Scattering Properties and Composition of Cometary Dust

Composition of the Comet dust obtained by the dust impact analyzer on the Halley probes indicated that the comet dust is a mixture of silicate and carbonaceous material. The collected interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) are fluffy and composite, having grains of several different types stuck together. Using discrete dipole approximation (DDA) we study the scattering properties of composite grains. In particular, we study the angular distribution of the scattered intensity and linear polarization of composite grains. We assume that the composite grains are made up of a host silicate sphere/spheroid with the inclusions of graphite. Results of our calculations on the composite grains show that the angle of maximum polarization shifts, and the degree of polarization varies with the volume fraction of the inclusions. We use these results on the composite grains to interpret the observed scattering in cometary dust.     

Secondary geochemical dispersion in the Precambrian auriferous Hutti–Maski schist belt, Raichur district, Karnataka, India. Part II. Application of factorial design in the analysis of secondary dispersion of As

The study uses the technique of factorial design for analysis of factors governing secondary dispersion of As in an auriferous Archean greenstone belt. Details of the sampling procedure and analytical techniques used for As in groundwater and soil of the Hutti–Maski schist belt are discussed in Part I of the paper in this issue. The main effects and interactions of topographic slope, drainage texture, proximity to lineament, depth of water table and soil types have been considered. The study shows that secondary dispersion of As is governed by proximity to lineament and factors that govern drainage and ground water movement. The factors retained were used to predict As values using a response surface model obtained by least square fitting using orthogonal polynomials. The goodness of fit of the model shows that the factors identified explain the secondary dispersion of As adequately.     

Initiatives for earthquake disaster risk management in the Kathmandu Valley

Situated over the Himalayan tectonic zone, Kathmandu Valley as a lake in geological past has a long history of destructive earthquakes. In recent years, the earthquake risk of the valley has significantly increased due mainly to uncontrolled development, poor construction practices with no earthquake safety consideration, and lack of awareness among the general public and government authorities. Implementation of land use plan and building codes, strengthening of design and construction regulations, relocation of communities in risky areas, and conduction of public awareness programs are suitable means of earthquake disaster risk management practice. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is still lacking earthquake disaster risk management plans. So, this paper highlights some initiatives adopted by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations of Nepal to manage earthquake disaster risk in the Kathmandu Valley. It provides some comprehensive information on recent initiatives of earthquake disaster risk management in the valley and also highlights the outcomes and challenges.     

Confronting scale in watershed development in India

The issue of scale is examined in the context of a watershed development policy (WSD) in India. WSD policy goals, by improving the natural resource base, aim to improve the livelihoods of rural communities through increased sustainable production. It has generally been practiced at a micro-level of less than 500?ha, as this was seen to be a scale that would encourage participative management. There has been some concern that this land area may be too small and may lead to less than optimal hydrological, economic and equity outcomes. As a result there has been a move to create guidelines for meso-scale WSD of above 5,000?ha in an endeavour to improve outcomes. A multidisciplinary team was assembled to evaluate the proposed meso-scale approach. In developing an adequate methodology for the evaluation it soon became clear that scale in itself was not the only determinant of success. The effect of geographical scale (or level) on WSD is determined by the variation in other drivers that will influence WSD success such as hydrological conditions, land use and available institutional structures. How this should be interpreted at different levels in the light of interactions between biophysical and socio-economic scales is discussed.     

Prediction of load displacement response of single piles under uplift load

Load displacement response and ultimate resistance of piles in sand under uplift load are predicted by load transfer approach. The pile is divided into number of segments and assigned geometrical and material properties according to actual soil pile situation. The shaft resistance is obtained analytically in accordance with existing studies. The proposed method takes into account the length, diameter and relevant surface characteristics of pile and soil properties. The load displacement characteristics and the value of uplift capacity of vertical piles from field test have been predicted. Reasonable agreement has been found out between predicted and observed values of uplift capacity. Load transfer mechanism is capable of predicting the nonlinear variation of load-displacement response of piles.     

Performance of Counterfort Walls with Reinforced Granular and Fly Ash Backfills: Experimental Investigation

Experimental investigations on model counterfort retaining walls have been carried out to study the lateral movement of the walls and the nature of the failure modes. Mild steel plates of size 1,000 × 900 × 8 mm were used as model retaining walls and were placed in a tank of size 900 × 900 × 670 mm. Ennore sand, obtained from Madras India, and Fly ash, obtained from Panki Thermal Power Plant, India were used as backfill material. Tests were carried out both with and without reinforced backfill. Two types of loading conditions were applied: (i) line load and (ii) uniform surcharge. The shape and size of the failure wedge was studied by observing displacement of bands of colored through a Perspex plate fixed on one side of the tank. Plots of overturning moment against the rotation of a wall top show that with the increase in rotation of wall, the overturning moment decreases. The minimum value of overturning moment is taken as the limiting value. The failure surfaces obtained in different cases are linear and parabolic in shape.     

Effect of potassium on soil conservation and productivity of maize/cowpea based crop rotations in the north-west Indian Himalayas

Plots under conservation tillage may require higher amount of potassium (K) application for augmenting productivity due to its stratification in upper soil layers, thereby reducing K supplying capacity in a medium or long-term period. To test this hypothesis, a field experiment was performed in 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 to study the effect of K and several crop rotations on yield, water productivity, carbon sequestration, grain quality, soil K status and economic benefits derived in maize (Zea mays L)/cowpea (Vigna sinensis L.) based cropping system under minimum tillage (MT). All crops recorded higher grain yield with a higher dose of K (120 kg K₂O ha^-1) than recommended K (40 kg K₂O ha^-1). The five years’ average yield data showed that higher K application (120 kg K₂O ha^-1) produced 16.4% (P<0.05) more maize equivalent yield. Cowpea based rotation yielded 14.2% (P<0.05) higher production than maize based rotation. The maximum enhancement was found in cowpea-mustard rotation. Relationship between yield and sustainable indices revealed that only agronomic efficiency of fertilizer input was significantly correlated with yield. Similarly, higher doses of K application not only increased the water use efficiency (WUE) of all crops, but also reduced runoff and soil loss by 16.5% and 15.8% under maize and 23.3% and 19.7% under cowpea cover, respectively. This study also revealed that on an average 16.5% of left over carbon input contributed to soil organic carbon (SOC). Here, cowpea based rotation with the higher K application increased carbon sequestration in soil. Potassium fertilization also significantly improved the nutritional value of harvested grain by increasing the protein content for maize (by 9.5%) and cowpea (by 10.6%). The oil content in mustard increased by 5.0% and 6.0% after maize and cowpea, respectively. Net return also increased with the application of the higher K than recommended K and the trend was similar to yield. Hence, the present study demonstrated the potential yield and profit gains along with resource conservation in the Indian Himalayas due to annual additions of higher amount of K than the recommended dose. The impact of high K application was maximum in the cowpea-mustard rotation.     

Size matters: experimental partitioning of the strength of fish herbivory on a fringing coral reef in Moorea,French Polynesia

While the importance of top‐down control by grazers in maintaining tropical reef community structure is well known, the effect of ‘fishing down the food web’, which simultaneously changes the abundance and size of herbivorous fishes, has received less attention. As many fishing practices target the biggest fish and regulations often set minimum size limits, understanding size‐dependency of this controlling force is important. We evaluated the hypothesis that reduction in the abundance and size of fish, regardless of species identity, reduces the role of herbivory in controlling algal abundance on reefs and assessed variation in efficacy of this top‐down control on different types of common macroalgae. We quantified herbivory rates within cages of differing opening sizes on assemblages of four common algal species (Padina boryana, Dictyota bartayresiana, Halimeda opuntia and Galaxaura fasciculata) on two fringing reefs in Moorea, French Polynesia. Small acanthurids (<15 cm length) were the dominant herbivorous fish while other herbivorous fish were rare. For the two most palatable algae, the majority of herbivory occurred in open plots, with herbivory reduced by >50% in the largest opening cages (6 × 6 cm) where the maximum size fish entering was 12 cm in length (mean = 7.6, SE = 0.4). Fish entering medium (4.5 × 4.5 cm openings, maximum fish length = 8 cm, mean = 6.3, SE = 0.4) and small (3 × 3 cm openings, no fish observed entering) cages had herbivory rates approximately equal to the control treatment (1 × 1 cm openings). Consumption varied among algal species, with minimal consumption of physically and chemically defended algae and no pattern across treatments. Our results demonstrate a need for management plans to not only maintain the overall abundance of herbivorous fish but to protect the largest sizes for effective top‐down control of algal communities.     

Study of variation of aerosol optical properties over a high altitude station in Indian Western Himalayan region,palampur using raman lidar system

A Raman lidar system was operated along with the Microtops sunphotometer measurements to carry out the study of the variation of the optical properties of aerosols over Palampur (32.11° N and 76.53° E), India from 17th April to 11th May 2019. The lidar system is furnished with Raman (N₂) channel and depolarization channel allowing independent measurement of Lidar Ratio (LR) and linear depolarization ratio. The study reveals that the majority of the aerosols approximately were restricted within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and very less loading was present in the free troposphere over the study location. The particle loading over the study period was found to be very less with aerosol backscatter coefficient (at 355 nm) ranging from ～0.13 Mm^?1sr^?1 to ～7.25 Mm^?1sr^?1 with mean value of 2.67?±?0.82 Mm^?1sr^?1 and it is well supplemented by the mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) of 0.37?±?0.13 obtained from Microtops Sunphotometer. The average lidar ratio values for 0-1 km altitude (L1) 72?±?13sr, for 1-2 km (L2) altitude 55?±?8sr, for 2-3 km (L3) 54?±?15sr were observed as suggesting dominance of the biomass burning aerosols and anthropogenic aerosols. The particle depolarization ratio (355 nm) values were found from approximately 4.8?±?2.7% to 11.5?±?1.9% with the mean value of 7?±?1.3% suggesting the presence of non-spherical particles. To trace the sources of the pollution, we derived the HYSPLIT trajectory which shows the majority of the movement was from local sources.