Calculation of composition,stability and free energy of formation of complex argentothiocyanate ion from solubility data

The Science of Nature -     

Identifying high-yield low-emission pathways for the cereal production in South Asia

Increasing agricultural production to meet the growing demand for food whilst reducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the major challenge under the changing climate. To develop long-term policies that address these challenges, strategies are needed to identify high-yield low-emission pathways for particular agricultural production systems. In this paper, we used bio-physical and socio-economic models to analyze the impact of different management practices on crop yield and emissions in two contrasting agricultural production systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) of India. The result revealed the importance of considering both management and socio-economic factors in the development of high-yield low-emission pathways for cereal production systems. Nitrogen use rate and frequency of application, tillage and residue management and manure application significantly affected GHG emissions from the cereal systems. In addition, various socio-economic factors such as gender, level of education, training on climate change adaptation and mitigation and access to information significantly influenced the adoption of technologies contributing to high-yield low-emission pathways. We discussed the policy implications of these findings in the context of food security and climate change.     

Electrochemical conversion of biomass-derived aldehydes into fine chemicals and hydrogen: A review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The decrease in fossil fuel usage and the projected 28% increase in the global energy demand by 2040 are calling for advanced methods to convert modern biomass...     

Beyond the “General Public”: Implications of Audience Characteristics for Promoting Species Conservation in the Western Ghats Hotspot,India

Understanding how different audience groups perceive wildlife is crucial for the promotion of biodiversity conservation, especially given the key role of flagship species in conservation campaigns. Although the heterogeneity in preferences reinforces the need for campaigns tailored to specific target audiences, many conservation education and awareness campaigns still claim to target the “general public”. Audiences can be segmented according to social, economic, and cultural criteria across which species perceptions are known to vary. Different studies have investigated the preferences of different groups towards certain wildlife species, but these are largely confined to a single conservation stakeholder group, such as tourists, local communities, or potential donors in western countries. In this study, we seek to determine from a multi-stakeholder perspective, audience characteristics that influence perceptions towards wildlife at Valparai, a fragmented plateau in the Western Ghats region of the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka Hotspot. We found that stakeholder group membership was the most important characteristic followed by gender. While some characteristics had a wide-scale effect others were restricted to a few species. Our results emphasize the need to design conservation campaigns with specific audiences in mind, instead of the very often referred to “general public”.     

Synthesis and application of titanium dioxide photocatalysis for energy,decontamination and viral disinfection: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Global pollution is calling for advanced methods to remove contaminants from water and wastewater, such as TiO2-assisted photocatalysis.  The...     

Solid waste management in Indian Himalayan tourists' treks: a case study in and around the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib

Solid waste generation in sensitive tourist areas of the Indian Himalayan region is approaching that of some metro cities of the country. The present study showed approximately 288 g waste generation visitor(-1) day(-1) compared with the nation-wide average of 350 g capita(-1) day(-1). About 29 metric tonnes (MT) solid waste is generated along a distance of about 19-km trek (a stretch of land or distance between two or more places covered by a walk) during a 4-month tourist season every year. Treks and trek stalls are the two major places where the visitors generate solid waste. Waste estimated from stalls accounted for about 51% by weight of the total waste generation in the trekking region. The native villagers generally construct stalls every year to meet the requirement of visitors going to Valley of Flowers (VOF) and Hemkund Sahib. The average annual results of 2 years (or equivalent to the average of one, 4-month tourist season for the region) showed non-biodegradable waste (NBW) to be 96.3% by weight whereas biodegradable waste (BW) amounted to merely 3.7%. From management point of view of the government, 96% NBW could easily be reused and recycled. Nevertheless, the need is to manage this waste by bringing it from the trekking areas to the road head (Govind Ghat) first and then to transport it to adjacent recycling centers. Cold drink glass bottles (68%), plastic (26%) and metal (2%) were the major items contributing to non-biodegradable waste. The remaining organic waste could be used as feedstock for composting. A well coordinated effort of public participation is necessary at all the levels for managing waste. There is a need to educate the visitors to instill in them the habit of considering discarded waste as potentially valuable and manageable.     

Treatment of sugar industry wastewater using a combination of thermal and electrocoagulation processes

Sugar industries require a large amount of water for processing, and also generate large amounts of high-degree polluted wastewater. To maintain the water balance in the industry, it is imperative that effective treatment methods need to be devised to treat the wastewaters. The main aim of the present work is to treat the sugar industry wastewater by combined thermal and electro-oxidation methods with a metal and a catalyst based on ferrous material. Results showed a reduction of 75.6% of COD and 79.2% of colour content with thermal treatment, and 97.8% of COD and 99.7% of colour with combined thermal and electrocoagulation treatments under optimum conditions. These reduction levels are adequate for recycling limits.     

可持续能源技术:一项生物质气化案例研究

［1］Parikh,J.and S.Gokam(1993)Global Environment Change,Sepember,pp.276-91 ［2］Painuly,J.P,K.Bhattachrya and J.Parkh(1997)Proceedings of AIJconference ed.Kalipada Chaterjee,ISBN 81-7525-043-7,P.145.     

Particle size distribution of aerosols and associated heavy metals in kitchen environments

Mass size distributions of total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) was measured from Sep 2002 to April 2003 in indoor kitchen environments of five locations in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, with the help of a high volume cascade impactor. Particulate matters were separated in five different size ranges, i.e. >10.9 microm, 10.9-5.4 microm, 5.4-1.6 microm, 1.6-0.7 microm and <0.7 microm. The particle size distribution at various sites appears to follow uni-modal trend corresponding to fine particles i.e. size range <0.7 microm. The contributions of fine particles are estimated to be approximately 50% of TSPM and PM10.9, while PM10.9 comprises 80% of TSPM. Good correlations were observed between various size fractions. Regression results reveal that TSPM can adequately act as a surrogate for PM10.9 and fine particles, while PM10.9 can also act as surrogate for fine particles. The concentrations of heavy metals are found to be dominantly associated with fine particles. However, the concentration of some metals and their size distribution, to some extent is also site specific (fuel type used).     

Screening of hepatoprotective effect of a herbal mixture against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in Swiss albino mice

The hepatoprotective potential of a herbal mixture was evaluated against CCl4 induced liver injury in Swiss albino mice. Liv 52, a commercially available polyherbal hepatoprotective drug was evaluated for comparison. The potential toxicity of the above herbal hepatoprotective agents was also compared. It was observed that there was a reduction in the enzyme biomarkers (Aspartate and Alanine Transaminase) of liver injury in the herbal mixture treated groups, which was similar to the reduction initiated by Liv 52. An increase in glutathione was observed in the herbal mixture treated groups and it was assumed that the herbal mixture protects the liver by virtue of its antioxidant nature along with high regeneration initiation potential. From the study it is also concluded that the herbal mixture is safer than Liv 52.