Historical expansion of tea plantations over 150 years (1876-2023) in North Bengal, India.

The Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze agroforestry system has been a dominant driver of land transformation for over a century. However, most previous studies have not captured the dynamics of tea plantations since their inception.

Spatiotemporal atmospheric in-situ carbon dioxide data over the Indian sites-data perspective.

In the current study, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) data covering multiple locations in the Indian subcontinent are reported. This data was collected using a dedicated ground-based in-situ network established as part of the Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (CAP-IGBP) of the Climate and Atmospheric Processes of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Data are collected over Ponmudi, Ooty, Sriharikota, Gadanki, Shadnagar, Nagpur, and Dehradun during 2014-2015, 2017-2020, 2012, 2011-2015, 2014-2017, 2017 and 2008-2011, respectively.

How natural are the forests in Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarhole) Tiger Reserve? A multi-source data approach.

This study aimed to monitor long-term land use dynamics for understanding the natural forest integrity and intactness of the Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarhole) Tiger Reserve (RTR) pre- and post-declarations as TR. We employed multi-source data from Survey of India Toposheets (1:50 k), Landsat-7, and Sentinel-2A along with Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) vegetation canopy height (10 m) data, a high-spatial resolution CORONA (1970) images and temporal Google Earth Pro images for mapping and validation. To map vegetation type, land use and land cover (LULC) transitions, and fragmentation (1980-2022) we employed a hybrid classification approach.

Rubber expansion and age-class mapping in the state of Tripura (India) 1990-2021 using multi-year and multi-sensor data.

The present study focuses on the spread of rubber monoculture in the state of Tripura during past three decades (1990-2021) in the northeast region of India which is known for its rich biodiversity, shifting cultivation, and extensive forest dynamics. Earth observation (EO) data of seven time periods from Landsat missions (1990, 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2009) and Sentinel-2 (2016 and 2021) were the main source for mapping and were supplemented with MODIS-EVI temporal spectral profiles, GEDI-derived vegetation heights (2019), and Google Earth high-resolution historical images for additional cues to support discrimination, mapping, and accuracy assessment. The methodology for rubber used its unique phenology from spectral-temporal profile and multi-year comparison of patches and their dynamics for age-class mapping.

Assessment of hazardous radionuclide emission due to fly ash from fossil fuel combustion in industrial activities in India and its impact on public.

Traditionally coal has been extensively used as a dominating fossil fuel in a wide range of industries due to its abundance. In India, industries like thermal power plants, cement industries, iron, and steel industries along with many captive power plants consume a huge quantity of coal each year to meet energy demand. Coal combustion releases blackish-grey colored fly ash waste is one of the most imperative sources of radionuclides like Radium (Ra), Thorium (Th), Potassium (K) and Uranium (U).

Characteristics, source apportionment and long-range transport of black carbon at a high-altitude urban centre in the Kashmir valley, North-western Himalaya.

Six years of data (2012-2017) at an urban site-Srinagar in the Northwest Himalaya were used to investigate temporal variability, meteorological influences, source apportionment and potential source regions of BC. The daily BC concentration varies from 0.56 to 40.

Understanding Meditation Based on the Subjective Experience and Traditional Goal: Implications for Current Meditation Research.

Owing to its benefits on various cognitive aspects, one's emotions, and well-being, meditation has drawn interest from several researchers and common public alike. We have different meditation practices associated with many cultures and traditions across the globe. Current literature suggests significant changes in the neural activity among the different practices of meditation, as each of these practices contributes to distinct physiological and psychological effects.

The Role of One's Motive in Meditation Practices and Prosociality.

No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lifetime. The argument however, is to what extent? Does it arise spontaneously, out of true empathy and compassion for others, or it is goal-oriented with some hidden motive? Here, our primary intention is to convey that, though various meditation-based interventions can be utilized for different purposes like cultivating prosocial behaviors such as compassion, empathy etc., one's underlying motive and intent seems to play a crucial role in an individual's development.