The Indo-Gangetic aquifer is one of the world’s most important transboundary water resources, and the most heavily exploited aquifer in the world. To better understand the aquifer system, typologies ...have been characterized for the aquifer, which integrate existing datasets across the Indo-Gangetic catchment basin at a transboundary scale for the first time, and provide an alternative conceptualization of this aquifer system. Traditionally considered and mapped as a single homogenous aquifer of comparable aquifer properties and groundwater resource at a transboundary scale, the typologies illuminate significant spatial differences in recharge, permeability, storage, and groundwater chemistry across the aquifer system at this transboundary scale. These changes are shown to be systematic, concurrent with large-scale changes in sedimentology of the Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial aquifer, climate, and recent irrigation practices. Seven typologies of the aquifer are presented, each having a distinct set of challenges and opportunities for groundwater development and a different resilience to abstraction and climate change. The seven typologies are: (1) the piedmont margin, (2) the Upper Indus and Upper-Mid Ganges, (3) the Lower Ganges and Mid Brahmaputra, (4) the fluvially influenced deltaic area of the Bengal Basin, (5) the Middle Indus and Upper Ganges, (6) the Lower Indus, and (7) the marine-influenced deltaic areas.
Use of bricks and their manufacturing process plays an important role in the construction sector. Despite its various methods of manufacturing, still large quantities of bricks are used in the ...building construction. Manufacturing of bricks consumes large quantities of natural resources, and it is energy intensive. Similarly, due to rapid industrialization large quantities of waste industrial byproducts are generated and causes handling and disposal challenges of these wastes. This review work attempts the possibilities and potential use of various types of waste industrial byproducts in fired and unfired bricks. This study also highlights the importance of waste and its usage guidelines in bricks manufacturing to enhance the strength and durability properties. To overcome the challenges associated with bricks manufacturing, firing is still considered as the most preferred method of making bricks. Use of industrial waste byproducts to the mix matrix of fire and unfired bricks will overcome the disposal challenges and reduce the depletion of natural resources. Since sustainability is a key factor that is considered when it comes to making bricks, innovative methods are needed to produce them using sustainable materials. The production and application of bricks and their usage guidelines are reviewed further in various aspects such as environment, social, economic, and technology to meet global standards and policies of the local government for sustainable development.
A thorough and extensive wild germplasm exploration survey was undertaken and 32 high yielding candidate plus trees (CPTs) of
Jatropha curcas
from different locations from a latitudinal and ...longitudinal spread between 12°41′ and 22°′E longitude and 77° and 84°40′N latitude covering 11 locations in an area spread of 150,000 km
2
was collected for evaluating genetic association, and variability in seed and growth characters. Significant trait differences were observed in all the seed characters viz., seed morphology and oil content as were observed in growth characters viz., plant height, and female to male flower ratio and seed yield in the progeny trial. Broad sense heritability was high in general and exceeded 80% for all the seed traits studied. Female to male flower ratio showed near to 100% heritability followed by yield (83.61) and plant height (87.73). The path analysis revealed that female to male flower ratio had highest positive direct relationship with seed yield (0.789), followed by number of branches (0.612) and number of days from fruiting to maturity (0.431). Negative indirect effects were seen in number of days from flowering to fruiting which indirectly and negatively influenced yield through plant height and number of branches. Hierarchical clustering by Ward’s minimum variance cluster analysis showed phylogeographic patterns of genetic diversity.
K
-means clustering revealed that trees from different geographic regions were grouped together in a cluster and as were trees from the same geographical area placed in different clusters suggesting that geographical diversity did not go hand in hand with genetic diversity. In addition clustering identified promising accession with favourable traits for future establishment of elite seedling seed orchard and clonal seed orchard for varietal and hybridization programmes.
► Curry leaf essential oils from 10 Indian locations exhibited significant chemical diversity. ► Eight locations were rich in α-pinene, β-pinene, β-phellandrene. ► Two locations were rich in ...(E)-caryophyllene and α-selinene. ► Nine new compounds were identified in curry leaf oil.
Wild and cultivated Murraya koenigii leaf essential oils collected from ten Indian locations were investigated for their chemical diversity. The essential oil yields ranged from 1.2–2.5ml/kg biomass. GC and GC-MS analyses revealed ninety compounds, constituting 93.8–99.9% of the essential oils. The highest concentrations of α-pinene (55.7%) and β-pinene (10.6%) were found in the essential oil of wild plants. α-Pinene (13.5–35.7%) and/or β-phellandrene (14.7–50.2%) were the dominant essential oil constituents of seven locations. (E)-Caryophyllene (26.5%, 31.5%) and α-selinene (9.5%, 10.4%) were the principal essential oil components of two locations. The odour profiles of the essential oils were distinctly different. Tetradecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, piperitone, cada-1,4-diene,1,10-di-epi-cubenol, γ-eudesmol, α-muurolol, (Z,E)-farnesol and (Z,Z)-farnesol are identified for the first time in curry leaf essential oil. The chemical diversity of the oils offers opportunity to flavourists to choose curry leaves and essential oils with preferential flavour composition.
Components operating at elevated temperature are often subjected to conjoint action of cyclic and static loading, rendering crack growth due to creep–fatigue interaction. It is a significant concern ...during the design and service life of the components made of P91 steel, which finds widespread use in conventional power plants. Creep fatigue crack growth (CFCG) tests have been performed on C(T) specimens with force ratios ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 at a temperature of 600 °C with a dwell period of 60 s. The CFCG results have been presented in terms of stress intensity factor range (Δ
K
), (
C
t
)
avg
,
C
* and (
C
t
)
SSC
parameters. The variation in crack growth rate with Δ
K
, (
C
t
)
avg
, (
C
t
)
SSC
and
C
* at different force ratios has been described. In the d
a
/d
N
versus ∆
K
plot, a point of inflection is observed, where the crack growth rate was minimum for each force ratio, which resulted in a hook-like portion, corresponding to about 17% of the total life cycle of the sample. It can be understood from the plots of (d
a
/d
t
)
avg
versus (
C
t
)
avg
that, the (
C
t
)
avg
values differ substantially at lower crack growth rates for different force ratios but tend to merge together at higher crack growth rates. Fractographic examination was performed on the fracture surface by dividing into 3 equidistant parts (i.e., A, B & C) of total CFCG portion. Crack growth in the ‘A’ region occupies a majority (60–90%) of the total life-cycle of the sample, and the time spent for growth in the A regime goes on increasing with increase in force ratio, whereas the time spent for crack growth in B regime goes on decreasing. The sample was then subjected to EDAX analysis to chart out the oxidation profile of the fracture surface as a function of time of exposure.
Oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with the risk of osteoporosis, and can be reduced by certain dietary antioxidants. Lycopene is an antioxidant known to decrease ...the risk of age-related chronic diseases, such as cancer. However, the role of lycopene in osteoporosis has not yet been investigated.
In a cross-sectional study, 33 postmenopausal women aged 50-60 years provided seven-day dietary records and blood samples. Serum samples were used to measure serum lycopene, lipid peroxidation, protein thiols, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and cross-linked N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTx). The serum lycopene per kilogram body weight of the participants was grouped into quartiles and associated with the above serum parameters using one-way ANOVA and the Newman-Keuls post-test.
The results showed that groups with higher lycopene intake, as determined from the dietary records, had higher serum lycopene (p<0.02). A higher serum lycopene was found to be associated with a low NTx (p<0.005). Similarly, groups with higher serum lycopene had lower protein oxidation (p<0.05).
In conclusion, these results suggest that the dietary antioxidant lycopene reduces oxidative stress and the levels of bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women, and may be beneficial in reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
The functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are believed to be very promising in the fields such as preparation of functional and composite materials and biological technologies. Immobilization of ...nanotubes with specific recognition biosystems indeed provides ideal miniaturized biosensor. A prerequisite for the search in this area is the development of chemical methods to immobilize biomolecules onto carbon nanotubes in a reliable manner. The DNA-based biomolecular recognition principle has been applied to CNTs to constant nanotube electronic devices as well as CNT–DNA electrochemical sensors. The sp
2 hybridization and the outstanding electronic properties of the nanotubes coupled with their specific recognition properties of the immobilized system indeed make CNTs, an ideal biosensor. DNA immobilization has been paid great attention and considered as a fundamental methodology for the construction of DNA biosensors. Successful integration of CNTs in electronic devices and sensors requires controlled deposition at well-defined locations and appropriate electrical contacts to metal leads. Different methods for achieving this goal are directional growth of the tubes, alignment by mechanical forces, alignment by electric and magnetic fields, patterned- and self-assembly.
Also the concept of using DNA to direct the assembly of nanotubes into nanoscale devices is attracting attention because of its potential to assemble a multicomponent system in one step by using different base sequence for each component. Thus, DNA functionalization of CNTs holds interesting prospects in various fields including solubilization in aqueous media, nucleic acid sensing, gene-therapy and controlled deposition on conducting or semiconducting substrates. This review highlights the functionalization/grafting of DNA onto single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with or without self-assembly which can be employed in fabricating biosensors for selective recognition of DNA. The review also addresses various characterization techniques that have been employed by various researchers to give the readers an insight into the planning of experiments and subsequent interpretation.
Context We report new simultaneous near-infrared/sub-millimeter/X-ray observations of the Sgr A* counterpart associated with the massive 3-4 x 106 M black hole at the Galactic Center. Aims. We ...investigate the physical processes responsible for the variable emission from Sgr A*. Methods. The observations have been carried out using the NACO adaptive optics (AO) instrument at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope* and the ACIS-I instrument aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as the Submillimeter Array SMA** on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the Very Large Array*** in New Mexico. Results. We detected one moderately bright flare event in the X-ray domain and 5 events at infrared wavelengths. The X-ray flare had an excess 2-8 keV luminosity of about 33 x 1033 erg/s. The duration of this flare was completely covered in the infrared and it was detected as a simultaneous NIR event with a time lag of 10 min. Simultaneous infrared/X-ray observations are available for 4 flares. All simultaneously covered flares, combined with the flare covered in 2003, indicate that the time-lag between the NIR and X-ray flare emission is very small and in agreement with a synchronous evolution. There are no simultaneous flare detections between the NIR/X-ray data and the VLA and SMA data. The excess flux densities detected in the radio and sub-millimeter domain may be linked with the flare activity observed at shorter wavelengths. Conclusions. We find that the flaring state can be explained with a synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model involving up-scattered sub-millimeter photons from a compact source component. This model allows for NIR flux density contributions from both the synchrotron and SSC mechanisms. Indications for an exponential cutoff of the NIR/MIR synchrotron spectrum allow for a straightforward explanation of the variable and red spectral indices of NIR flares.
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