Quality analysis of groundwater and surface water bodies around the selected brick kilns in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar Districts in Punjab, India

Brick production is a business that benefits many people, such as providing building materials, employment, and interest to the business owners. However, it has been associated with many adverse impacts various components of ecosystem.Thepresent studyaimed to determine the impact of isolated brick kilns onthe pollution levelof water bodies in Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar Districts of Punjab, India. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters of water were evaluated. The results revealed that the isolated brick kilns partially impacted the water bodies, as the concentration of heavy metals waspresent in surface water near the study area. Parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC), Turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), Chloride (Cl), alkalinity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) estimated for surface water samples showed high contamination levels, except for pH, which was acidic (6.2) for surface water. The groundwater was alkaline with pH estimated to be 7.6. The alkalinity and COD levels of groundwater were 693.3 mg/l and 12.4,respectively, as the peak values, and both values were beyond the permissible limits for drinking water. Total coliforms were present in all samples at low health risk (13/15), except two surface water ponds, which showed a health risk. One-third of groundwater was highly contaminated by Escherichia coli, whereas only one of the twelve samples was contaminated withE.coli. The changes of all estimated water parameters in groundwater with distance did not follow any spatial pattern. They could partially be attributed to the lithology of the soil and prominent agricultural activities in the region. The WQI was highly influenced by heavy metals, notably arsenic (As) from both lithologic and brick kilns' origins and lead (Pb) from burning fuels in the brick kilns.

Randomized Phase III Trial Comparing Epirubicin/ Doxorubicin Plus Docetaxel and Epirubicin/ Doxorubicin Plus Paclitaxel as First Line Treatment in Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

This study aimed to examine the efficacy of docetaxel plus epirubicin against docetaxel plus capecitabine as first-line therapy for women with advanced breast cancer (ABC). Patients with ABC who had not been treated in the past were split into two groups: those who received docetaxel and epirubicin (DE) on day 1 and those who received docetaxel and capecitabine (DC) on day 1 and twice daily on days 1-14 of each 21-day cycle. Prior neoadjuvant treatment with anthracyclines was permitted if it had been finished more than a year prior to enrolment. The study\u27s major aim was to evaluate the difference in time to disease progression (TTP). Median TTP for DE was 10.6 months and for DC it was 11.0 months (P = 0.7), with each arm treating 170 women. Using the RECIST criterion, we found that the rates of complete responses were higher in DC (61%) than in DE (11%), and that the rates of partial responses were lower in DC (40%) than in DE (45%) (P = 0.8). Grade 3-4 neutropenia was more common with DE than DC (57% vs. 46%, P = 0.07), as were febrile neutropenia (11% vs. 8%, P = 0.4), hand-foot syndrome (0% vs. 4%, P = 0.02), grade 2-3 anemia (20% vs. 7%, P = 0.001), and asthenia (12% vs. 6%, P = 0.09)

Pengaruh Kondisi Sosial Ekonomi Masyarakat terhadap Tingkat Kapasitas Masyarakat dalam Merespon Wabah Covid-19 di Lingkungan Permukiman

Dalam memberikan gambaran kondisi nyata dalam menghadapi dan memutus penyebaran wabah covid-19 di lingkungan permukiman, kapasitas masyarakat menjadi faktor yang sangat penting untuk diketahui. Dengan metode survey dan pendekatan statistik deskriptif, penelitian ini mencoba untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian yang telah ditetapkan yaitu bagaimana pengaruh kondisi masyarakat, berdasarkan aspek sosial ekonomi, terhadap tingkat kapasitasnya dalam merespon wabah Covid-19 di lingkungan permukiman, dengan studi kasus Kelurahan Bojong Nangka dan Kelurahan Kelapa Dua, Kabupaten Tangerang. Berdasarkan hasil analisis, diketahui tingkat kapasitas masyarakat dalam merespon wabah Covid-19 didominasi oleh tingkat tinggi dan sebagian kecil tingkat sedang. Artinya, secara individu ataupun sosial, masyarakat di Kelurahan Bojong Nangka dan Kelurahan Kelapa Dua tersebut dinilai mampu mengantisipasi dan beradaptasi terhadap kondisi wabah covid-19 yang sedang terjadi. Diketahui juga bahwa faktor umur, jenis kelamin, tingkat pendidikan, dan jenis pekerjaan tidak memiliki hubungan dengan tingkat kapasitas masyarakat dalam merespon wabah covid-19 di lingkungan permukiman. Keluaran ini diharapkan dapat menjadi informasi awal bagi stakeholder dalam menyusun strategi pencegahan perluasan wabah covid-19

Blasting technique for stabilizing accidentprone slope for sustainable railway route

Konkan Railway has many unstable slopes along the 741 km long route from Roha to Thokur in the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka in India. Frequent cases of boulder fall, slope failure and landslide used to occur on the track during the rainy season. Such cases have resulted in several severe train accidents, traffic interruptions, loss of lives and assets. Hence the Konkan Railway Corporation deployed several geotechnical measures such as wire-netting, retaining wall, rock bolting and shotcreting for stability enhancement. However, none of these measures proved effective and accidents continued. Finally, the Konkan Railway Corporation decided to redesign the cut-slopes using blasting. Excavation of hard rock for its removal without damaging the existing track (2– 3 m away from the slope) and disrupting the traffic, was a daunting task. An unplanned blast would have resulted in the closure of the route for hours. The present study explains the method in which entire cutting was redesigned by formation of 5 to 2 m wide berms at an interval of 6 m bench height from rail track level using novel direction controlled blasting technique. Further, stability of the cut-slope, before and after exacavation, has been determined using kinematic analysis and 3D numerical modelling. Similar technique can be adopted to widen or stabilize an active transportation route in hills

Predicting Blast-Induced Ground Vibrations in Some Indian Tunnels: a Comparison of Decision Tree, Artificial Neural Network and Multivariate Regression Methods

The present study compares three different techniques (decision tree, artificial neural network and multivariate regression analysis) for predicting blast-induced ground vibrations in some Indian tunnelling projects. The performance of these models was also compared to site-specific conventional predictor equations. A database consisting of 137 vibration records was randomly divided into training and testing sets for model generation. Eight input parameters (total charge, tunnel cross-section, maximum charge per delay, number of holes, hole diameter, distance from blasting face, hole depth and charge per hole) were selected for model development using bivariate correlation analysis. Results indicated that the decision tree is best suited for predicting vibrations. The decision tree further suggested that the intensity of near-field ground vibrations is mainly affected by total charge fired in a round, whereas the intensity of far-field vibrations is governed by maximum charge per delay and charge per hole. Conventional ground vibration predictors and machine learning techniques such as neural networks do not depict the relationship between input and output parameters. However, the present study substantiates that the decision tree can be a good tool for precise prediction of ground vibrations. Further, the decision tree can classify and relate different blast design parametersfor refining blast designs to control ground vibrations on site

Agro-metrological investigation of bumper apple productivity in Himachal Pradesh, India

The study aimed to investigate the productivity and weather relationship for the apple growing areas of Himachal Pradesh viz., Kalpa, Bhuntar and Shimla in district Kinnaur, Kullu and Shimla, respectively. The results revealed that pre bloom period (November to February) in the year 2009-10 remained cooler. The minimum temperature of 0.4 to 0.9, 1.0 to 1.1°C and 1.9 to 2.2°C and maximum temperature of 6.7, 1.0 to 1.1 and 1.7°C were lower in Shimla, Bhuntar and Kalpa region, respectively compared to 1995-2009.. The maximum temperature for the chill accumulation months of November, December, January and February during 2009-10 showed 13 to 19 per cent lower compared to 1995-2009. The average pre bloom rainfall during 2010 was 39 to 57 per cent higher than 1995-2009 indicating sustainable bloom period. The 3 to 4°C temperature rise during March 2010 (19 to 24°C) as compared to 1995-2009 (16 to 21.4°C) coupled with 52 per cent higher precipitation benefited the crop in profuse flowering and hence good fruit set. The average maximum temperature during the post bloom period (May-June) in 2009-10 was 1°C higher compared to the previous years coupled with 23 per cent higher rainfall resulting in an highest productivity. The highest productivity (8.57 MT/ha) during 2010 which was 58 per cent higher than the previous years can be ascribed due to the favorable low temperature in pre bloom period and increase in the temperature inthe month of March along with adequate rainfall in the bloom and post bloom period

Architecture Optimization Dramatically Improves Reverse Bias Stability in Perovskite Solar Cells: A Role of Polymer Hole Transport Layers

We report that device architecture engineering has a substantial impact on the reverse bias instability that has been reported as a critical issue in commercializing perovskite solar cells. We demonstrate breakdown voltages exceeding -15 V in typical pin structured perovskite solar cells via two steps: i) using polymer hole transporting materials; ii) using a more electrochemically stable gold electrode. While device degradation can be exacerbated by higher reverse bias and prolonged exposure, our as-fabricated perovskite solar cells completely recover their performance even after stressing at -7 V for 9 hours both in the dark and under partial illumination. Following these observations, we systematically discuss and compare the reverse bias driven degradation pathways in perovskite solar cells with different device architectures. Our model highlights the role of electrochemical reaction rates and species in dictating the reverse bias stability of perovskite solar cells