Rejuvenation of Reserve Forest by Forest Interventions (Species and Different Plantations)

Eco-restoration is a technique for rejuvenation of degraded ecosystem to their near original state. It also helps to control soil erosion, develop microbial ecology, enhance biomass production and socio-economic development. The present study was focused on a new approach called Rejuvenation Technology for less forest area. India is bestowed with the rich diversity of flora and fauna due to diverse environment. Global warming and consequent impending danger of climate changes has necessitated to arrest deforestation. The species diversity has also helped in the selection of appropriate native species to enhance the ecological functions of urbanizing landscapes. Adoption of monoculture plantations though the region appears green, but fulfilling the vital ecosystem functions such as groundwater recharge, food and fodder to dependent biota, etc. Forest Rejuvenation Action Plan was prepared for each Reserve Forest Block with forestry activities like Reserve Forest boundary deep trench, fencing, Plantations of Gacchakaya on trench mounds along the periphery of the Reserve Forest boundary having interface with Revenue Land to protect the forest from biotic interference. Further Soil & Moisture Conservation works were proposed to improve moisture regime. Silvicultural operations like Cultural operations & removal of invasive species were proposed for better natural regeneration & growth of existing root stock. It was further supplemented with plantations like Block plantations, fruit bearing plantations, Yadadri Model plantations, Grassland development in 0.0 - 0.10 canopy density forest area. Further plantation activities like Gap planting, Medicinal herbs & Shurbs, plantation inside and on the mounds of SCT, Bamboo plantations along nalas/Streams were proposed to improve three tier canopy in the Reserve Forest in 0.1 - 0.40. These Forestry Interventions help to improve the forest cover, biodiversity, Carbon sequestration, Water Argumentation etc to meet the required results as per National & Global Commitments. To demonstrate this technology, plantation of seedlings of 5 different canopy density. Block plantation. Yadadri Model Plantations, Grass lands, Forest Fruit bearing Plantations was carried out in a village community degraded land located in Medhal district in Telangana State. This study developed spatial definitions of the Rejuvenation of reserve forest. Keywords: Rejuvenation, Reserve forest, Plantation models, canopy, Soil & Moisture Conservation

Effects of Structural Dimension Variation on the Vibration of MEMS Ring-Based Gyroscopes

This study investigated the effects of structural dimension variation arising from fabrication imperfections or active structural design on the vibration characteristics of a (100) single crystal silicon (SCS) ring-based Coriolis vibratory gyroscope. A mathematical model considering the geometrical irregularities and the anisotropy of Young’s modulus was developed via Lagrange’s equations for simulating the dynamical behavior of an imperfect ring-based gyroscope. The dynamical analyses are focused on the effects on the frequency split between two vibration modes of interest as well as the rotation of the principal axis of the 2θ mode pair, leading to modal coupling and the degradation of gyroscopic sensitivity. While both anisotropic Young’s modulus and nonideal deep trench verticality affect the frequency difference between two vibration modes, they have little contribution to deflecting the principal axis of the 2θ mode pair. However, the 4θ variations in the width of both the ring and the supporting beams cause modal coupling to occur and the degenerate 2θ mode pair to split in frequency. To aid the optimal design of MEMS ring-based gyroscopic sensors that has relatively high robustness to fabrication tolerance, a geometrical compensation based on the developed model is demonstrated to identify the geometries of the ring and the suspension.

Optical Efficiency Enhancement of Nanojet-Based Dielectric Double-Material Color Splitters for Image Sensor Applications

We propose a new type of color splitter, which guides a selected bandwidth of incident light towards the proper photosensitive area of the image sensor by exploiting the nanojet (NJ) beam phenomenon. Such splitting can be performed as an alternative to filtering out part of the received light on each color subpixel. We propose to split the incoming light thanks to a new type of NJ-based near-field focusing double-material element with an insert. To suppress crosstalk, we use a Deep-Trench Isolation (DTI) structure. We demonstrate that the use of a dielectric insert block allows for reduction in the size of the color splitting element. By changing the position of the DTI, the functionality of separating blue, green and red light can be improved.

Simulation Study of Silicon-Based Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes with Double Buried Layers and Deep Trench Electrodes

In this paper we present a study of a silicon-based Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) in the near-infrared band with double buried layers and deep trench electrodes fabricated by the complimentary metal–oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The deep trench electrodes aim to promote the movement of carriers in the device and reduce the transit time of the photo-generated carrier. The double buried layers are introduced to increase the electric field in the avalanche area and withstand a larger excess bias voltage as its larger depletion region. The semiconductor device simulation software TCAD is used to simulate the performance of this SPAD model, such as the I-V characteristic, the electric field and the Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE). Further optimization of the structure are studied with influence factors such as the doping concentration and depletion region thickness. Based on the results in this study, the designed a structure that can provide a high detecting efficiency in the near-infrared band.

Soil-Structure Interaction of Flexible Temporary Trench Box: Parametric Studies Using 3D FE Modelling

This paper presents the results of two parametric finite-element studies that were carried out using the PLAXIS-3D finite element (FE) computer code. The following objectives and corresponding parameters were considered: (i) to evaluate the soil pressure on the steel trench box shield; the parameters studied were related to soil type and material, and the study considered till, dry sand, wet sand, and sensitive clay soil; (ii) to assess the effect of trench box material and geometry on earth pressure; the parameters studied were related to trench box material (steel versus aluminum) as well as geometry (plate thickness and strut diameter). These studies included simulation of two steel (or aluminum) trench box shields stacked upon each other to cover the total 6 m (20 ft) deep trench. A Mohr-Coulomb (MC) constitutive material model was chosen for FE analysis (FEA). The FEA results were compared to empirical apparent earth pressure diagrams for a sensitive clay. Comparisons showed that the parameters related to the soil and the trench box have a significant influence on earth pressures.

Illuminating a Contorted Slab with a Complex Intraslab Rupture Evolution during the 2021 Mw 7.3 East Cape, New Zealand Earthquake

The state-of-stress within subducting oceanic plates controls rupture processes of deep intraslab earthquakes. However, little is known about how the large-scale plate geometry and the stress regime relate to the physical nature of the deep-intraslab earthquakes. Here we find, by using globally and locally observed seismic records, that the moment magnitude 7.3 2021 East Cape, New Zealand earthquake was driven by a combination of shallow trench-normal extension and unexpectedly, deep trench-parallel compression. We find multiple rupture episodes comprising a mixture of reverse, strike-slip, and normal faulting. Reverse faulting due to the trench-parallel compression is unexpected given the apparent subduction direction, so we require a differential-buoyancy driven stress rotation which contorts the slab near the edge of the Hikurangi plateau. Our finding highlights that buoyant features in subducting plates may cause diverse rupture behavior of intraslab earthquakes due to the resulting heterogeneous stress state within slabs.