Extra-terrestrial construction processes - advancements, opportunities and challenges

Government space agencies, including NASA and ESA, are conducting preliminary studies on building alternative space-habitat systems for deep-space exploration. Such studies include development of advanced technologies for planetary surface exploration, including an in-depth understanding of the use of local resources. Currently, NASA plans to land humans on Mars in the 2030s. Similarly, other space agencies from Europe (ESA), Canada (CSA), Russia (Roscosmos), India (ISRO), Japan (JAXA) and China (CNSA) have already initiated or announced their plans for launching a series of lunar missions over the next decade, ranging from orbiters, landers and rovers for extended stays on the lunar surface. As the Space Odyssey is one of humanity’s oldest dreams, there has been a series of research works for establishing temporary or permanent settlement on other planetary bodies, including the Moon and Mars. This paper reviews current projects developing extra-terrestrial construction, broadly categorised as: (i) ISRU-based construction materials; (ii) fabrication methods; and (iii) construction processes. It also discusses four categories of challenges to developing an appropriate construction process: (i) lunar simulants; (ii) material fabrication and curing; (iii) microwave-sintering based fabrication; and (iv) fully autonomous and scaled-up construction processes

Understanding factors influencing adverse sex ratios at birth and exploring what works to achieve balance: The situation in selected districts of Nepal

The goal of this study is to identify programs and sociocultural factors underlying disparities in sex ratios at birth in some parts of Nepal, by comparing the situation in districts with high and normal sex ratios at birth and among under-5 children. Findings are expected to inform the design of programs intended to raise the value of girls in general and counter the practice of gender-biased sex selection in particular. The study was conducted in two adjoining hill districts of the western development region of Nepal, namely Kaski (where sex ratios are adverse) and Tanhaun (where sex ratios are normal). The study adopted a mixed method that included a population-based survey of 1,000 married women with at least two children, one of whom was aged 0–5 years, and 29 key informant interviews with district-based public- and private-sector health care providers and program implementers/managers. Data were collected between October and November 2014. This report notes that some background characteristics such as age distribution and religious affiliation of surveyed women were similar, while differences in characteristics and aspects of women’s agency were also observed

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants used by the Locals in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

This study represents a systematic attempt to explore the knowledge of the native people about plants, which they use to cure diseases. And it is an attempt towards conserving the local knowledge of people to plants. This paper presents a list and uses of some medicinal plants distributed in the high altitude district Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. The list was prepared during an ethno-botanical survey of the region from December 2007 to January, 2009. This paper provides information about 71 ethno-medicinally useful plants grown in this region. In this paper, family, botanical name, local name, ethnomedicinal uses are given for each plant

Effect of Sodium Cyanide on Behaviour and Respiratory Surveillance in Freshwater Fish, Labeo rohita (Hamilton)

The toxicity of sodium cyanide (free cyanide) to the freshwater fish, Labeo rohita was studied using static bioassay method. The LC50 in 96 h was found to be 33 µg/L. Behavioural changes when exposed to lethal concentration of sodium cyanide showed increased opercular movement, increased surface behaviour, loss of equilibrium, change in body colour, increased secretion of mucus, irregular swimming activity, rapid jerk movement, partial jerk and aggressiveness. The swimming behaviour was in a cork-screw palter, rotating along horizontal axis. In sub lethal treatment, the schooling behaviour of the fish was slowly disrupted, the ventilation rate was increased. The fish at 21st days of exposure exhibited balanced swimming and active feeding and behaved in normal way. Oxygen consumption was decreased in lethal concentration (-22.64 to -70.13%), but in sub lethal concentration decreased trend was improved and reached normal level at 21st day (-25.10 to -2.19). Alterations in oxygen consumption may be due to respiratory distress as a consequence of impairment in oxidative metabolism. Fish in sub lethal concentration were found under stress, but that was not fatal

Free Cyanide Induced Physiological Changes in the Freshwater Fish, Poecilia Reticulata

Static renewal bioassay test were conducted to determine the toxicity of free cyanide (sodium cyanide) to the freshwater fish, Poecilia reticulate. The fish were exposed to different concentrations of sodium cyanide and rate of mortality was recorded for 96 hr. The LC50 value of sodium cyanide for 96 hr was found out to be 9.13 µg/L. Behavioural changes were observed when fish exposed to sodium cyanide showed increased opercular movement, increased surface behaviour, loss of equilibrium, increased secretion of mucus, irregular swimming activity and aggressiveness. The swimming behaviour was in a cork-screw pattern, rotating along horizontal axis was more prominent in lethal concentration. In sub lethal treatment, the schooling behaviour of the fish was slowly disrupted, and the ventilation rate increased. The fish at 15th day of exposure exhibited balanced swimming and active feeding and behaved in normal way. Decreased level of oxygen consumption was recorded in lethal concentration for 1st to 4th day (-36.12 to -70.93%), but in sub lethal concentration, it was improved and reached normal level at 15th day (-16.40 to -7.16%). The decrement may be due to the respiratory distress as a consequence of the impairment of oxidative metabolism