USCID fourth international conference

Presented at the Role of irrigation and drainage in a sustainable future: USCID fourth international conference on irrigation and drainage on October 3-6, 2007 in Sacramento, California.Includes bibliographical references.The performance of an executed subsurface drainage system was evaluated under unsteady flow conditions. The impulse-response relation has been studied for two different conditions of drain spacings, namely, the executed drain spacing based on steady state flow conditions and the drain spacing proposed on unsteady state flow conditions, incorporating the effects of drainable porosity. It is found rational to use the "Dezeeuw-Hellinga model" for prediction of impulse response relations in terms of temporal water table fluctuations against rainfall — recharge under unsteady state flow conditions. The responses of a sub-surface drainage system for the impulse of incessant rainfall have been studied. The values of calculated drain spacings varied from 11 to 15 m. However, due to economic conditions, the practical drain spacings of the layout have been fixed at wider value of 35m and 55m. It is found that the drain spacings adopted for unsteady state flow conditions might have resulted in a better performance of the drains compared to steady state drain spacing as depicted by Dezeeuw-Hellinga model run. The drainable porosity being the vital parameter in an unsteady state equation, the Dezeeuw-Hellinga model was also used for varying levels of drainable porosity under given drain spacing conditions. Generally, the reference drainable porosity value is taken as 10 per cent for most of the drainage studies and the influence on drain outflows were compared for an increased value of 20 per cent and decreased value of 5 per cent, since the drainable porosity value in the study area varied from 5 to 20 per cent. It was found that the change in drainable porosity significantly influence the drain performance as depicted by Dezeeuw-Hellinga model run over all the standard week of year. The executed sub-surface drainage system has been found satisfactory in bringing down the soil salinity levels to desirable limits below 4 dSm-1. The executed sub-surface drainage system has also resulted in appreciable crop productivity improvements in the locality

Structural, Magnetic and Magneto-caloric studies of Ni50Mn30Sn20Shape Memory Alloy

We have synthesized a nominal composition of Ni50Mn30Sn20 alloy using arc melting technique. Rietveld refinement confirms the austenite L21 structure in Fm-3m space group. Electrical resistivity has been found to clearly exhibiting two different phenomena viz. a magnetic transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic and a structural transition from austenite to martensitic phase. Thermo-magnetization measurements M(T) confirms ferromagnetic transition temperature TC at 222 K and martensitic transition starting at 127 K(MS). Magnetization measurement M(H) at 10 K confirms the ferromagnetic state. Frequency dependence of ac susceptibility \c{hi}' at low temperature suggests spin glass behavior in the system. The isothermal magnetic entropy change values have been found to be 1.14 J/Kg.K, 2.69 J/Kg.K and 3.9 J/Kg.K, with refrigeration capacities of 19.6 J/kg, 37.8 J/kg and 54.6 J/kg for the field change of 1, 2 and 3 Tesla respectively at 227 K.Comment: 16 pages text + Figs. Ni50Mn30Sn20 alloy: reasonable refrigeration capacity tunable to Room

EVALUATION OF THE WOUND HEALING ACTIVITY OF CAESALPINIA BONDUCELLA AND CYCLEA PELTATA EXTRACTS IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Objective: The present study was conducted to verify the effect of Caesalpinia bonducella and Cyclea peltata extracts on experimentally induced excision wounds in diabetic rats.Methods: Methanolic and ethyl acetate extract of test sample in PEG base was applied and observed for wound healing effect for a period of 15 d.Results: The data demonstrated statistically significant wound contraction up to 98% in the treated sample as compared to 90% in diabetic control group. The results correlated (r ³ 0.95) with fasting blood glucose level, indicating the deleterious effect of hyperglycemia in wound healing. Histopathological studies indicated moderate granulation with marked epithelial enclose and moderate hyperplasia in groups treated with high dose (100 mg/kg BW) of methanolic extract of aerial part of Cyclea peltata and root of Caesalpinia bonducella. Conclusion: From the study, it can be hypothesized that tested plant extracts favours wound healing in diabetic animals and paves the way for the more detailed study of the phytochemical constituent for therapeutic applications. The present investigation adds to the existing knowledge in the field of therapeutic medicine and may even become the base for the development of herbal based gel formulations or ointments for treating wounds in diabetic patients and thereby continuous usage of synthetic drugs, its associated side effects could be avoided

Photochemical Oxidation & Stabilization of Butyl Rubber in Solid State

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Water-saving Rice Production Technologies in Krishna Western Delta Command of Andhra Pradesh – An Economic Analysis

The economic analysis of water-saving rice production technologies, viz. system of rice intensification (SRI), semi-dry and rotational irrigation vis-à-vis farmers’ practice has been carried out based on the study executed in Modukuru pilot area of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Among the three water-saving rice production technologies analyzed, the total cost of cultivation has been recorded highest in SRI (Rs 58645/ha), followed by rotational (Rs 47140/ha) and semi-dry (Rs 39321/ha). But, the per hectare yield has been found highest in SRI (6.85 t), followed by semi-dry (6.66 t) and rotational (6.2 t), inferring that all the three technologies have recorded higher yields over farmers’ practice of 5.5 t/ha. However, the net returns and B-C ratio are maximum in semi-dry (Rs 43,484/ha; 1.11), followed by rotational (Rs 30,085; 0.64) and SRI (Rs 26,466/ha; 0.45) methods. Similarly, the water-use efficiency has been found highest in SRI (8.53 kg/ ha-mm), followed by semi-dry (8.02 kg/ha-mm) and rotational (7.33 kg/ ha-mm) methods, while the water-use efficiency benefit (Rs/ha-mm) has been recorded maximum in semi-dry (52.39), followed by SRI (42.08) and rotational (35.56) methods. With the initiation of Andhra Pradesh Water Management Project, Bapatla, the area under semi-dry rice cultivation has been found increasing over a period of four years, from 0.6 ha in 2004-2005 to 22 ha in 2007 -2008.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Analysis of Air and Soil Quality around Thermal Power Plants and Coal Mines of Singrauli Region, India

Singrauli region is known as the energy capital of India, as it generates nearly 21 GW of electricity, supplied to various parts of the northern India. Many coal-based Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) using coal from several nearby coal mines, and numerous industries are set up in this region which has made it as one of the highly polluted regions of India. In the present study, detailed temporal analysis and forecast of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and methane (CH4) concentrations retrieved from satellite data have been carried out for the periods 2005–2020. Based on the classical multiplicative model and using linear regression, the maximum concentration of CO2, NO2, SO2, and CH4 in the year 2025 is found to be 422.59 ppm, 29.28 ppm, 0.23 DU, and 1901.35 ppbv, respectively. Detailed analysis shows that carbon dioxide has a 95% correlation with all other trace gases. We have also carried out the geo-accumulation index for the presence of various contaminants in the soil of this region. The geo-accumulation index shows that soil in and around thermal power plants and coal mines is contaminated by heavy metals. The cumulative index shows that soil around Hindalco industries, Bina coal mines, Khadia coal mines, and coal-based TPPs (Anpara and Vindhayachal) are highly polluted and a threat to human population living in the region

Advancement in biomarker based effective diagnosis of neonatal sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is considered as alarming medical emergency and becomes the common global reason of neonatal mortality. Non-specific symptoms and limitations of conventional diagnostic methods for neonatal sepsis mandate fast and reliable method to diagnose disease for point of care application. Recently, disease specific biomarkers have gained interest for rapid diagnosis that led to the development of electrochemical biosensor with enhanced specificity, sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness. Other than conventional biomarker C-reactive protein to diagnose neonatal sepsis, several potential biomarkers including Procalcitonin (PCT), Serum amyloid A (SAA) and other candidates are extensively investigated. The present review provides insights on advancements and diagnostic abilities of protein and nucleotide based biomarkers with their incorporation in developing electrochemical biosensors by employing novel fabrication strategies. This review provides an overview of most promising biomarker and its capability for neonatal sepsis diagnosis to fulfil future demand to develop electrochemical biosensor for point-of-care applications.</p

Impact of sintering temperature on room temperature magneto-resistive and magneto-caloric properties of Pr2/3Sr1/3MnO3

Magneto-resistive and magneto-caloric properties of polycrystalline Pr2/3Sr1/3MnO3 have been studied as a function of sintering temperature (Ts) between 1260-1450{\deg}C. Reitveld refinement of their X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirms their single phase crystalline structure with orthorhombic Pbnm space group. The point of maximum value of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCRmax) and Curie temperature (Tc) decreased slightly with Ts. Magneto-resistance (MR) and magnetic entropy ({\Delta}SM) increased markedly with sintering temperature. This could be attributed to the observed sharpness of both the magnetic and resistive transitions due to better grain connectivity. Optimum results are obtained for the sample with Ts = 1400{\deg}C. MR at Tc of the same is found to be as large as 32% at 1T and 58% at 5T magnetic fields. The maximum entropy change ({\Delta}SMmax) near its Tc is 2.3Jkg-1K-1 and 7.8 Jkg-1K-1 upon 1T and 5T fields change respectively. These characteristics [MR (32% 1T, 58% 5T) and reasonable change in magnetic entropy (7.8Jkg-1K-1, 5T)] generate possibility that the optimized compound can be used as a potential magnetic refrigerant close to room temperature.Comment: 19 pages text + fig

Genetic basis of pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) resistance and grain yield in desi and kabuli chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under unprotected conditions

A series of half-diallel crosses involving early, medium and late maturity desi and kabuli type chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes with stable resistance to Helicoverpa pod borer, along with the parents, were evaluated at two locations in India to understand the inheritance of pod borer resistance and grain yield. Inheritance of resistance to pod borer and grain yield was different in desi and kabuli types. In desi type chickpea, the additive component of genetic variance was important in early maturity and dominance component was predominant in medium maturity group, while in the late maturity group, additive as well as dominance components were equally important in the inheritance of pod borer resistance. Both dominant and recessive genes conferring pod borer resistance seemed equally frequent in the desi type parental lines of medium maturity group. However, dominant genes were in overall excess in the parents of early and late maturity groups. In the kabuli medium maturity group, parents appeared to be genetically similar, possibly due to dispersion of genes conferring pod borer resistance and susceptibility, while their F1s were significantly different for pod borer damage. The association of genes conferring pod borer resistance and susceptibility in the parents could be attributed to the similarity of parents as well as their F1s for pod borer damage in kabuli early and late maturity groups. Grain yield was predominantly under the control of dominant gene action irrespective of the maturity groups in desi chickpea. In all the maturity groups, dominant and recessive genes were in equal frequency among the desi parental lines. Dominant genes, which tend to increase or decrease grain yield are more or less present in equal frequency in parents of the early maturity group, while in medium and late maturity groups, they were comparatively in unequal frequency in desi type. Unlike in desi chickpea, differential patterns of genetic components were observed in kabuli chickpea. While the dominant genetic component was important in early and late maturity group, additive gene action was involved in the inheritance of grain yield in medium duration group in kabuli chickpea. The dominant and recessive genes controlling grain yield are asymmetrically distributed in early and medium maturity groups in kabuli chickpea. The implications of the inheritance pattern of pod borer resistance and grain yield are discussed in the context of strategies to enhance pod borer resistance and grain yield in desi and kabuli chickpea cultivars

Performance Comparison of Static CMOS and Domino Logic Style in VLSI Design: A Review

Of late, there is a steep rise in the usage of handheld gadgets and high speed applications. VLSI designers often choose static CMOS logic style for low power applications. This logic style provides low power dissipation and is free from signal noise integrity issues. However, designs based on this logic style often are slow and cannot be used in high performance circuits. On the other hand designs based on Domino logic style yield high performance and occupy less area. Yet, they have more power dissipation compared to their static CMOS counterparts. As a practice, designers during circuit synthesis, mix more than one logic style judiciously to obtain the advantages of each logic style. Carefully designing a mixed static Domino CMOS circuit can tap the advantages of both static and Domino logic styles overcoming their own short comings