The Impact of New Trends in Satellite Launches on Orbital Debris Environment

The main goal of this study is to examine the impact of new trends in satellite launch activities on the orbital debris environment and collision risk. Starting from the launch of the first artificial satellite in 1957, space borne technology has become an indispensable part of our lives. More than 6,000 satellites have been launched into Earth orbit. Though the annual number of satellites launched stayed flat for many decades, the trend has recently changed. The satellite market has been undergoing a major evolution with new space companies replacing the traditional approach of deploying a few large, complex and costly satellites with an approach to use a multitude of smaller, less complex and cheaper satellites. This new approach creates a sharp increase in the number of satellites and so the historic trends are no longer representative. As a foundation for this study, a scenario for satellite deployments based on the publicly announced future satellite missions has been developed. These constellation-deploying companies include, but are not limited to, Blacksky, CICERO, EROS, Landmapper, Leosat, Northstar, O3b, OmniEarth, OneWeb, Orbcomm, OuterNet, PlanetIQ, Planet Labs, Radarsat, RapidEye Next Generation, Sentinel, Skybox, SpaceX, and Spire. Information such as the annual number of launches, the number of orbital planes to be used by the constellation, as well as apogee, perigee, inclination, spacecraft mass and area were included or approximated. Besides the production of satellites, a widespread ongoing effort to enhance orbital injection capabilities will allow delivery of more spacecraft more accurately into Earth orbits. A long list of companies such as Microcosm, Rocket Lab, Firefly Space Systems, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Arca Space Corporation are developing new launch vehicles dedicated for small satellites. There are other projects which intend to develop interstages with propulsive capabilities which will allow the deployment of satellites into their desired orbits beyond the restrictions of the launch vehicle used. These near future orbital injection technologies are also covered in the developed scenario. Using the above-mentioned background information, this study aims to examine how the orbital debris environment will be affected from the new dynamics of the emerging space markets. We developed a simulation tool that is capable of propagating the objects in a given deployment scenario with variable-sized time-steps as small as one second. Over the course of the run, the software also detects collisions; additional debris objects are then created according to the NASA breakup model and are fed back into the simulation framework. Examining the simulation results, the total number of particles to accumulate in different orbits can be monitored and the number of conjunctions can be tracked to assess the collision risks. The simulation makes it possible to follow the short- and long-term effects of a particular satellite or constellation on the space environment. Likewise, the effects of changes in the debris environment on a particular satellite or constellation can be evaluated. It is authors hope that the results of this paper and further utilization of the developed simulation tool will assist in the investigation of more accurate deorbiting metrics to replace the generic 25-year disposal guidelines, as well as to guide future launches toward more sustainable and safe orbits

MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AYUBIA NATIONAL PARK KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PAKISTAN

The notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development (SD) has recently gained increased attention in the business and management literature. There has been a growing realization that businesses may contribute to sustainable development by adopting socially responsible practices into their core operations. However, very few studies have explored the relationship between corporate social responsibility and sustainable development in the national parks context, and thus, it lacks empirical validity. To bridge up this knowledge-gap, the current study endeavors to explore the prevailing perceptions of CSR and the relationship between CSR and sustainable development by capitalizing on the Carroll’s (1991) model and Sustainability theory in the context of Ayubia National Park Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews from key stakeholders including wildlife management, local community and tourists. The data was then analyzed through capitalizing on thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings revealed that the very conceptualization of CSR is relatively at infant level within the context of Ayubia national Park Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the respondents highlighted the importance of economic and legal responsibilities whereas the ethical and philanthropic responsibilities were ignored. However, in relation to sustainability most of the respondents mentioned that CSR is indeed a significant tool which may lead to sustainable development of the Ayubia National Park. The study nevertheless provides important managerial as well as practical implications for the future endeavors

(R1992) RBF-PS Method for Eventual Periodicity of Generalized Kawahara Equation

In engineering and mathematical physics, nonlinear evolutionary equations play an important role. Kawahara equation is one of the famous nonlinear evolution equation appeared in the theories of shallow water waves possessing surface tension, capillary-gravity waves and also magneto-acoustic waves in a plasma. Another specific subjective parts of arrangements for some of evolution equations evidenced by findings link belonging to their long-term actions named as eventual time periodicity discovered over solutions to IBVPs (initial-boundary-value problems). Here we investigate the solution’s eventual periodicity for generalized fifth order Kawahara equation (IBVP) on bounded domain in combination with periodic boundary conditions numerically exploiting mesh-free technique called as Radial basis function pseudo spectral (RBF-PS) method

MAPPING THE LINK BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AYUBIA NATIONAL PARK KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PAKISTAN

The notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development (SD) has recently gained increased attention in the business and management literature. There has been a growing realization that businesses may contribute to sustainable development by adopting socially responsible practices into their core operations. However, very few studies have explored the relationship between corporate social responsibility and sustainable development in the national parks context, and thus, it lacks empirical validity. To bridge up this knowledge-gap, the current study endeavors to explore the prevailing perceptions of CSR and the relationship between CSR and sustainable development by capitalizing on the Carroll’s (1991) model and Sustainability theory in the context of Ayubia National Park Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews from key stakeholders including wildlife management, local community and tourists. The data was then analyzed through capitalizing on thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings revealed that the very conceptualization of CSR is relatively at infant level within the context of Ayubia national Park Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the respondents highlighted the importance of economic and legal responsibilities whereas the ethical and philanthropic responsibilities were ignored. However, in relation to sustainability most of the respondents mentioned that CSR is indeed a significant tool which may lead to sustainable development of the Ayubia National Park. The study nevertheless provides important managerial as well as practical implications for the future endeavors

Effect of dexamethasone as an adjuvant with bupivacaine in ultrasound guided single shot supraclavicular brachial plexus block in upper extremity surgeries- a prospective randomized study

Background: Supraclavicular brachial plexus block is a good alternative to general anesthesia in surgeries of elbow, forearm, wrist and hand. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of dexamethasone as an adjuvant with bupivacaine in supraclavicular brachial plexus block in upper limb surgeries.Methods: This study was carried out on 60 adult patients of both sexes planned for upper limb surgery during the period from May 2015 to Jan 2016 after approval by the institutional Ethical Committee. Inclusion criteria were American Society of Anesthesiologists physical Status I-II and age between 18 and 50 years. Patients were randomly allocated to two groups of 30 patients each [group I (bupivacaine alone) and group II (bupivacaine + dexamethasone)]. Group I received 30ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 2ml normal saline while group II received 30ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with 2ml (8mg) dexamethasone for supraclavicular brachial plexus block. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), version 16.0. For analysis of demographic data and comparison of groups, χ2, unpaired Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were performed. Power of significance p-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. We evaluated onset, quality and duration of sensory and motor block along with side effects if any.Results: The mean onset of sensory and motor block in Group I and II was statistically insignificant. The duration of motor and sensory block was significantly prolonged in Group II than in Group I. There were no statistically and clinically significant differences in respiratory and hemodynamic parameters.Conclusions: We conclude that dexamethasone as an adjuvant in supraclavicular brachial plexus block prolongs the duration of motor and sensory block with insignificant side effects

Integrated use of Biochar: A tool for improving soil and wheat quality of degraded soil under wheat-maiza cropping pattern

Wheat quality, nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiency are significantly influenced by nutrient sources and application rate. To investigate the integrative effect of biochar, farmyard manure (FYM) and nitrogen (organic and inorganic soil amendments) in a wheat-maize cropping system, a two year study was designed to assess the interactive outcome of biochar, FYM and nitrogenous fertilizer on wheat nitrogen (N) parameters and associated soil quality parameters. Three levels of biochar (0, 25 and 50 t ha-1), two levels of FYM (5 and 10 t ha-1) and two levels of nitrogen fertilizer (60 and 120 kg ha-1) were used in the study. Biochar application displayed a significantly increased in wheat leaf, stem, straw and grain N content; grain and total N-uptake and grain protein content by 24, 20, 24, 56, 50, 17 and 20% respectively. Similarly, biochar application significantly increased soil total N (TN) and soil mineral N (SMN) by 63 and 40% respectively in second year. FYM application increased grain, leaf and straw N content by 20, 19.5 and 18% respectively, and increased total N-uptake and grain protein content by 49 and 19% respectively. FYM increased soil TN and SMN by 63 and 32% in both the years of the experiment. Mineral N application increased soil TN by over a half and SMN by a third, and grain protein content increased 16%. In contrast, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) decreased for all amendments relative to the control. However, biochar treated plots improved NUE by 38% compared to plots without biochar. In conclusion, this field experiment has illustrated the potential of biochar to bring about short-term benefits in wheat and soil quality parameters in wheat-maize cropping systems. However, the long-term benefits remain to be quantified

The Complete Local Volume Groups Sample - I. Sample Selection and X-ray Properties of the High-Richness Subsample

We present the Complete Local-Volume Groups Sample (CLoGS), a statistically complete optically-selected sample of 53 groups within 80 Mpc. Our goal is to combine X-ray, radio and optical data to investigate the relationship between member galaxies, their active nuclei, and the hot intra-group medium (IGM). We describe sample selection, define a 26-group high-richness subsample of groups containing at least 4 optically bright (log L_B>=10.2 LBsol) galaxies, and report the results of XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of these systems. We find that 14 of the 26 groups are X-ray bright, possessing a group-scale IGM extending at least 65kpc and with luminosity >10^41 erg/s, while a further 3 groups host smaller galaxy-scale gas halos. The X-ray bright groups have masses in the range M_500=0.5-5x10^13 Msol, based on system temperatures of 0.4-1.4 keV, and X-ray luminosities in the range 2-200x10^41 erg/s. We find that ~53-65% of the X-ray bright groups have cool cores, a somewhat lower fraction than found by previous archival surveys. Approximately 30% of the X-ray bright groups show evidence of recent dynamical interactions (mergers or sloshing), and ~35% of their dominant early-type galaxies host AGN with radio jets. We find no groups with unusually high central entropies, as predicted by some simulations, and confirm that CLoGS is in principle capable of detecting such systems. We identify three previously unrecognized groups, and find that they are either faint (L_X,R500<10^42 erg/s) with no concentrated cool core, or highly disturbed. This leads us to suggest that ~20% of X-ray bright groups in the local universe may still be unidentified.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS, 25 Manuscript pages with 6 tables and 10 figures, plus 30 pages of appendices. v2 corrects minor typographical errors identified at proof stag

Coat Protein Gene based Characterization of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Isolates Infecting Banana in India

Banana plants showing typical yellow stripes on leaves as symptoms, in addition to leaf distortion and stunting of plant were collected from Karnataka (KAR), Maharashtra (MH) and Uttar Pradesh (UP) in India. The causal agent was identified as Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) on the basis of transmission electron microscopy and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Complete coat protein (CP) gene of all isolates were amplified using gene specific primers for coat protein (CP), followed by cloning into desired cloning vector for sequencing. Sequenced region were found containing complete single open reading frame of 657 nucleotides, potentially coding 219 amino acids. Sequence analysis of CP gene showed 93%-98% (at nucleotide) and 94%-99% (at amino acid) sequence identity between all three Indian isolates. On comparing CP gene sequences of CMV KAR, CMV MH and CMV UP with CMV P isolate (Physalis minima); we got 94%, 99% and 96% identity respectively. High degree identity at nucleotide level between these isolates of banana and Physalis minima (a weed) suggest that Physalis minima could be an alternate host of CMV banana. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide along with amino acid sequence of coat protein gene revealed that all our isolates belong to IB subgroup.  In short, it appears that there occurs a high incidence of CMV infecting banana belonging to IB subgroup in most parts of Indian subcontinent.Key words: Banana, CMV, CP gene, RT-PC

Familial Kartageners Syndrome: A Case Report

In recurrent lower respiratory tract infections the cause may be either general impairment of immune mechanism, abnormalities of mucus or abnormalities of cilia.We report a case where the patient was having recurrent lower and upper respiratory tract infections and had situs Inversus totalis. Kartagener’s syndrome is an inherited disorder transmitted in autosomal recessive manner with variable penetrance. There is no specific treatment for this condition but failure to recognize the condition early in life may subject the patient to unnecessary repeated admissions and investigations and inappropriate treatment