Extent of variability in fruit morphological characters of local mango germplasm

A study was conducted on twenty five genotypes of seedling Mangoes to examine fruit morphological characters. Fruit shape of the evaluated germplasm varied enormously and fruits of obovoid, elliptic, round and oblong shapes were found. Fruit apex shape in the evaluated plants was round, acute and obtuse. Depth of fruit stalk cavity was either absent, shallow and of medium type, whereas, fruit neck prominence was absent to slightly prominent in the tested plants. Shape of fruit ventral shoulder was varied and found to be slopping abruptly, rising and then rounded and long curve type in the evaluated germplasm. Fruit beak varies from pointed to perceptible type and fruit sinus was absent to shallow type in the fruits from different plants. Fruit attractiveness varies from very good to excellent and fruit colour from greenish yellow to green colour of fruit skin at maturity was noted in fruits from selected trees. Peel colour of AA-15 was different amongst all the genotypes which were green with red blush. Pulp colour varied from light orange, yellow orange, orange yellow, yellow and light yellow, whereas, pulp texture was soft to intermediate in the evaluated germplasm. Key words: Mangifera indica; Genotype susceptibility; Punjab; India.

Pre and post Vulnerability of Floods to Mental Health Among the Residents of Srinagar City, J&K-India

Health effects occur directly through contact with flood waters or indirectly from damage to infrastructure, ecosystems, food and water supplies or social support systems. They can be immediate or can appear days, weeks or months after the floods have receded. Two thirds of flood related deaths worldwide are from drowning and one third from physical trauma, heart attacks, electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning or fire. The main of this paper was to assess the Pre and post vulnerability of floods to mental health among the residents of Srinagar city. For the collection of primary data, sample of 200 respondents were randomly selected from various areas of the Srinagar city. A well structured questionnaire was employed for collecting primary data. The study reveals that Maximum number patients were found during post floods (974). During pre floods out of the total 418 patients, maximum were found in the month of July (116 patients) followed by August (107 patients). However in post floods out of 974, maximum cases were found in January (281 patients) followed by march (273 patients). Females were found more vulnerable in both cases but in pre flood 62 percent females were found exposed to different mental health problems which increased to 77 percent after floods of September, 2014. Key words: Flood, Mental Health, Srinagar, Vulnerability

Thermal efficiency analysis of buildings with phase change materials.

Increasing global temperature is alarming the need for construction industry to have thermally efficient building materials. Incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCM) in buildings is widely accepted method for reduction in temperature, thereby achieving better thermal efficiency. This paper focuses on the assessment of thermal performance of PCM-incorporated building under tropical climatic condition. The simulation process was carried out using Design Builder Software and the developed building model is validated with the results available in the literature. A parametric study is also performed in order to identify the effect of different parameters like building orientation, window to wall ratio, ceiling height and construction material on the indoor air temperature. The results showed that the maximum reduction was up to 2.76°C. Keywords- Thermal Efficiency, Tropical climate, PCM

Study of sisal fibre reinforced concrete in lintels

Concrete made with Portland cement has certain characteristics: - it is relatively strong in compression but weak in tension and tends to fail quickly when subjected to Tension. The deficiency in tension can be mitigated with conventional reinforcement & to some extent by the inclusion of a sufficient volume of Fibers. Change in the behavior of the Fiber – matrix composite after it has cracked, is due to the addition of Fibers (Balasubramanyan et al. 2015) Sisal Fiber is a promising concrete composite on account of its low density, less cost, increased specific strength and modulus, zero health risk, and it is easily cultivated in few countries including India. There has been an increasing interest in finding new applications for sisal-fiber which is traditionally used for making ropes, mats, carpets, fancy articles and others. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of sisal fibers in concrete to enhance the mechanical characteristics of concrete and compare the differences in properties of concrete containing no fibers with fibers. The correlation on the effects of different type and geometry of fibers to the concrete is also the aim of the research. The scrutiny was carried out using several tests, which contained workability test, compressive test, split tensile test & flexural test. A total of ten mix batches of concrete containing 0%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8% dosage of Fiber were cast. M25 grade concrete is considered for research as this grade is seen maximum consumption in industry. Keywords: concrete, sisal fibre, resistance.

Demolished building waste management: a review

Construction and demolition waste are the major issue as a direct consequence of increased global urbanization. It impacts the environmental efficiency of the construction industry, contributing to 35% of the global landfill. This research considers the two main fundamental factors affecting the demolished building waste management, which are the management hierarchy including the 3R strategies and the project life cycle and management tools. The inappropriate treatment and disposal of Construction and demolition waste give rise to the environmental pollution, land price, and natural resource consumption. This paper scrutinizes the concept of Construction and demolition waste management and review the extant studies in the managerial areas of Construction and demolition waste. These findings are aimed at clarifying the current and future practices of Construction and demolition waste management practices with an understanding for the sustainable governance. Keywords: Construction and demolition waste, management, review.

Laterite as a base and subbase material for flexible pavement – a review

Rapid economic growth is leading to ubiquitous expansion in highway projects around the world. Utilization of natural aggregate resources for the construction of flexible pavement has led to uncontrollable quarrying in the state of Kerala. The recent landslides in Kerala which took the lives of many people is the aftermath of extensive quarrying activities. Utilization of treated native soil in the structural layers (Subbase and base) of flexible pavement can widely avert the danger associated with ecological imbalance due to quarrying. The main objective of this review article is to enlighten the researchers and practicing engineers about the key advances developed in the last 10 years for utilizing native laterite soil in the base and subbase layers of flexible pavement. On the basis of various researches, laterite soil treated with lime, cement and other additives showed considerable enhancement in the compaction characteristics, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR). As stipulated by MORTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways), for a layer to be suitable as a subbase material in flexible pavement, minimum CBR value must be 30%. From the extensive review, it was found that the treated laterite soil satisfied the MORTH criteria for use as a subbase layer in flexible pavement. Keywords- Ferrocement, cyclic loading, flexural behavior, precast ferrocement wall, dynamic analysis, static analysis

Water-related impacts on agriculture due to climate change: a review with reference to Kerala.

Climate change has arisen as the most pressing global challenge of the 21st century. The impending challenges may be associated with water resources management. Water-related impacts due to climate change are ranging from water scarcity to intense floods. The state of Kerala has witnessed severe floods in the last two years owing to Extreme Rainfall Events (ERE), among which the prominent ones are the events that occurred in August 2018. The extent of human and livestock mortalities, crop damages and economic losses due to the floods was enormous. This paper critically reviews the scientific studies and reports on impacts of climate change which profiting generalists bothered with environmental challenges. The article highlights the need for water conservation, risk management, and the development of mitigation measures to cope with the water-related impacts of climate change on agriculture. Keywords—climate change, flood, drought.

Review on carbon capture and storage for construction engineering.

Global warming and climatic changes due to pollution have triggered the global efforts to reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide capture and storage method is considered as a strategy or plan of action for meeting carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. This paper aims at providing an intensive review of various carbon capture and storage techniques, transportation of carbon dioxide & the utilization of this captured carbon dioxide in the construction industry. It also provides a huge perception of the manufacturing process of various construction materials using carbon dioxide. This review may present a clear understanding of the carbon upcycling technologies & everything we do is geared towards a goal of creating a circular economy & awaken new ideas to promote its practical application in construction materials. Keywords-Carbon abatement technology, Carbon capture, Carbon storage, Carbon transportation, Safety and tracking.

Life below water and the fate of humanity: with special reference to the efforts by adidas towards reducing the effects of plastic waste on the marine life.

Marine Pollution is all the human waste in terms of chemicals, unwanted substances, non-biodegradable waste such as plastic that is thrown into the Earth’s water. The origin of the marine pollution is varied human activity that takes place on land. Wherein industrialization on one has shown immense growth in the life of human beings on this planet, taking them to the era being ruled by artificial intelligence, this rapid and unprecedented growth has also lead to the demolish of the treasures of our oceans and water bodies. The Pacific Ocean has a plastic “garbage patch” of approximately 6, 20,000 sq miles. The plastic pollution, notedly, is the most harmful of the other pollution sources as it directly affects the life of corals through fibres, poisoning and trapping of sea animals in nets, wires etc. In 1972, London Convention was the first international agreement on protecting the oceans and the oceanic life. The 2006 London Protocol bans all the hazardous waste from being disposed in the sea. Companies like Adidas have started finding solutions to control, if not yet eliminate, hazardous human actions. Keywords: marine life, pollution, human actions, water bodies

Effect of glass thickness on performance of double slope inward solar desalination still for fresh water production

This paper deals with the effect of thickness of glass material which covered on double slope solar desalination still, performance of the solar still affected by thickness of the glass, which result in to major heat losses in the system. Two inward double slope desalination still with different glass thickness were designed, constructed and experimentally tested their performance. The glasses are inclined 200 from the center of the still. The solar energy collecting area of still is 1m2.The result shows that the variation in glass thickness will affect the efficiency of the still, desalination still with 4mm thickness gives 48% higher fresh water productivity compare to 6mm glass thickness.