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Adam’s Bridge is a submerged ridge connecting India and Sri Lanka, generally regarded as a chain of shoals extending for ~ 29 km from Dhanushkodi on the Indian side to Talaimannar Island of Sri Lanka. A high-resolution digital bathymetric elevation model generated using the seafloor returned photons of ICESat-2 was used to understand the intricate details of Adam’s Bridge structure. Photons emanating from ICESat-2’s green laser have the potential to detect the seafloor up to a depth of ~ 40 m; taking a cue from this potentiality, in our research, we have accrued ~ 0.2 million photons representing the depth information and generated a 10 m resolution bathymetric data for the extent of Adam’s Bridge. Visual interpretations made from this bathymetric data through 3D perspectives with multi-directional lighting effects, and also with the derived parameters like contours, slope, and volumetric analysis, enabled us to recognize the current form of Adam’s Bridge’s physical features. The results from our research confirm that, in its entirety, Adam’s Bridge is a submarine continuation of Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar Island. Throughout the crest line of Adam’s Bridge, approximately 1.5 km on either side is highly undulating within the super-shallow water with occurrences of sudden depths. There is an asymmetry of transverse slopes to the base on both sides of Adam’s Bridge, indicating dominant transgression of material energy from the waters of the Gulf of Mannar compared to the Palk Strait. The volume of Adam’s Bridge computed in our research yielded a value of ~ 1 km 3 ; interestingly, only 0.02 percent of this volume is above the mean sea level, and in general, the same is visible in optical satellite imagery—in total ~ 99.98 percent of the Adam’s Bridge is submerged in shallow and super-shallow waters.

This data descriptor elaborates the details of a high-resolution digital bathymetric elevation model generated for the region, namely, Adam’s Bridge, which encompasses a chain of shoals between Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. The proposed dataset has taken advantage of the photon penetrability in the shallow waters by the green laser of ICESat-2 LiDAR to derive the seabed topography. Seafloor depths from ~0.2 million geolocated photons of ICESat-2 for the study area were accrued and interpolated to generate a 10 m digital bathymetric elevation model. Adam’s Bridge, an isthmus and submerged reefal assemblage in shallow and super-shallow waters, is a feature of scientific curiosity. Our dataset has the potential to enhance the understanding of Adam’s Bridge structure by providing substantial information to reconstruct its evolution.

Bathymetric data represents estimated seafloor topography and aids in understanding the intricacies of earth and ocean interaction processes. The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) released the GEBCO_2023 gridded bathymetric data as an interim dataset in connection with the ambitious task of producing the definitive ocean floor map for the globe by 2023. Evaluating the data of scientific importance is essential to ensure its fitness for the applications; however, the procedure needs qualified reference data of higher accuracy for comparison. This article discusses the methods and results of performance validation on GEBCO_2023 using the seafloor obtained from the ICESat-2 geolocated photons as a reference. The validation was carried out at three test sites containing shallow waters in the Indian Ocean. In two of the test sites, where the coastal waters have minimal influence from the continental sediment flux, the trend of the seafloor from both the data sources is similar, and the quantified accuracy of GEBCO_2023 in terms of RMSE is less than 3 m. In the extent of the third test site, where mostly perennial turbidity prevails, the accuracy of the GEBCO’s seafloor depth in terms of RMSE and MAE is in the range of 5–6 m, with underestimation of the seafloor. The reasons for the errors in the GEBCO_2023 grid were analyzed based on the associated metadata, namely, the Type-Identifier grid that informs the source of depth data for a given grid cell. In summary, the GEBCO_2023 grid is the best available and resourceful bathymetric data in the present scenario where challenges and complications exist for mapping the ocean surface besides technological advancements.

Integration of distributed energy resources (DER) has always posed a challenge. Smart inverters have started playing a crucial role in efficient integration of DERs. With the basic functionalities of traditional inverters in place, smart inverters can provide grids with related ancillary services either from the customer side or from the utility as well. The ancillary/augmented service from smart inverters includes the concept of reactive power exchange with the grid. Such grid support functions includes the functionalities of photovoltaic/plug in electric vehicles (PV/PEV) inverters as a static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) by performing virtual detuning, temporary over voltage (TOV) mitigation, voltage regulation, frequency support and ride through capabilities. As the penetration levels of DERs have gone up, the need for such ancillary services has grown as well. This paper is organized in such a way that it will serve as a benchmark for smart inverter technologies in the form of a review. It includes several domains involving the applications, advanced and coordinated control, topologies and many more aspects that are associated with smart inverters based on reactive power compensation schemes for ancillary services. Apart from that, the applications those are associated with smart inverters in the smart grid domain are also highlighted in this paper.

Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) both have a versatile nature, and they have an apparent role in climate variability and changes. As anthropogenic activity is surging, BC and BrC are also reportedly increasing. So, the monitoring of BC and BrC and observations of land use land cover change (LULCC) at a regional level are necessary for the changes in various interconnected meteorological phenomena. The current study investigates BC, BrC, CO2, BC from fossil fuels (BCff), BC from biomass burning (BCbb), and LULCC and their relationship to the corresponding meteorological conditions over Gangtok in the Sikkim Himalayan region. The concentration of BC (BrC) was found to be highest during March 2022 (April 2021) at 43.5 µg m−3 (32.0 µg m−3)​​​​​​​. Surface pressure exhibits a significant positive correlation with BC, BCff, BCbb, and BrC. Higher surface pressure results in a calmer and more stable boundary layer, which effectively retains deposited contaminants. Conversely, the wind appears to facilitate the dispersion of pollutants, showing a strong negative correlation. The fact that all pollutants and precipitation have been shown to behave similarly points to moist scavenging of the pollutants. Despite the dense cloud cover, it is clear that the area is not receiving convective precipitation, implying that orographic precipitation is occurring over the region. Most of Sikkim receives convective rain from May to September, indicating that the region has significant convective activity contributed from the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon season. Furthermore, monsoon months have the lowest concentrations of BC, BCbb, BCff, and BrC, suggesting the potential of convective rain (as rainout scavenging) to remove most of the pollutants.

Medical imaging is a complex process that capitulates images created by X-rays, ultrasound imaging, angiography, etc. During the imaging process, it also captures image noise during image acquisition, some of which are extremely corrosive, creating a disturbance that results in image degradation. The proposed work addresses the challenge to eliminate the corrosive Gaussian additive white noise from computed tomography (CT) images while preserving the fine details. The proposed approach is synthesized by amalgamating the concept of method noise with a deep learning-based framework of a convolutional neural network (CNN). The corrupted images are obtained by explicit addition of Gaussian additive white noise at multiple noise variance levels (σ = 10, 15, 20, 25). The denoised images obtained are then evaluated according to their visual quality and quantitative metrics, such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM). These metrics for denoised CT images are then compared with their respective values for the reference CT image. The average PSNR value of the proposed method is 25.82, the average SSIM value is 0.85, and the average computational time is 2.8760. To better understand the proposed approach’s effectiveness, an intensity profile of denoised and original medical images is plotted and compared. To further test the performance of the proposed methodology, the results obtained are also compared with that of other non-traditional methods. The critical analysis of the results shows the commendable efficiency of the proposed methodology in denoising the medical CT images corrupted by Gaussian noise. This approach can be utilized in multiple pragmatic areas of application in the field of medical image processing.

This case study delves into the unusual presentation of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), where bilateral hemorrhagic adrenal metastasis served as the primary indication of an underlying malignancy. Our patient, a 58-year-old male, sought medical attention due to acute abdominal pain and lower back discomfort, leading to an in-depth diagnostic exploration. Radiological examinations revealed bilateral adrenal masses exhibiting hemorrhagic characteristics, a distinctive feature not commonly associated with NSCLC. The subsequent biopsy and histopathological analysis definitively identified metastatic NSCLC as the culprit. The uniqueness of this case lies in the bilateral nature of the metastasis and the presence of hemorrhagic elements, challenging traditional diagnostic expectations. This report emphasizes the necessity for a nuanced approach to diagnostic investigations when confronted with atypical presentations, especially considering the rarity of bilateral involvement and hemorrhagic features in adrenal metastases from NSCLC. It highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between radiologists, pathologists, and oncologists to ensure accurate and timely diagnosis. The overarching significance of this case extends beyond its rarity; it underscores the imperative for healthcare practitioners to broaden their diagnostic considerations in the absence of conventional symptoms. By presenting this distinctive case, we contribute to the evolving understanding of the diverse clinical manifestations of NSCLC, advocating for heightened vigilance and comprehensive diagnostic approaches in the pursuit of early intervention and optimal patient care.

While India marches ahead to record the world's highest urbanization rate of 60% by 2050, the Government of India is relentlessly trying to commensurate this transition. The ambitious Smart Cities Mission intends to transform 100 cities into smart cities by retrofitting and redeveloping infrastructure to upgrade living conditions with application of technologically smart solutions to manage the basic urban services. The paper studies the extant of inclusion of restoration and conservation of urban ecosystems into the mission and suggests scope of integration of several urban development schemes, their resources, collective expertise, and engagement of various stakeholders to achieve a common goal.