Estimating Solar Flux Density at Low Radio Frequencies Using a Sky Brightness Model

Sky models have been used in the past to calibrate individual low radio frequency telescopes. In this article we generalize this approach from a single antenna to a two element interferometer, and formulate the problem in a way that allows us to estimate the flux density of the Sun using the normalized cross-correlations (visibilities) measured on a low resolution interferometric baseline. For wide field-of-view instruments, typically the case at low radio frequencies, this approach can provide robust absolute solar flux calibration for well characterized antennas and receiver systems. It can provide a reliable and computationally lean method for extracting parameters of physical interest using a small fraction of the voluminous interferometric data, which can be computationally prohibitively expensive to calibrate and image using conventional approaches. We demonstrate this technique by applying it to data from the Murchison Widefield Array and assess its reliability.     

Field testing of single instrumented steel driven batter piles under vertical vibrations

Acta Geotechnica - The forced vertical vibration tests were performed in the field on 3.3-m-long driven steel pipe on a single vertical pile, P1 (β?=?0°), and single batter...     

Assessment of radiation hazards due to the concentration of natural radionuclides in the environment

A study of natural radionuclides and radon concentration of Hamirpur District of Himachal Pradesh, India is carried out using various methodologies. The activity concentration of the natural radionuclides viz. ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K is measured using high-resolution-based HPGe detector. Indoor radon measurements in the dwellings of Hamirpur district is carried out using LR-115 type II cellulose nitrate films in the bare mode. The average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K are 35.58, 54.95 and 580.58 Bq kg^?1, respectively. The annual average indoor radon value in the study area varies from 173.90 to 198.25 Bq m^?3, which is well within the recommended action level given by International Commission on Radiological Protection. The indoor radon values obtained in the present investigation are higher than the world average of 40 Bq m^?3. Radon concentration in water samples is measured using RAD7, an active radon detector. The annual effective dose for stomach and lung is determined from the measured value of radon concentration in water. To assess the radiation hazard of the natural radioactivity in all samples to the people, the radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, lifetime fatality risk, absorbed dose rate and total annual effective dose is estimated. The results signify that the studied area does not possess any radiation hazards due to the presence of natural radioactivity concentration.     

Spatial distribution of metals in ground/surface waters in the Chandrapur district (Central India) and their plausible sources

This study addresses a framework to evaluate and map environmental hazard with reference to spatial distribution of major and trace metal contamination and its relationship with lithology in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, India using geospatial, statistical and GIS tools. In all, 208 ground water and 35 surface water samples were collected using global positioning system (GPS) synoptically with satellite imagery IRS P6 LISS III and were analyzed in ICP-AES. Analytical results reflect the presence of major and trace metals in ground water in terms of % as Fe (48%), Mn (12%), Zn (9%), Al (8%), Pb (7%), Cu (6%), Ni (4%), Cd (3%) and Cr (3%) of the total average concentration. The contamination is attributed to weathering of rocks and also to mining activities. Similarly, surface water contribution of major and trace metals was found as Al (47.8%), Fe (42.8%), Mn (5.5%), Zn (2.3%), Pb (0.56%), Ni (0.42%), Cu (0.16%), Cr (0.16%) and Cd (0.10%) of the total average concentration. Ordinary kriging interpolation method was adopted to assess the spatial distribution of different major and trace metals in groundwater samples with their best model fit variogram Classical statistical method like principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out in order to establish correlation between spatial pattern of metal contamination and geology of the area in GIS environment. Various surface and subsurface aspects like landuse/land cover, structural features, hydrogeology, topography etc were also considered to ascertain their impact to supplement the inference of the study.     

An automated tunnel evaporation measurement system for confined spaces

An automated tunnel evaporation‐rate measurement system (TEMS) has been designed to measure automatically the evaporation from a cylinder 0·30 m in diameter and ～0·10 m tall. This cylinder continuously maintains a constant height of water, with losses to evaporation replenished from a stilling cylinder connected to a water reservoir. The evaporation rate is measured by a transducer located at the bottom of the stilling well. The TEMS was tested over a period of 3 months in an underground research facility with relatively strong wind effects, changing temperature, and changing humidity. During this period, the TEMS continued to function uninterrupted, automatically measuring the evaporation amounts along a tunnel and an enclosed niche. These observations suggest that this tool can be useful for investigations of evaporation processes both in enclosed and ventilated environments. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic Analysis of Tunnel in Soil Subjected to Internal Blast Loading

The present work deals with the three-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) analyses of the tunnel in soil subjected to internal blast loading. The analyses are performed using the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian analysis tool in FE software Abaqus/Explicit. The soil and reinforced concrete lining are modeled using the Lagrangian elements. The explosive Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is modeled using the Eulerian elements. The stress–strain response of soil, concrete, and reinforcement are simulated using strain rate dependent Drucker–Prager plasticity, concrete damaged plasticity and Johnson–Cook (J–C) plasticity models, respectively. The pressure–volume relationship of the TNT explosive is simulated using the Jones-Wilkins-Lee equation of state. Parametric sensitivity studies have been performed for different (1) tunnel lining thicknesses, (2) explosive charge weights and (3) angles of internal friction of soil. It is observed from the results that blast induced pressure on the tunnel lining increases with the increase in charge weight. Both the lining and the surrounding soil undergo significant deformation. The deformation of the tunnel lining increases with increasing charge weight and decreases with increasing lining thickness and increasing the angle of internal friction of soil. Blast-induced velocity in soil attenuates with increasing distance from the source of the blast.     

Trend analysis of evapotranspiration over India: Observed from long-term satellite measurements

Owing to the lack of consistent spatial time series data on actual evapotranspiration (ET), very few studies have been conducted on the long-term trend and variability in ET at a national scale over the Indian subcontinent. The present study uses biome specific ET data derived from NOAA satellite’s advanced very high resolution radiometer to investigate the trends and variability in ET over India from 1983 to 2006. Trend analysis using the non-parametric Mann–Kendall test showed that the domain average ET decreased during the period at a rate of \(0.22\,\hbox {mm year}^{-1}\). A strong decreasing trend (\(m = -1.75\, \hbox {mm year}^{-1}\), \(F = 17.41\), \(P\) 0.01) was observed in forest regions. Seasonal analyses indicated a decreasing trend during southwest summer monsoon (\(m= -0.320\, \hbox {mm season}^{-1}\,\hbox {year}^{-1})\) and post-monsoon period (\(m= -0.188\, \hbox {mm season}^{-1 }\,\hbox {year}^{-1})\). In contrast, an increasing trend was observed during northeast winter monsoon (\(m = 0.156 \,\hbox {mm season}^{-1 }\,\hbox {year}^{-1})\) and pre-monsoon (\(m = 0.068\, \hbox {mm season}^{-1 }\,\hbox {year}^{-1})\) periods. Despite an overall net decline in the country, a considerable increase ( \(4 \,\hbox {mm year}^{-1}\)) was observed over arid and semi-arid regions. Grid level correlation with various climatic parameters exhibited a strong positive correlation (\(r \!>\!0.5\)) of ET with soil moisture and precipitation over semi-arid and arid regions, whereas a negative correlation (\(r\) \(-0.5\)) occurred with temperature and insolation in dry regions of western India. The results of this analysis are useful for understanding regional ET dynamics and its relationship with various climatic parameters over India. Future studies on the effects of ET changes on the hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, and energy partitioning are needed to account for the feedbacks to the climate.     

The effect of radioactive waste storage in Andreev Bay on contamination of the Barents Sea ecosystem

Doklady Earth Sciences - The effect of temporary radioactive waste storage on the ecological status of the sea and biota in the littoral of Andreev and Malaya Andreev bays and near the shore of...     

Extraction of impervious features from spectral indices using artificial neural network

An urban area comprises a complex mix of diverse land cover types and materials. Urban ecology and environment is significantly influenced by the proportion of impervious cover that is increasing considerably with time due to the continuous influx of people into urban areas. Therefore, it is of vital importance to determine the spatiotemporal pattern and magnitude of urbanization. In the present study, we have employed a supervised backpropagation neural network in order to extract the impervious features using five spectral indices, such as one vegetation index—Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), one water index—Modified Normalized Water Index (MNDWI), and three urban indices—Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Built-up Index (BUI), and Index-Based Built-up Index (IBI). The study has been performed using Landsat Thematic Mapper data of November, 2011, of the rapidly urbanizing city of Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand state, India. Using different combinations of these spectral indices while keeping SAVI and MNDWI constant, seven composite images were built, and from each of these composites, impervious features were classified and its accuracy assessed with reference to high-resolution images provided by Microsoft Bing Imagery and adequate ground truthing. It was observed that along with SAVI and MNDWI, whenever IBI was used in any combination, it decreased the classification efficiency. On the other hand, NDBI and BUI, individually or when used together, discriminated the impervious features from the others with high accuracy with the combination of SAVI, MNDWI, and BUI achieving the highest accuracy of 90.14 %.