Elemental composition of Sal forest soils around Chhotanagpur Plateau,India

In recent decades, the Sal-dominated tropical deciduous forests (TDFs) were experiencing loss of regeneration due to lack of seed germination of native species. To understand this ecological problem, the present study dealt with the spatial and temporal variations in biogeochemical parameters of Sal forest soils. Twenty soil samples were collected from four TDF sites in the Chota Nagpur Plateau, India. The inventories of tree species in three life-cycle stages (seedling, sapling and adult) were carried out in four sites. Site-I (290?stems?ha^?1) showed occurrence of only one species (Shorea robusta) without seedling and sapling. The pH of forest soils was acidic to slightly acidic in nature. Seasonal variations in C/N ratio showed rapid mineralization of organic matter in the rainy season. ANOVA revealed that the degree of seasonal variation caused significant difference in pH, soil organic carbon, soil organic matter, total carbon, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn and P across four sites. The strong correlation of P with pH, Al, Fe, Mg and Mn indicated highly oxidised and exchangeable nature of dry forest soils. Factor analysis of soil parameters revealed that the different combinations of edaphic conditions in different seasons were important in the distribution of the dry tropical forests communities in Chota Nagpur Plateau.     

Limnological investigations of Texi Temple pond in district Etawah (U.P.)

Present investigations were carried out on the limnological aspects of Texi temple pond in district Etawah. Many of the parameters were found below the permissible limits for drinking water as suggested by WHO. A total of 18 parameters were analysed and their seasonal variations in the year 2003 were discussed.     

Metal transport phases in rivers around Jameshedpur†

Transport phases of four metals of geochemical and water quality importance were investigated in rivers around Jamshedpur. The metals iron, manganese, zinc and copper were partitioned into dissolved, adsorbed and or ion exchangeable, solid organic, oxide coating and crystalline phases applying filtration for the dissolved phase and a chemical fractionation scheme for the particulates. Iron and copper were transported mainly in the particulate phases at all sites, while manganese and zinc were found in the dissolved phase up to a hundred percent depending on the pH of water sample and pollution at the site concerned. Except copper more than 75 percent of all other three metals occurred in transport modes thought to be available to aqueous and biotic interactions. Copper was in available phases from 50 to 70 percent. The significance of metal partitioning as a factor in controlling metal availability and toxicity to biota is discussed.     

U.S. consumer crash test results and injury risk in police-reported crashes

Consumer crash test programs provide comparative information on the crashworthiness of new vehicles which, in turn, should predict the performance of the same vehicles in real-world crashes. However, the detail and quality of available information from tests and real-world crashes differ widely, so identifying meaningful relationships between crash test results and real-world crashworthiness can be difficult. Despite these data limitations, studies in the late 1980s and mid-1990s reported positive correlations between dummy injury measures from the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (USNCAP) and real-world fatality rates. More recent analyses of results from Australian crash tests and real-world crashes also have found positive correlations. This article considers relationships between recent U.S. frontal crash test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and USNCAP, and real-world crash injury risk estimates computed from police-reported crash data from three U.S. states. The frontal crash test results include dummy injury measures by body region from both IIHS offset tests and USNCAP full-width barrier tests plus measures of structural performance from the IIHS offset tests. Individually, results from the full-width and offset tests were not significantly correlated with the real-world injury risk estimates. Stronger relationships were found when a combination of overall ratings from the full-frontal and offset tests was used. However, the current results find only weak correlations between both full-front and offset frontal crash test performance and the real-world injury risk estimates. These weak relationships likely reflect the lack of detail and fundamental difference in injury information in police crash reports compared to that used in deriving crashworthiness ratings from the crash tests.     

Crops,cows or timber? Including carbon values in land use choices

Farm forestry is a very minor land use in the inland agricultural landscapes of Australia. The Australian Government intends to introduce a program to encourage landholders to trade the carbon sequestration value of plantations and this may change the relative profitability of plantations against other agricultural land uses. This research compares the returns from a timber and ‘carbon’ plantation, with those from grazing and a common crop rotation in the Kingaroy area of Queensland.Typical production patterns for all systems were developed from producer and expert knowledge and soil and vegetation sampling were used to estimate sequestration rates. The costs and benefits of all land use systems were converted into monetary terms and discounted to produce net present values. With a standard discount rate and average commodity prices based on recent history, cultivation is the most profitable option, followed by pasture and plantations. After the inclusion of carbon, plantations are the most profitable option, followed by pasture and cultivation. A number of qualifications of these findings are also discussed.     

Nexus between environment regulation,FDI, and green technology innovation in OECD countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - To achieve the goal of “sustainable development,” a crucial way is promoting green technology innovation. This paper examines the nexus...     

Development of an environmental-friendly durable self-compacting concrete

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this experimental study on self-compacting concrete (SCC), the Manufactured sand (M-sand) and Fly ash (FA) were utilised for partial replacement of...     

Sodium nitrate as a methanogenesis suppressor in earthen separator microbial fuel cell treating rice mill wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The microbial fuel cell (MFC) is one of the sustainable technologies, which alongside treating wastewater, can generate electricity. However, its...     

Recent Developments in Bacterial Nanocellulose Production and its Biomedical Applications

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Cellulose, the most abundant polysaccharide on earth, can be obtained from various sources including the cell wall of plants and woods, bacteria, algae,...