Marine Plastic Pollution in Indo-Pacific: ‘Together’ for Better ‘Future’

S. Sivakumar,Prakash Sharma 한국법제연구원 2021 KLRI journal of law and legislation Vol.11 No.2

According to a 2020 study titled “Changing Sails: Accelerating Regional Actions for Sustainable Oceans in Asia and the Pacific,” the Indo-Pacific region produces nearly half, together with consuming “more than one-third of the total world’s plastic.” It further reveals that owing to the inbuilt constraints in terms of methodology, coupled with inconvenient statistical systems, there remains serious concern for proper data procurement. Further, due to unchecked and uncontrolled human activities, the salubrity of oceans and seas is now “being pushed to a tipping point” and without proper data, the world appears to “swim in the dark.” The picture appears more horrific with COVID-19, particularly with additional reliance placed on the use of plastic. With plenty of challenges there are calls for review of goods production cycles through efficient strategies. In this perspective, we argue, first, no matter where we live, the ocean influences all of us. Therefore, the future we want demand easing of the complex relation between human and oceans, especially in the light of limited Earth’s ability to back rampant human desires. Secondly, the inherently wasteful linear plastic economy has resulted in overconsumption, destructive practices, acidification and subsidies that have caused irreplaceable damage to the state of oceans. As a result, the article maintains that (a) there is a weak legal and institutional framework, and (b) interaction between ocean and human activities, calls for better data demands. Further, the Sustainable Development Goal No. 14 strives towards promoting the health and sustainability of oceans. This holds a great importance, especially for the viable development of the Asia and the Pacific region which inhibits richest pool of the living natural resources in the world. The article suggests that both India and South Korea can take the lead and build up a mechanism of strengthening and promoting scientific know-how, develop research skills and share marine technology.

A novel analytical evaluation of the laboratory-measured mechanical properties of lightweight concrete

S. Sivakumar,R. Prakash,S. Srividhya,A.S. Vijay Vikram 국제구조공학회 2023 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.87 No.3

Urbanization and industrialization have significantly increased the amount of solid waste produced in recent decades, posing considerable disposal problems and environmental burdens. The practice of waste utilization in concrete has gained popularity among construction practitioners and researchers for the efficient use of resources and the transition to the circular economy in construction. This study employed Lytag aggregate, an environmentally friendly pulverized fuel ash-based lightweight aggregate, as a substitute for natural coarse aggregate. At the same time, fly ash, an industrial by-product, was used as a partial substitute for cement. Concrete mix M20 was experimented with using fly ash and Lytag lightweight aggregate. The percentages of fly ash that make up the replacements were 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. The Compressive Strength (CS), Split Tensile Strength (STS), and deflection were discovered at these percentages after 56 days of testing. The concrete cube, cylinder, and beam specimens were examined in the explorations, as mentioned earlier. The results indicate that a 10% substitution of cement with fly ash and a replacement of coarse aggregate with Lytag lightweight aggregate produced concrete that performed well in terms of mechanical properties and deflection. The cementitious composites have varying characteristics as the environment changes. Therefore, understanding their mechanical properties are crucial for safety reasons. CS, STS, and deflection are the essential property of concrete. Machine learning (ML) approaches have been necessary to predict the CS of concrete. The Artificial Fish Swarm Optimization (AFSO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Harmony Search (HS) algorithms were investigated for the prediction of outcomes. This work deftly explains the tremendous AFSO technique, which achieves the precise ideal values of the weights in the model to crown the mathematical modeling technique. This has been proved by the minimum, maximum, and sample median, and the first and third quartiles were used as the basis for a boxplot through the standardized method of showing the dataset. It graphically displays the quantitative value distribution of a field. The correlation matrix and confidence interval were represented graphically using the corrupt method.

High-energy ion induced physical and surface modifications in antimony sulphide thin films

S. Subramanian,M. Balaji,P. Chithra Lekha,K. Asokan,D. Kanjilal,Indra Sulania,Jai Prakash,D. Pathinettam Padiyan 한국물리학회 2010 Current Applied Physics Vol.10 No.4

Sb2S3 thin films prepared by electrodeposition on indium tin oxide coated glass substrate were irradiated with 150 MeV Ni11+ ions for various fluence in the range of 1011–1013 ions/㎠. The modifications in the structure, surface morphology and optical properties have been studied as a function of ion fluence. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates a shift in the (2 4 0) peak position towards lower diffraction angle and a decrease in grain size with increase in ion fluence. Presence of microcracks due to irradiation induced grain splitting effect has been observed from the SEM micrograph at higher ion fluence. The optical absorbance spectrum revealed a shift in the fundamental absorption edge and the band gap energy increased from a value of 1.63 eV for as-deposited films to 1.80 eV for the films irradiated with 1013 ions/㎠.

Mapping and assessing land degradation vulnerability in Kangra district using physical and socio-economic indicators

Satya Prakash,Milap Chand Sharma,Rajesh Kumar,P. S. Dhinwa,K. L. N. Sastry,A. S. Rajawat 대한공간정보학회 2016 Spatial Information Research Vol.24 No.6

Land degradation is a major problem in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan region. The steep slope with low forest cover and increasing human interference are the major factors of land degradation. Therefore, identification of severe degradation prone areas is necessary for implementing conservation strategies to retard the present rate of degradation processes. The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerable land degradation areas based on Space Application Centre (SAC/ISRO) guidelines and MEDALUS model. Indicators used to calculate the degradation vulnerability are geology, slope, aspect, soil type, rainfall, temperature, land use/land cover, population density, non-worker population and illiteracy. The results reveal that the areas with higher rainfall, less forest cover and large population are highly vulnerable to degradation in spite of moderate slope. The degradation vulnerability index values have been classified into five land degradation categories. The Pong dam is a large water body where the land degradation is nil. The low, moderate, high and very high land degradation categories account for 19.01, 22.79, 31.49 and 17.37% area of the district, respectively.

Evaluation of neuroprotective effects of Canna indica L against aluminium chloride induced memory impairment in rats

Prachi S. Ojha,Prakash R. Biradar,Siddarth Tubachi,Vishal S. Patil 경희대학교 융합한의과학연구소 2023 Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine Vol.23 No.2

Memory disorders are the progressive neurological disorder, mainly causing dementia, memory loss and cognitive dysfunctions. The current study is aimed to experimentally validate the crude extract of Canna indica aerial parts (CIA) and root (CIR) against aluminium chloride induced altered memory in rats. Initially, methanolic extract of CIA, hydroalcoholic extract of CIR, and their combination of CIA + CIR were screened for Invitro antioxidant activity via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) assays, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory assay and were also screened for their memory enhancing activity by in-vivo models such as elevated plus maze (EPM), morris water maze (MWM), cooks pole climb (CPC), Actophotometer, novel object recognition (NOR), and T-maze. Aluminium chloride (AlCl3) (17 mg/kg/day p.o.) for 21 days, was used as an Alzheimer’s disease inducing agent and Donepezil (AChE inhibitor) as a standard treatment agent. The AChE, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were significantly increased, and glutathione (GSH), total protein (TP), catalase (CAT), and Dopamine were decreased only in AlCl3 treated rats and treatment with CIA 200 mg/kg and CIA + CIR 200 mg/kg significantly reversed these mechanisms.Histopathology of cortex and hippocampus was examined at 40× magnification, indicating maintain of integrity and architecture of CA1 and CA3 neuronal cells compared to control and standard groups. The in vivo studies of interospective and exteroceptive behavior models (EPM), MWM, CPC, Actophotometer, NOR, T-maze revealed that AlCl3 administration enhanced transfer latency (TL), escape latency time (ELT) and decreases locomotion, discriminatory index, and percentage alternation respectively. However, treatment with CIA and CIA + CIR 200 mg/kg highly significantly reversed the pathological changes of disease, extracts of Canna indica of both root and aerial parts phyto constituents are rich in flavonoids, phlobatannins, anthocyanin pigments, saponins, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids etc. Which will decipher the acetylcholinestrase inhibitory, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, will ameliorate the pathological state of Alzheimer disease.

Effect of Secondary Nutrients on the Leaf Yield and Biochemical Constituents of Terminalia tomentosa

( U. S. P. Sinha ),( J. Prasad ),( S. Das ),( N. G. Ojha ),( N. B. Vijay Prakash ) 한국잠사학회 2009 International Journal of Industrial Entomology Vol.18 No.2

Studies on the effect of different secondary nutrients in different doses on the leaf yield and biochemical constituents of Terminalia tomentosa revealed that secondary nutrients have promotary effect in increasing the leaf yield and foliar constituents of Terminalia tomentosa. Among all the treatments under study, foliar application of magnesium sulphate (2 g/plant, w/v) is the best in respect of leaf yield and biochemical constituents of T. tomentosa. This treatment gave 29.15% increase in leaf yield over control. Chemoassay results further confirmed significant improvement in biochemical constituents. Except crude fibre, moisture, minerals, crude protein and total carbohydrate increased significantly over control.

Nanorefrigerants for energy efficient refrigeration systems

Sanukrishna S. S.,Vishnu A. S.,Jose Prakash M. 대한기계학회 2017 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.31 No.8

Nanorefrigerants, which are a new class of nanofluids, are mixtures of nanoparticles and refrigerants. They have several potential applications in various fields, such as for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and heat pumps, among others. Accordingly, adding nanoparticles to conventional refrigerants results in anomalous improvements in the thermophysical properties and heat transfer characteristics of refrigerants, thereby further improving the performance of refrigeration systems. In the present study, R134a-based nanorefrigerant from R134a + CuO/Polyalkylene glycol (PAG) oil nanolubricant was prepared by dispersing copper oxide nanoparticles in the PAG lubricant. The effect of adding nanoparticles was investigated in relation to the thermal conductivity of lubricants and tribological characteristics of nanolubricants. The overall performance of a vapor compression refrigeration system with nanorefrigerants was evaluated. Enhanced heat transfer rate, coefficient of performance, freezing capacity, and reduced power consumption were observed for the refrigeration system. The thermal conductivity of the nanolubricant was better than that of the pure lubricant. Experimental results also showed that the low concentrations of CuO nanoparticles suspended in synthetic oil enhanced the tribological properties of the base oil.

Relationship between Peripheral Plasma Inhibin and Progesterone Concentrations in Sahiwal Cattle (Bos Indicus) and Murrah Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Mondal, S.,Prakash, B.S.,Palta, P. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2003 Animal Bioscience Vol.16 No.1

The present study investigated peripheral plasma immunoreactive inhibin (ir-inhibin) concentrations in relation to the stage of oestrous cycle and progesterone concentrations in cycling Sahiwal cattle (Bos indicus) and Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Blood samples were collected once daily for thirty-two consecutive days from cattle and buffaloes (5 each) during winter months of January and February. Mean (${\pm}$S.E.M.) plasma ir-inhibin concentrations ranged from $0.40{\pm}0.01$ to $0.59{\pm}0.03ng/ml$ in cattle and from $0.29{\pm}0.03$ to $0.52{\pm}0.05ng/ml$ in buffaloes. In cattle, ir-inhibin concentrations increased from $0.47{\pm}0.07ng/ml$ on day -4 (day 0=day of oestrus) to reach a maximum value of $0.59{\pm}0.03ng/ml$ on day -2. Thereafter, ir-inhibin concentrations showed a decline to reach a low of $0.40{\pm}0.01ng/ml$ on day 11 of the oestrous cycle. In buffaloes, ir-inhibin concentrations increased from $0.38{\pm}0.04 ng/ml$ on day -4 to reach a maximum concentration of $0.52{\pm}0.05ng/ml$ on day -2. Ir-inhibin concentrations then declined to reach a low of $0.29{\pm}0.03ng/ml on day 9 of the cycle. In both cattle and buffaloes, ir-inhibin concentrations which were lowest ($0.43{\pm}0.02$ and $0.34{\pm}0.02ng/ml$, respectively) during the mid-luteal phase of the oestrous cycle increased (p<0.05) to $0.52{\pm}0.03$ and $0.44{\pm}0.04ng/ml$, respectively, during the late luteal phase, and then further to the highest value of $0.53{\pm}0.02$ and $0.49{\pm}0.04ng/ml$, respectively, during the perioestrus phase, following which these declined to $0.50{\pm}0.02$ and $0.39{\pm}0.03ng/ml$, respectively, during the early luteal phase. The variations in peripheral plasma ir-inhibin profile in both the species appear to be related to the changes in characteristics of follicular populations during the oestrous cycle. Peripheral plasma ir-inhibin concentrations were negatively correlated with progesterone concentrations in cattle (r=-0.51, p<0.01) and buffaloes (r=-0.30, p<0.01) indicating that the corpus luteum is not a source of peripheral ir-inhibin in these species.

Multi-objective optimization of powder mixed electric discharge machining parameters for fabrication of biocompatible layer on β-Ti alloy using NSGA-II coupled with Taguchi based response surface methodology

Chander Prakash,H. K. Kansal,B. S. Pabla,Sanjeev Puri 대한기계학회 2016 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.30 No.9

The success of an implant depends upon surface characteristics like roughness, topography, chemistry and hardness. The fabrication of a hard surface in combination with micron-, submicron- and nano-scale surface roughness is a great challenge for biomanufacturing industries. The surface microhardness (MH) needs to be maximized while controlling the Surface roughness (SR). The present research is the first study in which the application of Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA)-II coupled with Taguchi based Response surface methodology (RSM) is used to predict the optimal conditions of Powder mixed electric discharge machining (PMEDM) parameters to fabricate the biocompatible surface on β-phase Ti alloy. Batch vial tests were first carried out in accordance with the L 25 orthogonal array. ANOVA analysis gave the significant influencing factors and then mathematical models were developed between input parameters and output responses like SR and MH using Taguchi based RSM technique. These models were then optimized using NSGA-II to obtain a set of Pareto-optimal solutions. From the series of multiple solutions, the best optimal condition to achieve required low SR and high MH was determined, which are 13 A peak current, 5 µs pulse duration, 8% duty cycle (longer pulse-interval) and 8 g/l silicon powder concentration for achieving a required low SR and high MH. The MH considerably increased about 184% compared to the base material, and about 1.02 µm SR can be achieved in combination with micron-, submicron- and nano-scale surface features.

Analysis of Wet High-Intensity Magnetic Separation of Low-Grade Indian Iron Ore using Statistical Technique

Angadi, S.I.,Jeon, H.-S.,Mohanthy, A.,Prakash, S.,Das, B. Taylor Francis 2012 Separation science and technology Vol.47 No.8