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The river Gomti, one of India's most polluted rivers, passing through Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, has been selected for this study. An attempt has been made to assess its water quality status by combining the water quality index (WQI) and synthetic pollution index (SPI). Further, the data integration with the geographic information system (GIS) along with twelve water quality parameters for the seven sampling stations (S1 to S7) over 5 years (2013-2017) has been performed. The study area showed a variation of WQI from 78.993 to 249.388 and SPI from 0.868 to 2.096 in 5 years. The map interpolated through GIS revealed that the WQI falls into the category of severely polluted (76-100) and unsuitable for human consumption ( 100), while SPI lies in the category of moderately polluted (0.5-1.0) and severally polluted (1.0-3.0). The BOD and COD were found to significantly influence the WQI and SPI scores. With the constant release of waste effluents into the river, all selected parameters increased from S1 to S7. Based on the study, effective wastewater management is immediately required to improve water quality and support any sustainable river restoration plan.

In the present study Cynodon dactylon leaves ethanolic extract and its chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions were used to evaluate the anti-asthmatic activity, using various experimental in vivo and in vitro animal models. Ethanolic extract of Cynodon dactylon and its chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions were evaluated for its anti-asthmatic activity by in vitro models (isolated guinea pig ileum preparation and isolated guinea pig tracheal chain preparation) in vivo models (Histamine and acetylcholine induced bronchospasm in guinea pigs and milk induced eosinophilia in mice model). Ethanolic extract of Cynodon dactylon and its ethyl acetate fraction at the concentration of 10 mg significantly antagonized the effect of histamine induced contraction on isolated guinea pig ileum preparation. Ethyl acetate fraction of Cynodon dactylon showed the maximum spasmolytic activity and significantly extended the latent period of convulsion as compared to standard (Ketotifen fumarate) upon histamine and acetylcholine exposure in a dose dependent manner. The study concluded that, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of Cynadon dactylon was shown significant anti-asthmatic activity.

The inspection/maintenance programmes exist in most countries, aiming at vehicular emission reduction through exhaust emission monitoring and compliance policy to the extant norms. However, considering the absence of an intra-vehicle approach, the higher success rate of vehicles towards compliance policy remains a grey area. The paper attempts to examine this issue through the application of an exhaust emission index (EEI) for petrol-driven cars. The study observed two different scales finding that the Bharat Stage emission norm scale method reports lower ranges of EEI compared with the linear scale (LS) method (EEI min-BSNS = 1.12 and EEI min-LS = 1.25; EEI max-BSNS = 20.70 and EEI max-LS = 29.54). The LS method and the maximum operator form of aggregation are recommended as these can find the highest number of non-compliant cars (21.81% and 12.03% of the ‘poor’ class, respectively) in the whole fleet tested. The EEI gives a more scientific approach to vehicular emission evaluation, like what the air quality index does in the case of the ambient air quality. It helps vehicle owners know their car's emission status as a quick reference index (EEI). The accurate status of such emission further helps the policymakers affect the better phasing-out norms.

Identification of the most relevant parameters of a sustainable transportation system is regarded as a significant choice that influences the success of policy-related intervention to improve efficiency. A hybrid-based approach has been used to analyze the data in multiple steps to improve accuracy and objectivity. In the first step, evidence on social, economic, and environmental indicators was formed for each opinion and then combined. The second step proposed a mathematical framework to treat indecision on the indicators collected from multiple sources, viz. expert and public opinion survey, models, and actual measurement during pre- and post-implementation stages of the Odd–Even scheme. By setting up, a reliability function and consistency index are used to evaluate and rank the Odd–Even transportation scheme introduced by the Government of Delhi. A case study in South Delhi's surrounding areas has been examined to demonstrate the proposed hybrid approach and evaluate the parameters in terms of the index. The result shows that the indicators like trip cost, trip time, safety and security, user’s satisfaction, congestion level, parking demand, and fuel consumption affected positively by 1766.6, 22.9, 283.3, 19.1, 187.5, 200, and 17.2 percent, respectively, after the implementation of the scheme. The overall increase in the index was found as 28.2%, which favors the “Odd–Even” scheme as a sustainable transportation measure in Delhi.

Comprehensive monitoring of urban air pollution is paramount to better understand and work towards ameliorating hazardous air quality level in urban centres of India. This study aims at developing ...

Pharmaceutical analysis plays a very prominent role in quality assurance as well as quality control of bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations. Rapid increase in pharmaceutical industries and production of drug in various parts of the world has brought a rise in demand for new analytical techniques in the pharmaceutical industries. As a consequence, analytical method development has become the basic activity of analysis. From the times of yore, people were trying to find safe and sound ways to treat viral infections. In the current scenario, due to the emerging of new viruses, the development of drugs for their treatment is also gaining equal importance. Before launching to the market, these drugs should undergo a validation process. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultraviolet (UV), Photodiode array detectors (PDA), Mass spectrophotometer (MS) detectors etc. is one of the fastest, safe and precise technologies used for determination and separation of pharmaceutical drugs, impurities and biological samples. HPLC is versatile and it takes less time for quantification of drugs as compared to old liquid chromatography techniques. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), Emtricitabine (FTC) and Efavirenz (EFV) is antiretroviral medicine used treat AIDS as well as chronic Hepatitis-B. It is used alone or with other HIV medications to help control HIV infection. The present review article assesses the published analytical methods and a variety of approach for investigation of TDF, FTC and EFV in bulk drug as well as pharmaceutical formulations including combinations. The present studies revealed that HPLC technique along with the spectroscopic have been most widely explored for the analysis. The investigatory review may provide the comprehensive details to the researchers who are working in the area of analytical research of TDF, FTC and EFV.

Introduction: Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is highly contagious nature of disease which has spread all over the world in short span of time leading to significant number of death. WHO has declared pandemic and every nation is fighting with their all possible resources to control this disease. The impact of COVID-19 in dentistry is enormous. Most of the dental hospitals and clinic are providing emergency dental services only. So the aim of this research is to find out the nature of dental emergency during the initial month of lock down in Nepal. Additionally this research will try to find out the number of dental emergencies as well as perception of dentists on impact of COVID-19 on dentistry. Materials and Method : A set of electronic questionnaires were sent to 150 Nepal Medical Council registered Nepalese dentists out of which only 122 dentists responded. A consent was obtained prior to collecting data for research purpose. All the quantitative answers were recorded in SPSS spread sheet where as qualitative data were collected in Microsoft word. Descriptive statistics were applied to explain the responses whenever applicable. Result: Out of 122 respondents, maximum were from province 3 and 4 (50% and 34%). Almost half of the respondents were general dental practioners and similar percentage of respondents were working at dental/medical colleges and government centers. 90% of the doctors had consulted patients during lock down period. Average 5-20 cases were seen during the lock down by majority of doctors. Nearly 58% of the doctors had done only virtual consultation and most common emergency was dental pain(n= 92) and swelling( n= 37). Majority of the respondents thought that standard of dental disinfection and sterilization will increase after pandemic, however most of the dentists thought they will be using PPE for dental work and cost of dental treatment will be increased because of the added cost of extra precaution. 90% of the dentists believed that they are going to change the way they practice dentistry after they reopen their clinic. Conclusion: The most common type of dental emergency during lock down is dental pain ,swelling, dento-maxillofacial trauma and broken orthodontic appliances. Virtual dental consultation is gaining popularity among dentists in Nepal and Nepalese dentists are going to change the way of dental practice because of COVID-19.

Agriculture in India is the single largest employer of rural labour. Agriculture remains the main source of income and livelihood for the rural population in India. With the advent of many technologies in agriculture be it by variety, soil and nutrient management, important resources management like irrigation water, labour etc., the sector is widening itself to gamut of different economic activities. Silk, a highly priced agricultural commodity, accounts for about 0.2% of the total world production of textile fiber. Since sericulture stands next to agriculture for rural employment in India, it becomes a matter of concern to examine the sericulture production trend over the years and reasons for slow growth. Sericulture is an important agro industry in Indian economy. India is the only country in the world which produces all varieties of silk namely tasar, muga and mulberry. Economics is an important criterion to evaluate, acceptance and wider adoption of any technology which is economically sound and that can be accepted by the sericulture farming community. Among different indicators of economic efficiency in sericulture, net returns have greater impact on the practical utility and acceptance of the production technology by the farmers. Identification of suitable reasons and management of economic problems to increase the productivity in sericulture is the key for success crop potential and hence, the review.

Micro nutrients are designed to supply critically needed nutrients at the most responsive time during the growth cycle and to stimulate and optimize the assimilation and production process in the leaves. Micronutrients are the elements which are essential for the plant growth when roots are unable to absorb sufficient nutrients from soil due to high degree of fixation, losses from leaching, low soil temperature and lack of soil moisture. Zinc (Zn) is one of the eight essential micronutrients. It is needed by plants in small amounts, but yet crucial to plant development. In plants, zinc is a key constituent of many enzymes and proteins. It plays an important role in a wide range of processes, such as growth hormone production and internode elongation. Crop yield significantly increases with the use of micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), boron (B), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), etc. Zinc (Zn) has an important metabolically role in plants growth and development and is therefore called an essential trace element or a micronutrient. Zinc is uptake and transfers the form of Zn 2+ in plants and is an essential nutrient that has particular physiological functions in all living systems, such as the maintenance of structural and functional integrity of biological membranes and facilitation of protein synthesis and gene expression, enzymes structure, energy production and Krebs cycle; also has a positive impact on crops yield; therefore crops quantitative and qualitative yield is strongly dependent on zinc (Zn) in the soil. Calcareous soils with high intake of phosphorus (P) and soils with high pH are confronted with zinc deficiency. Zinc is an active element in biochemical processes and there is chemical and biological interaction between it and some other elements such as phosphorus, iron and nitrogen in plants. Phosphorus and copper have an antagonistic impact on zinc. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has determined that zinc is the most commonly deficient micronutrient in agricultural soils; almost 50% of agricultural soils are Zn deficient. Plants growing on potentially zinc-deficient soils have reduced productivity and contain very low concentrations of zinc in the edible parts (such as in cereal grains). Therefore, zinc deficiency represents a serious nutritional and health problem in human populations, especially in the developing world where cereal-based foods are the dominating source of diet. Hence, the review.

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is regarded as a native of Himalayas and is cultivated in more than 32 countries in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the world. Mulberry being the sole food plant of mulberry silkworms, the quality, productivity and profitability in commercial sericulture depends on the yield of mulberry. Mulberry crop is considered as only food for the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. which is commercially exploited. It is a perennial, evergreen, luxuriant crop cultivated in all types of soils, both under rainfed and irrigated conditions. The crop is prone to depredation of diverse organisms, because of its fast growth and green foliage throughout the year, in varying proportions either for space, food or both. So far, over 300 insect and non-insect species of pests are known to infest mulberry in varying intensities during different stages of the crop and seasons. The maximum leaf yield potential of mulberry is yet to be trapped under irrigated conditions which are low for various reasons. Of these, improper nutrient management practice, decline in soil fertility status and delayed irrigation (due to failure of rains or canal water) and imbalanced nutrition and non-adaptability of prime production practices and insect pest are major constraints for low leaf productivity. Among the production constraints, sucking pest occurrence has become major problem in mulberry garden cultivation. The pests which are infesting mulberry are categorized into sap suckers, defoliators and root feeders. The sucking pest includes mealy bug, trips, spiralling whitefly, leaf hoppers, jassids and scale insects which cause damage to mulberry crop. Most of the sap sucking insects, such as adult leaf hoppers, aphids or thrips causes minimal direct tissue destruction. These insects use a specialized mouth part, the style, to locate, penetrate and drain sap from the phloem sieve elements of the plants vascular tissue. Majority of the sericulture farmers throughout the country have opined that mulberry (Morus spp.) is very much prone to sucking pest. Now a day’s majority of the mulberry cultivars and sericulture farmers have been approaching scientists and extension agencies for efficient control measures of sucking pest of mulberry especially thrips under such condition management of thrips through the eco-friendly approach and giving the crop condition in the parcel basis to the farmers is necessary to increase the mulberry leaf yield. Hence, the review.

Introduction: Orthodontic treatment is usually perceived as a lengthy treatment as average treatment time usually last more than a year and may go up to even five years. So, in orthodontic practice the optimum treatment result with minimal treatment time should be the goal of clinicians. Treatment duration varies based on different clinico-environmental factors. Materials & Method: Total 200 cases were randomly selected from the archives of debonded treatment records from the department of orthodontics, Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital. Out of the 200 records, 103 records were fit for the study based on previously set inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected cases were divided into three different groups: extraction n= 28 (extraction of 4 premolars), partial extraction= 19, (extraction of 1-3 teeth) and non-extraction n=56. Furthermore, the cases were also divided into Class I, II and III malocclusion patterns. After doing the test of normality, descriptive statistics, independent samples t test and ANOVA test were performed to compare the treatment duration with respect to gender, malocclusion pattern and treatment modalities. Result: Out of the 103 selected cases, maximum number of cases were of Class I(60) followed by Class II(37) and Class III(6). There was no statistical significance on treatment duration among male and female subjects (p= 0.933) as well as among different malocclusion pattern ( p= 0.255). On the contrary, there was statistical difference on treatment duration among non extraction, partial extraction and extraction groups ( p=0.0004). The average treatment duration for non extraction, partial extraction and extraction group were 22, 28 and 29 months respectively. Conclusion: Orthodontic treatment duration is shorter for therapies done by non extraction than extraction. The average treatment duration for non extraction and extraction therapy is 22 and 29 months respectively. The treatment duration is not affected by gender and type of malocclusion.

Keeping in view the significant number of diesel-driven passenger cars in the existing light motor vehicle fleet in Delhi, India, a case study on smoke emission measurement from 460 number of such cars was conducted. Smoke exhaust data was collected from the diesel cars while the vehicles presented themselves for periodic renewal of pollution under control (PUC) certification at authorized emission testing centers across Delhi, India. Along with the smoke emission, various vehicle- and engine-related aspects, supposed to affect tailpipe smoke emission, were also recorded aiming at data analysis for two datasets, namely whole and top 5 makes. The smoke density under no-loading condition in the free acceleration test mode was measured. The study reported a strong correlation between vehicle parameters, such as age, mileage, maintenance category, emission norm, and engine aspiration; and the smoke emission (R

The overall fleet of light-duty vehicles in most of the developing countries is characterized by various manufacturers of diesel-driven passenger cars. There is a need of a thorough assessment of the actual conformance levels of such cars towards in-use emission norms, particularly the diesel-driven ones, in consideration of their high proportion in the overall privately-owned passenger cars fleet. In this context, the study conducted on 400 number of light-duty diesel cars reported that the compliance levels for BS (Bharat Stage) III diesel cars are better than that for BS IV, although not varying significantly (90 % in case of former vs. 80 %). Based on the findings, there is a need to include vehicle-related parameters during emission certification, such as, age, mileage and maintenance records along with emission measurements while deciding upon phasing-out of vehicles rather only based upon age (10 years of allowable registration life for diesel cars in the state of Delhi). Based on the results, the inclusion of mass emission-based testing in the overall transport emission assessment and reduction policy of the developing countries is highly recommended.

Since the air pollution and noise generated from fireworks are related to air quality and human health, the regulatory bodies had implemented the eco-friendly "Green Crackers" in megacity Delhi, India, to celebrate Diwali 2019 with the permission of a specific time slot (8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.). The present study was conducted on a residential educational institute campus to evaluate the particle number size distribution (PNSD) of green cracker emissions. During the Diwali event period, the high peak of particle number concentration (PNC) reached 1.7 × 10

Until 31 May 2020, more than six million confirm COVID-19 cases had been reported worldwide. Lockdown has resulted in significant air quality improvement, especially in urban regions. The lockdown has acted as a natural experiment empowering researchers, policymakers, and governing bodies. The present study focuses on quantifying and analysing the effect of lockdown on India’s metropolitan cities, namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bangalore. The study analyses the phase-wise and diurnal variations in the air quality from 24 March 2020 to 31 May 2020 while focussing on-peak and off-peak duration concentrations. To investigate the reason behind pollutant reduction, correlation of drop percentages in pollutant concentrations with vehicle population, extent of construction activity, and meteorological parameters are analysed. The 24-h drop in PM10 and PM2.5 showed a high correlation (R2 = 0.97 and 0.72, respectively) with the city’s vehicle population. During peak hours, the inland cities (Delhi and Bangalore), with a more extensive vehicle fleet, recorded a higher drop in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations than coastal cities (Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata). With respect to 2019 concentration, the maximum decrease in pollutant concentrations averaged across the five study locations was recorded in NO2 (46%), followed by PM2.5 (40%), PM10 (37%), and CO (19%). SO2 and O3 contrarily recorded an overall increase of 40% and 41%. These results wherein vehicular pollutants recorded the maximum drop indicate that reduced vehicular traffic primarily influenced air quality improvement during the lockdown. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12517-021-07777-x.

According to a global survey of 1600 cities by WHO in 2015, Delhi was found to be the most polluted city in the world, highlighting immediate need to bring in appropriate and effective measures to ensure a healthy air quality throughout the city. In a bid to do so, the odd-even driving scheme was implemented a few years ago in Delhi city on a trial basis requiring the vehicles bearing odd and even registration numbers to run on alternative days with effect from 1st January 2016. Applied for the very first time in India and lasting on a pilot basis for 15 days and also referred to as Phase 1 of implementation, the scheme ended on 15th January 2016 with primary goal of assessing the extent to which such a scheme could serve as an effective measure to bring down and control the excessively high ambient air pollution levels. Other associated benefits, which the study considered, were decongestion of city roads, and promoting use of public transport system and carpooling, besides other alternative modes of transport. The paper presents a comparative analysis of particulate matter concentrations recorded before and during the implementation of odd-even scheme of Phase 1 for three key traffic corridors of the city. The study reports an average reduction of PM2.5 of 5.73% and that of PM1.0 of 4.70% in the ambient air across all the corridors during the days of implementation of scheme, which depicts a small but positive impact of the measure adopted towards abatement of urban air pollution in the megacity of Delhi. Capsule: The study finds that the odd-even driving scheme can help to reduce particulate matter levels compared to non-scheme days at traffic corridors.

Diwali (the festival of lights and crackers) is celebrated grandly, resulting in a significant drop in the city's air quality. To study the impact of the judicial prohibition in Delhi to improve air quality, a comprehensive and comparative analysis was conducted over two consecutive years, namely 2015-2016 (when no significant regulations on the sale or usage of firecrackers were imposed) and 2017-2018 (when radically different regulations were implemented). Data on PM

This study is an attempt to analyse the spatial distribution of traffic noise levels in the city of Delhi through the creation of noise maps with the help of GIS. Field measurements were conducted at 10 locations consisting of different land-use patterns. It was observed that the measured ambient noise levels at all the locations were violating the prescribed limits as prescribed by CPCB. Noise levels were found to be in proportion to the vehicular population. Noise level values obtained from the developed noise maps have given very close results to the measured values. The percentage difference between the predicted noise level and the monitored noise level was found to be between 4 and 7%. This study will help the concerned authorities to identify the hot spots of noise within the city and to take appropriate actions to curb the noise pollution in those particular areas.

Preparing the hybrid composite material using LY556 epoxy resin and HY951 hardener was used as the matrix and agave nano fibers with zinc powder use as reinforcement, mixing with help of stirrer at 800 rpm. There are various methods of fabrication technologies are available but here are using hand lay-up method. Study the surface morphology of raw and chemical treated fibers also finding the material used for the hybrid composite is reinforced agave furcrea fibers and zinc powder at different percentages.

Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, extreme steps have been taken by countries globally. Lockdown enforcement has emerged as one of the mitigating measures to reduce the community spread of the virus. With a reduction in major anthropogenic activities, a visible improvement in air quality has been recorded in urban centres. Hazardous air quality in countries like India and China leads to high mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. The present article deals with 6 megacities in India and 6 cities in Hubei province, China, where strict lockdown measures were imposed. The real-time concentration of PM2.5 and NO2 were recorded at different monitoring stations in the cities for 3 months, i.e. January, February, and March for China and February, March, and April for India. The concentration data is converted into AQI according to US EPA parameters and the monthly and weekly averages are calculated for all the cities. Cities in China and India after 1 week of lockdown recorded an average drop in AQIPM2.5 and AQINO2 of 11.32% and 48.61% and 20.21% and 59.26%, respectively. The results indicate that the drop in AQINO2 was instantaneous as compared with the gradual drop in AQIPM2.5. The lockdown in China and India led to a final drop in AQIPM2.5 of 45.25% and 64.65% and in AQINO2 of 37.42% and 65.80%, respectively. This study will assist the policymakers in devising a pathway to curb down air pollutant concentration in various urban cities by utilising the benchmark levels of air pollution.

This study investigated exposure of PM2.5 to the commuters travelling in various modes of transportation. Three types of transport mode were selected to conduct this study, namely bus, car and auto-rickshaw. Further, a total of five categories made out of three transport modes were finalized for the study, i.e. car with and without air-conditioning; bus with and without air-conditioning; and auto-rickshaw. The monitoring was done during morning, evening and off-peak hours of the day. The measured concentration inside non-AC bus as well as in non-AC car was found much higher than the permissible limits. On the other hand, among AC vehicles, slight variation was observed in the concentration of particulate matter during different monitoring hours. AC car was found to be the most efficient among the rest with PM2.5 detected as minimum as 43.8 µg/m3 in evening peak hours followed by AC bus with minimum average PM2.5 detected as 52.2 µg/m3 during off-peak hours. Remarkably, among all the selected commuting modes, the highest concentration was found in auto-rickshaw (>100 μg/m3). The results report that the fine particulate level to a very large extent is affected by the mode of transport as well as the air-conditioning and ventilation system. It was observed that close modes with air-conditioning has reduced the exposure level than open modes.

Objective. Bonding failure is a problem in orthodontic therapy and has been associated with orthodontic emergencies and delayed treatment time. The aim of this study is to determine the bracket failure rate among patients undergoing orthodontic therapy. Materials and Methods. From the archives of posttreatment records, 200 total cases were selected, out of which 122 cases had detailed treatment records. Cases with incomplete records, large restorations, or enamel aberrations were excluded from the study. Descriptive statistics were applied to obtain sample characteristics, and a chi-square test was applied to compare the bracket failure between different categories. Result. Out of the 122 samples enrolled in the study, female and male patients comprised 71% and 29%, respectively. Class I malocclusions were the most common problem (56%), followed by Class II (41%) and Class III (3%). The bracket failure rate was 3.43%, and 32% of the patients had an incidence of bracket failure. There was no significant difference in bracket failure among genders ( p = 0.344 ), malocclusion types ( p = 0.191 ), or operators ( p = 0.188 ). The maxillary left quadrant was the most common site of bracket failure, followed by the mandibular right quadrant. Conclusion. Bracket failure is relatively uncommon. It is not affected by the gender or age of the patient or by malocclusion type. The maxillary left and mandibular right quadrants are the most common sites of bracket failure.

The present study undertake an assessment of human health risk regarding mortality and morbidity induced by multiple air pollutants prevailing at 36 transport corridors of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India. The study, covering PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2, utilized the Risk of Mortality/Morbidity due to Air Pollution (Ri-MAP) model in a bid to assess the direct health impacts in the year 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines were used to calculate mortality and morbidity for the population in 4 km2 grid sizes in the vicinity of all transport corridors and the results indicate that aggravated by the vehicular traffic, the highest number of excess cases of relative excess mortality respiratory, cardiovascular and total mortality were reported at ISBT Flyover (365, 1399 and 2136), closely followed by Wazirabad Road (362, 1378 and 2096) respectively. These two transport corridors also recorded a maximum number of excess cases of morbidity regarding hospital admission due to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and cardiovascular illness as 18,979 and 4762 as well as 18,969 and 4761 respectively. Further, excess numbers of cases were reported in 4 km2 grid sizes alongside the transport corridors throughout the megacity of Delhi, thereby presenting a very plausible scenario of traffic-induced human health risk in different residential and other areas. Such studies with a more focussed approach would help not only towards a better transport corridor planning but also help health institutions to be preferable to control excess number of such peculiar health cases in the city and elsewhere.

Introduction. A proportional relationship between the maxillary and mandibular teeth size is required for achieving good finish with proper overjet and overbite postorthodontic treatment. The aims and objectives of this study were to determine the anterior and overall Bolton’s ratio in Nepalese population, to compare Bolton’s ratio between subjects with normal occlusion, Class I malocclusion, and Class II malocclusion, to compare these results with Bolton’s norm, and to determine the frequency of clinically significant (beyond 2 SD) tooth size discrepancy compared to Bolton’s norm. Materials and Methods. The study models of the subjects with normal occlusion and Angle’s Class I malocclusion and Class II malocclusion and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were retrieved from department archives. An electronic digital caliper was used to measure mesiodistal tooth size of the maxillary and mandibular teeth anterior to the second molars. The study sample of 120 study models consisted of the normal occlusion group (n = 31), Class I malocclusion group (n = 47), and Class II malocclusion group (n = 42). These measurements were then used to obtain Bolton’s ratio in three groups of subjects. Bolton’s ratio of study groups was compared with each other and with Bolton’s original ratio. Results. The differences in tooth size ratio of the study groups were not significant statistically, when the groups were compared on the basis of malocclusion or gender. Statistically significant differences were exclusively observed between the study groups and Bolton’s original sample for the anterior ratio. The frequency of the clinically significant tooth size ratio discrepancy was lower for the overall ratio (9.1%) compared to the anterior ratio (22.5%). Conclusions. Bolton’s analysis on the Nepalese population sample shows that there was no significant difference observed on the anterior and overall tooth size ratios when these were compared based on Angle’s malocclusion classes or gender. The clinically significant anterior tooth size discrepancy was more prevalent than that of the overall ratio.

Air Pollution in India is a major issue with the majority of Indian cities having very poor air quality and reeling under severe particulate pollution. Comprehensive monitoring of air pollution is necessary to counteract this great environmental health hazard. The aim of this study is to develop a multispectral empirical model to estimate the concentration of particulate matter less than ten micrometres (PM10) using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) satellite data over Delhi, India. PM10 concentration data provided by the Central Pollution Control Board from the ground monitoring stations in New Delhi was obtained corresponding to the acquisition date of Landsat 8 satellite data. Atmospheric reflectance in the visible bands of Landsat 8 imagery was calculated and correlated with the PM10 measurements from ground stations. The feasibility of the proposed algorithm was analysed based on the correlation coefficient, and the root mean square error value. The results show that the suggested multispectral PM10 model can predict particulate matter concentrations with an acceptable level of accuracy.

The present study investigates the particle number concentrations and size distributions in the ultrafine and fine-sized regimes over a polluted megacity, New Delhi (28.75° N, 77.12° E), India. The experiments were conducted during the periods (April–May 2020) of strict social and travel restrictions (lockdown) imposed by the Government of India aiming to contain the spread of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The different phases of the COVID-19 lockdown witnessed restrictions of varying magnitudes with the significant cessation of anthropogenic sources, viz., industrial, road, railways, and air traffic emissions. Using this unique opportunity, the impact of varying urban emissions on particle number size distributions and new particle formation events were examined. The mean total number concentrations were in the range of ~ (2–3.5) x 104 cm−3 and depicted a gradual increase (~26%) with progressive unlock of the anthropogenic activities. At the same time, accumulation particle concentrations were doubled. However, ultrafine particles (UFP) (diameter

There is a growing consensus among health experts all over the world that the particles in nano- and ultrafine range (

The study inspects the traffic-induced gaseous emission dispersion characteristics from the urban roadside sites in Delhi, India. The concentration of pollutants viz. CO, NO 2 and SO 2 along with traffic and ambient atmospheric conditions at five selected local urban road sites were simultaneously measured. A developed General Finite Line Source Model (GFLSM) was used to predict the local roadside CO, NO 2 and SO 2 concentrations. A comparison of the observed and predicted values emission parameters using GFLS model has shown that the predicted values for SO 2 , CO and NO 2 at all the selected local urban roadside locations are found to lie within the error bands of 5%, 6%, and 7% respectively. A high level of agreement was found between the monitored and estimated CO, NO 2 and SO 2 concentration data. From the study, it has also been established that the developed model exhibits the capability of reasonably predicting the characteristics of gaseous pollutants dispersion from on-road vehicles for the urban city air quality.

Realizing the dominance of petrol-driven passenger cars of MUL over the fleet of cars in India, a case study of different models of petrol-driven passenger cars of Maruti reporting at an authorized service station of M/s R.K.B.K. Automobiles, Gorakhpur was taken up and the tailpipe emissions along with individual vehicle-related parameters were monitored for idle and fast idle test conditions. The outcome of the study relating to the effect of various vehicle-related parameters on CO and HC emissions of petrol-driven passenger cars of Maruti has led to the useful inferences, which can be used not only for predicting the emission of vehicles with respect to vehicle age and mileage, but also for automobile manufacturing sector to help them produce such environmentally benign petrol-driven passenger cars having long-lasting compliance of pollution control systems with respect to vehicle age and mileage of the petrol-driven passenger cars in the country.

The present study undertakes to understand the spatial influence of traffic-induced criteria air pollutants and associated health risks assessment at major transport corridors in Delhi. The study includes the classification of vehicular pollutants parameters into five different distribution categories, i.e., low, moderately low, moderate, moderately high, and high. Spatial distribution maps were developed using Geographic Information System (GIS) environment for eleven districts covering 36 transport corridors of the city. The study demonstrated the concentration of three out of the five ambient air pollutants, namely, NOx, PM10 and PM2.5, with highest values in the range of 294.10–362.57, 203.99–422.42 and 333.71–541.72 μg/m3, respectively. Corresponding National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) values were found to be grossly violated as reflected by NOx, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations with 2–5 times higher values. Remaining two (CO and SOx) were found to be under permissible limits, and most of them exhibited low levels of observed concentrations. The ambient air quality in south, central, east, and New Delhi areas were found to be in high and moderately high categories and necessitating adequate control measures. The study reported a total of 281107, 20791, 31636 expected cases of human exposure to respiratory mortality, cardiovascular mortality and total mortality, respectively whereas, 281107 and 71608 number of cases were reported in relation to respiratory morbidity in terms of COPD hospital admission and cardiovascular morbidity along the transport corridors. The outcome of the study may provide a basis for decision makers to formulate the policy as per the scale of impact of traffic induced air pollution in critical areas around the major transport corridors.

Public health studies are linked to both air and noise pollution in terms of common adverse health effects attributed to severity of such pollution such as increased blood pressure, heart diseases, and other respiratory ailments. In urban areas of mega cities, air and noise pollution originating from different sources such as traffic, industries and construction activities, etc., is on gradual and alarming increase. In view of the same, objective of this study was to analyze the air and noise pollution levels in three megacities of India, namely Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai during 2006–2011 at different locations categorized as industrial, commercial, and institutional areas. Following the analysis, the equivalent noise levels (L eq) of all the cities were found to be slightly greater than permissible limits of CPCB guidelines whereas the criteria pollutants SO2, PM10 and NOx showed a positive relation between noise levels and air pollution. This statistical comparative analysis as an important outcome will help understand the actual trend of air and noise pollution during different years in various Indian mega cities and subsequent mitigation measures.