'Slippage' : The Bane of Rural Drinking Water Sector (A Study of Extent and Causes in Andhra Pradesh)

Slippage is one of the main bottlenecks of achieving full coverage of water and sanitation services in India. Slippage is the term often used to reflect unsustainable service delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, especially in rural areas. Off late slippage is attracting attention at the policy level though slippage is as old as the coverage of water supply services. This paper makes an attempt to identify the causes of slippage in a systematic manner. The broad objectives of the paper include : i) assess the extent of slippage at the national and state level; ii) identify the causes of slippage at various levels; and iii) provide some pointers for policy based on the analysis. The extent of slippage is quite substantial even at the aggregate level. The situation is alarming in some of the states where the extent of slippage is as high as 60 percent. Our analysis at the national, state and habitation levels suggests strongly that policy makers should look beyond the often repeated supply sided strategies. As evident from the experience of Andhra Pradesh, the demand side and governance factors play an equally, if not more, important role in addressing the sustainability issues. So far the experiences are that large investments in water sector would not automatically lead to increase in coverage. The sector also needs a sound policy and capacity so that money is spent effectively and leads to increased water security. The policy should also address resource sustainability and behavioural change goals instead of relying upon a one-sided target driven approach. These aspects are highlighted in the proposed guidelines and their effective implementation needs to be ensured.slippage, India, supply side strategies, policy

Failure of Aileron Control Cable in Ajeet Aircraft MK-E-2015

The Aileron control cable of an Ajeet aircraft was found snapped . On ootical and scanning electron microscopic examination, it was found that the majority of the strands of the cable had thinned due to excessive contact wear with a oulley and subsequently failed in tension

Multiple molecular targets mediated antioxidant activity, molecular docking, ADMET, QSAR and bioactivity studies of halo substituted urea derivatives of α-Methyl-l-DOPA

A series of novel α-methyl-l-DOPA urea derivatives viz., 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methyl-2-(3-halo/trifluoromethyl substituted phenyl ureido)propanoic acids (6a-e) have been synthesized from the reaction of α-methyl-l-DOPA (3) with various aryl isocyanates (4a-e) by using triethylamine (5, TEA) as a base catalyst in THF at reflux conditions. The synthesized compounds are structurally characterized by spectral (IR, 1H & 13C NMR and MASS) and elemental analysis studies and screened for their in-vitro antioxidant activity against DPPH, NO and H2O2 free radical scavenging assays and identified compounds 6c & 6d as potential antioxidants. The acquired in vitro results were correlated with the results of molecular docking, ADMET, QSAR and bioactivity studies performed for them and predicted that the recorded in silico binding affinities are in good correlation with the in vitro antioxidant activity results. The molecular docking analysis has comprehended the strong hydrogen bonding interactions of 6a-e with 1CB4, 1N8Q, 3MNG, 1OG5, 1DNU, 3NRZ, 2CDU, 1HD2 and 2HCK proteins of their respective SOD, LO, PRXS5, CP450, MP, XO, NO, PRY5 and HCK enzymes. This has sustained the effective binding of 6a-e and resulted in functional inhibition of selective aminoacid residues to be pronounced as multiple molecular targets mediated antioxidant potent compounds. In addition, the evaluated toxicology risks of 6a-e are identified with in the potential limits of drug candidates. The conformational analysis of 6c & 6d prominently infers that urea moiety uniting α-methyl-l-DOPA with halo substituted aryl units into a distinctive orientation to comply good structure-activity to inhibit the proliferation of reactive oxygen species in vivo

Sequencing Analysis of Genetic Loci for Resistance for Late Leaf Spot and Rust in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

The aim of this study was to identify candidate resistance genes for late leaf spot (LLS) and rust diseases in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). We used a double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq) technique based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) for genotyping analysis across the recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a susceptible line, TAG 24, and a resistant line, GPBD 4. A total of 171 SNPs from the ddRAD-Seq together with 282 markers published in the previous studies were mapped on a genetic map covering 1510.1 cM. Subsequent quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis revealed major genetic loci for LLS and rust resistance on chromosomes A02 and A03, respectively. Heterogeneous inbred family-derived near isogenic lines and the pedigree of the resistant gene donor, A. cardenasii Krapov. & W.C. Greg., including the resistant derivatives of ICGV 86855 and VG 9514 as well as GPBD 4, were employed for whole-genome resequencing analysis. The results indicated the QTL candidates for LLS and rust resistance were located in 1.4- and 2.7-Mb genome regions on A02 and A03, respectively. In these regions, four and six resistance-related genes with deleterious mutations were selected as candidates for LLS and rust resistance, respectively. These delimited genomic regions may be beneficial in breeding programs aimed at improving disease resistance and enhancing peanut productivity

Failure of a Tail Rotor Blade in a Helicopter

During a sortie in a Chetak helicopter, severe vibrations were experienced. On landing, it was . noticed that the outboard rib of a tail rotor blade and the rivets fastening the rib to the blade skin were missing . The skin made of an aluminiumcopper alloy was found torn off at some of the rivet holes. The skin had thinned and the rivet heads reduced in size due to erosion . Stress corrosion cracking .had set in on the skin near the rivet holes . Due to centrifugal forces and the already cracked skin near the rivet holes, the outboard rib with the rivets had been pulled out of the skin. The erosion of the rivet head could have also contributed to the failure

Failure of Cheetah Helicopter Body Structure at Mixing Unit Attachment

In Cheetah helicopters, the mixing unit assembly is a critical part of the flight control system. It is held thr fasteners to four lugs which are welded to two horizontal members of the tubular frame. The tubular frame is charged with nitrogen gas under pressure. Development of a crack in the tubular structure results in nitrogen gas leak which can be detect by a telltale indicator. In a few Cheetah helicopters flying at high altitudes, gas leakage at the welded joint of a Lug has been reported. One such joint was examined in detail. Microscopic examination confirmed the presence of a crack on the, tube wall, directly below the lug . Investigation revealed that the tube had cracked by fatigue due to excessive flexural load

Failure of Connecting Rod Bolts of a Prototype Engine

The report describes the analysis of failures of connecting rods of a prototype engine. These were made of EN 24 and Maraqing steels

Analysis of Swarf from Fuel Pump

Samples of swarf taken from the fuel pump of an aeroengine involved in a flying accident were analysed in the scanning electron microscope . The surface features and chemical composition of the metallic particles suggest that they might have come from the fuel tank itself which is made of an aluminium alloy containing copper, manganese and iron

Study of Whtte Patches on Nimonic 108 Turbine Blades

During heat treatment of Nimonic 108 turbine blades, white patches were formed on the aerofoil surface. Microstructure of the section through these patches indicated presence of chromium carbide precipitated along the grain boundaries. This is due to diffusion of carbon from the surface, at a high temperature for a prolonged time