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We analyse the results from a longitudinal natural field experiment that provides an environmental nudge by reinforcing positive environmental norms. Posters asking individuals to use less paper are pasted on printers (Times) and in office cubicles (Umendall) of two information technology firms around New Delhi, India. A third firm (India Mart) does not get the nudge and serves as our control. During the nudge period, employees of the firms that get the conservation message on average expend a significantly lower number of sheets per day as compared to the pre-nudge period, measured both in terms of paper used and paper wasted. Furthermore, after the nudge is removed, the per capita paper wastage for one of the firms that received it (Times) does not increase significantly over the next month and a half, whereas for the other firm (Umendall) it does but remains significantly lower than the per capita wastage in the pre-nudge period. In terms of total paper used, the nudged firms show a reduction in the number of sheets used several weeks after the nudge is removed. For the control firm, the wastage and usage of printer paper does not change significantly over the duration of the experiment. A robustness check with no nudge intervention done by computing per capita wastage and usage for the same dates exactly one year later does not show a reduction over the same time period and offers support for our conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-independent India has witnessed several horrific incidents of communal violence. The largest communal riot happened in the year 1984, in the capital city of New Delhi. But after the occurrence of the Anti-Sikh Riots of 1984, there was silence surrounding the incident. The silence was primarily caused by the trauma inflicted from the incident. There are reasons to believe that the silence was politically motivated too. However, the role fictional writings have played in communicating the traumatic memory of the incident was significant. This paper studies the novel Amu written by Shonali Bose to understand the representation of traumatic memory of the community. The paper attempts to problematize the decades-long silence surrounding the incident and the novel's role along with other similar fictional accounts in unravelling the truth of the incident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Dried blood spotted on to filter paper has been found suitable for a large number of studies. In tropical countries with varying temperature conditions the use of dried blood needs to be validated. We carried out this study to assess the use of blood spotted filter paper as a transport system to study genotyping ofApo E gene. Methods: Fifty five patients visiting Cardiothoracic Neuroscience Centre (CNC) OPD at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and referred for lipid investigations to Cardiac Biochemistry Laboratory were selected at random. Blood was spotted on to Whatman 3 MM filter paper, dried and stored at room temperature. Genomic DNA was extracted and genotyping was carried out at the end of 0, 3 and 12 months. The study was further validated using samples collected on to filter paper from four centres and stored for eight years at room temperature. The temperature and humidity conditions of the centre varied widely. Results: Fifty five samples collected on to filter paper showed exact match of the genotyping when compared to fresh blood. In dried blood samples collected and stored for 1 yr at room temperature DNA extraction and apo E genotyping was done successfully. Interpretation & conclusions: The present results showed the feasibility of using dried blood samples on filter paper for apo E genotyping in tropical temperature. The findings need to be validated on a large sample before being recommended for use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part I. Lists various abstracts of research papers related to pharmacology presented during the XXXVI Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmacological Society held on December 5 to 7, 2003 in New Delhi. Title of paper; Research author; Affiliation; E-mail address; Objectives; Methods; Results; Conclusions; Possible anorectic case effect of methanol extract of Benincasa hispida by Kumar A.; Study of ulcerogenic potential of methylene blue by Shah H.; Role of potassium channel agonist and antagonist in ouabain induced arrhythmias by Dhasmana D.C.

The presence of persistent heavy fog in northern India during winter creates hazardous situations for transportation systems and disrupts the lives of about 400 million people. The meteorological factors responsible for its genesis and predictability are not yet completely understood in this region. Given its high potential for socioeconomic impact, there is a pressing need for extensive research that understands the inherently complex nature of the phenomena through field observations and modeling exercises. WiFEX is a first-of-its-kind multi-institutional initiative dealing with intensive ground-based measurement campaigns for developing a suitable fog forecasting capability under the aegis of the smart cities mission of India. Measuring campaigns were conducted during the 2015–20 winters at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, covering more than 90 dense fog events. The field experiments involved extensive suites of in situ instruments and gathered simultaneous observations of micrometeorological conditions, radiative fluxes, turbulence, droplet/aerosol microphysics, aerosol optical properties, fog water chemistry, and vertical thermodynamical structure to describe the environmental stability in which fog develops. An operational modeling framework, the WRF Model, was set up to provide fog predictions during the measurement campaign. These field observations helped to interpret the strengths and deficiencies in the numerical modeling framework. Four scientific objectives were pursued: (i) the life cycle of optically thin and thick fog, (ii) microphysical properties in the polluted boundary layer, (iii) fog water chemistry, gas–aerosol partitioning during the fog life cycle, and (iv) numerical prediction of fog. This paper presents an overview of WiFEX and a synthesis of selected observational and modeling analyses/findings related to the abovementioned scientific topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a quantitative and qualitative profile of Thrombosis research in India, based on 4026 publications indexed in Scopus database during 2000-19. Indian research output on Thrombosis registered 11.64% annual growth, averaged 13.54 citations per paper and contributed 2.26% global share (with 13th rank) and 14.13% share devoted to international collaborative papers. Thrombosis research applications across subjects were the largest in medicine (87.93%), followed for other subjects with contribution from 5.84% to 10.08%), etc. The distribution by type revealed that Venous Thrombosis accounted for the highest share (52.36% share), followed by Arterial Thrombosis (29.01% share), Limb ischemia (1.49%) and Hepatic artery thrombosis (0.72%) during 2000-19. AIIMS- New Delhi (374 papers) and PGIMER-Chandigarh (280 papers) lead the country as the most productive organizations. Besides, GMCH-Chandigarh (66.80 and 4.93) and Fortis Healthcare Limited (47.82 and 3.53) lead the country as the most impactful organizations in terms of citation per paper and relative citation index. K. Ghosh (61 papers) and R. Saxena (51 papers) lead the contry as most productive authors and K. Sarin (115.32 and 8.52) and D. Dash (44.29 and 3.27) lead as the most impactful authors. Indian Heart Journal (with 160 papers), BMJ Case Reports (133 papers) and Neurology India (115 papers) topped the list of most productive journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious spaces are an integral part of Indian cities. Unique in their spatiality, they function as socio-cultural hubs drawing users from varied economic and social hierarchies. This study deals with physical and perceptional assessments of micrometeorological conditions in two religious squares namely Hanuman Mandir Square (HMS) and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Square (GBS) located in New Delhi (28.6° N; 77.2° E), India. The study involved real-time physical measurement of environmental variables such as dry-bulb temperature (Ta, °C), globe temperature (Tg, °C), relative humidity (RH), and air velocity (Va). Variables such as physiological effective temperature (PET), universal thermal comfort index (UTCI), and mean radiant temperature (Tmrt, °C) were computed from measured variables. Concurrent thermal comfort surveys were carried out with 353 respondents in both the squares. The paper describes the thermal characteristics of the studied squares and presents the associated subjective thermal response and preferences of the users. PET was found to correlate well with the subjective responses. The neutral value of PET is found to be 24.7 °C. The neutral PET value of respondents visiting for non-worship purposes was found to be 2.7 °C lesser than those visiting for worship purposes. People visiting the squares for non-worship purpose however were found to be more tolerant of higher PET conditions as compared to others. Factors such as intent of visit, solar exposure, thermal history, and landscape elements were found to have a statistically significant influence on the thermal perception. The paper further summarizes the adaptive opportunities preferred by the users in order to improve thermal comfort in the studied squares. A weighted ranking of adaptive preferences reported by the respondents has also been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the open path measurement of atmospheric transmission in the spectral region of 3000–3450 nm using a mid infrared tunable lidar in New Delhi (28.7oN, 77.1oE), India. Results on the measurement of atmospheric transmission in New Delhi are reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. A tunable infrared lidar system has been developed in-house, which transmits laser radiation with the wavelength interval of 1 nm in the above spectral band into the atmosphere. A 200-mm-diameter Cassegrain receiver telescope with mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector is used to collect the backscattered radiation from the atmosphere. The reflected laser radiation received from the tower located at a distance of 400 m is used to generate the transmission spectrum. Data recorded during the daytime measurements have been considered in this paper. Transmission spectra measured over several days showed a similar pattern, which confirmed the repeatability of the system performance. The measured spectra are also compared with the SkyCalc transmission model generated using the online database. Preliminary analysis indicated that these spectra had good agreement in general with a small shift in wavelength region. We have also analyzed the HITRAN database line-by-line and identified the possible major absorbing molecules in this band. The sources of air pollutants that absorb in this band and also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper highlights the hydrocephalus research efforts undertaken at AIIMS, New Delhi, supporting progress in the field.Material: Over a period of three decades, basic research, clinical investigations, and multicentric studies were undertaken. This report will review the work mainly to emphasize the need for future generations to pursue further research. Studies that impacted hydrocephalus care (mainly in India) are described, and some of these findings may be useful in other resource-challenged situations.Results: Investigative studies on the effect of shunting on brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER), transcranial Doppler (TCD), and CT-SPECT were published offering management options for patients. Participation in the International Infant Hydrocephalus Study (IIHS) study offered opportunities to compare our approaches and develop modifications in patient care. This effort proved shunting was equal or better for young children with congenital aqueductal stenosis. Shunt infection protocols and changes made in a systematic manner helped develop local protocols to reduce postoperative shunt infections.Conclusions: Hydrocephalus research over three decades at AIIMS, New Delhi was productive and educational, confirming that locally performed investigative work can help in decision making. Further studies and active participation in international efforts are necessary to advance the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research evaluation based on citation data identifies excellence using quantity and quality proxies as the main orthogonal dimensions. Citation data are readily available from aggregators such as the Web of Science or Scopus in the form of number of papers P, number of citations C and h-index. However, most of the prestigious award-giving bodies, e.g. for the Nobel Prizes or for the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize in India, rely on rigorous peer evaluation rather than on citationbased performance. While peer-review judgements are holistic but also subjective, citation-based evaluations tend to be reductive and quantitative. In this study, we look at three of the most prestigious premier peer-review decision-making exercises in India, the SSB Prize, and election Fellowship of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru. By comparing the awardees and successfully elected Fellows against a list of outstanding citation-based top performers in the world, we report a marked field dependence with citation data predicting 0% to less than 40% of the peer-review selections depending on the field. This study highlights two mixed dangers: one of compressing performance to numbers in an essentially reductive process, and the other of the possible bias and prejudices involved in what is often a subjective peer-review process. Thus, type I and type II errors cannot be avoided in any peer-review or citation evaluation taken in isolation, and vary from as much as 100% to 63%, depending on the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents rigorous experimental outdoor performance of a 2.32kWP stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) system in New Delhi (India) for four weather types in each month such as clear, hazy, partially cloudy/foggy and fully cloudy/foggy weather conditions respectively. The daily power generated from the existing SAPV system was experimentally found in the range of 4–6kWh/day depending on the prevailing sky conditions. The number of days and daily power generated corresponding to four weather types in each month were used to determine monthly and subsequently annual power generation from the existing SAPV system. There are three daily load profiles with and without earth to air heat exchanger suitable for three seasons like summer (3.75–6.15kWh/day), winter (2.79–5.19kWh/day) and rainy (3.75kWh/day). The hourly efficiency of the SAPV system components are determined and presented in this paper. The life cycle cost (LCC) analysis for the existing typical SAPV system is carried out to determine unit cost of electricity. The effect of annual degradation rate of PV system efficiency is also presented in this paper. The energy production factor (EPF) and the energy payback time (EPBT) of the SAPV system was also determined and presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The daylight factor model given by Charted Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) was modified in this paper to incorporate time variations with respect to zenith angle (θz ) and vertical height (h) of working surface above ground surface which was normalized with central height (H) of skylight dome. The modified model contains constant exponents which are determined using linear regression analysis based on hourly experimental data of inside and outside illuminance for each month of the year 2007–2008. The prediction of modified model is found in good agreement with experimental observed inside illuminance data on the basis of values of root mean square percentage error (e) and correlation coefficient (r). The annual average daylight factor values for big and small dome skylight rooms are determined as 2.3% and 4.4% respectively. The energy saving potential of skylight rooms for selected climatic locations in India is also presented in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents several papers presented at the 34th Annual Conference of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBTI) in New Delhi, India from November 20-22, 2009. One paper examines the therapeutic plasma exchange in neuroimmunological disorders. Another paper discusses predonation blood donor referral. One paper discusses the causes of blood donor deferral.

Please cite this paper as: Broor et al. (2011) Emergence of 2009A/H1N1 cases in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 5(6), e552-e557. Objective To determine virologic and epidemiologic characteristics of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. Methods Nasal and throat swabs from patients with febrile acute respiratory illness (FARI) from August to December 2009 ( n = 1401) were tested for 2009A/H1N1 and seasonal influenza A viruses by real-time RT-PCR. Results Of 1401 samples tested, 475 (33·9%) were positive for influenza A, of these majority (412; 87%) were 2009A/H1N1, whereas the remaining 63 (13%) were seasonal influenza A (49 were A/H3 and 14 were A/H1). While co-circulation of 2009A/H1N1 and A/H3 was observed in August-September, subsequent months had exclusive pandemic influenza activity (October-December 2009). Pandemic 2009A/H1N1 emergence did not follow typical seasonal influenza seasonality in New Delhi, which normally peaks in July-August, but instead showed bimodal peaks in weeks 39 and 48 in 2009. The percent of specimens testing positive for 2009A/H1N1 influenza virus was found to be highest in >5- to 18-year age group (41·2%; OR = 2·3; CI = 1·6-3·2; P = 0·00). Conclusions Taken together, our data provide high prevalence of pandemic 2009A/H1N1 in urban New Delhi with bimodal peaks in weeks 39 and 48 and highest risk group being the children of school-going age (aged >5-18). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To teach and learn Spanish language as a foreign language involves understanding the concepto of interculturality, which asks for an investigative look to appraise social, geographical, political, cultural, pedagogical and linguistic differences among countries that, even though they speak different languages, wish to communicate each other. This paper makes part of a research project intitled "Pedagogical university narrative". In it, a trainee who is about to get her degree as a Bachelor in Modern Languages from Universidad de Caldas (Colombia) and her advisor, as principal investigator, show how in New Delhi Spanish language acquisition is permeated by cultural factors that, if not adequately addressed, become barriers hindering the integration of language to contents, feelings and expectations related to the everyday context Spanish students live in -- different from their mother language -- in a foreign speaking country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, energy metrics (energy pay back time, electricity production factor and life cycle conversion efficiency) of hybrid photovoltaic (PV) modules have been analyzed and presented for the composite climate of New Delhi, India. For this purpose, it is necessary to calculate (1) the energy consumption in making different components of the PV modules and (2) the annual energy (electrical and thermal) available from the hybrid-PV modules. A set of mathematical relations have been reformulated for computation of the energy metrics. The manufacturing energy, material production energy, energy use and distribution energy of the system have been taken into account, to determine the embodied energy for the hybrid-PV modules. The embodied energy and annual energy outputs have been used for evaluation of the energy metrics. For hybrid PV module, it has been observed that the EPBT gets significantly reduced by taking into account the increase in annual energy availability of the thermal energy in addition to the electrical energy. The values of EPF and LCCE of hybrid PV module become higher as expected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates thermal performance of an existing eco-friendly and low embodied energy vault roof passive house (or mud-house) located at Solar Energy Park of IIT Delhi, New Delhi (India). Based on embodied energy analysis, the energy payback time for the mud-house was determined as 18 years. The embodied energy per unit floor area of R.C.C. building (3702.3MJ/m2) is quiet high as compared to the mud-house (2298.8MJ/m2). The mud-house has three rooms with inverted U-shape roof and remaining three rooms with dome shape roof. A thermal model of the house consisting of six interconnected rooms was developed based on energy balance equations which were solved by using fourth order Runge Kutta numerical method. The predicted six room air temperatures were found in good agreement with the experimental observed data on hourly basis in each month for one year. The annual heating and cooling energy saving potential of the mud-house was determined as 1481 kWh/year and 1813kWh/year respectively for New Delhi composite climate. The total mitigation of CO2 emissions due to both heating and cooling energy saving potential was determined as 5.2 metric tons/year. The annual carbon credit potential of mud-house was determined as € 52/year. Similar results were obtained for the different climatic locations in India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents an analysis of energy payback time and life-cycle conversion efficiency earning by solar energy park (SEP) at I.I.T Delhi, New Delhi, India. There are a number of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) systems with stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) power supply in the SEP. The analysis is based on experimental and theoretical annual performance of each system. Life-cycle conversion efficiency analysis considering the embodied energy of various systems in the park has been performed for life cycles of 30, 40 and 50 years. It is found that the cost of power generated by the SAPV system decreases with increase in the life cycle of the system. The energy payback time of the park is 2.52 years and 17.21 years for thermal and electrical energies. The return on capital decreases marginally with increase in life cycle, however it increases marginally if embodied energy is taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been using a Limited Area Model (LAM) on operational basis for the forecast up to 48 hours with the first guess fields for objective analysis and lateral boundary conditions from the global spectral model (T-80) run of the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), New Delhi. In this paper the model code has been modified and made more flexible, delinking it from the NCMRWF (T-80). This has allowed the use of initial and boundary conditions directly from the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) products available at the resolution of 1° × 1° lat./long. The main interest in this study is to improve the analysis and forecast in the short range time scale (up to 72 hours) by improving the model (LAM) resolution and using better Initial and boundary conditions from the NCEP GFS instead of the NCMRWF T-80 model. Simulation experiments are performed on wide variety of synoptic situations which occur very often over the Indian sub-continent. The performance evaluation in terms of qualitative comparison between the model simulated outputs against actual observations and the outputs of the operational model indicates that the modified version of the model is capable to provide a improved numerical guidance on the occurrence of heavy rainfall in the 48-72 hours forecast scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at the International Conference on Mesoscale Processes in Atmosphere, Ocean and Environmental Systems, held at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, India is presented. Topics included high resolution mesoscale models, special computation techniques, land-ocean-atmosphere processes and satellite observations. The participants included professors, T. Krishnamurti, R. Narsimha, and J.C.R. Hunt.

Abstract: In this paper, the variability of F2-layer critical frequency foF2 is examined, using modern digital ionosonde observations at a low-middle latitude station, New Delhi (28.6°N, 77.2°E, Dip 42.4°N). Data used for the present study are the hourly values of foF2 for the periods of high (2001–2002) and low (2004–2006) solar activity. To investigate the foF2 variability, the values of median, lower quartile and upper quartile are estimated at each hour for different seasons, during both the solar activity periods. The variability index (henceforth referred to as VI) of foF2 is then obtained by using inter-quartile difference and its percentage ratio to the median. Results show that VI is in general, lower during daytime hours than by night during high solar activity for all the seasons, while during low solar activity, VI behavior is irregular during all the seasons. A solar activity dependence of VI is found with maximum values during periods of low solar activity in all the seasons except for winter during pre-dawn and post-sunset hours. Comparisons of observations with IRI-2001 model [Bilitza, D. International Reference Ionosphere 2000. Radio Sci. 36 (2), 261–275, 2001] show in general good agreement during both the solar activity periods, with model values lying within inter-quartile range. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present essay examines information on the relationship of provincial settlements in the territories of the Dehli Sultanate with the capital city during the fourteenth century. This is drawn mainly from hagiographical sources in Persian rather than the much-utilized series of chronicles compiled in the city of Dehli itself. After a brief discussion of some of the factors of continuity and change operative in the fourteenth century in the territories of the Dehli Sultanate, it turns to a series of case studies, where evidence is available, of the processes of settlement of Muslim communities under the aegis of the Sultans of Dehli and in a radius extending from the capital city in northern India. The main routes of extension were to the south and to the east. Evidence suggests a process of growth of provincial centers of power to the detriment of the authority of the Sultan and the administration lodged in the capital city before the collapse of this authority in 1398. The latter part of the paper examines the linguistic consequences of the provincial political developments of the fourteenth century. It is argued that these affected changes in North Indian climates of sensibility that have endured to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent studies, various reports reveal that stubble burning of crop residues in India generates nearly 150 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), more than 9 million tons of carbon monoxide (CO), a quarter-million tons of sulphur oxides (SOX), 1 million tons of particulate matter and more than half a million tons of black carbon. These contribute directly to environmental pollution, as well as the haze in the Indian capital, New Delhi, and the diminishing glaciers of the Himalayas. Although stubble burning crop residue is a crime under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Air and Pollution Control Act (APCA) of 1981, a lack of implementation of these government acts has been witnessed across the country. Instead of burning, crop residues can be utilized in various alternative ways, including use as cattle feed, compost with manure, rural roofing, bioenergy, beverage production, packaging materials, wood, paper, and bioethanol, etc. This review article aims to present the current status of stubble-burning practices for disposal of crop residues in India and discuss several alternative methods for valorization of crop residues. Overall, this review article offers a solid understanding of the negative impacts of mismanagement of the crop residues via stubble burning in India and the other more promising management approaches including use for bioenergy, which, if widely employed, could not only reduce the environmental impacts of crop residue management, but generate additional value for the agricultural sector globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]