Total Radiated Power Measurement in an Uncalibrated Reverberation Chamber

With the increased use of wireless communication in recent years, the use of reverberation chamber (RC) has increased to a great extent. Reverberation chambers have been eminently used for EMC testing and shielding effectiveness. The environment it provides is very similar to the reverberant surroundings that antenna undergoes in real life use. An experiment to measure total radiated power of antenna, antenna efficiency and quality factor of chamber in indoor environment is proposed. This will make the measurement very simple and inexpensive as designing and calibration of chamber will not be needed. In this paper, we have used three different techniques to compare total radiated power, quality factor, Rician K factor and efficiency of a patch antenna measured in indoor environment with RC data. The three method used include plate stirring method and two time domain methods. The time domain methods use modulated pulse and Gaussian pulse respectively for the measurement. The antenna and chamber parameters are measured in the real time and the data matched well with the RC data for different techniques

BIPLOT ANALYSIS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SUPERIOR GENOTYPES IN A RECOMBINANT INBRED POPULATION OF WHEAT UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS

Physiological traits of wheat genotypes and their trait relation to drought conditions are important to identify the genotype in target environments. Thus, genotype selection should be based on multiple physiological traits in variable environments within the target region. This study was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University during rabi crop seasons 2012-13 and 2013-14 to study the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of wheat genotypes derived from traditional landraces and modern cultivars (C518/2*PBW343) based on various morpho-physiological traits. A total of 175 RILs were selected for this study based on various tolerance indices. The genotype by trait (GT) biplot analysis was applied to data from seven high-yielding RILs grown under irrigated (E1) and rainfed environments (E2). The GGE biplot explained 100% of the total variation for chlorophyll content, grain filling period, peduncle length, water-soluble carbohydrates, grain number, grain yield, and 95.1% for canopy temperature, 94.9% for thousand-grain weight. GT-biplots indicated that the relationships among the studied traits were not consistent across environments, but they facilitated visual genotype comparisons and selection in each environment. RIL 84 and RIL108 were close to the average environment (ideal genotype) for all traits studied except chlorophyll content. A well-performing genotype with great environmental stability is called an "ideal genotype. Among all entries, these genotypes performed well. Therefore, among the traits studied, grain filling period, peduncle length, canopy temperature, water soluble carbohydrates, and 1000 grain weight contributed to grain yield under a stress environment. Furthermore, it may be used as a donor material in breeding programs and QTLs mapping

‘It Takes Two Hands to Clap’: How Gaddi Shepherds in the Indian Himalayas Negotiate Access to Grazing

This article examines the effects of state intervention on the workings of informal institutions that coordinate the communal use and management of natural resources. Specifically it focuses on the case of the nomadic Gaddi shepherds and official attempts to regulate their access to grazing pastures in the Indian Himalayas. It is often predicted that the increased presence of the modern state critically undermines locally appropriate and community-based resource management arrangements. Drawing on the work of Pauline Peters and Francis Cleaver, I identify key instances of socially embedded ‘common’ management institutions and explain the evolution of these arrangements through dynamic interactions between individuals, communities and the agents of the state. Through describing the ‘living space’ of Gaddi shepherds across the annual cycle of nomadic migration with their flocks I explore the ways in which they have been able to creatively reinterpret external interventions, and suggest how contemporary arrangements for accessing pasture at different moments of the annual cycle involve complex combinations of the formal and the informal, the ‘traditional’ and the ‘modern’

Recent advances and viability in sustainable thermochemical conversion of sludge to bio-fuel production

Thermochemical methods are regarded as promising approach for managing sludge, that can achieve resources and energy recovery, volume reduction followed by efficient elimination of microorganisms. This review highlights an extensive description of the implementation of thermochemical technologies involving pyrolysis, gasification and hydrothermal liquefaction for valorisation of sludge into bio-fuel thus reducing the issues related to surplus generation and accumulation of sludge in environment affecting human health followed by rapid depletion of energy resources. The paper addresses working mechanism of thermochemical processes, their implementation for sludge conversion to bio-fuel and common factors affecting the process efficiency. Various studies have proved possible potential of thermochemical techniques for conversion of sludge to bio-fuel obtaining a high yield of bio-fuel and syngas. However, few technical challenges are still there that requires further studies and understanding for a better commercialization on industrial-scale and subsequently the future perspectives have also been analysed. Data collected from existing studies revealed that hydrothermal liquefaction has the efficiency to be proved better than other thermochemical technologies for proper valorisation of sludge resulting in high bio-fuel yield

Youth futures and a masculine development ethos in the regional story of Uttarakhand

Research on the Uttarakhand region, which became a new state in 2000, has focused largely on agrarian livelihoods, religious rituals, development demands, ecological politics and the role of women in regional social movements. This essay discusses another dimension of the regional imaginary—that of a masculine development ethos. Based on ethnographic research and print media sources, this essay focuses on stories, politics, mobilities and imaginations of young men in the years immediately after the achievement of statehood. Despite increased outmigration of youth in search of employment, many young men expressed the dream of maintaining livelihoods in the familiar towns and rural spaces of Uttarakhand, describing their home region as a source of power and agency. In rallies and in print media, young (mostly upper caste) men expressed their disillusionment with the government and the promises of statehood, arguing that their aspirations for development and employment were left unfulfilled. Gendered stories of the region, told in Hindi in rallies and print media, contained references to local places, people and historical events and were produced through local connections and know-how, fostering a regional youth politics. The article argues that Uttarakhand as a region is shaped by the politics of local actors as well as embodied forms of aspiration, affiliation and mobility.IS

Introduction: reconsidering the region in India: mobilities, actors and development politics

In this introduction to a special issue on ‘Reconsidering the Region in India’, we aim to develop a synthetic and theoretically nuanced account of the multifarious ways in which the idea of region has been imbricated in diverse spatial, political, cultural and socio-economic configurations. We draw from various bodies of anthropological, geographic and historical literature to elaborate on three themes that we believe are central to understanding contemporary processes of region-making in India: trans-regional mobilities and connections; the actors who produce and perform regional imaginaries; and changing regional politics of development.IS

Women, literacy and health: comparing health and education sectoral approaches in Nepal

Functional adult literacy interventions have been regarded for many decades by policy makers as an effective way of imparting health knowledge. Supported by research on the statistical relationships between women’s literacy rates and health indicators, this dominant policy discourse is based on assumptions that non-literate women lack understanding and confidence, and that formal programmes and institutions constitute the main sites of learning. Proposing a broader conceptualisation of literacy as a social practice and of health as connected with social justice, this article draws on policy analysis and the authors’ earlier research in Nepal to re-examine the relationship between gender, literacy and health. By comparing health and literacy approaches used within the education and health sectors and taking account of new and indigenous informal learning practices, the article points to ways of investigating the complex interaction of factors that influence inequalities in gender and health at community level

Exploring synergies and trade-offs among the sustainable development goals: collective action and adaptive capacity in marginal mountainous areas of India

Global environmental change (GEC) threatens to undermine the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Smallholders in marginal mountainous areas (MMA) are particularly vulnerable due to precarious livelihoods in challenging environments. Acting collectively can enable and constrain the ability of smallholders to adapt to GEC. The objectives of this paper are: (i) identify collective actions in four MMA of the central Indian Himalaya Region, each with differing institutional contexts; (ii) assess the adaptive capacity of each village by measuring livelihood capital assets, diversity, and sustainable land management practices. Engaging with adaptive capacity and collective action literatures, we identify three broad approaches to adaptive capacity relating to the SDGs: natural hazard mitigation (SDG 13), social vulnerability (SDG 1, 2 and 5), and social–ecological resilience (SDG 15). We then develop a conceptual framework to understand the institutional context and identify SDG synergies and trade-offs. Adopting a mixed method approach, we analyse the relationships between collective action and the adaptive capacity of each village, the sites where apparent trade-offs and synergies among SDGs occur. Results illustrate each village has unique socio-environmental characteristics, implying distinct development challenges, vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities exist. Subsequently, specific SDG synergies and trade-offs occur even within MMA, and it is therefore crucial that institutions facilitate locally appropriate collective actions in order to achieve the SDGs. We suggest that co-production in the identification, prioritisation and potential solutions to the distinct challenges facing MMA can increase understandings of the specific dynamics and feedbacks necessary to achieve the SDGs in the context of GEC