Some factors affecting the results in cyclic triaxial tests

A major cause of damage to structures and earth embankments during earthquakes or any other such dynamic vibrating loading conditions has been the liquefaction of saturated sands. There have been several investigations to establish a convenient and relatively simple laboratory test procedure and to study the nature of field conditions leading to sand liquefaction. This investigation evaluates the effects of sample size, testing frequency, and the method of sample preparation on the number of cycles to cause initial liquefaction in pulsating triaxial tests using standardized equipment and test procedures. It has been found that sample size does affect test results as larger diameter samples tend to give a lower dynamic strength for sand. Also, higher pore pressures are generated in larger diameter samples for the same number of stress applications. There is an indication that a higher frequency of loading also produces a lower strength, but this is not considered to be conclusive due to very limited data. On the other hand, it is found that the method of sample preparation does not affect the test results if the variables of sample preparation such as relative density, homogenity, grainsize distribution, and the degree of saturation are maintained reasonably constant --Abstract, page ii

Impact of Nitrogen Nutrition through Organic and Inorganic Sources of Fertilizer on Growth Phenology and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The field experiment was conducted at wheat research farm of CCS Haryana Agriculture University during Rabi season of 2019-20 to study nitrogen nutrition through organic and inorganic source of fertilizer on growth phenology, yield and quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications containing 16 treatments combination i.e T1-Control; T2-100% RDN through urea; T3- 100% RDN through FYM; T4-100% RDN through vermicompost; T5-50% RDN through urea+ 50% RDN through FYM; T6-50% RDN through urea+ 50% RDN through vermicompost; T7-25% RDN through urea+ 75% RDN through FYM; T8-25% RDN through urea 75% RDN through vermicompost; T9-100% RDN through urea + Azotobacter; T10-100% RDN through FYM + Azotobacter; T11-100% RDN through vermicompost + Azotobacter; T12-50% RDN through urea+ 50% RDN through FYM + Azotobacter; T13-50% RDN through urea+ 50% RDN through vermicompost + Azotobacter; T14-25% RDN through urea+ 75% RDN through FYM + Azotobacter; T15-25% RDN through urea+ 75% RDN through vermicompost + Azotobacter; T16- Azotobacter. Treatment T9, 100% nitrogen nutrition through chemical fertilizer (urea) with seed treatment of Azotobacter has taken significantly maximum days to emergence (5.3). Days taken to 50% spike emergence (94.7) and days taken to maturity (148.0) respectively. Similarly T9 had significantly higher grain yield (5640 kg/ha), hectoliter weight (83.167 kg/ha), grain appearance score (7.933 scale/10) and protein content (12.90 %) of wheat during the research period respectively. View Article DOI: 10.47856/ijaast.2021.v08i12.00

Post Harvest Technology of Papaya Fruits and It’S Value Added Products-A Review

Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is considered one of the most important pests in agriculture globally. As it is a polypahgous pest and infests more than 180 plants, it causes huge economic loss annually. It is a native to India and is widely distributed throughout the country. Agriculturists have taken several measures to control this pest. Earlier methods include the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. In recent times, more attention is being paid to the biological control methods such as use of natural enemies, pheromones, neuropeptides, development of transgenic crops, RNA interference technology etc. These methods though have faced some challenges in implementation but are safe, sustainable and mostly species specific. Here, we have discussed the chemical and biological methods that have been used in the past or are currently in practice. We have also discussed some of quite recent but promising technologies which in future can be developed as a tool for the control of Helicoverpa armigera

Post Harvest Technology of Papaya Fruits and It’S Value Added Products-A Review

Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is considered one of the most important pests in agriculture globally. As it is a polypahgous pest and infests more than 180 plants, it causes huge economic loss annually. It is a native to India and is widely distributed throughout the country. Agriculturists have taken several measures to control this pest. Earlier methods include the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. In recent times, more attention is being paid to the biological control methods such as use of natural enemies, pheromones, neuropeptides, development of transgenic crops, RNA interference technology etc. These methods though have faced some challenges in implementation but are safe, sustainable and mostly species specific. Here, we have discussed the chemical and biological methods that have been used in the past or are currently in practice. We have also discussed some of quite recent but promising technologies which in future can be developed as a tool for the control of Helicoverpa armige

Post Harvest Technology of Papaya Fruits and It’S Value Added Products-A Review

Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is considered one of the most important pests in agriculture globally. As it is a polypahgous pest and infests more than 180 plants, it causes huge economic loss annually. It is a native to India and is widely distributed throughout the country. Agriculturists have taken several measures to control this pest. Earlier methods include the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. In recent times, more attention is being paid to the biological control methods such as use of natural enemies, pheromones, neuropeptides, development of transgenic crops, RNA interference technology etc. These methods though have faced some challenges in implementation but are safe, sustainable and mostly species specific. Here, we have discussed the chemical and biological methods that have been used in the past or are currently in practice. We have also discussed some of quite recent but promising technologies which in future can be developed as a tool for the control of Helicoverpa armigera

Comparison of 2D and 3D gamma evaluation method in patient specific intensity-modulated radiotherapy quality assurance

Background: In this study we have compared 2D and 3D gamma pass percentage for a variety of acceptance criteria for 40 step-and-shoot IMRT (intensity-modulated radiotherapy) plans. Methods: Treatment planning was done for 40 patient including head and neck, abdomen and pelvis simulated on the Siemens Healthcare GmBH CT simulator with images of 3 mm slice thickness using treatment planning system (TPS) (Monaco Version 5.11.03, Elekta medical system) using Monte Carlo algorithm. The gamma evaluation was done using PTW VeriSoft 8.1 which allowed us to perform 2D and 3D gamma index calculation, slice-by-slice comparison of measured and calculated dose distributions, measured dose was compared against the calculated DICOMRT dose on the OCTAVIUS 3D phantom from TPS. Results: The average 3D and 2D gamma passing in coronal planes were 96.61±0.45% and 96.27±0.78% for 5 mm/5% criteria, 93.74±4.17% and 91.9±4.88% for 3 mm/3% criteria, 85.83±7.58% and 82.41±8.06% for 2 mm/2% criteria and 62.8±9.42% and 59.18±9.52% for 1 mm/1% criteria respectively for all cases. The average gamma passing rate for 3D gamma analysis was 0.35%, 1.97 %, 3.97% and 5.78% higher when compared with 2D coronal planar analyses for 5 mm/5%, 3 mm/3%, 2 mm/2% and 1 mm/1% DTA criteria respectively. Conclusions: It is concluded in the study that 3 D gamma passing rate is higher compared to 2D gamma passing for head and neck, abdomen and pelvis cases

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve the Follow-up Rate for Children With Visual Disabilities in an Eye Hospital in Nepal: Nonrandomized Study

Background: Monitoring ocular morbidity among pediatric patients requires regular follow-up visits. We found that the follow-up rate was poor among children in our setting. Therefore, we intended to assess the effectiveness of 2 interventions—(1) counseling and (2) SMS text messaging and phone calls—to improve the follow-up rates. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 interventions, counseling and SMS and phone calls group, as well as a routine standard care for improving the follow-up rate of pediatric patients. Methods: A Nonrandomized, quasiexperimental design was used. Children (aged 0-16 years) with ocular conditions requiring at least 3 follow-up visits during the study period were included. A total of 264 participants were equally allocated to the 3 intervention groups of (1) counseling, (2) SMS and phone calls, and (3) routine standard care group. A 20-minute counseling session by a trained counselor with the provision of disease-specific leaflets were given to those in the counseling group. For the second intervention group, parents of children received an SMS text 3 days before and a phone call 1 day before their scheduled follow-up visits. Participants allocated for the routine standard care group were provided with the existing services with no additional counseling and reminders. Participants attending 3 follow-ups within 2 days of the scheduled visit date were considered compliant. The difference in and among the proportion of participants completing all 3 follow-up visits in each group was assessed. Results: The demographic characteristics of the participants were similar across the study groups. Only 3% (8/264) of participants completed all 3 follow-up visits, but overall compliance with the follow-up, as defined by the investigators, was found to be only 0.76% (2/264). There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of follow-up between the intervention groups. However, the proportion of participants attending the first and second follow-ups, as well as the overall total number of follow-ups, was more in the SMS and phone-call group followed by the counseling group. Conclusions: We did not find any evidence on the effectiveness of our interventions to improve the follow-up rate. The primary reason could be that this study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. It could also be possible that the intensity of the interventions may have influenced the outcomes. A rigorously designed study during the absence of any lockdown restrictions is warranted to evaluate intervention effectiveness. The study also provides useful insights and highlights the importance of designing and systematically developing interventions for improving the follow-up rate and ensuring a continuum of care to children with visual disabilities in Nepal and similar contexts. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04837534; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04837534 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/3157

Soil conservation issues in India

Despite years of study and substantial investment in remediation and prevention, soil erosion continues to be a major environmental problem with regard to land use in India and elsewhere around the world. Furthermore, changing climate and/or weather patterns are exacerbating the problem. Our objective was to review past and current soil conservation programmes in India to better understand how production-, environmental-, social-, economic- and policy-related issues have affected soil and water conservation and the incentives needed to address the most critical problems. We found that to achieve success in soil and water conservation policies, institutions and operations must be co-ordinated using a holistic approach. Watershed programmes have been shown to be one of the most effective strategies for bringing socio-economic change to different parts of India. Within both dryland and rainfed areas, watershed management has quietly revolutionized agriculture by aligning various sectors through technological soil and water conservation interventions and land-use diversification. Significant results associated with various watershed-scale soil and water conservation programmes and interventions that were effective for reducing land degradation and improving productivity in different parts of the country are discussed

Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results: GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions: GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future