Banaras Hindu University

About: Banaras Hindu University is a education organization based out in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Dielectric. The organization has 11858 authors who have published 23917 publications receiving 464677 citations. The organization is also known as: Kashi Hindu Vishvavidyalay & Benares Hindu University.

Effects of conventional tillage and no tillage permutations on extracellular soil enzyme activities and microbial biomass under rice cultivation

Abstract: Extracellular soil enzymes hold a cardinal position in nutrient dynamics by regulating bioavailability of elements, and hence are linked with soil health. The present study aimed to analyze the responses of extracellular enzymes involved in mineralization of carbon (β-d-glucosidase (BG), cellobiohydrolase (CBH), polyphenol oxidase (PPO)), nitrogen (urease (UR), glycine-amino peptidase (GAP)) and phosphorous (alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) under four permutations of conventional tillage and no tillage under rice–wheat system in eastern Indo-gangetic plains during rice cultivation period. The permutations were: tillage before sowing/transplantation of each crop (RCT–WCT), tillage before transplantation of rice and no tillage before sowing of wheat (RCT–WNT), tillage before sowing wheat and no tillage before sowing of rice (RNT–WCT) and no tillage before sowing of each crop (RNT–WNT). Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and activities of BG, CBH, ALP and UR increased with reduction in tillage frequency, becoming the highest under RNT–WNT and the lowest under RCT–WCT. Principal component analyses (PCA) condensed the variables in to two components, apparently described by soil temperature and moisture content under all the tillage permutations. Most of the enzymes and soil properties identified to be associated under PCA followed linear relationships. Under RCT–WCT, CBH, UR and ALP were related with BG. Different orders of residue incorporation and tillage under RCT–WNT, RNT–WCT and RNT–WNT masked these relations. Results indicated that reduction in tillage frequency made the soil healthier. Relationship of BG with other enzymes appeared as a probable indicator to reflect deviations from the conventional cultivation practice in the study region.

Hydrological inferences through morphometric analysis of lower Kosi river basin of India for water resource management based on remote sensing data

Abstract: Satellite based remote sensing technology has proven to be an effectual tool in analysis of drainage networks, study of surface morphological features and their correlation with groundwater management prospect at basin level. The present study highlights the effectiveness and advantage of remote sensing and GIS-based analysis for quantitative and qualitative assessment of flood plain region of lower Kosi river basin based on morphometric analysis. In this study, ASTER DEM is used to extract the vital hydrological parameters of lower Kosi river basin in ARC GIS software. Morphometric parameters, e.g., stream order, stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, drainage frequency, drainage texture, form factor, circularity ratio, elongation ratio, etc., have been calculated for the Kosi basin and their hydrological inferences were discussed. Most of the morphometric parameters such as bifurcation ratio, drainage density, drainage frequency, drainage texture concluded that basin has good prospect for water management program for various purposes and also generated data base that can provide scientific information for site selection of water-harvesting structures and flood management activities in the basin. Land use land cover (LULC) of the basin were also prepared from Landsat data of 2005, 2010 and 2015 to assess the change in dynamic of the basin and these layers are very noteworthy for further watershed prioritization.

Stability of ferroic phases in the highly piezoelectric Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 ceramics.

Abstract: The morphotropic phase boundary in the phase diagram of the technologically important Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PZT) ceramics has been traditionally believed to separate ferroelectric tetragonal and rhombohedral phase regions. This old picture has come under close scrutiny during the last eight years following the discovery of new monoclinic phases in the Cm and Cc space groups. This article presents a brief overview of these discoveries in which the use of multiple diffraction probes (X-ray, electron, neutron diffraction) in conjunction with physical property measurements has played a crucial role. A new phase diagram of PZT showing the stability fields of these structures below room temperature is also presented.

Slow slip source characterized by lithological and geometric heterogeneity

Abstract: Slow slip events (SSEs) accommodate a significant proportion of tectonic plate motion at subduction zones, yet little is known about the faults that actually host them. The shallow depth (<2 km) of well-documented SSEs at the Hikurangi subduction zone offshore New Zealand offers a unique opportunity to link geophysical imaging of the subduction zone with direct access to incoming material that represents the megathrust fault rocks hosting slow slip. Two recent International Ocean Discovery Program Expeditions sampled this incoming material before it is entrained immediately down-dip along the shallow plate interface. Drilling results, tied to regional seismic reflection images, reveal heterogeneous lithologies with highly variable physical properties entering the SSE source region. These observations suggest that SSEs and associated slow earthquake phenomena are promoted by lithological, mechanical, and frictional heterogeneity within the fault zone, enhanced by geometric complexity associated with subduction of rough crust.