Surface measurements of atmospheric electrical conductivity at Jnanabharathi Campus, Bengaluru (12.96° N, 77.56° E)

Simultaneous measurements of the atmospheric electrical conductivity (σ) and meteorological parameters were carried out at Jnanabharathi campus, Bangalore University (an urban station), Bengaluru, (12.96° N, 77.56° E) for the first time.  Gerdien condenser setup for σ and mini boundary layer mast (micro meteorological tower) for weather parameters was used in this study.  The observations show that the change in daily and weekly variations of σ is strong dependent of activity of Radon (222Rn) gas and meteorological parameters (which defines the stability of the lower troposphere), respectively.  We observed significant influences of atmospheric convective instability on the σ and a negative correlation of -0.56 was found between σ and accumulated rain fall for 2014.  The average σ for the study period was found to be 4.02 ± 0.02 x 10-14 S/m with higher values during winter compared to summer and monsoon.   In future it is planned to use the air conductivity measurements for atmospheric stability, pollution and climate change studies

A review on natural gamma radiation dose levels and its health effects

Exposure to the natural background gamma radiations in both indoor and outdoor environments is inevitable. The long-term exposure to such radiations could result in lung cancer (sometimes leukaemia, CNS tumours); and hence it must be constantly monitored. In this paper, an attempt is made to review the background natural gamma radiation doses reported at various locations for the south Indian environment and it was found that the gamma levels in coastal regions were relatively higher than those in sub continental locations but in most of the locations the annual effective dose rate was within the permissible limits as per UNSCEA

Activity of radon (222Rn) in the lower atmospheric surface layer of a typical rural site in south India

Analysis of one year measurements of in situ radon (222Rn) and its progenies along with surface air temperature, relative humidity and pressure near to the Earth’s surface has been carried out for the first time at the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL, 13.5∘N and 79.2∘E) located in a rural site in Gadanki, south India. The dataset was analysed to understand the behaviour of radon in relation to the surface air temperature and relative humidity at a rural site. It was observed that over a period of the 24 hours in a day, the activity of radon and its progenies reaches a peak in the morning hours followed by a remarkable decrease in the afternoon hours. Relatively, a higher concentration of radon was observed at NARL during fair weather days, and this can be attributed to the presence of rocky hills and dense vegetation surrounding the site. The high negative correlation between surface air temperature and activity of radon (R = – 0.70, on an annual scale) suggests that dynamical removal of radon due to increased vertical mixing is one of the most important controlling processes of the radon accumulation in the atmospheric surface layer. The annual averaged activity of radon was found to be 12.01±0.66 Bq m−3 and 4.25±0.18 Bq m−3 for its progenies, in the study period

Electrical Conductivity of the Atmosphere over an Urban Location

The simultaneous measurements of atmospheric electrical conductivity and meteorological parameters during 2015 over an urban location were carried out, and their variations are presented. During fair weather days, the variations in air conductivity show a pronounced diurnal trend with early morning hour maxima and afternoon minima. A significant Pearson’s correlation coefficient was found between measured atmospheric electrical conductivity and most meteorological parameters; among them, the highest positive correlation of 0.79 was observed for relative humidity, and a negative correlation of 0.81, with wind speed. The trend in the variation of conductivity followed the activity of Radon over a day. The diurnally averaged monthly variations clearly show higher air conductivity values during winter months, and lowest, in monsoon months. A well-defined seasonal variation was observed, with the highest in winter and the lowest during the monsoon season. The results show that the correlation of air conductivity with meteorological parameters is strong and valid only when the atmosphere is stable, i.e., during the winter season. For 2015, the mean positive conductivity was 1.23 × 10−14 Ω−1 m−1, while the mean negative conductivity was 2.13 × 10−14 Ω−1 m−1, with a mean conductivity of 3.35 × 10−14 Ω−1 m−1 over Bengaluru. The measured air conductivity values are identical to those found in other similar conditions

Variation of Radon Progeny Concentration over a Continental Location

Background: The variation of the radon progeny concentration in outdoor environment and meteorological parameters at fine resolution were studied for one year at a continental location, National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Gadanki, India.Materials and Methods: The concentrations were measured using Alpha Progeny Meter by collecting air samples at a height of 1 m above the Earth’s surface at a known flow rate. Results: Radon progeny concentration shows temporal variations on diurnal and monthly scales, and is due to mixing in the atmosphere. Peak in the early morning hours and low values during afternoon compared to nighttime are due to differential heat contrast between earth’s surface and its atmosphere. However, the activity during February shows maximum compared to June/July months.The diurnal variation of radon progeny shows positive correlation with the relative humidity and negative correlation with ambient temperature.The monthly mean activity of radon progeny for the year 2012 was found to be 4.76 ± 0.73 mWL. Conclusion: The mean concentration of radon progeny in the study region is relatively high compared to the other locations in India and may be due to the rocky terrains and trapping of air-masses near the observation site due to its topography

3D Printing: The Dawn of a New Era in Manufacturing

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images, typically with ink on paper using a print press.3D printing is method of converting a virtual 3D model into a physical object from a digital file. It is achieved using Additive Process, where an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.3D printing could revolutionize and reshape the world. Advances in 3D printing technology can significantly change and improve the manufacturing world with effects on energy use, waste reduction, customization, product availability, medicine, art, construction and science. By using this technology it becomes easier to transmit designs for new objects around the world

Surface measurements of atmospheric electrical conductivity at Jnanabharathi campus, Bengaluru (12.96° N, 77.56° E)

57-63Simultaneous measurements of the atmospheric electrical conductivity and meteorological parameters were carried out during January-December 2014 at Jnanabharathi campus, Bangalore University (urban station), Bengaluru, (12.96° N, 77.56°E), Karnataka for the first time. Gerdien condenser and mini boundary layer mast (micro meteorological tower) were used to study the variation of electrical conductivity and meteorological parameters. The observations show that the change in daily and weekly variations of conductivity is strong dependent of activity of Radon (222Rn) gas and meteorological parameters that defines the stability of the lower troposphere. Significant influence of atmospheric convective instability on conductivity was observed. The negative correlation of 0.56 was found between conductivity and rain for the year 2014. The average conductivity for the study period was found to be 4.02 ± 0.02 x 10-14 S/m, with higher values during the winter as compared to summer and monsoon seasons. The atmospheric air conductivity measurements may be used to study the atmospheric stability, pollution and climate change studies

Ethnopharmacology of Some Important Medicinal Plants of Nanda Devi National Park (NDNP) Uttarakhand, India

Abstract: Ethnopharmacology deals with the applied aspects of plants and has been emerged as an important discipline of traditional botany with modern sciences. With the increasing demands of vegetational resources in developing world, it has been attracted much attention in recent past. The paper presents few of the important medicinal plants present in alpine and sub alpine regions of core and buffer zone of Nanda Devi National Park (NDNP), district Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Since inhabitants and tribal communities have strong faith and belief in Indigenous Health Care system, they have been interviewed along with herbal practitioners, priests and shepherds during the entire study. Establishing small scale industry on medicinal plants may be helpful in capacity building of unprivileged inhabitants of this remote region. [Nature and Science 2010;8(11):9-14]. (ISSN: 1545-0740). Key words: medicinal plants; folk recipes; NDNP, U.K. Introduction The Nanda Devi National Park is the first and foremost highly valued core of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It has an area of 624.6 sq. km. and has an average altitude exceeding 4500 m asl surrounded by high mountain ridges and peaks on all sides. Some of the important peaks encircling the National Park are Dunagiri (7066 m), Rishi Pahar (6992 m), Mangraon (6765 m), Nanda Khat (6631 m), Maiktoli (6803 m), Mrigthuni (6655 m), Trishul I-II (7120-6319m), Nanda Devi (7817 m), Devisthan I-II (6529 -6678 m) and Hanuman Peaks (6070 m), situated in the park. The park is situated in the form of a cup, with lush-green meadows, cluttering white water falls, and rich wild flora and fauna Ethno-medicinal plants, as a group, comprise approximately 8000 species and account for about 50% of all the higher flowering plant species in India. A large number of the country's rural population depends on medicinal plants for treating various illnesse