VIRK INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM (INTL SYMP ON PHYSICS, TECHNOLOGY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT)

Increasing per capita consumptions of resources and resulting pollution, waste and global warming have led to the widespread recognition that we must not deplete and pollute the Ecosystem. The terms such as ‘Sustainability’, ‘Renewability’ and ‘Sustainable Development’ are attracting worldwide attention. Sustainable development is closely tied to economic development needed for the standard of living we have become accustomed to. The question is - can these standards be maintained safely without depleting and polluting the Ecosystem? The paper discusses the need for the development of energy efficient materials, renewable resources such as wind, hydro, hydrothermal and solar technology. Distinctions between’ technology and energy intensive’ production in developed countries and ‘labor intensive’ production in poor and developing countries are made. As such examples of United States, India, Ghana and Nicaragua are cited. It is suggested that decision making for sustainable development be made depending upon the level of development of a country. It is argued that developed countries must recognize limits to their growth and should look for alternate but sustainable resources for obtaining pollution free energy-for example, bio based, solar based and ‘fusion energy’ based. On the other hand, in developing and poor countries where poverty, hunger and poor sanitation exist, both environmentally acceptable and economically accessible solutions must be found for sustainable development. It is suggested that sustainable solutions be achieved by incorporating available material and local labour in developing countries and by using high technology approaches in developed countries. Labour intensive processes can be termed as “production by masses“ versus “mass production” and can as well, be economically sustainable. Developed countries should use high technology approaches to meet their demands by preserving the integrity of the Ecosystem. A schematic model for a country will be presented to help make sustainability decisions.

A novel, fat free dehydrated marinade for meats and vegetables is disclosed which combines best features of a dry rub and marinades as a “two-in-one product”. It consists of puree of raw onion, fresh tomato and fresh garlic; red chilli powder, black pepper powder, lemon juice, lemon zest (outer skin), fresh ripe papaya puree and salt mixed in specific ratios followed by dehydration. The invention for the first time discloses use of ripe papaya as a rich source of enzymes in a marinade and contains ripe papaya as a major ingredient (34%). The ingredients are mixed in specific ratios and processed to prepare the marinade as a free flowing particulate mixture, comparable on nano scale. The marinade can be used directly as a solid powder that is coated on the food or some water can be added to it to instantly make a liquid marinade that is brushed or sprayed on the food.

Earthquakes constitute a severe source of human disasters all around the world. However, one has to note, following the reviews on earthquake prediction, that at the present day no detectable, systematic, and reliable precursory phenomena precede large earthquakes. Indeed, even if some precursory phenomena have been identified after many earthquakes, there are no statistically based reliable data for the recognition of a method based on the search for precursors. The island of Taiwan is a product of the collision between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which makes it a region of high seismicity. Active subduction zones occur south and east of Taiwan. Geochemical anomalies in soil gas and groundwater are commonly observed before the impending earthquake and volcanic eruptions, attracting considerable attention in studies on precursory geochemical signals. Geochemical variations of soil-gas composition in the vicinity of the geologic fault zone of Northeastern and Southwestern parts of Taiwan have been studied in detail recently[1]. To carry out the investigation, temporal soil-gases variations are measured at continuous earthquake monitoring stations established along different faults. In the present study, we correlated observed soil-gas anomalies with some earthquakes magnitude ≥ 5 that occurred in the region during the observation. Data is processed using different kinds of filters to reduce the noise level. It helps us to filter out the high-frequency noise and daily variation caused by different parameters. However, radon anomalies in all cases are not only controlled by seismic activity but also by meteorological parameters which make isolation of earthquake precursory signals complicated. Characteristics of temporal variability of soil-gas radon concentrations have also been examined using Singular Spectrum Analysis [2]. A digital filter has been applied to eliminate the long-term trend in the data that retains variations of less than 30 days. The radon variations exhibit dominant daily variations, which are controlled by atmospheric temperature inducted evaporation in surface water-saturated soil (Capping Effect). The causal relationship is marked by a clear phase lag of 2-3 hours in the sense that the peak in a daily variation of radon succeeds the peak in temperature. Aperiodic variations in soil radon intensity in the range of 2-10 days are negatively correlated with temperature whereas positively correlated with pressure [3]. To integrate our data with our working procedure, we use the popular and famous open source web application solution, AMP (Apache, MySQL, and PHP), creating a website that could effectively show and help us manage the real-time database [4]. Based on the anomalous signatures from particular monitoring stations we are in a state to identify the area for impending earthquakes for the proposed tectonic-based model for earthquake forecasting in Taiwan.

Orthodox Quantum Mechanics (OQM) deals with two kinds of processes: spontaneous processes, governed by the Schrödinger equation; and measurement processes, ruled by the Projection Postulate. In spontaneous processes the state vector of the system evolves in a continuous way according to a deterministic law, the superposition principle applies, actions are local and conservation laws are strictly valid. By contrast, in measurement processes the state vector may collapse in a discontinuous way, with probabilities not ruled by deterministic laws, superpositions break down, a kind of action-at-a-distance results and conservation laws are not strictly valid but have only statistical sense. The inclusion in OQM of two laws irreducible to one another is at the very heart of the quantum measurement problem.[1] It is agreed that measurements in quantum mechanics require either the intervention of an observer, or the interaction of the quantum system with a measuring device (according to some authors every classical object), which introduces an unpredictable and uncontrollable perturbation of the spontaneous, natural evolution of the state of the system.
Transitions between stationary states (TBSS) induced by a time-dependent perturbation involve measurements [2,3]. Hence a similar (not identical) measurement problem to the traditional just described arises [3]; in particular, in both cases the Schrödinger evolution breaks down. If every photon absorbed or emitted by an atom involves one of such TBSS, there should be billions of observers and/or measuring devices at every small corner of the universe where these processes take place. Nevertheless, there is no evidence of their existence other than transitions between stationary states do occur. While there is ample reference to the traditional measurement problem, measurements related to TBSS are conspicuously absent from the specialized literature on the subject, with few exceptions.
We face this conundrum by assuming that measurements related to TBSS are fake measurement. By contrast, TBSS are real for they are not the result of fake measurement, but of the tendency of quantum systems to jump to preferential states. These ideas are fundamental to our Spontaneous Projection Approach [4]. In the present paper we sum up this approach and illustrate how it works when applied to two paradigmatic cases: the spontaneous decay of a radioactive element and the ideal measurement scheme of quantum mechanics. A method to test our approach by experiment is suggested.

Punjab State is facing a crisis situation due to high levels of uranium (U) and heavy metals in groundwater of Punjab [1-4]. Anomalous values of Uranium are reported in the nine districts of Malwa region of Punjab with U content higher than the WHO safe limit for drinking water. The origin of these anomalies is attributed to geogenic sources [5]. High values of Arsenic (As) and Selenium (Se) are reported in the Majha and Doaba belts of Punjab, respectively. Groundwater quality has deteriorated due to presence of other heavy metals, such as iron, nickel, cadmium, chromium, aluminium, and lead, and by the presence of anomalous values of basic parameters, such as TDS (total dissolved salts), calcium, magnesium, sulphate, nitrate, chloride and fluoride in certain other areas of Punjab.
Health hazard effects of Uranium and other heavy metals are reported in our study [3, 4]. For sustainable development of Punjab State, mitigation measures have been proposed to get rid of Uranium and heavy metals like Arsenic and Iron. Groundwater contamination problem has been tackled under the World Bank funded project since 2007. The various measures undertaken to supply potable water are RO system, Canal water and AMRIT Technology for mitigation of Arsenic and Iron in the Majha belt.

Swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation of materials is very powerful tool to modify various properties of the materials and it provides an alternative path to photons for providing electronic excitations in to the materials [1-4]. Cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) samples were prepared using SHS route and irradiated with 200 MeV Ag⁺¹⁶ ions using the 15 UD pelletron tendem accelerator at IUAC, New Delhi, India.
Prepared cobalt ferrite samples were irradiated at difference fluences from 1× 10¹³ to 1×10¹² ions/cm². Pristine as well as irradiated CoFe₂O₄ samples were characterized using FTIR, XRD and SEM. FTIR spectra of all samples show two bands at 410 cm^-1 and 540 cm^-1. There is no change in peak position but the intensity of peak decreased and broadness increased as ions fluencies increased from 1×10¹² ions/cm² to 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm₂. XRD peaks show that after irradiation (1 × 10¹³ ions/cm2) intensity as well as FWHM of all peaks were increased, which confirmed structural modification. There was significant change in surface morphology after SHI irradiation. Pristine Cobalt ferrite sample shows agglomerated clusters of non-uniform grains of different size, while irradiated sample show relatively better morphology. SEM images analysis supports XRD results

Polymers such polyvinyl chloride (PVC) filled with metal has attracted much attention because it combines advantages of insulation polymer and conductive metals for a variety of industrial applications such as electrical and electronic for electrical insulation, flame retardants and sheathings of cables and devices, construction materials as plastisol in flooring, roofing, panels, vehicle and in the medical field for prostheses materials for transtibial amputations. In applied industrial applications, the efficient modification of the electrical and physicochemical polymer composite materials is essential to achieve desired functionalities. In this study, swift heavy ion irradiation with 140 MeV Ag-ions was used to modify and tailor the dielectric, structural and thermal properties of polymer composite based on PVC filled with conductive aluminum metal (10-40%). The ion irradiation of PVC/Al composite was modified by manipulating the parameters such as fluence and concentration of Al in polymer composite. The influence of fluence of ion irradiation on PVC polymer composite tailored the dielectric properties by intentional doping of metal ions by inducing defects due to polymeric chain crosslinking and scissoring and charge hopping conduction mechanism. The modified PVC/Al polymeric composite possess improved electrical properties that mainly include dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC electrical conductivity. Ag ion beam tailored features in PVC composite have been realized by improved crystalline structure in the XRD profile and thermal stability at low fluence of ion irradiation (1x1011 ions cm-2), which are unprecedented in pristine ones. Energetic Ag ion beams implemented agglomeration of doped metal particles in the SEM surface morphology or layer-to-layer structural engineering of PVC/Al surface and create a conductive metal network inside the polymeric structure. Promising applications based on polymeric metal composite materials with ion beam tailored features have the potential to apply them in a broad range of electrical and electronics, transportation, and medical fields.

Climate change and increasing energy demand have prompted the necessity to rely on far more sustainable methods. We propose a mini fast molten salt reactor for remote sites or space exploration as electricity generator and/or space ship vector propulsion coadiuvator. During the past decades the technology that promises energy generation capable of solving the most pressing humanity energy problems, is based on the Uranium-Thorium fuel cycle in the frame GEN-IV International Forum options [1]. One of the six proposed systems is the molten salt fast reactor (MSfR); the related technology was developed in the sixties under MSRE-project at Los Alamos, USA [2]. The system has several positive aspects such as: deep fuel burn; large negative temperature coefficient of reactivity which contributes to inherent self-adjustment and reliability; production of fissile and a highly radiotoxic isotopes i.e 233+232U from fertile Th-matter making it a more acceptable reactor and proliferation-resistant system in comparison to the 400+ operating NPP, [3]. In this study the design of a low power unit of 200-1000kWth (thermal) is given. Its main technical features are: spherical geometry (1.2-1.8 m diam.), fuel Th, U (or Pu) in the eutectic LiF–NaF–KF (FliNaK) salt operating with a fast neutron spectrum. Monte Carlo calculations is applied to provide operational values on heat transfer and dynamical stability among others [4]. The compact small (mini) MSfR could be conveniently considered as a sustainable energy alternative for its key features that makes it acceptable also to its opponents.

An innovative method based on the capability to measure temporal changes of gas flow such as Rn-222 and CO2 in deep boreholes, led to the clear discovery that both gases are affected by underground activity and could be associated with the regional geodynamic pre-seismic evolution along the Dead Sea Fault Zone (DSFZ) in northern Israel.
Long-term monitoring of natural gases in deep boreholes along seismogenic active fault zones, based on passive measuring systems (avoiding pumping and gas circulation that disturb the local equilibrium) enables to eliminate from the acquired time series, the climatic-induced periodic contributions caused by temperature and barometric pressure, and to expose the remaining portion of the signals that may be associated with the underground tectonic preseismic activity.
It was highlighted that the radon present in country rock formations as measured by gamma radiation detectors at different depths, is propelled by the surface temperature gradient to flow downward, up to a proven depth of 100 meters, revealing a daily periodicity similar to the diurnal cycle of surface temperature. The gamma detectors at each depth present very sharp, clear, and accurate peaks as a result of a high counting rate and low error, with a specific time lag between each other. It was found that the time lag depends on the downward radon velocity within the bedrock type.
The amplitudes of the radon periodic signals are controlled by the intensity of the climatic driving force, in linear dependency with the pressure gradient according to the existing physical model, and with the largest non-linear variations induced by the ambient temperature gradient, that according to the ratio between the radon level in winter to summer, varies by a factor of 3-10 while the temperature varies only within 10% span (280 C change versus an average of 2850 K).
Now, monitoring radon at a depth of several dozens of meters, substantially attenuates the climatic contribution and increases the possibility of resolving from the radon temporal spectrum the preseismic radon signals that are not periodic and are independent of the atmospheric driving forces.
In parallel, it was observed that CO2, within the internal airspace of a borehole, follows the radon measured by an alpha detector at 40m, as well as the radon temporal variations at the surrounding bedrock measured by gamma detectors up to 88m, and both are driven by the same driving forces.
The plausibly preseismic local movement of the two gases at depth is identified by the appearance of discrete, random, non-cyclical signals, wider in time duration than 20 hours and clearly wider than the sum of the width of the periodic diurnal and semidiurnal signals driven by ambient meteorological parameters. These non-cyclical signals may precede, by one day or more, a forthcoming seismic event with magnitude > 4.5.
Thus, deep gas monitoring technology may become a useful tool for the investigation of seismic precursors since similarly to radon and CO2, the existence of any natural gas such as nitrogen, oxygen, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and helium within deep subsurface media can serve as a proxy for pre-seismic precursory phenomena.
Since natural disaster events are relatively rare, and thus it's going to take a very long time to establish statistically the ability of this approach, it seems essential to verify our selected monitoring technology of gas flow in the geological medium, by independent physical methodology, such as latest Tensor Optical Fiber Strainmeter designed and being deployed over the past three years. It will be used as an orthogonal sensing proof of the non-periodic, Physico-chemical parameter variations.

Semiconductor nanostructures due to their size tunable photo-physical and photo-chemical behaviour have attracted great interest. CuS nanostructures (NSs) have been synthesized by facile chemical co-precipitation technique in variable solvent media concentrations of water: ethylene glycol (100:0; 75:25; 50:50; 25:75; 0:100). Crystallographic and morphological studies carried with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM), respectively; reveal the formation of highly crystalline wurtzite structured CuS nanostructures having spherical morphology. It has been observed from the recorded diffractograms and micrographs that the average crystallite size, particle size and particle size distribution strongly depend on the solvent concentrtaion in variable solvent media. Average crystallite size values calculated for CuS nanostructures synthesized in variable solvent media are 6.62 nm, 8.04 nm, 7.93 nm, 6.64 nm and 6.62 nm for water: ethylene glycol concentration ratios of 100:0; 75:25; 50:50; 25:75 and 0:100, respectively. Morphological studies indicate that monodispersity in the particle size augments with increasing concentration of ethylene glycol. Pristine ethylene glycol solvent gives highly monodisperse nanospheres, whereas pristine aqueous solvent media causes the formation of heterogenous size distribution in synthesized CuS nanostructures. UV-Visible absorption spectra have been recorded to find the optical band gap values of the synthesized NSs. Calculated optical band gap values of NSs synthesized in variable solvent media are 2.29 eV, 2.18 eV, 2.28 eV, 2.33 eV and 2.39 eV for water: ethylene glycol concentration ratios of 100:0; 75:25; 50:50; 25:75 and 0:100, respectively. Photo-catalytic activity potential of synthesized NSs has been tested in aqueous media by the detoxification of test contaminant; methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. Recorded results reveal that the synthesized nanostructures have excellent photo-catalytic activity, which strongly depends on the nanostructure morphology.

Eu3+ doped borate glass matrix was prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. For this glass system some physical parameters such as Density (ρ), Molar volume (Vm), Oxygen packing density (O), Ion concentration (N), polaron radius rp(Å) have been calculated and their variation with rare-earth is studied. To check the radiation shielding ability of the prepared glass system, shielding parameters were calculated in the energy range 0.001 MeV to 0.5 MeV. The calculated parameters were analyzed on the basis of doping concentration and energy. The structure of the prepared glasses has been analyzed with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The conversion of BO3 → BO4 and back conversion is observed and for more insight about the structure, the FT-IR spectrum has been deconvoluted. The band gap (Eg) was obtained with the help of Kubelka-Munk (K-M or F(R)) function.

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