was used to determine of colouring properties of fresh and stored samples. Jaggery based biscuits were prepared using different levels of jaggery. Ingredients used in manufacturing of biscuits were of 40, 50 and 60% Jaggery with control (372 g sugar). The other ingredients were in same proportions viz., wheat flour 1000 g, HVO 400 g, WMP 31.15 g, baking powder 10.90 g, salt 7.8 g, TBHQ 0.03125 g, GMS 17.57 g and 02 eggs. The finished biscuit samples of 300 g were packed in HDPE and combination of film (CF) of metalized polystyrene pouches for storage studies at ambient condition. Colour measurement of control and jaggery based biscuits was carried out by using Hunter Lab. Colour value was measured after 60 and 120 days for all four samples. L value was found decreased by increasing the levels of jaggery. The L values, which indicates the lightness decreased due to dark colour of jaggery (L value decreased from 53.32 to 42.43 as a result of jaggery incorporation). L value of colour of the control sample prepared by sugar incorporation was 53.32 because of incorporation of other ingredients and high temperature for baking which caused the browning and caramelization. However, the effect of ambient temperature storage significantly increases “L”, “a” and “b” value. All four samples (control, 40%, 50% and 60% jaggery biscuits) were found to have positive “a” values as 9.42, 9.98, 11.09 and 11.60, respectively. During ambient temperature storage, the value of “a” was found to have increased for all four samples packed in HDPE and CF. However, the effect of ambient temperature storage significantly increases “a” value. The colour change observed during 120 days storage was due to additional development of little brown/red colour. The “b” values were found 20.26, 19.74, 19.55 and 19.15, respectively for biscuit samples (control, 40, 50 and 60% jaggery biscuits). Very little difference was noticed in the values of “b” for all samples. Different packaging materials did not significantly affect the “L”, “a” and “b” value.

Source apportionment studies are expected to provide relative contribution of different sources responsible for deteriorated air quality in an urban area, so that the agency responsible for urban air quality management can adopt prioritized source-specific control measures. Robust assessment of source contributions in a typical urban land-use pattern is the prime step for development of effective emission control strategies. This necessitates a critical review of the PM2.5 source apportionment studies conducted in different urban land uses and delineation of the dominant sources along with its contribution to reveal the diversifications among the peculiar land use classifications even within the same city. The present study reviewed the source apportionment studies carried out at 37 locations from seven Indian cities and categorized the sources contribution on seasonal (winters and summers) average basis for residential, commercial, industrial, kerbside, and mixed locations. The findings of the review studies inferred considerable variations in the source’s contribution to air pollution with land use change. For example, during winter, domestic/biomass emission was reported as a significant source in residential (34%), commercial (26%), mixed (46%), industrial (31%), and road side (27%) locations in Delhi city in North India. However, vehicle (57%) was found to be the dominant source in residential area whose contribution increased up to 76% at road side location in Bangalore City in South India. It is also observed that source contributions vary in different seasons depending upon the activity levels. More or less similar observation was found in other cities selected for this study. The variations in source apportionment findings for a particular city might be attributed to heterogeneity of sources/major activity areas, nonuniform adoption of methodology. The study emphasizes on the need for the development of urban air quality management plan based on the land use specific source apportionment studies.

Delhi megacity’s high level of air pollution is a grave concern and calls for stringent and result-oriented efforts toward its reduction to meet the specified standards. It is necessary to understand the effectiveness of control actions implemented in the past and their response to air quality. The present study attempts to compile the information on the implemented control strategies in the city and evaluate their response in terms of pollution reduction during the years 2003–2019. The pollutant concentrations data are analysed monthly and annually at selected three representative stations being operated for more than two decades. The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) showed an increasing trend from 2003 to 2019, with an annual average increment in the range of 0.98–3.19%. The increment percentage was found more at Industrial sites compared to residential and commercial sites. The SO2 showed a decreasing trend with an annual reduction in the range of 1.49–4.09%. However, NO2 increased with an annual average of 5.21–6.07%. The reduction observed in the increasing trend of NO2 and RSPM in recent years after 2015 compared to previous years might be due to various source-specific, short-term and long-term control actions within the city and surrounding regions. The present analysis showed the impact of policy interventions on the air quality of Delhi city. However, there is a need to develop a systematic mechanism to monitor/assess the improvement in air quality (pollutant wise) due to implemented control strategies.

Increasing air pollution levels in Delhi city is a major concern for regulators and stakeholders because of its associated critical and acute health impacts on human beings. During the onset of winter every year (in the months of October and November), people of Delhi were facing an increased level of pollutant concentrations from the last few years. The present study is an attempt to analyze the increased air pollution level episodic situation that occurred during 5–6th November 2016 in Delhi city. Four differently located air monitoring stations data on Air Quality Index, pollutant concentration, and meteorology from 25th October to 15th November 2016 are considered for the present analysis. The results indicate that PM2.5 concentrations exceeded 12–14 times whereas PM10 levels exceeded 8–17 times of NAAQS values of 60 µg/m3 and 100 µg/m3, respectively on 5–6th November 2016. The meteorological conditions were found worst for pollution dispersion on these two days which may be one of the reasons for high air pollution occurrence. However, NOx and SO2 concentration peaks were observed during Diwali days (Oct. 29–31, 2016). Critical analysis of the situation indicates that local sources are influencing the pollutant concentration significantly at the monitoring stations. Further, the qualitative evaluation of the graded response action plan (GRAP) indicates that the efficacy of a particular mitigation action on pollution reduction shall vary from site to site. Hence, in order to improve air quality in different zones, more emphasis needs to be given on regulating local activities as per suggested actions in addition to the regional level action plans.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has drawn the attention of all the scientific community around the globe as it ranked one of the top five risks to public health throughout the world. People spend most of their time in indoor environments, be it in their home or workplace, without knowing that they are inhaling substantially high concentrations of different indoor air pollutants (IAPs). In developing countries, IAP concentrations are generally found high due to poor ventilation and numerous indoor sources. Poor IAQ can adversely obstruct the mental, physical and social ability of a person, which can affect the working efficiency and result into loss in overall productivity. Along with other IAPs, high level of PM in indoor environments is one of the major concerns. The present study is an attempt to assess the exposure levels of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 in one of the research laboratories, located in an industrial area of Delhi city. The monitoring is carried out at different indoor environments of the building. The preliminary results indicate that average concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 are highest in chemical laboratory, i.e., 114 ± 25 µg/m3, 58 ± 10 µg/m3, 33 ± 5 µg/m3, respectively and lowest at un-disturbed area, i.e., 42 ± 4 µg/m3, 33 ± 2 µg/m3, 22 ± 2 µg/m3, respectively. Ratio of PM2.5/PM10 and PM1.0/PM2.5 are found higher at un-disturbed area, i.e., 0.79 and 0.75, respectively as compared to other areas. It indicates that fine and ultra-fine particles travel more from outdoor compared to larger particle and suspend for longer time in the environment. Further, the study also discusses the possible measures to control the indoor air pollution and prioritize the indoor air-purifying plants based on their efficiency.

The Aditya Solarwind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) is one of the seven scientific payloads onboard the Aditya-L1 mission (the forthcoming Indian solar mission), to be placed in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point of the Sun-Earth system, at a distance of 1.5 million km from the Earth, along the Sun-Earth line. ASPEX will carry out the in-situ, multi-directional measurements of the slow and fast solar wind; suprathermal particles and solar energetic particles in the energy range of 100 eV/n to 20 MeV/n. Multi-directional measurements from ASPEX will help in understanding the anisotropy in the energy distribution of particles arriving from different directions. The ASPEX payload will play a significant role in the understanding of the acceleration mechanism and generation of these energetic particles in the interplanetary medium. The ASPEX instrument has been configured as two sub-systems viz. the Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer and the SupraThermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer. This paper presents the configuration details of both the sub-systems along with preliminary results obtained from the breadboard models.

Situs inversus is a rare, autosomal recessive condition that is incidentally discovered. It may occur with dextrocardia, levocardia, or situs ambiguous, the latter with either right or left isomerism, along with asplenia or polysplenia. Incidence of situs inversus varies from 0.002% to 1%. Mostly it occurs in males. 1–3 Situs inversus totalis is the mirror image of the situs solitus, which describe the normal position of the thoracic and abdominal viscera. It may be associated with other genetic diseases such as Kartagener’s syndrome. 4 This condition does not affect the life expectancy or quality of life. 1,3 Individuals with situs inversus anomaly exhibit a variety of associated gastrointestinal abnormalities. These anomalies involve liver, biliary tract, stomach, spleen and the intestines. There are few cases in which the anomaly was never detected during lifetime because of the absence of any presenting symptom. Such anomalies may be incidental findings during autopsies or cadaveric dissections. Any mechanical disturbance which occurs in any of the two rotational movements may give rise to abnormal positioning of the heart or dextrocardia. Some researchers defined a gut rotationdetermining factor which is usually located in the left side of the body. 5 The transposition of the abdominal viscera in the present case may be related to malrotation of the gastrointestinal system during the embryonic development. It has been thought that the disturbance of this gut rotation determining factor during ontogenesis may be solely responsible for situs inversus. 5 Aristotle discovered this alternation in animals while in humans it was described by Fabricius in1600. Vehemeyer first identified situs inverses in 1967 with x-rays. 4,6 First case of SIT was by Venu et al (1985) 3in America and latest by Kamani L et al (2014) 7 in Pakistan. The exact etiologies remains obscure but attempts have been made to explain it on the basis of a complex gene with variable expression. 6

Critical assessment of spatio-temporal variations in pollution levels is a crucial step for identifying and prioritizing air pollution hotspots (APH) in urban areas. There is no universally accepted methodology for defining and delineating air pollution hotspot which can be source-specific, pollutant-specific and time-specific. The present research article is an attempt to develop a protocol for identifying APH for any pollutant within a city where-in three criteria-based innovative methodology has been derived. The three criteria are frequency of exceedance (% of days), scale of exceedance and consistency in exceedance (consecutive number of days) to the specified standards that need to be met continuously for at least three years. The suggested methodology has been applied on a three-year database (2018-2021) of 37 continuous ambient air quality stations to identify PM2.5 specific APH. The analysis indicates 11 APH in April, 9 in May, 2 in June and almost the entire city during the October-February months. Given prioritization of implementation of control actions, the identified APH during summer has been further physically examined to map source activity types and their suitability for ambient air quality monitoring stations as per the guidelines. The APH can be the priority areas for the implementation of control actions by urban local bodies. The management of air pollution at these priority areas would be more effective instead of city-scale management practice, which is difficult to implement and monitor.

Foxtail millet is one of the commonly cultivated, nutritionally competitive source of protein, fibre, phytochemicals and other micronutrients, as compared to major cereals like wheat and rice. Considering the potential of these grains, the high pressure processed flours of germinated (GFMF) and non-germinated foxtail millet (NGFMF) grains were studied for its functional, moisture sorption and thermodynamic properties. Germination and high-pressure processing of foxtail millet grains significantly improved the functional properties of the flour. Apart from this, the moisture sorption isotherms of both the flours were determined at 10, 25 and 40 °C and the sorption data was fitted to Guggenheim-Anderson-De Boer (GAB) sorption model. The monolayer moisture content for NGFMF and GFMF ranged between 3.235–2.364 and 2.987–2.063 g g−1, respectively. The isosteric heat of sorption ranged between − 76.35 to − 38.23 kJ mol−1 for NGFMF and 172.55 to − 34.02 kJ mol−1 for GFMF at a moisture range of 0 to 36%, whereas, the integral entropy of sorption for NGFMF ranged between − 0.404 and − 0.120 kJ mol−1 K−1 and for GFMF between − 0.667 and − 0.383 kJ mol−1 K−1. Along with the validation of the compensation theory, the values of spreading pressures lied in the range of 0–0.078 J m−2 for NGFMF and 0– 0.124 J m−2 for GFMF, while, the glass transition temperatures ranged between 82.25 and 28.67 °C for NGFMF and from 51.11 to 11.83 °C for GFMF at all three temperatures.

We present the development of a CeBr 3 gamma ray spectrometer with the primary objective of determining the abundance and distribution of Th, U, K, Fe, Al and Si by measuring gamma ray signals produced by radioactive decay, neutron inelastic scattering and neutron capture reactions in the energy region 0.03–8 MeV. The energy resolution of the CeBr 3 gamma ray spectrometer developed in-house has been measured at 662 and 1274 keV to be 4.0% and 2.8% respectively. The intrinsic activity count-rate for the 1″ × 1″ CeBr 3 gamma ray spectrometer is ∼0.03 counts s −1 for the 40 K energy window (1400–1520 keV), and ∼0.001 counts s −1 for the 232 Th (2550–2700 keV) energy window. The U concentration of a sample (3A) from a granite rock was estimated to be ∼2.1 ppm and agrees with the 2.04 ppm value determined using a HPGe gamma ray spectrometer. The K concentration of sample 3A was estimated to be 3.8%, and is consistent with the 3.7% value determined independently using a HPGe gamma ray spectrometer.

The work reported in this article raises some serious concern about the drinking water quality and its standards. Mere presence or absence of an indicator organism does not assure that the water is safe for drinking purposes. Instead of infecting directly, many pathogens pass through a host and retrieve their virulent properties by causing diseases/infections in humans. Pathogenic bacteria which exist in aquatic habitats show a unique and peculiar pattern of appearing or reappearing in different microenvironments. Several factors that prevail in the water system make a safe house for the growth, proliferation, and colonization of microorganisms. In our case, 6 different microenvironments inside the premises of an office building were taken as the sampling sites to study the effect of seasonal variations (summer, monsoon, and post-monsoon/winter) on bacterial diversity and inhabitants. Results suggested that the presence of total and thermotolerant coliforms were highest in the monsoon followed by summer and post-monsoon/winter seasons. To know the bacterial diversity and pattern of appearance/reappearance prevailing in the water system, bacterial strains were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing which showed Pseudomonas putida to be the predominant identified bacterial strain occurring about 38% to 77% in all 3 seasons. This was followed by Lelliottia nimipressuralis (6%-21%), Escherichia coli (4%-18%), Salmonella typhimurium and Aeromonas dhakensis (4%-10% each), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (5%-6%). Despite the absence of other opportunistic bacteria, P putida was reported to be present as a single organism in water coolers and dispensers. This might be due to the persistent nature of P putida in low-nutrient environments and capable of colonizing by forming a rigid biofilm inside the water cooler/dispenser which makes a conducive environment for it.

Government has implemented various scattered and un-quantified control actions in Delhi city to reduce the air pollution levels; however, it still exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The present study has been designed to assess the air quality status, identify Air Quality Control Region (AQCR), and evaluate control strategies in the city. Out of eight selected locations, ambient PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 concentrations were found exceeding the daily as well as annual standards at selected AQCR with peak levels during post-monsoon than winter and summer. Anand Vihar was found to be most polluted and thus, selected as an AQCR. AERMOD performed satisfactorily in predicting pollutant concentration during winter and summer having an index of agreement in the range 0.54-0.80. PM10 and PM2.5 can be reduced substantially by increasing frequency of efficient mechanized cleaning of roads and sprinkling of water on the roads. Progressive decrease in NO2 concentrations can be achieved by restricting entry of truck in the study area through alternate path. The cumulative impact of all selected control strategies indicates a substantial decrease in air pollution within AQCR. The study also suggests a policy framework to manage the urban air quality through local scale air quality guidelines.

The emergence of COVID-19 put pressure on the Governments of most of the countries in the world to enforce nationwide lockdown (restriction of all non-essential activities) to curtail the spread of infection. The nationwide lockdown created an adverse impact on the economies around the world and altered the day-to-day life of people. The restrictions on pollution generating activities during the lockdown period resulted in an overall improvement of the air quality throughout the world including India. This study evaluated the impact on air quality in 46 cities throughout India and the findings indicate that on average, PM2.5 and NOx, concentrations reduced by about 34% and 60%, respectively at different locations in India. PM2.5 concentrations reduced by about 23%, 16%, 32%, and 28% in small, medium, large and megacities, respectively. However, the reduction in NOx concentrations was dissimilar to PM2.5 in these cities. The findings further suggested that the impact of lockdown on air quality was not homogenous across the country and was probably due to varying background contributions. The average concentrations of PM2.5 and NOx at background stations were found higher in large and mega cities than the smaller cities. The PM2.5 concentrations at background stations were higher in North India in comparison to other parts of India. © 2021, AAGR Aerosol and Air Quality Research. All rights reserved.

Background: A lump in the breast is a common complaint presenting in the surgical outpatient department of all major hospitals, with anxiety regarding a possible malignancy being extremely common. Early presentation and prompt diagnosis is essential to relieve anxiety of non-neoplastic conditions, and in case of carcinoma, it can save the patient from metastases. This retrospective study aims to audit the clinic pathologic features of patients with breast lump at teaching hospital in northern India. Methods: A total of 138 patients were included for the present study. The data on all patients who presented with history of breast lump to the surgical outpatient department at a teaching hospital, Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Information on age at presentation, parity, duration of symptom before presentation, previous breast disease, side and quadrant of breast affected, maximum diameter of breast lump, clinical diagnosis made by the senior registrar or unit consultant, type of biopsy done and histology diagnosis for patients who returned with histology report were extracted from the case files. All the results were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Chi-square test was used to measure the level of significance. Results: in our present study, out of all the patients, 7 were males and rests were females. Out of 131 females, 3 (2.1%) were premenstrual and 35 (25.4%) were postmenopausal. 39 (28.3%) female patients were nulliparous. Lump was painless in 75 (54.3%) patients. Duration from discovery of lump to presentation was 12 months in 56 (40.6%) and ranges from 2 days to 19 years. The duration was not documented in 10 (7.2%) patients. Left breast was more affected i.e. 65 (47.1%) cases than right sided. Bilateral involvement in around 12 cases (8.7%). Breast lump was presenting complaint in 138 patients in 3 years. The mean age of patients presenting with breast lump was 36.8 years (Range 15-70 years). Conclusions: Breast lump was the most common presenting complaint with most patients not presenting within one month.

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) was one of the scientific experiments on-board the Pragyaan rover of the Chandrayaan-2 mission to Moon, with the objective to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the landing site in the south polar region of the Moon. APXS estimates the abundances by measuring the characteristic X-ray lines of the constituent elements present in the target surface, when irradiated by the onboard Cm-244 radioactive source. X-ray spectral measurement in the energy range of 0.8–25 ​keV with an energy resolution of ~ 135 eV at 5.89 ​keV enables APXS to detect all the major rock-forming elements, such as Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe. This paper describes the calibration of APXS as an X-ray spectrometer, provides a procedure for quantitative estimation of elemental concentrations based on the measurements of standard geochemical reference materials and provides the detection limits of the major elements. It is shown that, following this procedure, the concentration of the major elements in any sample can be determined with typical accuracy of better than 10% of the actual value.

Application of remote sensing in analysing the pollutant dispersion and concentration in the atmosphere has gained importance over the years amongst the researchers. Particulates, being a threat to human health is being closely monitored for its sources and transport, to implement respective mitigative measures. A study has been carried out to assess the contribution of agriculture residue/stubble burning (SB) in Haryana, Punjab region over the air quality of Delhi region. Monitoring is carried out using multidisciplinary approaches over the region during October and November 2017. A higher baseline value in Delhi is observed throughout the study duration. Both remote sensing and ground data from stations show similar characteristics. Local meteorological condition of study region, observed during the study duration, indicates that particulates from Punjab-Haryana region are not likely to be transmitted over Delhi region. The study performed using Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) shows some carbonaceous aerosol subtype over Delhi region. Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) study shows that northwesterly winds intersect the agricultural residue burning regions, which might have transported the burnt stubble particulates towards Delhi area during the days of November 2017. Further, the larger mass of stubble burning aerosols are found to be dispersed at a height 3000 m above the ground, which is out of the human vicinity. The month of October 2017 showed aerosol subtypes majorly from local emissions and dust. Delhi faces severe air pollution issues around human vicinity due to poor meteorological conditions and majorly because of local emission. The severe conditions, however, are generally short-lived and gradually ameliorates with improved meteorological conditions of the region.

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is one of the two scientific experiments on Chandrayaan-2 rover named as Pragyan. The primary scientific objective of APXS is to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface in the surrounding regions of the landing site. This will be achieved by employing the technique of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy using in situ excitation source 244 Cm emitting both X-rays and alpha particles. These radiations excite characteristic X-rays of the elements by the processes of particle induced X-ray emission and XRF. The characteristic X-rays are detected by the ‘state-of-the-art’ X-ray detector known as Silicon Drift Detector, which provides high energy resolution, as well as high efficiency in the energy range of 1–25 keV. This enables APXS to detect all major rock forming elements such as, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti and Fe. The flight model of the APXS payload has been completed and tested for various instrument parameters. The APXS provides energy resolution of ~135 eV at 5. 9keV for the detector operating temperature of about –35°C. The design details and the performance measurement of APXS are presented in this paper.

Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) is one of the scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The XSM along with instrument CLASS (Chandra’s Large Area soft X-ray Spectrometer) comprise the remote X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy experiment of Chandrayaan- 2 mission with an objective to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface on a global scale. XSM instrument will measure the solar X-rays in the energy range of 1–15 keV using state-of-the-art silicon drift detector. The flight model of the XSM payload has been designed, realized and characterized for various operating parameters. XSM provides energy resolution of ~180 eV at 5.9 keV with high time cadence of one second. The X-ray spectra of the Sun observed with XSM will also contribute to the study of solar corona. The detailed description and the performance characteristics of the XSM instrument are presented in this article.

This paper presents the work carrie dout in support of Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) characterization for the Chandrayaan-2 instruments namely Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). The XSM and APXS instruments use SDD to detect X-rays from the Sun and fluorescent X-rays from the lunar surface respectively. The aim of this study is to understand and quantify any spectroscopic performance degradation of these X-ray spectrometers due to space radiation in the SDD during its operational period. Any radiation damage to the SDD leads to increase in the detector leakage current and thus degrades the spectroscopic performance, mainly the energy resolution. The expected end-of-life (EOL) 10 MeV equivalent proton fluence was modeled using SPENVIS simulation software. The Silicon Drift Detector was irradiated with 10 MeV protons for the doses up to 24 krad in logarithmic steps and measured the energy resolution and the leakage current at each dose. The spectrometer energy resolution degraded from ~ 142 eV at 5.9 keV to ~ 250 eV for the cumulative proton dose of ~ 11 krad for the mission life of one year. This satisfies the performance requirement of the SDD based X-ray spectrometers onboard Chandrayaan-2 mission.

Foxtail millet, extensively grown in Asia, Africa and China, is one of the few crops that can thrive under relatively few agricultural inputs and have valuable amount of nutritional components. Therefore, processing of foxtail millet for value addition to various food products can significantly help in economic development as well as enhancing food and nutritional security. This study deals with the effect of high pressure soaking on water uptake, gelatinization characteristics, and nutritional and anti-nutritional properties of foxtail millet grains and its flour. The results demonstrated that high pressure soaking of germinated foxtail millet grains significantly increased the water uptake, thereby increasing the degree of starch gelatinization of the flour to attain a maximum value of 64.93%. The effective diffusion coefficient of water was found to increase with increasing pressures and temperatures, reaching maximum value of 6.77×10-9 m2s-1 for germinated foxtail millet grains treated at 200 MPa and 60 oC. In terms of nutrient content of germinated foxtail millet grain flour, the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (FRAP assay) improved significantly, although the protein content did not vary significantly. Further, the levels of anti-nutrients (phytic acid and tannin) decreased with high pressure soaking, which conclusively establishes that the quality of foxtail millet grains and its flour can be improved by using high pressure soaking.

Foxtail millet porridge was prepared using germinated grains and milk and was evaluated for its storage stability after thermal processing at ultra-high temperatures (UHT) of 142 °C for 5 s and retort processing temperatures of 121.5 °C for 15 min. Various physical, chemical, and microbial changes of the porridge were studied for a storage period of 180 days at 25 ± 1 °C. Using consumer perception and survival analysis, the predicted shelf life of the UHT treated and retort processed foxtail millet porridge samples stored at 25 ± 1 °C was found to be 186 ± 9 days and 245 ± 15 days, respectively. Also, data from consumer liking, profiling, physical, chemical, and microbial parameters showed significant changes (P 0.05) in the thermally treated packaged porridge samples over time. As the consumer overall acceptability decreased, the detection of positive attributes (thick and uniformly colored texture and appearance; grainy mouth texture; caramel taste and aroma) in the porridge decreased, while the detection of negative attributes (uneven, decolored, and curdled texture and appearance; sticky mouth texture; cooked, sour and off smell; cooked, sour and off taste) increased. The present study could establish a significant difference (P 0.05) in the storage induced properties of UHT and retort processed porridge samples. The analytical evaluation of foxtail millet porridge found that UHT treated porridge was better in quality, but consumers preferred retort processed porridge. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The quality and sensory attributes, evaluated for UHT treated and retort processed porridge samples during the storage period of 180 days, were found to be contradictory. Based on the results of CATA sensory analysis, the shelf life of UHT treated and retort processed porridge samples was predicted to be more than 6 months. Therefore, both UHT treatment and retort processing can be effectively applied to prepare a ready to eat milk based porridge using germinated foxtail millet grains.

Uncertainty/variability in measurement of NO2 in ambient air using Sodium Arsenite (SA) manual monitoring method (also known as modified Jacob & Hochheiser method) has been assessed through co-located sampling. Three sampling systems have been deployed and operated simultaneously for five days to find out variations in actual concentration determination. Significant variation in NO2 concentrations has been observed during sampling for 16 h (representing daytime activities) and 8 h (representing nighttime activities). Monitoring during co-located sampling showed considerable variation in flow rate, which can greatly influence the measured NO2 concentration, as in calculation a factor (82 %) for absorption efficiency of NO2 gas in absorption medium is used. At 0.5 l/min flow rate, the absorption efficiency for 8 h sampling is found to be about 69 %, which reduces to about 45 % at 1 l/min for the same sampling duration. Therefore, determination of actual NO2 concentration using this method at different conditions of flow rate and sampling duration may lead to under/over estimation of NO2 concentration, depending upon the specific sampling conditions, and may also affect decision making process involving this parameter. Further, efforts are made to minimize the variations in concentration determination through use of empirical relationships developed in laboratory studies carried out earlier by the present author. The variations are found to be reduced considerably after applying certain correction factors for absorption efficiency of NO2 due to sampling condition variations. This demonstrates the usefulness of lab scale experiments to the actual field monitoring scenario for appropriate decision making.

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) payload configuration for Chandrayaan-2 rover has been completed recently and fabrication of mechanical assembly, PCB layout design and fabrication are in progress. Here we present the design and performance evaluation of various subsystems developed for APXS payload. The low energy threshold of

The remote X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is a powerful technique to investigate the elemental abundances in the atmosphere-less planetary bodies. The experiment involves measuring spectra of fluorescent X-rays from lunar surface using a low energy X-ray detector onboard an orbiting satellite. Since the flux of fluorescent X-ray lines critically depend on the flux and spectrum of the incident solar X-rays, it is essential to have simultaneous and accurate measurement of X-ray from both Moon and Sun. In the context of Moon, this technique has been employed since early days of space exploration to determine elemental composition of lunar surface. However, so far it has not been possible to exploit it to its full potential due to various reasons. Therefore it is planned to continue the remote X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy experiment on-board Chandrayaan-2 which includes both lunar X-ray observations and solar X-ray observations as two separate payloads. The lunar X-ray observations will be carried out by Chandra Large Area Soft x-ray Spectrometer (CLASS) experiment; whereas the solar X-ray observations will be carried out by a separate payload, Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM). Here we present the overall design of the XSM instrument, the present development status as well as preliminary results of the laboratory model testing. XSM instrument will have two packages namely – XSM sensor package and XSM electronics package. XSM will accurately measure spectrum of Solar X-rays in the energy range of 1–15 keV with energy resolution ∼200 eV @ 5.9 keV. This will be achieved by using state-of-the-art Silicon Drift Detector (SDD), which has a unique capability of maintaining high energy resolution at very high incident count rate expected from Solar X-rays. XSM onboard Chandrayaan-2 will be the first experiment to use such detector for Solar X-ray monitoring.