Micro-irrigation development in India: an analysis of distributional pattern and potential correlates

ABSTRACT

In India, of late, micro-irrigation has received considerable policy focus. However, as of 2017, only about 10% of the potential area is under micro-irrigation. The present study analyzes the pattern and equity issues of distribution of micro-irrigation in India and identifies the potential correlates. The regression analysis reveals that the stage of groundwater development and agro-climatic differences significantly influence the spread of micro-irrigation. The relatively low spread of micro-irrigation in states with over-exploited groundwater needs attention. Overall, the study points to the need to revamp the current micro-irrigation development programmes, which focus excessively on subsidy.     

Inactivation efficacy of plasma-activated water: influence of plasma treatment time,exposure time and bacterial species

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of plasma treatment time, bacterial exposure time to PAW and bacterial species on the inactivation efficacy of plasma-activated water (PAW), with additional investigation of the inactivation mechanisms of PAW. Six bacterial species, including Listeria innocua, Staphyloccus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Shewanella putrefaciens and Aeromonas hydrophila were selected as the representative bacteria. The initial bacterial concentration was around 7 log CFU ml⁻¹ after mixing with PAW, and the inactivation efficacy was measured after different exposure times during the 4 °C storage. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the bacteria after PAW treatment were carried out to inspect the cell structure damage, and physicochemical properties of PAW, including pH, conductivity and long-living reactive species of H₂O₂, , and , were examined. The results showed that the inactivation efficacy of PAW was positively correlated with plasma treatment time and bacterial exposure time, and for the species examined in this study, the Gram-negative species were more sensitive to PAW than the Gram-positive species. Cell structure damage, including shrinkage, distortion, or holes, was observed after PAW treatment. The pH of PAW was acidified to 2.5–2.9, and conductivity was significantly increased to 518.0 μs cm⁻¹. and H₂O₂ were reduced during the 48 h storage, while an increased concentration was observed for . This study demonstrated that the processing parameters of plasma treatment time, exposure time and characteristics of bacteria can significantly affect the inactivation efficacy of PAW.     

Characterizing pathological imperfections in macromolecular crystals: lattice disorders and modulations

Macromolecular crystal structure determination can be complicated or brought to a halt by crystal imperfections. These issues motivated us to write up what we affectionately call ‘The Definitive Hitchhiker’s Guide to Pathological Macromolecular Crystals: Lattice Disorders and Modulations’. Perhaps the most challenging imperfections are lattice order–disorder phenomena and positional modulations. Many of these types of crystals have been solved, and progress has been made on the more challenging forms. Diagnostic tools and how to solve many of these problem crystal structures are reviewed. New avenues are provided for approaching the solution of incommensurately modulated crystals. There are a good number of case studies in the literature of lattice order–disorder phenomena and crystallographic modulations that make it timely to write a review. This review concludes with a projected pathway for solving incommensurately modulated crystals, personal views of future directions and needs of the crystallographic community.     

Modification of structure and conductivity of nanohorns by toluene addition in carbon arc

Abstract

In the present work, we compare the structure and transport properties of carbon nanohorns (CNHs) synthesized by arc evaporation of graphite alone and with the addition of some portion of toluene. The materials have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy, Raman and infrared spectroscopies, thermogravimetric and BET analyses. The addition of a small amount of toluene during the evaporation of graphitic rod increases the length of CNHs, affects their hierarchical arrangement in aggregates and results in surface functionalization. All these features significantly enhance the conductivity of CNHs obtained with toluene additive in comparison with the pristine CNHs.     

Carbon nitride materials: impact of synthetic method on photocatalysis and immobilization for photocatalytic pollutant degradation

Different synthesis routes for carbon nitride materials (CN) and the resulting products were compared to study the photocatalytic activity (pollutant degradation) in dependence on structure and properties. The CN materials were synthesized by thermal decomposition of dicyandiamide in air and under argon as well as in sealed ampoules with or without the use of a salt melt. The as-prepared materials were characterized by IR spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption measurement, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The surface polarity of the CN materials was estimated by adsorption of the dicyano-bis(1,10-phenanthroline)-iron(II) complex, which allows an evaluation of the degree of condensation. The CN materials were tested with regard to the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). It is shown that the photocatalytic activity increases with higher surface polarity. Promising CN materials with high RhB degradation of 85% within 25 min and high surface polarity of 0.89 were selected for an immobilization approach to obtain coatings on a silicone substrate using a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) spray coating technique. To study the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst coatings, the degradation rates of an aqueous RhB solution and solutions of organic pollutants such as triclosan and ethinyl estradiol were examined. Pollutants are decomposed with up to 63% of the initial concentration. Xenon lamps and different LEDs were used as light sources for comparison. Particularly high degradation efficiencies were obtained using LEDs, and the degradation rates are increased by adjusting the emission spectrum of the lamp to the pollutant and absorption edge of the catalyst, which results in a 40 times higher degradation efficiencies of LEDs compared to a Xe lamp.

Graphical abstract

     

A Compact Semi-circular Slot MIMO Antenna with Enhanced Isolation for Sub-6 GHz 5G WLAN Applications

In this paper, a novel compact semi-circular slot (SCS) 2 × 2 MIMO antenna is presented for 5G NR sub-6 GHz applications with high isolation. The proposed antenna consists of a semi-circular slot in ground plane, U-shaped stub, and 50-ohm microstrip feed line. The novelty of this paper are the Semi-Circular Slot acts a radiator, the port isolation  is enhanced using a simple conductor strip as a neutralization line, very compact in size, low ECC, and good impedance matching. The overall size of the proposed SCS MIMO antenna is 16 mm x 21 mm, and FR4 substrate is used with thickness of 1.6 mm. The two SCS antenna elements are separated by edge-to-edge distance of 1mm (\(=0.019\lambda _{0}\)). The proposed compact MIMO antenna design is simulated using Ansys HFSS. To validate SCS MIMO antenna, a prototype was fabricated and tested. The measured results are attained at 5.5 GHz with isolation greater than 25dB, impedance bandwidth (S11\(<-10\) dB) covers from 5.10 GHz to 5.80 GHz with return loss of ? 39.5 dB. The MIMO antenna parameters, ECC, CCL, TARC, and MEG are studied, and the values are obtained within acceptable limits. The measured and simulated antenna results are almost similar. This compact MIMO antenna is suitable for 5G communications in sub-6 GHz wifi-5 band applications.

     

Groundwater problems in surface coal mining in Scotland

The paper reviews the problems encountered with groundwater in surface mining in Scotland. The problems which occur at various stages of the mining process from initial exploration to mine planning and final restoration are referred to. Special consideration is given to mine drainage and pumping methods.     

Universitärer Forschungscluster „Sustainable Technologies in Metal Production and Processing” (STMP)

Foundation of a university research cluster — Co-operation along the value creation chain from raw materials to components — Evidence of joint performance offers — Utilization of synergies — Integration of Christian Doppler Laboratories — Flexible arrangement of co-operations and networks     

Main trends in the theory of coal mining processes at large depths

Journal of Mining Science -