Multidimensional poverty in slums: an empirical study from urban India

Poverty is the most important metric for determining the nature and sense of wellbeing in a given area. Most economists consider poverty to be an economic criterion for assessing many aspects of human development as well as overall social development; yet, society is multi-faceted in its many forms. To address this pressing societal issue, the current study used the Multidimensional poverty index (MPI). To analyse urban poverty among slum communities, the researchers used the Global MPI of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and UNDP (following Alkire and Foster) techniques. Researchers attempted to create a Multidimensional poverty index (MPI) for impoverished households in Purulia's designated slums in this study. In the second phase, the multidimensional poverty of Purulia's urban poor households was assessed based on (a) location, (b) social groupings, and (c) length of stay. Finally, researchers have attempted to identify the factors that contribute to multidimensional poverty. Two indicators, the Head Count Ratio (H) and Intensity of Poverty, have been offered to better explain the nature of MPI (A). Based on slum population density and areal density, eight urban slum areas with 320 households has been taken from 8 selected slums based on Yamane’s methodology from Purulia Municipality's wards. A structured questionnaire, an oral history interview, and a focus group discussion were used as primary data sources, with secondary data acquired from several officially published sources. The study displays a decomposed multidimensional poverty picture in terms of overall condition, socioeconomic groups, and household age, with a quantitative methodology that is transparent. When the locations have been considered, a qualitative approach has been used to determine that the slums closest to the railway track are the most multidimensionally disadvantaged of the eight slums. Furthermore, the schedule caste population has been found to be more deprived across many socioeconomic groups, with Scheduled tribe (ST) households being the most deprived in terms of health on one hand (applied quantitative methodology) and multi-nominal regression (applied qualitative methodology) indicating a mix mode approach. This form of analysis, which combines quantitative and qualitative approaches, can aid stakeholders and policymakers in developing specific poverty-reduction policies at the regional level.

     

A survey of damage observed in Izmir due to 2020 Samos-Izmir earthquake

Natural Hazards - An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hit the city of Izmir (Turkey) on 30 October 2020, resulting in 117 deaths (in Turkey) and considerable economic losses. The earthquake also...     

Characterization of middle Eocene tide-influenced delta: A study from core samples of Hazad Member,Ankleshwar Formation,South Cambay Basin,India

The Hazad Member (Middle Eocene) of the Ankleswar Formation in Cambay Basin, India, is traditionally reported as deltaic system. Present work documents three major facies associations, namely, (i) sandstone-rich upper delta plain (FA-1) deposits, (ii) sandstone-mudstone heterolithic lower delta plain–delta front (FA-2) deposits, and (iii) shale-dominated prodelta (FA-3) deposits, in an overall coarsening-up to fining-up succession. Tidalites are well preserved in FA-2 and are represented by laterally accreted tidal bundles, tidal beddings and vertically accreted tidal rhythmites, described from drill core samples in this communication. Laterally accreted tidal bundles with reactivation surfaces in sand-dominated heterolithic units indicate time-velocity asymmetry in subtidal condition. Tidal beddings and tidal rhythmites in mud-dominated heterolithic units, associated with asymmetric/symmetric ripple forms and desiccation cracks, indicate periodic subaerial emergence in intertidal flat depositional setting. Systematic analysis of the architecture of the tidalites in different parts of the basin signifies rapid shift in sedimentation from subtidal to intertidal flat within the lower delta plain. Transitions from prodeltaic to tidally (subtidal-intertidal) affected delta front to lower delta plain and fluvial-dominated upper delta plain depositional systems attest to high frequency transgressive-regressive cycles in response to changing accommodation, as a result of sea level fluctuations and basinal tectonisms in the Cambay Basin.     

A simplified method for unified buckling and free vibration analysis of pile-supported structures in seismically liquefiable soils

In seismic-prone zones with liquefiable deposit piles are routinely used to support structures (buildings/bridges). In this paper, a unified buckling and dynamic approach is taken to characterize this vibration. The pile–soil system is modelled as Euler–Bernoulli beam resting against an elastic support with axial load and a pile head mass with rotary inertia. The emphasis here is to obtain a simple expression that can be used by practicing engineers to obtain the fundamental frequency of the structure–pile–soil system. An approximate method based on an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom model has been proposed. Natural frequencies obtained from the exact analytical method are compared with approximate results. Proposed expressions are general as they are functions of non-dimensional parameters. It is shown that this simplified method captures the essential design features such as: (a) the continuous reduction of the first natural frequency of the structure–pile–soil system due to progressive reduction of soil stiffness due to liquefaction; (b) the reduction in the axial load-carrying capacity of the pile due to instability caused by liquefaction. The results derived in this paper have the potential to be directly applied in practice due to their simple yet general nature. An example problem has been taken to demonstrate the application of the method.     

Delineation of ground water potential zones in a hard Rock Terrain of Bargarh District, Orissa using IRS data

In the present paper, various groundwater potential zones for the assessment of groundwater availability in a hard rock terrain have been delineated with the help of hydrogeological parameters using satellite IRS- 1B-LISS-II digital data. Area selected for this study is a part of Bargarh district, Orissa, India covering an area of about 680 square km. Satellite data has been used to prepare geological-cum-lineaments, geomorphological, landuse and drainage maps. The various thematic maps have been integrated with the help of Geographic Information System to demarcate the poor to excellent groundwater potential zones. Weightage has been given to various groundwater controlling factors to the total groundwater potential in each segment of study area. Subsequently, several sites were selected and pumping tests carded out in the area. The results show that among others, lineaments as well as drainage density are the most important contributory factors in the groundwater potential of various geomorphic units in the area of investigation.     

亚致死剂量铜对文昌鱼和玫瑰无须钯的组织病理学影响

采用半静水实验法测试研究了重金属Cu^2＋对文昌鱼（Branchiostoma belcher）和玫瑰无须喜巴（Puntius conchonius）的急性致死毒性和亚急性毒性。实验结果表明,Cu^2＋对文昌鱼和玫瑰无须喜巴24,48,72,96h的半致死浓度分别为0．561,0．373,0．261,0．211mg／L及0．976,0．783,0．562,0．473mg／L,其安全质量浓度分别为0．021和0．047mg／L。亚急性毒性实验中,文昌鱼和玫瑰无须喜巴分别用浓度为20％和30％的96h LC50的Cu^2＋处理。不同器官的组织病理学观察结果表明,过量Cu^2＋对玫瑰无须喜巴的鳃、肝脏、肾脏等器官产生毒害,对文昌鱼鳃和肝盲囊细胞也产生了严重的毒害,表现为细胞空泡化等明显的结构破坏。实验结果显示文昌鱼的肝盲囊和脊椎动物的肝脏一样,也是受过量铜显著毒害的主要靶器官器官。因此,文昌鱼的肝盲囊至少在经受过量Cu^2＋毒害方面与脊椎动物肝脏具有相似性,从生理功能方面为类文昌鱼祖先的盲囊（digestive caecum）是脊椎动物肝脏的前体这一假说提供了资料。     

Impact of Change in Monsoonal Circulation Due to SST Warming on the North East Asian Monsoon: A Model Analysis Using Satellite Based Sub-Grid Hydrometeors

Over the North East Asia, extreme anomalous precipitation were observed in 2013 and 2014. During 2013 summer the precipitation was found to be higher (two standard deviation) than the climatological mean of the region; whereas during 2014, which was a borderline El Niño year, precipitation was found to be lower (one standard deviation). To understand the differences of these two anomalous years the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) has been used. The study found that low land-surface temperature and high sea-surface temperature over ocean caused a smaller land-sea contrast of surface temperature between East Asia and North West Pacific Ocean in 2014, which could have caused an eastward shift of mean monsoon circulation in that year compared to the circulation in 2013. Due to a change in the lower level circulation and wind field over East Asia the evaporation and moisture transport patterns became very different in those two years. In 2013, this study found high latent heat flux over Eastern China, which implies an increased surface evaporation over that region, and the moisture transported to the north by the mean monsoon circulation; whereas, there was no correlated transport of moisture to the North East Asia during 2014. The precipitable water over North East Asia has a stronger correlation with the latent heat flux over southern land region than that from Ocean region in the eastern side in both the years. A new approach is proposed to estimate the sub-grid scale hydrometeors from GRIMs, overestimated in the existing model.     

Did the Harappan settlement of Dholavira (India) collapse during the onset of Meghalayan stage drought?

Radiocarbon dating of archaeological carbonates from seven cultural stages of Dholavira, Great Rann of Kachchh (GRK), the largest excavated Harappan settlement in India, suggests the beginning of occupation at ~5500 years BP (pre-Harappan), and continuation until ~3800 years BP (early part of the Late Harappan period). The settlement rapidly expanded under favourable monsoonal climate conditions when architectural elements such as the Citadel, Bailey, Lower and Middle Town were added between the Early and mid-Mature Harappan periods. Abundant local mangroves grew around the GRK sustaining prolific populations of the edible gastropod Terebralia palustris. Oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) sclerochronology of Early Harappan gastropod shell suggests seasonal mixing of some depleted (δ¹⁸O ~ −12‰) river water in summer/monsoon months (through ancient Saraswati and/or Indus distributary channels) with seawater that periodically inundated the GRK. Evaporation from this semi-enclosed water body during the non-monsoon months enriched the δ¹⁸O of water/shell carbonates. The humid fluvial landscape possibly changed due to a catastrophic drought driving the final collapse of the settlement of Dholavira exactly at the onset of the Meghalayan (Late Holocene) stage (~4300–4100 years BP ). Indeed, Dholavira presents a classic case for understanding how climate change can increase future drought risk as predicted by the IPCC working group. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optical observations of GRB 050401 afterglow : a case for double-jet model

The afterglow of GRB 050401 presents several novel and interesting features. (i) An initially faster decay in optical band than in X-rays. (ii) A break in the X-ray light curve after ∼0.06 d with an unusual slope after the break. (iii)The X-ray afterglow does not show any spectral evolution across the break while the R -band light curve does not show any break. We have modelled the observed multiband evolution of the afterglow of GRB 050401 as originating in a two-component jet, and interpreting the break in X-ray light curve as due to lateral expansion of a narrow collimated outflow which dominates the X-ray emission. The optical emission is attributed to a wider jet component. Our model reproduces all the observed features of multiband afterglow of GRB 050401. We present optical observations of GRB 050401 using the 104-cm Sampurnanand Telescope at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital. Results of the analysis of multiband data are presented and compared with GRB 030329, the first reported case of double jet.