Computational prediction of electrical and thermal properties of graphene and BaTiO3 reinforced epoxy nanocomposites

Graphene based materials e.g., graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and graphene nano platelets (GNP) as well as Barium titanate (BaTiO3) are emerging reinforcing agents which upon mixing with epoxy provides composite materials with superior mechanical, electrical and thermal properties as well as shielding against electromagnetic (EM) radiations. Inclusion of the aforementioned reinforcing agents has shown to improve the performance, however, the extent of improvement has remained uncertain. In this study, a computational modelling approach was adopted using COMSOL Multiphysics software in conjunction with Bayesian statistical analysis to investigate the effects of including various filler materials e.g. GO, RGO, GNP and BaTiO3 in influencing the direct current (DC) conductivity (σ), dielectric constant (ε) and thermal properties on the resulting epoxy polymer matrix composites. The simulation of epoxy composites were performed for different volume percentage of the filler materials by varying the geometry of the filler material. It was observed that the content of GO, RGO, GNPs and the thickness of graphene nanoplatelets can alter the DC conductivity, dielectric constant, and thermal properties of the epoxy matrix. The lower thickness of GNPs was found to offer the larger value of DC conductivity, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity than rest of the graphene nanocomposites, while, the RGO showed better dielectric constant value than neat epoxy, and GO, GNP nanocomposites. Similarly, BaTiO3 nanoparticles content and diameter were observed to alter the dielectric constant, DC conductivity and thermal properties of modified epoxy in several order magnitude than neat epoxy. In this way, the higher diameter particles of BaTiO3 showed better DC conductivity properties, dielectric constant value, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity. Moreover, this research provides guidance for further computational examination on the selection of GNP and BaTiO3 materials for the enhancement of the electrical and thermal properties of the epoxy matrix

Management of solid waste

Solid waste is a very common term used nowadays in the context of environmental problem. The use of conventional and non-renewable energy reserves causes huge amount of solid waste. In addition to this, rapid urbanization and population explosion cause the prob­lem more acute than ever before. Huge tonnes of solid waste are generated in urban areas specially in the indus­trial and metropolitan city. In rural areas also it is increas­ing day by day. A grim situation is ahead in near future due to disposal of solid waste and environmental pollu­tion. This is going to affect the quality of life in several ways if proper measures are not taken. The composition of solid waste depends on the population of cities, standard of living which changes with time. They usually contain the ingredients like bio­degradable, paper, plastics, glass and crockery, metals, coals, inerts and others

Capacity constraints of civil service leadership : an overview of the training and development of higher civil services in India

The dawn of independence for India in 1947 led to a flurry of activities by the government to expedite the process of modernisation and nation-building and the responsibility was promptly shouldered by the civil services of the day considered to be the steel frame known for its vigour, vitality, impartiality and effectiveness. Although the civil services were inexperienced in the concept of a welfare state, they have come out with flying colours both in stabilising the fluid and turbulent society, economy and polity and also propelling the growth and development from vanguard; all of which necessitated constant and continuous learning on the part of civil services through training and development activities. The research provides an overview of the role of training and development activities with specific reference to training institutions, training activities and training curriculum, of the higher civil services in India in enhancing their capacity in the formulation and execution of public policies and also critically focus the areas which have incapacitated the system as a whole in delivering public services to the citizens of the country. The article intends to bring out the issues pertaining to the needs of the civil servants in the era of a liberal and global world where the citizen expects better and qualitative services and the role that can be played by the training and development activities towards the fulfilment of the goals. The article discusses the content, pedagogy, effectiveness, review and the present state of training in civil services. The article endeavours to present the civil service training in India in international perspective and offers suggestions to make it relevant to the present day needs of a developmental state

Facile synthesis of mesoporous N doped zirconium titanium mixed oxide nanomaterial with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

The present paper deals with a hydrazine mediated synthesis of high surface area and thermally stable N-doped zirconium titanium mixed oxide with enhanced photocatalytic activity towards reduction of selenium (VI) to metallic Se0 under visible light. Materials were synthesized at pH ¼ 2 by varying the hydrazine concentration and characterized by XRD, TEM, BET method, XPS, Raman spectroscopy and UV-vis solid state spectra. Presence of low amount of zirconium oxide (10 wt%) helps in phase stabilization and maintains the porous structure even at higher calcinations temperature in comparison to that of pure titania. XPS spectrum justifies the presence of nitrogen and Ti3+ in the material due to the decomposition reaction of hydrazine. Hydrazine controls the nitrogen content, surface area and the formation of oxygen vacancy in the material. Investigation of metal oxide to hydrazine ratio on the overall surface properties and photocatalytic activity indicates that the 1 : 6 ratio is the optimum composition for the best result. Surface area and pore volume increases to 298 m2/g and 0.323 cm3/g. The obtained material (TiZr-6N-400) is found to reduce selenium (VI) to selenium (0) under visible light within only 45 min of reaction. Increased photocatalytic activity under visible light is mostly due to the synergistic effect of substantial nitrogen doping, high surface area and presence of oxygen vacancy

Sustainable organisation performance evaluation using balance scorecard and analytical hierarchical process

The present study uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Comprehensive method to evaluate the sustainable performance index with different sustainable dimensions on organisational performance measures. Limited integration methods available, inadequate exploration of sustainable dimensions, insufficient attention to key performance indicators, and lack of comparative studies have prompted the present study. This empirical study reveals that a balanced scorecard can be effectively applied to an aerospace organisation for sustainable performance evaluation. It is essential to select proper key performance indicators for a performance measuring system. This paper presents the study carried out on the sustainable performance evaluation in an aerospace organization in the Indian context and found the sustainability of the Organisation as moderate Level. The survey also identifies the Levels of different segments such as learning and growth, internal business, social and environmental dimensions, finance, customer dimension, etc. Suggestions are also included for the improvement of levels of various segments. The paper also covers the impact of locational differences or product segments on sustainable performance

New challenges in breeding chickpea under changing climate

Climate change is a continuous natural process leading to evolution of diverse flora and fauna. The variability thus created during process of evolution followed by selection of most fit by nature itself forms primary base for crop improvement programs. However, the industrialization led climate change in the present era has been witnessed in form of abrupt rise or drop in temperature, erratic or uneven and untimely rainfall resulting in floods and drought situations. This is a cause of concern as such changes have direct impact on food production. Since most of the pulse crops including chickpea is sensitive to such climate changes, there is need to define likely effects of climate change on chickpea crop and strategies to mitigate its impact on chickpea production and productivity. Among various abiotic and biotic stresses likely to emerge are deficient or high soil moisture, frequent and untimely rains leading to unseasonal flood like situations during winter season, extreme temperatures during different crop growth stages such as frost during vegetative stage, low or high temperature at reproductive stage leading to flower/pod drop and abrupt rise in temperature during vegetative stage leading to initiation of early flowering followed by sudden drop in temperature leading to flower or pod drop; excessive crop growth due to frequent untimely winter rains, higher incidence of root diseases (collar rot and wet root rot) due to high temperature and high soil moisture at early stage of crop growth, increased incidence of foliar diseases (botrytis gray mould, Ascochyta blight, Alternaria blight, stem rot etc.) due to excessive vegetative growth, and more aggression of weak pathogens causing dry root rot and collar rot are likely to cause huge damage to chickpea crop. Similarly, rise in atmospheric humidity at the time of flowering and podding stage may lead to higher activities of insect pests like gram pod borer, cut worm etc. Among various strategies to combat these challenges, strategies like screening of germplasm accessions to identify donors possessing traits of economic importance, diseases and insect pest resistance, tolerance to temperature extremities (cold and heat stress), frost, high or low soil moisture stress etc. will be of paramount importance. Careful screening of genetic resources (core or mini-core sets) including wild relatives and primitive landraces will become imperative. The mapping and tagging of gene(s) or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for imparting resistance/tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses and yield attributes will be desirable for targeted transfer of the required traits. Further, rapid generation advancement and integration of molecular markers in enhancing efficiency of selection methods will ensure desired improvement in chickpea