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\"Volume 1: Handbook on Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of Forests and Climate is aimed to describe the recent progress and developments of geospatial technologies (Remote Sensing and GIS) for assessing, monitoring and managing fragile Himalayan ecosystems and its sustainability under climate change. It is a collective research contribution from renowned researchers and academicians working in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) mountain range. The Himalayas ecosystems have been facing substantial transformation due to severe environmental conditions, land transformation, forest degradation and fragmentation. The authors utilized satellite datasets and algorithms to discuss the intricacy of Land use Land cover change, forest and agricultural ecosystems, canopy height estimation, above-ground biomass, wildfires, carbon sequestration, and landscape restoration. Furthermore, the potential impacts of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity and future food and nutritional security are also addressed including the impact on the livelihood of people of the Himalayas. This comprehensive Handbook explains the advanced geospatial technologies for mapping and management of natural resources of the Himalayas\"-- Provided by publisher.

Tropical forest serves as an important pivotal role in terrestrial biological diversity. The present study makes an attempt to identify the concentration of species among tree diversity in Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary, Bundelkhand, India. Four important ecological indicator indices namely Shannon-Weiner index (H’), Simpson’s diversity (D), Margalef index (SR) and Pielou’s (J) indices were make the most for species diversity measurement. The research outcomes revealed that Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H / ) was found to be the best index for assessing species richness while Simpson’s diversity (D) index was more suited for determining species diversity. The Shannon-Weiner index value calculated for different transects not only represent the species richness but also the species evenness in each transect. The potential application of forest diversity can be used a mechanism for forest management. The methodology will retrofit better policy implementation for maintaining the health of forest species in Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary and can be applied on other reserve forest of socio-ecological significance.

Dietary restriction of sodium has been suggested to prevent fluid overload and adverse outcomes for patients with heart failure. We designed the Study of Dietary Intervention under 100 mmol in Heart Failure (SODIUM-HF) to test whether or not a reduction in dietary sodium reduces the incidence of future clinical events. SODIUM-HF is an international, open-label, randomised, controlled trial that enrolled patients at 26 sites in six countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and New Zealand). Eligible patients were aged 18 years or older, with chronic heart failure (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class 2–3), and receiving optimally tolerated guideline-directed medical treatment. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1), using a standard number generator and varying block sizes of two, four, or six, stratified by site, to either usual care according to local guidelines or a low sodium diet of less than 1500 mg/day. The primary outcome was the composite of cardiovascular-related admission to hospital, cardiovascular-related emergency department visit, or all-cause death within 12 months in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population (ie, all randomly assigned patients). Safety was assessed in the ITT population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02012179, and is closed to accrual. Between March 24, 2014, and Dec 9, 2020, 806 patients were randomly assigned to a low sodium diet (n=397) or usual care (n=409). Median age was 67 years (IQR 58–74) and 268 (33%) were women and 538 (66%) were men. Between baseline and 12 months, the median sodium intake decreased from 2286 mg/day (IQR 1653–3005) to 1658 mg/day (1301–2189) in the low sodium group and from 2119 mg/day (1673–2804) to 2073 mg/day (1541–2900) in the usual care group. By 12 months, events comprising the primary outcome had occurred in 60 (15%) of 397 patients in the low sodium diet group and 70 (17%) of 409 in the usual care group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·89 [95% CI 0·63–1·26]; p=0·53). All-cause death occurred in 22 (6%) patients in the low sodium diet group and 17 (4%) in the usual care group (HR 1·38 [0·73–2·60]; p=0·32), cardiovascular-related hospitalisation occurred in 40 (10%) patients in the low sodium diet group and 51 (12%) patients in the usual care group (HR 0·82 [0·54–1·24]; p=0·36), and cardiovascular-related emergency department visits occurred in 17 (4%) patients in the low sodium diet group and 15 (4%) patients in the usual care group (HR 1·21 [0·60–2·41]; p=0·60). No safety events related to the study treatment were reported in either group. In ambulatory patients with heart failure, a dietary intervention to reduce sodium intake did not reduce clinical events. Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the University Hospital Foundation, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Health Research Council of New Zealand.

In the present study, significant hydrogen producing bacteria Enterococcus faecium IITGEN1 and Proteus mirabilis IITGEN2 were newly isolated from local waste sources via dark fermentation. The effects of process parameters like pH (3–10), temperature (32–40 °C), carbohydrate (sucrose, dextrose, cellulose, xylose, lactose and fructose), carbohydrate concentration (1–5 g/L), and stirring speed (125–200 rpm) were studied. The highest hydrogen yield was observed for 1 g sucrose/L concentration at pH 7, 38 °C and stirring speed of 175 rpm. The maximum hydrogen yields at the most favorable process parameters were 4.4 and 4.25 mol H 2 /mol sucrose in presence of E. faecium IITGEN1 and P. mirabilis IITGEN2, respectively. Among liquid products, E. faecium IITGEN1 produced butyric acid (3600 mg/L) and propionic acid (1600 mg/L), while P. mirabilis IITGEN2 produced mainly butanol (4000 mg/L) followed by butyric acid (3400 mg/L) after 48 h. The lower yield of hydrogen for P. mirabilis IITGEN2 might be due to consumption of hydrogen in intermediate steps producing significant amount of butanol. Both the bacteria followed Pyruvate: Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase pathway while only E. faecium IITGEN1 followed Pyruvate: Formate lyase pathway. Degradation of sucrose followed first order kinetics in presence of both the strains. The higher value of rate constant for P. mirabilis IITGEN2 (k = 0.027 h −1 ) compared to that of E. faecium IITGEN1 (k = 0.023 h −1 ) suggested faster degradation kinetics of the former. The study gives a comprehensive insight into isolation and characterization of hydrogen producing strains, assessing their performance under broad range of process values.

Electrochemical energy storage devices with high specific capacity are of utmost important for the next-generation electronic devices. Supercapatteries (SCs) are highly demanded energy storage devices nowadays as these bridge the low energy supercapacitors and low power batteries. Herein, we report a rapid synthesis of cobalt manganese phosphate (COMAP) by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method and facile fabrication of SCs using electrodes comprising of COMAP as positrode material. The effect of precursor concentration on the microstructure and surface morphology of the COMAP samples are examined initially. Further, the electrochemical performance of COMAP electrodes is studied systematically in 3 M KOH (aqueous) electrolyte. COMAP exhibits excellent charge storage capabilities where type of charge storage mechanism is found to be battery-type based on the calculation obtained from Dunn’s method. The SC electrode fabricated with COMAP synthesized using cobalt: manganese precursor ratio as 80:20 exhibits a highest specific capacity of 191.4 C/g at a scan rate of 1 mV/s. An asymmetric SC (ASC) cell fabricated with COMAP as positrode and activated carbon (AC) as negatrode exhibits a specific capacity of 165.5 C/g at a current density of 1.8 A/g. The COMAP//AC ASC cell exhibits an energy density of 34.1 Wh/kg at a corresponding power density of 1875 W/kg at a current density of 1.8 A/g.

Soft materials that are subjected to large deformations exhibit an extremely rich phenomenology, with properties lying in between those of simple fluids and those of elastic solids. In the continuum description of these systems, one typically follows either the route of solid mechanics (Lagrangian description) or the route of fluid mechanics (Eulerian description). The purpose of this review is to highlight the relationship between the theories of viscoelasticity and of elasticity, and to leverage this connection in contemporary soft matter problems. We review the principles governing models for viscoelastic liquids, for example solutions of flexible polymers. Such materials are characterized by a relaxation time λ, over which stresses relax. We recall the kinematics and elastic response of large deformations, and show which polymer models do (and which do not) correspond to a nonlinear elastic solid in the limit λ → ∞. With this insight, we split the work done by elastic stresses into reversible and dissipative parts, and establish the general form of the conservation law for the total energy. The elastic correspondence can offer an insightful tool for a broad class of problems; as an illustration, we show how the presence or absence of an elastic limit determines the fate of an elastic thread during capillary instability.

MXenes, a class of two-dimensional material with exceptional properties, have garnered significant attention for their potential applications in various industries. However, the high production costs associated with MXene synthesis present a substantial barrier to its widespread use. The synthesis methods, risk factors, environmental factors, and most importantly, expensive precursors create a barrier to MXene applications. Numerous review articles on MXene materials have been published. However, this review article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of potential ways to reduce the cost of these potential materials, which indicates the novelty of this work. The current article aims to provide a review of the synthesis method, risk factors, environmental factors, and, most importantly, how to convert recycled materials as precursors into MXenes and enhance the cost-effectiveness of MXene production. This review found that modified acid etching is the most convenient route for MXene synthesis, preserving the MXene properties while being concerned with risks and environmental factors. Recycled materials (e.g., tires, aluminum scrap, biochar, and activated carbon) can be used to synthesize high-quality MXenes by fine-tuning their contents. We propose a comprehensive approach to reduce the cost of MXenes. This article includes technical challenges and future recommendations for further research on this topic. Graphical abstract

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has a lower adoption rate than expected because of different weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, and stormy) and high material manufacturing costs. To overcome the barriers to adoption, many researchers are developing methods to increase its performance. A photovoltaic–thermal absorber hybrid system may shift its performance, but to become more efficient, the technology could improve with some strong thermal absorber materials. A phase change material (PCM) could be a suitable possibility to enhance the (electrical and thermal) PV performance. In this study, a solar PVT hybrid system is developed with a PCM and analyzed for comparative performance based on Malaysian weather conditions. The result shows PV performance (both electrical and thermal) was increased by utilizing PCMs. Electrical and thermal efficiency measurements for different collector configurations are compared, and PV performance and temperature readings are presented and discussed. The maximum electrical and thermal efficiency found for PVT and PVT-PCM are 14.57% and 15.32%, and 75.29% and 86.19%, respectively. However, the present work may provide extensive experimental methods for developing a PVT-PCM hybrid system to enhance electrical and thermal performance and use in different applications.

Due to the intermittent nature of solar energy, researchers and scientists are working to develop thermal energy storage (TES) systems for effective utilization of solar energy. Phase change materials (PCMs) are considered to be promising materials for TES. In this study, organic paraffin RT50 and graphene silver (Gr:Ag) nanopowder are adopted as TES material and thermal property enhancers. Microstructure and morphological behavior as well as chemical, optical, and thermal stability of the prepared composite PCM are visually investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, thermal conductivity analyzer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). Furthermore, based on the outstanding thermal performance of the composite, an extended investigation on the thermal and chemical properties are evaluated for 500 thermal cycles to ensure their reliability. Results show the thermal conductivity of RT50 improved by 53.85% when Gr:Ag nanopowder is dispersed at a weight percent of 0.8 (RT50-0.8Gr:Ag). The change in latent heat value of the composite sample is less than 3%, which is significant for effective thermal energy storage. The thermal decomposition of RT50 is slightly improved from 300 °C to 330 °C. To ensure a reliable and passive technique for thermal energy storage within solar thermal application devices, such as solar air heaters and solar photovoltaic thermal systems, using nanoparticle enhanced PCMs at the range of a 50 °C melting point are a current research hotspot.

A sustainable approach to ensuring the thermal regulation of space is reliable with phase change materials (PCMs) operating at 15–25 °C. Henceforth, there is a need of a search of binary and ternary eutectic PCMs operating at desirable phase transition temperatures of 15–25 °C, high energy storage enthalpy (180–220 J/g), improved thermal conductivity and better absorptivity of solar energy. In this current research, we developed a ternary eutectic inorganic salt hydrate PCM intended for a low-temperature thermal regulation system. Based on the eutectic melting point theory, the phase transition temperature and proportion of sodium carbonate decahydrate (SCD), sodium phosphate dibasic dodecahydrate (SPDD) and sodium sulphate decahydrate (SSD) were determined. As per the calculated proportion, ternary eutectic PCM was experimentally prepared. Furthermore, to enhance the thermal property, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were dispersed at weight concentrations of 0.4%, 0.7% and 1.0%. The prepared nanoparticle-dispersed PCMs were characterized using an optical microscope, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and a thermal conductivity meter, and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to evaluate the morphology, chemical stability and thermal properties. The results showed increases in thermal conductivity and optical absorbance by 71.5% and 106.5%, respectively, with GNP at 1.0% weight concentration. Similarly, the degree of supercooling and transmissibility was reduced by 43.5% and 76.2% correspondingly. The prepared composite PCM is expected to contribute towards cooling, with an intention to contribute towards sustainable development.