Some recent developments in solar dynamo theory

We discuss the current status of solar dynamo theory and describe the dynamo model developed by our group. The toroidal magnetic field is generated in the tachocline by the strong differential rotation and rises to the solar surface due to magnetic buoyancy to create active regions. The decay of these active regions at the surface gives rise to the poloidal magnetic field by the Babcock-Leighton mechanism. This poloidal field is advected by the meridional circulation first to high latitudes and then down below to the tachocline. Dynamo models based on these ideas match different aspects of observational data reasonably well.     

Biological stabilization of mine dumps: shear strength and numerical simulation approach with special reference to Sisam tree

The stability of mine waste dump is very important for an economic and safety point of view. The biological method is the most popular and eco-friendly approach to stabilize the mine waste dump in the long term. Trees outclass grasses and shrubs for long term stability as the roots of trees are stronger and penetrate deeper. Their roots bind the dump material and form a composite material having high shear strength. The mechanics of stabilization by tress have yet not been fully understood. Moreover, one always refers to biological stabilization of slope qualitatively rather than quantitatively. A numerical simulation tool has been used in the present paper to assess the increased factor of safety of a vegetated dump slope. The Sisam tree was chosen for the present study as it is commonly available in northern India, needs little care and has high economic value. The increased shear strength of the dump mass having tree roots was calculated by shear box test. The tree roots occupy large space, hence, a large size shear box (1.5 m × 1.5 m × 0.75 m) has specifically been designed and fabricated for determining the shear strength of dump root matrix. A small size shear box (0.30 m × 0.30 m × 0.15 m) has also been designed and fabricated to determine the increased shear strength due to small trees. It was observed that the Sisam tree of even moderate size binds the upper layers of mine dump and improve the factor of safety substantially. It was also observed that the stability of dump slope improves with time (i.e. size of tree).     

On Magnetic Coupling Between the Two Hemispheres in Solar Dynamo Models

By introducing an asymmetry between the two hemispheres, we study whether the solar dynamo solutions in the two hemispheres remain coupled with each other. Our calculations are based on the solar dynamo code SURYA, which incorporates the helioseismically-determined solar-rotation profile, a Babcock–Leighton α effect concentrated near the surface, and a meridional circulation. When the magnetic coupling between the hemispheres is enhanced by either increasing the diffusion or introducing an α effect distributed throughout the convection zone, we find that the solutions in the two hemispheres evolve together with a single period even when we make the meridional circulation or the α effect different in the two hemispheres. On the other hand, when the hemispheric coupling is weaker for other values of parameters, an asymmetry between the hemispheres can make solutions in the two hemispheres evolve independently with different periods.     

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Community-based Natural Resource Management in Northeast India

Community-based natural resource management in northeast India has a long history. Indigenous knowledge and adaptation are the collective information, with improvement from generation to generation. The expectation is that under community control, local expertise on biodiversity will play a significant role in natural resource management through traditional practices. This paper discusses the characteristics and application of the traditional ecological knowledge of aboriginal peoples in northeast India and its role in natural resource management. Examples are provided in two different eco-cultural landscapes, i.e., Demazong (the Buddhist eco-cultural landscape in Sikkim Himalaya) and the Apatani eco-cultural landscape in Arunachal Pradesh, which illustrate the utility value of traditional ecological knowledge in sustainable natural resource management. Both eco-cultural landscapes are indeed very complex and highly evolved systems with high levels of economic and ecological efficiencies. The paper concludes that traditional ecological knowledge systems and institutions could serve as entry points into the sustainable utilization and management of natural resources. This could be achieved through the exploration of the cultural practices of the local people and integrating useful aspects into the modern natural resource management expertise. With rapidly depleting biodiversity in the developing tropic regions, there is a greater utilization today than ever before of the value of respecting the "Sacred" as a tool towards better conservation of natural resources.     

Tilted Bianchi type I cosmological models filled with disordered radiation in general relativity revisitedD

Tilted Bianchi type I cosmological models filled with disordered radiation in presence of a bulk viscous fluid and heat flow are investigated. The coefficient of bulk viscosity is assumed to be a power function of mass density. Some physical and geometric properties of the models are also discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Diamagnetic screening of the magnetic field in accreting neutron stars

A possible mechanism for screening of the surface magnetic field of an accreting neutron star, by the accreted material, is investigated. We model the material flow in the surface layers of the star by an assumed two-dimensional velocity field satisfying all the physical requirements. Using this model velocity we find that, in the absence of magnetic buoyancy, the surface field is screened (i.e. there is submergence of the field by advection) within the time-scale of material flow of the top layers. On the other hand, if magnetic buoyancy is present, the screening happens over a time-scale that is characteristic of the slower flow of the deeper (and hence, denser) layers. For accreting neutron stars, this longer time-scale turns out to be about 10⁵ yr, which is of a similar order of magnitude to the accretion time-scale of most massive X-ray binaries.     

Miocene provenance change in Himalayan foreland basin and Bengal Fan sediments,with special reference to detrital garnet chemistry

Bengal Fan Miocene sediments were collected during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 354 and investigated using petrographic and detrital garnet chemistry analyses. The Miocene Siwalik Group, which is composed of sediments deposited in the Himalayan foreland basin, was also analyzed for comparison with the Bengal Fan data for the provenance change during the Miocene. Our petrographic analyses revealed that the Miocene sediments of the Bengal Fan and Siwalik Group consist predominantly of Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC)-derived detritus such as chloritoid, staurolite, sillimanite, and/or kyanite, which appear among the accessory minerals. The chemistry of the detrital garnet varies across the stratigraphy; most of the garnet is rich in almandine and poor in spessartine and pyrope. However, pyrope-rich garnet, which is considered to originate from the HHC core (granulite facies), was found in the lower to upper Miocene deposits. The deposition of HHC-derived detrital garnet began before the Middle Miocene (15 Ma) and before the Late Miocene (10–9 Ma) in the Siwalik Group. The Bengal Fan data, by contrast, indicated that pyrope-rich garnet appeared in the Early Miocene (17.3 Ma) and Late Miocene (8.5–6.5 Ma). We conclude that the Bengal Fan sediments record the erosion of the HHC zone since the Early Miocene that appears in the Siwalik sediments. Furthermore, we found that the HHC-derived inputs decreased from the late Middle Miocene (12 Ma) to the early Middle Miocene (10 Ma) in both the Nepal Himalaya foreland basin and the Bengal Fan. The disappearance of the HHC-derived detritus is probably the result of dilution by Lesser Himalayan detritus, which suggests that the Lesser Himalayan zone, which is composed of metamorphosed and unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks, was uplifted.     

Feasibility of red mud neutralization with seawater using Taguchi’s methodology

In this study, feasibility of using seawater to neutralize alkaline red mud for its safe disposal has been studied using Taguchi’s design of experimental methodology. Parameters such as weight of red mud, volume of seawater, stirring time and temperature were tested at three levels to study their effect on response characteristic, i.e., pH of the neutralized slurry. The analysis of variance showed that volume of seawater added and quantity of red mud are the two significant parameters with 53.59 and 44.92 % contribution each, respectively. Under the optimized parameters, pH value of red mud slurry reaches to about 8.0 which is within disposable limits. When seawater or other Ca- and Mg-rich brines are added to caustic red mud, the pH of the mixture is reduced causing hydroxide, carbonate or hydroxy carbonate minerals to be precipitated. This mechanism of neutralization process has been explained with emphasis on chemical analysis, mineralogy and morphology of the neutralized red mud. The process improved the physical characteristics of red mud with entrained liquor becoming non-hazardous water with reduced alkalinity. The results would be extremely useful in the process of safe disposal of red mud.     

Monitoring of Microbiological Attributes of Soil and Groundwater Exposed to Metal Industrial Effluents

The present paper evaluates the temporal and spatial impact of heavy metal containing (Cr, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Fe) effluents of brass, electroplating and tannery industries on chemical and microbiological characteristics of affected soil and groundwater. Therefore, samples were drawn from three sites, S₁, S₂ and S₃, with a longitudinally distant from effluent drain of 20, 200 and 700 m, respectively. In general, the metals concentration exceeded the standard limits not only in the discharged effluents but also in the soil and groundwater. The significant reduction of microbial biomass C and N, soil respiration and microbial coefficient with increasing metal content from S₃ to S₁ was recorded, the effect being more pronounced in summer. However, the C_mic/N_mic ratio decreased whilst the metabolic quotient ($q_{{\rm CO}_{{\rm 2}} } $ ) increased with increasing metal concentration in soil. The content of Zn (11.5 mg/L) and Bacillus sp. was at maximum in groundwater of brass and electroplating industry site, whereas that of tannery site contained maximum Cr (2.34 mg/L) and Enterobacter sp. The toxic metals adversely polluted the groundwater which made it to harbours Escherichia coli beyond the prescribed limit. To check the soil and groundwater pollution, eco‐friendly measures involving improved effluent treatment technology and site‐specific application of treated effluent are recommended.