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Exploding population, industrialization, and an increase in water pollution has led to acute shrinkage in freshwater availability. Numerous countries have started exploring municipal wastewater as a new potential source of water to bring a paradigm shift from linearity to obtaining circularity in human water cycle management. This study aims to develop a decision support system for integrated water and wastewater management (DSS_IWWM), targeted towards reuse-focused selection of appropriate wastewater treatment technology, and localized planning around STPs in terms of reclaimed water demand identification, estimation, allocation, and sustainable pricing. The developed DSS_IWWM comprises of a repository of fourteen reuse purposes, reuse quality criteria, and 25 wastewater treatment technologies (WWTTs) in 360 combinations. It is sensitive to local resource scenarios and applies a socioeconomic and technology-focused methodology for addressing the interests of the community and investing agencies and viably. To validate the application of the DSS_IWWM, it is first tested with data from three cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh (India)—Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Agra—and then extended to nine more Indian cities with varying influent quality characteristics, resource inputs, existing STP technologies, and same target quality and decision criteria prioritization, to present a comparison of appropriate WWTTs and associated average prices obtained in different scenarios. It is concluded that influent quality, existing technology, and target quality criteria play significant role in selection of appropriate WWTTs. The traditional technologies such as UASB and ASP are required to be augmented and supplemented with high-performing WWTTs, such as BIOFOR-F with (C + F + RSF) and SBT + WP to obtain desired effluent quality. High-performing advanced oxidation process (AOP)-based systems such as A2O, SBR, and BIOFOR-F require WWTTs with relatively lower average costs (such as SBT and OP). The developed DSS_IWWM may prove to be very useful and beneficial for policymakers, government officials, engineers, and scientific community as it will facilitate rational decision-making for efficient investment planning in reuse focused wastewater treatment towards achieving circular economy in sustainable water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Limb amputation is an extremely stressful event for an individual, following which the amputee develops inferior body image, anxiety, and changes in self-concept and identity. For holistic rehabilitation, understanding the psychosocial status of the amputee and its' predictors is of utmost importance. Objective: The aim of the article is to assess the psychological adjustments in patients with lower limb amputation and determine its clinical and sociodemographic correlates. Material and Methods: A observational cross-sectional study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 among lower limb amputees of a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow which serves as the only rehabilitation and artificial limb center for the whole state of Uttar Pradesh. Baseline sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to determine underlying depression and anxiety, while the Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scale was used for understanding the psychological adjustment. Results: The mean age of the amputee was 39.47 ± 16.99 years. The mean general, social adjustment, and adjustment to limitation score was 16.3 ± 3.34, 15.19 ± 3.59, and 12.76 ± 3.15, respectively. Male amputees, aged >40 years, and pensioners had significantly higher scores for general adjustment (P < 0.05). Those aged >40 years were pensioners and had no underlying depression and anxiety and had better social adjustment (P < 0.05). Those with transfemoral amputation had a significantly lesser adjustment to limitation (P = 0.003). Conclusion: Young age amputees had poor general and social adjustments and more activity restriction but high prosthesis satisfaction as compared to the elderly. Those with transfemoral amputation had a poor adjustment to limitation while those wearing above-knee prosthesis had more activity restriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather variability over the long run exhibits the trends of change in climate and forewarns for development and deployment of adaptation measures. Gangetic plain of Uttar Pradesh in India is an agriculturally important geographical region of South East Asia. The region is vulnerable to weather variability led glacier melting, climate change impacts and increased competition for land. In addition, changes in rainfall, groundwater and weather patterns are deteriorating the agricultural and water systems that are bound to affect the food production and throw the poor populace into chaotic conditions. As weather variability trends are being increasingly used for sustaining the food production in climate-sensitive regions, the present study was taken up in Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh. Daily meteorological datasets of temperature, rainfall, rainy days, evaporation, wind speed, relative humidity and bright sunshine hours during the past 63 years (1956–2018) were analysed for long-term trends. The study indicated conspicuous long-term trends of reduction in annual rainfall (− 28.97 mm decade−1), rising level of daily Tmin (0.09 °C a decade) and RH (1.08% decade−1) coupled with significant declining trends in evaporation (− 0.31 mm day−1), wind speed (− 0.29 km h−1) and bright sunshine hours (− 0.19 h day−1), that poignantly elucidates a clear warming trend over the period in the region. Multi-pronged adaptation strategies comprising of development of water efficient crop varieties, cropping system diversification with less water requiring crops, adoption of water efficient irrigation techniques, surface water harvesting and copious ground water recharge have been proposed for coping up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Availability of quality planting materials is the major impediment in extension of cultivation of low chilling peach in northern plans. Plum suckers are mostly used as rootstocks for raising peach; however nematode infestation is a major problem. Seeds of all peach cultivars do not germinate under subtropical climate of plains of Northern India. Hence, an experiment was carried out at ICAR-CISH, Lucknow on seed germination and subsequent growth of seedlings of low chilling peaches. Methods: Fully mature seeds of peach cv. Florda Prince, Pant Peach 1 and Sharbati were collected during June. Some of the seeds were sown direct in-situ during 1st week of December and remaining seeds were sown in the field after 2 months of stratification in the refrigerator at 7-8°C. Result: Stratification had significant effect on seed germination and late matured peach cv. 'Sharbati' exhibited higher seed germination. Good linear seedling growth and maximum percentage of buddable seedlings was found in stratified sown seeds of 'Sharbati' peach. Thus the study indicated that harvesting of 'Sharbati' and 'Pant Peach-1' seeds can be done during June and pre-sown stratification is necessary for better germination and growth of seedlings under subtropical climate of Lucknow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]