Star formation activity in the southern Galactic HII region G351.63-1.25

The southern Galactic high mass star-forming region, G351.6-1.3, is a HII region-molecular cloud complex with a luminosity of 2.0 x 10^5 L_sun, located at a distance of 2.4 kpc. In this paper, we focus on the investigation of the associated HII region, embedded cluster and the interstellar medium in the vicinity of G351.6-1.3. We address the identification of exciting source(s) as well as the census of stellar populations. The ionised gas distribution has been mapped using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), India at three continuum frequencies: 1280, 610 and 325 MHz. The HII region shows an elongated morphology and the 1280 MHz map comprises six resolved high density regions encompassed by diffuse emission spanning 1.4 pc x 1.0 pc. The zero age main-sequence (ZAMS) spectral type of the brightest radio core is O7.5. We have carried out near-infrared observations in the JHKs bands using the SIRIUS instrument on the 1.4 m Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF) telescope. The near-infrared images reveal the presence of a cluster embedded in nebulous fan-shaped emission. The log-normal slope of the K-band luminosity function of the embedded cluster is found to be 0.27 +- 0.03 and the fraction of the near-infrared excess stars is estimated to be 43%. These indicate that the age of the cluster is consistent with 1 Myr. The champagne flow model from a flat, thin molecular cloud is used to explain the morphology of radio emission with respect to the millimetre cloud and infrared brightness.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, To be published in MNRA

Radio and infrared study of the star forming region IRAS 20286+4105

A multi-wavelength investigation of the star forming complex IRAS 20286+4105, located in the Cygnus-X region, is presented here. Near-infrared K-band data is used to revisit the cluster / stellar group identified in previous studies. The radio continuum observations, at 610 and 1280 MHz show the presence of a HII region possibly powered by a star of spectral type B0 - B0.5. The cometary morphology of the ionized region is explained by invoking the bow-shock model where the likely association with a nearby supernova remnant is also explored. A compact radio knot with non-thermal spectral index is detected towards the centre of the cloud. Mid-infrared data from the Spitzer Legacy Survey of the Cygnus-X region show the presence of six Class I YSOs inside the cloud. Thermal dust emission in this complex is modelled using Herschel far-infrared data to generate dust temperature and column density maps. Herschel images also show the presence of two clumps in this region, the masses of which are estimated to be {\sim} 175 M{\sun} and 30 M{\sun}. The mass-radius relation and the surface density of the clumps do not qualify them as massive star forming sites. An overall picture of a runaway star ionizing the cloud and a triggered population of intermediate-mass, Class I sources located toward the cloud centre emerges from this multiwavelength study. Variation in the dust emissivity spectral index is shown to exist in this region and is seen to have an inverse relation with the dust temperature.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Environmental and social issues in coastal aquaculture

Aquaculture has grown rapidly in the recent years and has promise for further potential growth. This rapid expansion was possibly because of the growing demand for aquatic products and the failure of the global capture fishery, which has been exploited, to or beyond its potential. When the global catch statistics remains standstill between 80-100 million metric tons per year, the global aquaculture production is registering an overwhelming annual growth of 8-14% producing between 20-25 million tons per year. Of the aquaculture practices, coastal shrimp farming has registered the maximum growth of about 400% in the last decade. The two factors resulting to its boom were the increasing demand for Indian shrimp and the improved farming technique

CIFE-Status Paper on women in fisheries

Women depend on fishery resources for food, work, income and identity, especially, to nurture their children. Yet, they tend to have less control than men over these resources and the associated wealth. Initiatives in fisheries management and fisheries conservation are rarely scrutinized for their potential impacts on women. The World Wide Fund presented discussion on the proposal for a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) development, which is believed to share this weakness. The MSC ignores the complex realities of women's work, its diversity and the differing places they occupy in fish product markets. An examination is made for the implications of the proposed MSC by considering its potential impacts on access to fish and its consumption among different groups of women. (Neis, -B.l. 1996) Women participate in fisheries in different ways in different sectors

Effect of Hedging-Integrated Rule Curves on the Performance of the Pong Reservoir (India) During Scenario-Neutral Climate Change Perturbations

This study has evaluated the effects of improved, hedging-integrated reservoir rule curves on the current and climate-change-perturbed future performances of the Pong reservoir, India. The Pong reservoir was formed by impounding the snow- and glacial-dominated Beas River in Himachal Pradesh. Simulated historic and climate-change runoff series by the HYSIM rainfall-runoff model formed the basis of the analysis. The climate perturbations used delta changes in temperature (from 0° to +2 °C) and rainfall (from −10 to +10 % of annual rainfall). Reservoir simulations were then carried out, forced with the simulated runoff scenarios, guided by rule curves derived by a coupled sequent peak algorithm and genetic algorithms optimiser. Reservoir performance was summarised in terms of reliability, resilience, vulnerability and sustainability. The results show that the historic vulnerability reduced from 61 % (no hedging) to 20 % (with hedging), i.e., better than the 25 % vulnerability often assumed tolerable for most water consumers. Climate change perturbations in the rainfall produced the expected outcomes for the runoff, with higher rainfall resulting in more runoff inflow and vice-versa. Reduced runoff caused the vulnerability to worsen to 66 % without hedging; this was improved to 26 % with hedging. The fact that improved operational practices involving hedging can effectively eliminate the impacts of water shortage caused by climate change is a significant outcome of this study

Commodity diversification and geographic concentration of Indian seafood exports

Indian fisheries sector plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the country, in view of its potential contribution to national income, nutritional security, employment opportunities, social objectives and export earnings

Socio-economic parameters for impact assessment studies

Sorenson and McCreary defined coastal zone as the interface or transition zone where part of the land is affected by its proximity to the sea and where part of the ocean is affected by its proximity to the land in an area in which the processes depending on the interaction between land and sea are more intense. The coastal zone comprises a narrow strip of coastal low land and vast areas of coastal waters. It constitutes 10 percent of the oceans but more than 50 percent of the oceans biological productivity

Fruit and Vegetable Processing Sector in Bengal: Opportunities, Status and Challenges

Fruit and vegetable processing sector is one of the core segments under food processing in Bengal. Development of this sector is critically important to the expansion and diversification of state’s agricultural sector. It provides vital linkages and harnesses synergies between the two pillars of our economy, industry and agriculture. Bengal has huge potentials for the growth of this sector in the state. But such growth potentials are constrained by several factors. The processing of fruit and vegetable is still at a very low level in Bengal (2.8 per cent) as well as in India (2.2 per cent) against the highest post harvest losses (27 per cent). The main constraint lies behind this with infrastructure, technology, quality measurement and lack of farm-firm linkages. In view of the above facts this paper tries to examine the streangths of this particular sector in the state and highlighting on its existing constraints. The paper also made suggestions to achieve the future progress of this sector in Bengal