Project Report Australia-India Strategic Research Fund Preparing for climate change in marine system of Australia and India

Climate change is a major challenge facing governments, industries and communities and requires an inter-disciplinary approach to understand impacts and adaptation options across both the biological and human systems. Marine resources in both southern India and south-eastern Australia provide substantial social and economic benefits which flow into many rural communities. Both regions have been identified as global warming hotspots with the rate of climate warming predicted to be greater than 90 per cent of the global average. These areas are already being affected by climate change and are expected to provide case studies for developing adaptation responses across substantially different cultures. This project, based on two workshops, brought together inter-disciplinary researchers from both India and Australia with expertise in physical, biological, social, economic and governance climate change research and developed a strategic research plan for future collaborative research. The workshops identifiedthat the key physical drivers (e.g. temperature, currents) are predicted to affect species abundance and distributions, develop biological, social and economic indices that can be used to monitor impacts on species, industries and rural communities and investigate options for policy and management of marine resources.By developing a strategic and operational plan, the project focused on developing a collaborative research opportunities that can assist Governments, Industries and Communities prepare and adapt to changes in their marine resources. Society, economic and governance differences between India and Australia provided an exciting opportunity to determine generic and specific issues and to adapt concepts and methods across broad biological and socio-economic background

Drag reduction on saltating sediment in shallow flow

Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1860/732Laboratory flume experiments of shallow overland flow with sediments consisting of sand particles of sizes (1000-1400 μm) and (600- 850 μm) and fine particles of sand (74-125 μm) revealed several features similar to gravity driven granular flow experiments with glass beads [Prasad et al. (2000)]. In the saltating flow regime the particle velocity was measured by cross-correlating signals obtained with twin photonic probes and particle concentrations by pre-calibrated single probe signals. In the very low particle concentration range, particle velocity showed an increased trend followed by a decreased trend at larger concentration values. A simple model was developed for the particles transport in water that showed drag reduction by so called "drafting". This "drafting" model is based on the superposition principle of two flow fields. First the drag coefficient is computed for the case of a single particle and the second part consists of a similar coefficient due to the flow field behind the leading particle. Thus, for a row of infinite number of spherical particles of diameter, ds, equally spaced at a distance, s, (center to center), the ratio of the drag coefficients (multiple to single particles) is found to be (1 - cα2) where α is the linear concentration, ds/s and c (a constant) depends on the particle Reynolds number

Study of α-transfer reaction 28Si( 7Li, t) 32S

The 28Si( 7Li, t) 32S reaction has been studied at 48 MeV. Using a αt potential overlap based on a microscopic cluster model, the full finite-range distorted wave Born approximation analysis was carried out for nine low-lying states; 0.0 MeV (0+), 2.23 MeV (2+), 3.78 MeV (0+), 4.46 MeV (4+), 5.01 MeV (3-), 5.80 MeV (1-), 6.76 MeV (3-), 7.43 MeV (1-) and 8.49 MeV (1-) of the residual nucleus. A re-analysis was also done for the same states of 32S having an αd overlap for the reaction 28Si (6Li, d) 32S at 75.6 MeV. Theoretical spectroscopic factors have been calculated for the measured even-parity states of 32S using the shell model code OXBASH. The spectroscopic factors were compared for both the reactions

Astrophysical S_{17}(0) factor from a measurement of d(7Be,8B)n reaction at E_{c.m.} = 4.5 MeV

Angular distribution measurements of $^2$H($^7$Be,$^7$Be)$^2$H and $^2$H($^7$Be,$^8$B)$n$ reactions at $E_{c.m.}\sim$~4.5 MeV were performed to extract the astrophysical $S_{17}(0)$ factor using the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC) method. For this purpose a pure, low emittance $^7$Be beam was separated from the primary $^7$Li beam by a recoil mass spectrometer operated in a novel mode. A beam stopper at 0$^{\circ}$ allowed the use of a higher $^7$Be beam intensity. Measurement of the elastic scattering in the entrance channel using kinematic coincidence, facilitated the determination of the optical model parameters needed for the analysis of the transfer data. The present measurement significantly reduces errors in the extracted $^7$Be(p,$\gamma$) cross section using the ANC method. We get $S_{17}$~(0)~=~20.7~$\pm$~2.4 eV~b.Comment: 15 pages including 3 eps figures, one figure removed and discussions updated. Version to appear in Physical Review

In-orbit Performance of UVIT on ASTROSAT

We present the in-orbit performance and the first results from the ultra-violet Imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. UVIT consists of two identical 38cm coaligned telescopes, one for the FUV channel (130-180nm) and the other for the NUV (200-300nm) and VIS (320-550nm) channels, with a field of view of 28 $arcmin$. The FUV and the NUV detectors are operated in the high gain photon counting mode whereas the VIS detector is operated in the low gain integration mode. The FUV and NUV channels have filters and gratings, whereas the VIS channel has filters. The ASTROSAT was launched on 28th September 2015. The performance verification of UVIT was carried out after the opening of the UVIT doors on 30th November 2015, till the end of March 2016 within the allotted time of 50 days for calibration. All the on-board systems were found to be working satisfactorily. During the PV phase, the UVIT observed several calibration sources to characterise the instrument and a few objects to demonstrate the capability of the UVIT. The resolution of the UVIT was found to be about 1.4 - 1.7 $arcsec$ in the FUV and NUV. The sensitivity in various filters were calibrated using standard stars (white dwarfs), to estimate the zero-point magnitudes as well as the flux conversion factor. The gratings were also calibrated to estimate their resolution as well as effective area. The sensitivity of the filters were found to be reduced up to 15\% with respect to the ground calibrations. The sensitivity variation is monitored on a monthly basis. UVIT is all set to roll out science results with its imaging capability with good resolution and large field of view, capability to sample the UV spectral region using different filters and capability to perform variability studies in the UV.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in SPIE conference proceedings, SPIE conference paper, 201

Manual on Entrepreneur-Ready Technologies of CMFRI

CMFRI presented five entrepreneur- ready technologies in the “Innovation 4 Industry Meet” organized by Zonal Technology Management Centre, Business Planning & Development Unit (ZTMCBPDU), South Zone, CIFT and National Fisheries Development Board held at Visakhapatnam on 8th September 2010 and in the ‘Rural Technology Mela’ organized by National Institute of rural Development at Hyderabad during 2nd to 5th February, 2011. A detailed presentation and exposition including prospective business proposals on the five technologies namely‘Green Mussel extract (GMe)’, ‘Varna (the marine ornamental fish feed)’, ‘Broodstock development, captive breeding and larval production of 17 species of marine ornamental fishes’, ‘Larval production of Cobia fish’ and ‘A device for breeding and culturing marine fish in open sea through cage farming’ were made in the meets. ‘Open sea cage farming in HDPE cage’ and ‘Low cost cage farming in GI cage’ were show-cased in the recently held ICAR-CII Industry Meet organized at NAAS Complex, New Delhi on 23rd May, 2011. The presentation and the exhibition in these meets got the attention of many prospective industrialists/ entrepreneurs which resulted in signing up of a few business proposals

Mapping of marketing channels and price ranges of commercially important finfish species in the coastal districts of West Bengal, India

This study was conducted to map the marketing channels and price ranges of some commercially important marine finfish species in two coastal districts of West Bengal. Nine commercially important marine finfish species were investigated. Different nodes were found to be involved in the marketing channel depending on the commercial value of the species, and a large gap was observed between the price in the retail market and the price received by the primary fisher. A large number of stakeholders are involved and find employment in the fish marketing chain as fishers, assemblers, processors, traders, wholesalers, retailers, transporters and loading and unloading workers. The price range of Bombay duck (Harpadon nephereus) was Rs. 25-50/kg at the auction centre level to Rs. 300-500/kg at the level of retailers in distant markets. For Silver pomfret (Pampus griseus), the price range had large fluctuations with Rs. 150-1000/kg at the auction centre level itself. When the commodity reaches the retailers in the distant markets, the price range was Rs. 350 to 1300/kg. The marketing chain for the flow of Orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was narrow with the nodes such as commission agents, assemblers, wholesalers and retailers, who play a major role in distributing the landings from the auction centre to domestic consumers. Processing and export nodes were not to be found. The price range was Rs. 200- 300/kg at the auction centre level to Rs. 400-500/kg at the retailer level in distant markets. The investigation exposed the range of actors required to bring the product from the landing centre through the different phases of distribution and delivery to final consumers. The value chain approach will be useful for the key actors such as fishers, managers and policymakers to streamline their operations cost-effectively, for increased earnings of the value chain actors and notable impacts on credit repayment

Sustainable Intensification of Agricultural Productivity in Semi-Arid-Tropics (SAT) of India – Case studies

Sustainable intensification is a term now much used in discussions around the future of agriculture and food security. The term actually dates back to the 1990s and was coined in the context of African agriculture, where yields are often very low, and environmental degradation a major concern. This pro-poor, smallholder oriented origin of the phrase is worth noting in the context of the current controversy around sustainable intensification. Sustainable intensification (SI) has been defined as a form of production wherein “yields are increased without adverse environmental impact and without the cultivation of more land”. In this sense, the term denotes an aspiration of what needs to be achieved, rather than a description of existing production systems, whether this be conventional high input-farming, or smallholder agriculture, or approaches based on organic methods. While the intensification of agriculture has long been the subject of analysis, sustainable intensification is a more recent concern

Precision Medicine for CRC Patients in the Veteran Population: State-of-the-Art, Challenges and Research Directions.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for ~9% of all cancers in the Veteran population, a fact which has focused a great deal of the attention of the VA\u27s research and development efforts. A field-based meeting of CRC experts was convened to discuss both challenges and opportunities in precision medicine for CRC. This group, designated as the VA Colorectal Cancer Cell-genomics Consortium (VA4C), discussed advances in CRC biology, biomarkers, and imaging for early detection and prevention. There was also a discussion of precision treatment involving fluorescence-guided surgery, targeted chemotherapies and immunotherapies, and personalized cancer treatment approaches. The overarching goal was to identify modalities that might ultimately lead to personalized cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review summarizes the findings of this VA field-based meeting, in which much of the current knowledge on CRC prescreening and treatment was discussed. It was concluded that there is a need and an opportunity to identify new targets for both the prevention of CRC and the development of effective therapies for advanced disease. Also, developing methods integrating genomic testing with tumoroid-based clinical drug response might lead to more accurate diagnosis and prognostication and more effective personalized treatment of CRC