Publications
Urban Challenges in India and the Mission for a Sustainable Habitat
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate management of solid waste, decrease in per capita water availability and unreliable water quality, inadequate sewage coverage and deteriorating ambient air.
Urgent need for life-cycle thinking in infrastructure
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
This paper presents urbanization challenges in India and initiatives taken to address them. Urbanization in India is characterized by skewed urban growth between cities by large population influx creating distinct variation in core and periphery of cities in terms of urban form and services. Key challenges include growth of slums, inadequate management of solid waste, decrease in per capita water availability and unreliable water quality, inadequate sewage coverage and deteriorating ambient air.
Wildfires in India: Tools and Hazards
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
Provides a thorough and detailed discussion of the complex interdependencies that exist between people and the causes, consequence and implications of living with wildfire hazards.
Development of HDPE/EPDM-g-TMEVS nanocomposites with enhanced electrical and flame properties
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
Nanoclay reinforced HDPE/silane grafted EPDM composites have been developed using an epoxy functionalized HDPE as compatibilizer.The nanoclay has been varied from 0% to 10% in the composites along with the incorporation of compatibilizer and without compatibilizer in a brabender plasticorder.The dielectric and fire retardant properties of these nanocomposites have been examined. Addition of nanoclay enhanced char formation with increased values of limiting oxygen index. Electrical properties such as volume and surface Resistivity improved with addition of nanoclay and compatibilizer.
Ship ballast tanks a review from microbial corrosion and electrochemical point of view
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is the term used for the phenomenon in which corrosion is initiated and/or accelerated by the activities of microorganisms. MIC is a very serious problem for the ship industry as it reduces structural lifetime in combination with safety risks for crewmembers or inspection personal and increases maintenance costs. This review aims to focus on the importance and mechanisms of MIC in ship ballast tanks (SBTs).
Off-grid electricity generation with renewable energy technologies in India: An application of HOMER
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
Renewable energy-based off-grid or decentralised electricity supply has traditionally considered a single technology-based limited level of supply to meet the basic needs, without considering reliable energy provision to rural consumers. The purpose of this paper is to propose the best hybrid technology combination for electricity generation from a mix of renewable energy resources to satisfy the electrical needs in a reliable manner of an off-grid remote village, Palari in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.
The groundwater recharge response and hydrologic services of tropical humid forest ecosystems to use and reforestation: Support for the "infiltration-evapotranspiration trade-off hypothesis"
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
The hydrologic effects of forest use and reforestation of degraded lands in the humid tropics has implications for local and regional hydrologic services but such issues have been relatively less studied when compared to the impacts of forest conversion. In particular, the "infiltration-evapotranspiration trade-off" hypothesis which predicts a net gain or loss to baseflow and dry-season flow under both, forest degradation or reforestation depending on conditions has not been tested adequately.
A dual fired downdraft gasifier system to produce cleaner gas for power generation: Design, development and performance analysis
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
The existing biomass gasifier systems have several technical challenges, which need to be addressed. They are reduction of impurities in the gas, increasing the reliability of the system, easy in operation and maintenance. It is also essential to have a simple design of gasifier system for power generation, which can work even in remote locations. A dual fired downdraft gasifier system was designed to produce clean gas from biomass fuel, used for electricity generation. This system is proposed to overcome a number of technical challenges.
A new system using Solanum tuberosum for the co-cultivation of Glomus intraradices and its potential for mass producing spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
Freshly harvested potato tubers, Solanum tuberosum var 'Pukhraj', were inoculated for transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain Ri1600. Hairy roots were formed after 8 days of co-cultivation and the transformation efficiency was 40 %. The transformants were transferred from Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) to Modified White's medium (MW) and finally on a hormone-free minimal medium (M). The putative transformants were confirmed using rolA and rolB gene specific primers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.
A nuclear liability framework for South Asia: formation of South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nuclear risk community
Research Paper
| January 11, 2018
South Asia is one of the densely populated regions of the world. A disaster in the nature of nuclear accident in one country will have a significant impact on the life and livelihood of large population across the region. Currently, major economies in South Asia are expanding their nuclear energy programmes, and this poses a transboundary risk. The risk is aggravated by the fact that countries in South Asia are not a part of any common international nuclear liability framework, nor do they have reciprocal domestic law.