Groundnut plant ash: Characterisation and adsorption efficacy study for removal of paraquat dichloride

35-42For the first time combustion residue of agricultural waste i.e. groundnut plant is characterized in detail and explored as an adsorbent for removal of chlorinated herbicide, paraquat. The study investigates the chemical, physical, mineralogical, and morphological characteristics of GPA (Groundnut Plant Ash) adsorbent produced using groundnut plant. GPA has been characterized using the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to determine the functional groups, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to examine the surface morphology of the carbon. Batch adsorption is performed by varying adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and contact time. Result shows that the kinetic models mainly the pseudo-second order and Elovich model had the best fit. The equilibrium data are analyzed using different isotherm models. The adsorption capacity of GPA for paraquat removal is found 265.71 mg/m2  which is the highest reported value

Epidemiology of Burn Deaths in Aurangabad Region, India

Background: Amongst all discoveries by men, barely few like cultivation of soil, speech and writing, have borne such significant developments as has finding out how to make fire. From the discovery of fire and its tremendous force, manufacturing, transportation and practically all phases of modern industrial life emerged out. Burns are injuries often produced by contact with dry heat, such as flame, radiation, or some solid heated material like metal or glass to the body.Methods: This study was conducted prospectively on 325 cases of death due to burns in the period from January 2010 to December 2010.Results: Hindu married females belonging to rural background were most common victims of burns. Maximum cases were observed in the evening with involvement of cooking apparatus most of the time.Conclusion: The present study has findings more or less consistent with the findings of the other Indian studies. Rising incidences of burns can be prevented by awareness and education about the hazards of fire and safety measures also upgrade of social and educational standards of population

Season-wise length-weight relationship and relative condition factor of Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822) at Narmada estuary, Gujarat, India

635-638Length-weight relationship and relative condition factor of T. ilisha was conducted for one year (2014-15) at Narmada estuary, Gujarat, India. Fish samples were collected from Bharuch, Bhadbhut, Mehgam and Ambetha landing sites covering 72 km of estuarine stretch. Two distinct fishing seasons were observed at Narmada estuary, viz., June-October and January-March, though the bulk of the harvest comes from monsoon season. A total of 312 fish samples were collected, 270 during monsoon and 42 during the winter season. The mean length and weight were recorded 35.37±11.36 cm and 625.83±39.81 g during monsoon and 36.84±3.82 cm and 537.44 ± 17.45 g during the winter season. The ‘b’ value was found to be 3.07 and 2.76 and relative condition factor was 1.02 and 1.01 during monsoon and winter seasons, respectively

Ultrafast modulation of the chemical potential in BaFe2As2 by coherent phonons

Time- and angle-resolved extreme ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the electronic structure dynamics in BaFe2As2 around the high-symmetry points Γ and M. A global oscillation of the Fermi level at the frequency of the A1g(As) phonon mode is observed. It is argued that this behavior reflects a modulation of the effective chemical potential in the photoexcited surface region that arises from the high sensitivity of the band structure near the Fermi level to the A1g(As) phonon mode combined with a low electron diffusivity perpendicular to the layers. The results establish a novel way to tune the electronic properties of iron pnictides: coherent control of the effective chemical potential. The results further suggest that the equilibration time for the effective chemical potential needs to be considered in the ultrafast electronic structure dynamics of materials with weak interlayer coupling. © 2014 American Physical Society

Interaction Between The Broad-lined Type Ic Supernova 2012ap and Carriers of Diffuse Interstellar Bands

The diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are absorption features observed in optical and near-infrared spectra that are thought to be associated with carbon-rich polyatomic molecules in interstellar gas. However, because the central wavelengths of these bands do not correspond with electronic transitions of any known atomic or molecular species, their nature has remained uncertain since their discovery almost a century ago. Here we report on unusually strong DIBs in optical spectra of the broad-lined Type Ic supernova SN 2012ap that exhibit changes in equivalent width over short (~30 days) timescales. The 4428 and 6283 Angstrom DIB features get weaker with time, whereas the 5780 Angstrom feature shows a marginal increase. These nonuniform changes suggest that the supernova is interacting with a nearby source of the DIBs and that the DIB carriers possess high ionization potentials, such as small cations or charged fullerenes. We conclude that moderate-resolution spectra of supernovae with DIB absorptions obtained within weeks of outburst could reveal unique information about the mass-loss environment of their progenitor systems and provide new constraints on the properties of DIB carriers.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ