Occurrence of anthropogenic and naturally-produced organohalogenated compounds in tissues of Black Sea harbour porpoises

Harbour porpoises are one of the three cetacean species inhabiting the Black Sea. This is the first study to report on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and naturally-produced compounds, methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) and polybrominated hexahydroxanthene derivatives (PBHDs), in tissues (kidney, brain, blubber, liver, muscle) of male harbour porpoises (11 adults, 9 juveniles) from the Black Sea. Lipid-normalized concentrations decreased from muscle > blubber > liver > kidney > brain for the sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and for the sum of PBDEs. Among the naturally-produced compounds, levels of PBHDs were higher than of MeO-PBDEs, with tri-BHD and 6-MeO-BDE 47 being the dominant compounds for both groups, respectively. Concentrations of naturally-produced compounds decreased from blubber to brain, similarly to the sum of DDT and metabolites (DDXs). Concentrations of DDXs were highest, followed by PCBs, HCB, PBHDs, PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs. Levels of PCBs and PBDEs in blubber were lower than concentrations reported for harbour porpoises from the North Sea, while concentrations of DDXs were higher.     

Multiple forecasts of kharif rice in orissa state-four year experience of fasal pilot study

Considering the requirement of multiple pre-harvest crop forecasts, the concept of Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agrometeorology and Land based observations (FASAL) has been formulated. Development of procedure and demonstration of this technique for four in-season forecasts for kharif rice has been carried out as a pilot study in Orissa State since 1998. As the availability of cloud-free optical remote sensing data during kharif season is very poor for Orissa state, multi-date RADARSAT SCANSAR data were used for acreage estimation of kharif rice. Meteorological models have been developed for early assessment of acreage and prediction of yield at mid and late crop growth season. Four in-season forecasts were made during four kharif seasons (1998-2001); the first forecast of zone level rice acreage at the beginning of kharif crop season using meteorological models, second forecast of district level acreage at mid growth season using two-date RADARSAT SCANSAR data and yield using meteorological models, third forecast at late growth season of district level acreage using three-date RADARSAT SCANSAR data and yield using meteorological models and revised forecast incorporating field observations at maturity. The results of multiple forecasts have shown rice acreage estimation and yield prediction with deviation up to 14 and 11 per cent respectively. This study has demonstrated the potential of FASAL concept to provide inseason multiple forecasts using data of remote sensing, meteorology and land based observations.     

On the numerical evaluation of theH-functions of transfer problems in multiplying media

Extensive tables of the values ofH-functionsH ⁰(z, ) andH ₁ ⁰ (z, ) appropriate for the problems of radiative transfer in multiplying media characterized by >1, have been constructed correctly to the sixth decimal place for values of in the range 1.05–10. This accuracy has been attained with the aid of a 32-point Gaussian quadrature.     

Airborne measurements of atmospheric electrical conductivities

Atmospheric electrical polar conductivities were measured using a Gerdien condenser mounted on an aircraft. These surveys, conducted over the western coast of South India, have detected enhanced conductivities associated with the placer deposits of the radioactive mineral monazite found in this region. The data reflect the variation in the level of surface radioactivity along the flight routes. In one flight that rose over the sea up to 1 km, the effect of radioactivity was seen to extend up to this point. Over land the influence of the surface radioactivity on electrical conductivity is mostly confined to the region of occurrence of the deposits. These studies also suggest the possibility of employing the Gerdien condenser in preliminary surveys to detect the presence of radioactivity.     

Assimilation of Doppler Weather Radar Radial Velocity and Reflectivity Observations in WRF-3DVAR System for Short-Range Forecasting of Convective Storms

In this paper the impact of Doppler weather radar (DWR) reflectivity and radial velocity observations for the short range forecasting of a tropical storm and associated rainfall event have been examined. Doppler radar observations of a tropical storm case that occurred during 29–30 October 2006 from SHARDWR (13.6° N, 80.2° E) are assimilated in the WRF 3DVAR system. The observation operator for radar reflectivity and radial velocity is included within latest version of WRF 3DVAR system. Keeping all model physics the same, three experiments were conducted at a horizontal resolution of 30?km. In the control experiment (CTRL), NCEP Final Analysis (FNL) interpolated to the model grid was used as the initial condition for 48-h free forecast. In the second experiment (NODWR), 6-h assimilation cycles have been carried out using all conventional (radiosonde and surface data) and non-conventional (satellite) observations from the Global Telecommunication System (GTS). The third experiment (DWR) is the same as the second, except Doppler radar radial velocity and reflectivity observations are also used in the assimilation cycle. Continuous 6-h assimilation cycle employed in the WRF-3DVAR system shows positive impact on the rainfall forecast. Assimilation of DWR data creates several small scale features near the storm centre. Additional sensitivity experiments were conducted to study the individual impact of reflectivity and radial velocity in the assimilation cycle. Radar data assimilation with reflectivity alone produced large analysis response on both thermodynamical and dynamical fields. However, radial velocity assimilation impacted only on dynamical fields. Analysis increments with radar reflectivity and radial velocity produce adjustments in both dynamical and thermodynamical fields. Verification of QPF skill shows that radar data assimilation has a considerable impact on the short range precipitation forecast. Improvement of the QPF skill with radar data assimilation is more clearly seen in the heavy rainfall (for thresholds >7?mm) event than light rainfall (for thresholds of 1 and 3?mm). The spatial pattern of rainfall is well simulated by the DWR experiment and is comparable to TRMM observations.     

Seismic analysis of a curved bridge considering deck‐abutment pounding interaction: an analytical investigation on the post‐impact response

Horizontal curved bridges are very common at intersections and at the changing angle of bridge alignment. Almost in every previous earthquake report, it can be seen that the columns of a curved segment experience torsional damage, and the curved decks are unseated from the abutment support. The main reason behind that phenomenon is the in‐plane deck rotation which results because of the complex dynamic coupling between two longitudinal directional vibrations. The curved decks are susceptible to deck rotation because in a curved segment, the centre of mass and the centre of stiffness generally lie outside the bridge deck and are not located at the same point. The pounding with the abutment often increases the rotational tendency of the deck. In this paper, a classical mechanics‐based approach is adopted to analytically estimate the deck rotation potential of curved bridge considering the deck‐abutment pounding interaction. The deck‐abutment pounding is modelled using non‐smooth techniques considering the Newton's impact law in the normal and Coulomb's friction in the tangential direction. Within the scope of this paper, a parametric study is performed to get the ideal combination of the column and bent arrangement and the gap distance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biogeochemistry and paleoclimate variability during the Holocene: a record from Mansar Lake,Lesser Himalaya

Investigation of biogeochemistry and amino acids on a 30-m-long core from Mansar Lake has thrown light on palaeoclimate variability during the Holocene period. The C/N ratio between 6 and 10 with some deviations and δ13C mostly between −20 and −22‰ in the shallow core, as well as a C/N ratio greater than 13 reaching from 19 to 20 and correspondingly lower δ13C of –28‰ in the deeper core suggest an aquatic source of carbon in the former and a cellulose-rich land plant source in the latter. This is supported by the abrupt increase in organic carbon content in the deeper core compared to the shallow core, which indicates a hot and wet climatic regime during the early Holocene and dry and cold during the late Holocene period. The amino acid data AA-C/C% and AA-N/N% are higher in shallow sediments compared to deeper sediments, indicating an aquatic plant source in the shallow core and greater supply of land plant sources in the deeper core. The lower percentage of the non-protein amino acids β-alanine (ALA) and γ-amino-butyric acid in the shallow core compared to the deeper core indicates different sources of organic matter in the lake basin. The higher amino acid ratio Asp/β-Ala (16.99 av.) and Glu/γ-Aba (18.18 av.) in the shallow core and lower ratios (10.32 and 12.41 av.) in the deeper core, and Asp/Glu (1.52 av.) and β-Ala/γ-Aba (1.61 av.) ratios in the former, which are potential indicators of the nature of the organic matter, are higher in the shallow core relative to the deeper core (1.33 and 1.23 av.), indicating relative biodegradation of organic matter in deeper sediments. It has been observed that the organic matter associated with the dry season is relatively less biodegraded, as evidenced from their higher ratios, and is more biodegraded in the wet season as their ratios are lower in the river sediments. In the absence of a bacterial contribution of organic matter from the soil source in this lake, since Mansar Lake is a non-drainage type, it is envisaged that the climatic variation may be responsible for biodegradation in the deeper core sediments. Therefore, the C/N ratio and δ13C values supported by amino acid data, the latter being significant in revealing primary productivity and a terrestrial source of organic matter, suggest a hot and wet climatic regime during the early Holocene (ca. 7580 bp) and a dry and cold in the late Holocene period (ca. 4050 bp).     

Meta-heuristic ant colony optimization technique to forecast the amount of summer monsoon rainfall: skill comparison with Markov chain model

Forecasting summer monsoon rainfall with precision becomes crucial for the farmers to plan for harvesting in a country like India where the national economy is mostly based on regional agriculture. The forecast of monsoon rainfall based on artificial neural network is a well-researched problem. In the present study, the meta-heuristic ant colony optimization (ACO) technique is implemented to forecast the amount of summer monsoon rainfall for the next day over Kolkata (22.6°N, 88.4°E), India. The ACO technique belongs to swarm intelligence and simulates the decision-making processes of ant colony similar to other adaptive learning techniques. ACO technique takes inspiration from the foraging behaviour of some ant species. The ants deposit pheromone on the ground in order to mark a favourable path that should be followed by other members of the colony. A range of rainfall amount replicating the pheromone concentration is evaluated during the summer monsoon season. The maximum amount of rainfall during summer monsoon season (June—September) is observed to be within the range of 7.5–35 mm during the period from 1998 to 2007, which is in the range 4 category set by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The result reveals that the accuracy in forecasting the amount of rainfall for the next day during the summer monsoon season using ACO technique is 95 % where as the forecast accuracy is 83 % with Markov chain model (MCM). The forecast through ACO and MCM are compared with other existing models and validated with IMD observations from 2008 to 2012.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of pyrophyllite deposit of Madrangjodi,Keonjhar district,Orissa

Pyrophyllite deposit at Madrangjodi is a large lensoidal massif overlain unconformably by Dhanjori quartzite and underlain by the parent Singhbhum granite (Phase — II). Pyrophyllite and quartz are the major minerals with minor to trace amounts of muscovite, chloritoid opaques and tourmaline. It is broadly divisible into lamellar, granular and schistose varieties. SiO₂ (66.90–74.36%) and Al₂O₃ (20.80–27.54%) are the major oxides. The major elements data indicate its derivation from Singhbhum granite with depletion of SiO₂ and increment of Al₂O₃. Trace and REE data are discussed to corroborate its genesis.     

Impact of vegetation on the simulation of seasonal monsoon rainfall over the Indian subcontinent using a regional model

The change in the type of vegetation fraction can induce major changes in the local effects such as local evaporation, surface radiation, etc., that in turn induces changes in the model simulated outputs. The present study deals with the effects of vegetation in climate modeling over the Indian region using the MM5 mesoscale model. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the impact of vegetation dataset derived from SPOT satellite by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) versus that of USGS (United States Geological Survey) vegetation dataset on the simulation of the Indian summer monsoon. The present study has been conducted for five monsoon seasons (1998–2002), giving emphasis over the two contrasting southwest monsoon seasons of 1998 (normal) and 2002 (deficient). The study reveals mixed results on the impact of vegetation datasets generated by ISRO and USGS on the simulations of the monsoon. Results indicate that the ISRO data has a positive impact on the simulations of the monsoon over northeastern India and along the western coast. The MM5-USGS has greater tendency of overestimation of rainfall. It has higher standard deviation indicating that it induces a dispersive effect on the rainfall simulation. Among the five years of study, it is seen that the RMSE of July and JJAS (June–July–August–September) for All India Rainfall is mostly lower for MM5-ISRO. Also, the bias of July and JJAS rainfall is mostly closer to unity for MM5-ISRO. The wind fields at 850 hPa and 200 hPa are also better simulated by MM5 using ISRO vegetation. The synoptic features like Somali jet and Tibetan anticyclone are simulated closer to the verification analysis by ISRO vegetation. The 2 m air temperature is also better simulated by ISRO vegetation over the northeastern India, showing greater spatial variability over the region. However, the JJAS total rainfall over north India and Deccan coast is better simulated using the USGS vegetation. Sensible heat flux over north-west India is also better simulated by MM5-USGS.