Assessment of railway noise exposure in slum settlements of a metropolitan city.

Globally, noise pollution has become an emerging problem, especially due to transportation. Railway noise is overlooked among different types of transportation noise, which creates an environmental issue that disproportionately affects vulnerable communities. This study was conducted on slum settlements situated on empty land near rail track areas, which is frequently neglected in previous research despite their high exposure risks.

In situ strength assessment of rapid set concrete in real time using resonant peak parameters of embedded PZT transducers.

The in-situ concrete strength is estimated using qualitative techniques such as ultrasonic pulse velocity and the Schmidt hammer test, which are challenging to perform at inaccessible locations in large structures. Furthermore, these techniques are only successful in the outside regions of concrete casting and provide no insights for the inside regions. The researchers have been exploring new techniques using Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) impedance transducers for monitoring concrete strength at required locations in real-time, to optimise the construction process.

Development and Performance Evaluation of Enhanced Piezo-Electric Sensor Cum Energy Harvester Based on Flexural Strain Amplification in Real-Life Field Conditions.

Driven by technological advancements and accelerated infrastructure development, an increase in the need to monitor the performance of prominent structures such as bridges, metro-corridors, and sea-link bridges is being advocated by experts to predict and minimize any hazards resulting from the degradation of the structures over time. However, accessing and replacing the batteries becomes problematic and expensive when the sensors are instrumented in remote areas of the bridge structures, especially when the sensors are embedded. For these reasons, a strong case can be made for harvesting and storing ambient energy from the surroundings to drive the sensors for structural health monitoring (SHM).

Heterocyclic Coumarin Hybrids as Chemo Sensors of Neurotoxic Lead Ions in Safe Harmless Solvents and Ambient Temperature.

Lead is a highly toxic poison for the human body. Lead poisoning is a fatal condition severely affecting the mental and physical development of children younger than 4-5 years. Among various chemo sensors, heterocyclic derivatives are widely used to chelate toxic metal ions, leading to changes in their optical, absorbance, and spectroscopic properties.

Do automation and digitalization distract drivers? A systematic review.

Driving is a multifaceted activity involving a complex interplay of cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills, demanding continuous attention on the road. In recent years, the increased integration of automation and digitalization technologies in vehicles has improved drivers' convenience and safety. However, the spare attentional capacity available during automation and the prevalence of various infotainment systems in vehicles enable drivers to perform some secondary tasks not related to driving, which may divert their attention away from the road, increasing the chances of accidents.

Cross-country variation in psychophysiological responses to traffic noise exposure: Laboratory experiments in India and the UKa).

Traffic noise exposure has detrimental effects on human health, including both auditory and nonauditory impacts. As one such nonauditory factor, individuals and communities in different countries may exhibit different patterns of noise sensitivity and corresponding tolerance levels, leading to a change in overall noise perception. This paper investigated the cross-country differences in psychophysiological responses to traffic noise exposure between Indian and British individuals.

Microplastics-biofilm in aquatic ecosystem: Formation, pollutants complexation, greenhouse gas emission and ecotoxicology.

The omnipresent microplastics (MPs) have gradually become a significant environmental problem due to its adverse consequences for ecological systems. MPs serve as substrates for biofilms colonization, which enhances adsorption of harmful contaminants on MPs surface in the aquatic ecosystem. The present study provides a critical discussion on the mechanism involved in MPs-biofilm formation, microbial colonization and the robust factors influencing the process in the aquatic ecosystem.

Capturing of neurotoxins causing diabetes stress and nervous breakdown in the aqueous medium by naphthazarin esters.

The fear of an increase in blood sugar can be very traumatic. Being diabetic either type I or type II leads to a disorder called diabetes distress having traits of stress, depression, and anxiety. Among risk factors of diabetes mellitus heavy and trace metal toxicity emerges as new risk factors reported in many studies.

Traffic noise modelling at intersections in mid-sized cities: an artificial neural network approach.

Traffic noise has emerged as one major environmental concern, which is causing a severe impact on the health of urban dwellers. This issue becomes more critical near intersections in mid-sized cities due to poor planning and a lack of noise mitigation strategies. Therefore, the current study develops a precise intersection-specific traffic noise model for mid-sized cities to assess the traffic noise level and to investigate the effect of different noise-influencing variables.

Investigating important and necessary conditions to analyse traffic noise levels at intersections in mid-sized cities.

Traffic noise is a major problem for urban residents, especially near intersections. In order to effectively manage and control traffic noise, there is a need for a better understanding of noise-influencing variables at intersections. In this way, the study aims to identify and distinguish the important and necessary conditions corresponding to the particular traffic noise level.

Amino Appended Coumarin Composites for Pb Capturing in Aqueous Medium.

The C1-C3 receptors were synthesized by using coumarin and amines viz., 1-butylpiperazine (1), cis-myrtanylamine (2), and 3-methyldiphenyl amine (3) at room temperature without using harsh conditions. All the probes show beautiful and strong binding with Pb ions among all the tested essential elements of human body.

Examining risky riding behavior in India using Motorcycle rider behavior questionnaire.

Powered two-wheelers (PTW) constitute the most vulnerable type of road user, primarily due to their lack of protection compared to other motorized vehicles, which can lead to a severe accident in the event of crashes. A notable increase in the percentage of PTW accidents resulting in fatalities has raised a serious need for further research in understanding riding behavior. The Motorcycle rider behavior questionnaire (MRBQ) based studies have shown promising results by using MRBQ to relate riding behavior with crash risk.

Real-world emission and impact of three wheeler electric auto-rickshaw in India.

The driving pattern of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws is governed by commuter's demands on certain fixed roads that offer flexible mobility solutions in a mid-size city. This flexibility creates unique driving patterns, frequent stop-and-go conditions, frequent acceleration, braking, and excessive idling, which affect emission rates. Existing emission testing regulation based on the driving cycle does not represent real-world conditions.

Climate-resilient strategies for sustainable management of water resources and agriculture.

Warming of the earth is considered as the major adverse effect of climate change along with other abnormalities such as non-availability of water resources, decreased agriculture production, food security, rise in seawater level, glaciers melting, and loss of biodiversity. Over the years, decreased agriculture production and water quality degradation have been observed due to climatic abnormalities. Crop production is highly sensitive to climate.

Unprecedented reduction in air pollution and corresponding short-term premature mortality associated with COVID-19 lockdown in Delhi, India.

Countries around the world introduced strict restrictions on movement and activities known as 'lockdowns' to restrict the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from the end of 2019. A sudden improvement in air quality was observed globally as a result of these lockdowns. To provide insight into the changes in air pollution levels in response to the COVID-19 restrictions we have compared surface air quality data in Delhi during four phases of lockdown and the first phase of the restriction easing period (25 March to 30 June 2020) with data from a baseline period (2018-2019).

Pb sensing by coumarin sulphonamide hybrids in aqueous medium.

Metals play an important role in various metabolic activities in the human body, but above desired concentrations, a role reversal occurs that causes deadly outcomes viz., cancer. Metals cannot be cracked down and are non-biodegradable.

Nano fibrous carbon produced from chromium bearing tannery solid waste as the bitumen modifier.

Bitumen binders play a major role in reducing the aging and oxidation property of bitumen. Carbon nanomaterials act as an effective bitumen modifier due to its stiffness and strength. Thus, nano fibrous carbon (NFC) was prepared from Chrome Tanned Buffing Dust (a solidwaste generated from leather industries) with proper care of avoiding oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) through pulse pyrolysis system.

Selective binding of Ni and Cu metal ions with naphthazarin esters isolated from Arnebia euchroma.

Naphthazarin esters (C1-C4) isolated from the roots of Arnebia euchroma are found as skilled dual chemosensors for Ni and Cu among Pb , Na , K , Hg , Mg , and Ca metal ions. C1-C4 esters exhibited a red shift of 54 nm with Ni and 30 nm with Cu metal ions in absorption. There is a formation of red-shifted bands between 517 and 613 nm in the absorption spectrum of C1-C4 sensors on binding with Ni and Cu ions.

Self-Reported Anger: Vulnerability for Risky Behaviors in Two-Wheeler Riding Young Men.

Objectives: Aggressive driving and road accidents are major concerns in the public health sector. This study aimed to explore risk to aggressive and risky behaviors on the road in two-wheeler riding young men.

Methods: The study comprised 433 young male two-wheeler riders from an urban city of India.

Phospholipid homeostasis, membrane tenacity and survival of Mtb in lipid rich conditions is determined by MmpL11 function.

The mycobacterial cell wall is a chemically complex array of molecular entities that dictate the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biosynthesis and maintenance of this dynamic entity in mycobacterial physiology is still poorly understood. Here we demonstrate a requirement for M.

Prediction of PM along urban highway corridor under mixed traffic conditions using CALINE4 model.

The present study deals with spatial-temporal distribution of PM along a highly trafficked national highway corridor (NH-2) in Delhi, India. Population residing in areas near roads and highways of high vehicular activities are exposed to high levels of PM resulting in various health issues. The spatial extent of PM has been assessed with the help of CALINE4 model.

Inclination to speeding and its correlates among two-wheeler riding Indian youth.

Context: Concerns about road safety have been increasingly associated with two-wheeler riding and especially with young commuters in India.

Aims: The study was designed to explore inclination to speeding and to profile the driving behaviors in two-wheeler riding young men and women who reported a tendency to ride faster than their peers.

Design: A cross-sectional survey design was used.