Gaurav Goel | Thapar University, Patiala (original) (raw)
Research Papers by Gaurav Goel
Nature Scientific Reports, 2023
More than six and half million people have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic till Dec 202... more More than six and half million people have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic till Dec 2022. Vaccination is the most effective means to prevent mortality and infection attributed to COVID-19. Identifying public attitudes and perceptions on COVID-19 vaccination is essential to strengthening the vaccination programmes. This study aims to identify attitudes and perceptions of twitter users towards COVID-19 vaccinations in four different countries. A sentiment analysis of 663,377 tweets from October 2020 to September 2022 from four different countries (i.e., India, South Africa, UK, and Australia) was conducted. Text mining using roBERTA (Robustly Optimized Bert Pretraining approach) python library was used to identify the polarity of people's attitude as "negative", "positive" or "neutral" based on tweets. A sample of 2000 tweets (500 from each country) were thematically analysed to explore the people's perception concerning COVID-19 vaccines across the countries. The attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines varied by countries. Negative attitudes were observed to be highest in India (58.48%), followed by United Kingdom (33.22%), Australia (31.42%) and South Africa (28.88%). Positive attitudes towards vaccines were highest in the United Kingdom (21.09%). The qualitative analysis yielded eight themes namely (i) vaccine shortages, (ii) vaccine side-effects, (iii) distrust on COVID-19 vaccines, (iv) voices for vaccine equity, (v) awareness about vaccines, (vi) myth busters, (vii) vaccines work and (viii) vaccines are safe. The twitter discourse reflected the evolving situation of COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination strategies, lacunae and positives in the respective countries studied.
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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
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Progress in Materials Science, 2023
Microbes can influence the durability of civil engineering structures. Damage caused by microbes ... more Microbes can influence the durability of civil engineering structures. Damage caused by microbes (known as biodeterioration) results in compromised structural integrity causing adverse effects on economic and social wellbeing. One key example is that of microbiologically induced concrete corrosion (MICC) due to the bacteria in concrete sewerage pipes which leads to reduced lifespan of sewer pipes. Antimicrobial materials provide a biocidal approach for eradicating the microbes either by inhibiting their growth, or by actively killing them. An ideal antimicrobial material should possess qualities such as sustainability, durability, eco-friendliness, economic viability to avoid the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The literature covering these topics vital to the construction sector is rather scarce. Therefore, this review paper summarises various types of antimicrobial materials currently used in the construction sector detailing their mode of biocidal activity, and their application in structures. This paper also addresses recent developments, demerits and future scope that may aid in employing them expeditiously in the construction sector, particularly to benefit plumbing, and sanitation used in hospitals and high traffic areas and public places including airports, schools and other educational establishments. Overall, the study draws attention to newer antimicrobial mechanisms and provides recommendations for developing new, efficient antimicrobial materials that can provide sustainability and a safe environment to the construction sector.
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Environmental Technology & Innovation, 2022
Needless to specify, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater treatment plan... more Needless to specify, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater treatment plants is synonymous with the prevention of eutrophication of surface waters, as one of the major issues related to water security. The present study investigates the performance of a pre-anoxic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working on the basis of
intermittent aeration, operated at varied carbon (bCOD) to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 3, 7.5, and 10, and readily biodegradable (rbCOD) to slowly biodegradable (sbCOD) ratio of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5. The findings revealed that an enhanced nitrogen removal was observed, together with higher C/N and rbCOD to sbCOD ratios. The results also show a consistent
increase in total phosphorus removal with an increase in nitrogen removal. The phosphorus uptake of sludge varied from 0.02 – 0.045 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 0.031 ± 0.004), which resulted in enrichment levels of 0.88 – 1.68 times the stoichiometric value of 0.0267 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 1.45 ± 0.14). On an average basis, the assimilative total phosphate (TP) content was increased by 0.008 gTP/gNO −3-N removal rate. The excess phosphorus
removal was due to the formation of poorly soluble polyvalent phosphate compounds, which was found based on dry analysis, which persisted as bound phosphate in the sludge.
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Applied Physics Reviews, 2021
Progress made by materials scientists in recent years has greatly helped the field of ultra-preci... more Progress made by materials scientists in recent years has greatly helped the field of ultra-precision manufacturing. Ranging from healthcare to electronics components, phenomena such as twinning, dislocation nucleation and high-pressure phase transformation have helped to exploit plasticity across a wide range of metallic and semiconductor materials. One current problem at the forefront of the healthcare sector that can benefit from these advances is that of bacterial infections in implanted prosthetic devices. The treatment of implant infections is often complicated by the growth of bacterial biofilms on implant surfaces, which form a barrier that effectively protects the infecting organisms from host immune defences and exogenous antibiotics. Further surgery is usually required to disrupt the biofilm, or to remove the implant altogether to permit antibiotics to clear the infection, incurring considerable cost and healthcare burdens. In this review, we focus on elucidating aspects of bactericidal surfaces inspired by the biological world to inform the design of implant surface treatments that will suppress bacterial colonization. Alongside manufacturing and materials related challenges, the review identifies the most promising natural bactericidal surfaces and provides representative models of their structure, highlighting the importance of the critical slope presented by these surfaces. The scalable production of these complex hierarchical structures on freeform metallic implant surfaces has remained a scientific challenge to date and as identified by this review, is one of the many 21st Century puzzles to be addressed by the field of applied physics
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Materials today chemistry, 2020
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Journal of Environmental Management, 2019
Rapid demographic expansion along with increasing urbanization has aggravated the problem of soli... more Rapid demographic expansion along with increasing urbanization has aggravated the problem of solid waste management. Therefore, scientists are seeking waste management methods that are eco-friendly, cost effective and produce immediate results. In the developing world, municipal solid waste (MSW) contains mostly organic substances, therefore vermicomposting could be a better and cost-effective option for waste management. In this study, vermicomposting of organic portion of MSW with cow dung (additive) was performed using Eisenia fetida. The results showed significant (p < 0.001) decline in pH (13.17%), TOC (21.70%), C: N (62.53%) and C: P (57.66%) ratios, whilst total N (108.9%), P (84.89%) and K (21.85%) content increased (p < 0.001) in matured vermicompost. Different enzymatic activities declined during termination phase of vermicomposting experiment with maximum decrease of 41.72 (p ¼ 0.002) and 39.56% (p ¼ 0.001) in protease and β-glucosidase, respectively. FT-IR, TGA, DSC and SEM studies suggested that final vermicompost was more stabilized as compared to initial waste mixture, characterized by reduced levels of aliphatic materials, carbohydrates and increase in aromatic groups possibly due to biosynthesis of humic substances. Both, the conventional (physicochemical and enzyme activity) and advanced techniques depict maturity and stability of the ready vermicompost. However, FT-IR, TGA, DSC and SEM were proved to be more promising, fast and reliable techniques over conventional analyses.
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Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018
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Strenuous efforts are being made to make the manufacturing activities sustainable. Consequently, ... more Strenuous efforts are being made to make the manufacturing activities sustainable. Consequently, industries are seeking ways not only to reduce energy consumption, waste accumulation and carbon footprint but also to reduce exploitation of precious natural resources. Fertile soil is one such precious resource which is being used for brick manufacturing for centuries. Brick industry needs frugal innovations to accommodate large quantities of waste and to make the production processes sustainable. Numerous studies in the past have tried to recycle waste materials by incorporating them into the brick production cycle. This experimental feasibility study is first to demonstrate the use of aquatic weed (water hyacinth) in brick manufacturing. Using chemical-mineralogical and physical-mechanical characterization , optimal mixing ratio of water hyacinth (WH) and soil was determined for achieving the desirable mechanical properties (compressive strength and water absorption) of a fired clay brick compliant with Indian and ASTM standard codes. XRD results confirmed that addition of WH does not cause compositional changes in the phase and leads merely to an increased porosity in bricks. An optimum mix of 10% WH with soil and a firing temperature of 900 C were found appropriate for brick production using WH as a partial substitute to the soil. Greenhouse gas (CO 2) emission during firing was ascertained and it was estimated that incorporation of 10% WH leads to 7% net saving in the consumption of external fuel required for firing the bricks.
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Groundwater is a clean source of drinking water. However, the presence of elevated concentrations... more Groundwater is a clean source of drinking water. However, the presence of elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic in groundwater, particularly in the regions of Bangladesh and the eastern part of India, is a cause for concern. Most people residing in this geographic location have no alternative but to drink arsenic contaminated groundwater, which has arsenic concentrations above the permissible limit (0.01 mg/L). As a result, approximately 123 million people in India and Bangladesh face higher risk of cancer, as well as risk other cardiovascular and neurologic diseases. Many techniques for getting rid of arsenic from drinking water are available. In this paper, we focus on the region of eastern India and Bangladesh to examine the extent of arsenic contamination and its toxic effects on humans, explore the sources of arsenic in this geography, and compare and contrast the technologies of arsenic removal.
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Abstract Recent molecular dynamics simulation results have increased conceptual understanding of ... more Abstract Recent molecular dynamics simulation results have increased conceptual understanding of the grazing and the ploughing friction at elevated temperatures, particularly near the substrate's melting point. In this commentary we address a major constraint concerning its experimental verification.
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The Indo-Gangetic plains receive rainfall ranging between 650 and 1000 mm, most of which is conce... more The Indo-Gangetic plains receive rainfall ranging between 650 and 1000 mm, most of which is concentrated during the three months of monsoon period. Out of this, only about 200 mm naturally recharges the ground water aquifers and the remaining part runs off unharnessed into the ocean. Therefore potential exist to capture part of runoff and to store it underground which will be available for use during dry periods. Providing check structures across the unlined drains can increase the recharge capacity of drains. This book, therefore provides a novel method of recharging the ground water. It considers two scenarios i.e., when check structres are used across the drain and when they are not used. Khepar's model has been used to find optimum number of check structured based on their hydraulic performance. Economic analysis has also been carried out on a drain in Haryana to find out the optimum number of check structures based on difference of annual benefit and annual cost. This book should be especially useful to the professionals in water resources field, or anyone else who may be considering methods of ground water recharge.
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CURRENT SCIENCE, Jan 1, 2010
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Papers by Gaurav Goel
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Environmental Technology & Innovation
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Nature Scientific Reports, 2023
More than six and half million people have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic till Dec 202... more More than six and half million people have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic till Dec 2022. Vaccination is the most effective means to prevent mortality and infection attributed to COVID-19. Identifying public attitudes and perceptions on COVID-19 vaccination is essential to strengthening the vaccination programmes. This study aims to identify attitudes and perceptions of twitter users towards COVID-19 vaccinations in four different countries. A sentiment analysis of 663,377 tweets from October 2020 to September 2022 from four different countries (i.e., India, South Africa, UK, and Australia) was conducted. Text mining using roBERTA (Robustly Optimized Bert Pretraining approach) python library was used to identify the polarity of people's attitude as "negative", "positive" or "neutral" based on tweets. A sample of 2000 tweets (500 from each country) were thematically analysed to explore the people's perception concerning COVID-19 vaccines across the countries. The attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines varied by countries. Negative attitudes were observed to be highest in India (58.48%), followed by United Kingdom (33.22%), Australia (31.42%) and South Africa (28.88%). Positive attitudes towards vaccines were highest in the United Kingdom (21.09%). The qualitative analysis yielded eight themes namely (i) vaccine shortages, (ii) vaccine side-effects, (iii) distrust on COVID-19 vaccines, (iv) voices for vaccine equity, (v) awareness about vaccines, (vi) myth busters, (vii) vaccines work and (viii) vaccines are safe. The twitter discourse reflected the evolving situation of COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination strategies, lacunae and positives in the respective countries studied.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Progress in Materials Science, 2023
Microbes can influence the durability of civil engineering structures. Damage caused by microbes ... more Microbes can influence the durability of civil engineering structures. Damage caused by microbes (known as biodeterioration) results in compromised structural integrity causing adverse effects on economic and social wellbeing. One key example is that of microbiologically induced concrete corrosion (MICC) due to the bacteria in concrete sewerage pipes which leads to reduced lifespan of sewer pipes. Antimicrobial materials provide a biocidal approach for eradicating the microbes either by inhibiting their growth, or by actively killing them. An ideal antimicrobial material should possess qualities such as sustainability, durability, eco-friendliness, economic viability to avoid the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The literature covering these topics vital to the construction sector is rather scarce. Therefore, this review paper summarises various types of antimicrobial materials currently used in the construction sector detailing their mode of biocidal activity, and their application in structures. This paper also addresses recent developments, demerits and future scope that may aid in employing them expeditiously in the construction sector, particularly to benefit plumbing, and sanitation used in hospitals and high traffic areas and public places including airports, schools and other educational establishments. Overall, the study draws attention to newer antimicrobial mechanisms and provides recommendations for developing new, efficient antimicrobial materials that can provide sustainability and a safe environment to the construction sector.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Environmental Technology & Innovation, 2022
Needless to specify, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater treatment plan... more Needless to specify, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater treatment plants is synonymous with the prevention of eutrophication of surface waters, as one of the major issues related to water security. The present study investigates the performance of a pre-anoxic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working on the basis of
intermittent aeration, operated at varied carbon (bCOD) to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 3, 7.5, and 10, and readily biodegradable (rbCOD) to slowly biodegradable (sbCOD) ratio of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5. The findings revealed that an enhanced nitrogen removal was observed, together with higher C/N and rbCOD to sbCOD ratios. The results also show a consistent
increase in total phosphorus removal with an increase in nitrogen removal. The phosphorus uptake of sludge varied from 0.02 – 0.045 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 0.031 ± 0.004), which resulted in enrichment levels of 0.88 – 1.68 times the stoichiometric value of 0.0267 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 1.45 ± 0.14). On an average basis, the assimilative total phosphate (TP) content was increased by 0.008 gTP/gNO −3-N removal rate. The excess phosphorus
removal was due to the formation of poorly soluble polyvalent phosphate compounds, which was found based on dry analysis, which persisted as bound phosphate in the sludge.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Applied Physics Reviews, 2021
Progress made by materials scientists in recent years has greatly helped the field of ultra-preci... more Progress made by materials scientists in recent years has greatly helped the field of ultra-precision manufacturing. Ranging from healthcare to electronics components, phenomena such as twinning, dislocation nucleation and high-pressure phase transformation have helped to exploit plasticity across a wide range of metallic and semiconductor materials. One current problem at the forefront of the healthcare sector that can benefit from these advances is that of bacterial infections in implanted prosthetic devices. The treatment of implant infections is often complicated by the growth of bacterial biofilms on implant surfaces, which form a barrier that effectively protects the infecting organisms from host immune defences and exogenous antibiotics. Further surgery is usually required to disrupt the biofilm, or to remove the implant altogether to permit antibiotics to clear the infection, incurring considerable cost and healthcare burdens. In this review, we focus on elucidating aspects of bactericidal surfaces inspired by the biological world to inform the design of implant surface treatments that will suppress bacterial colonization. Alongside manufacturing and materials related challenges, the review identifies the most promising natural bactericidal surfaces and provides representative models of their structure, highlighting the importance of the critical slope presented by these surfaces. The scalable production of these complex hierarchical structures on freeform metallic implant surfaces has remained a scientific challenge to date and as identified by this review, is one of the many 21st Century puzzles to be addressed by the field of applied physics
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Materials today chemistry, 2020
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Environmental Management, 2019
Rapid demographic expansion along with increasing urbanization has aggravated the problem of soli... more Rapid demographic expansion along with increasing urbanization has aggravated the problem of solid waste management. Therefore, scientists are seeking waste management methods that are eco-friendly, cost effective and produce immediate results. In the developing world, municipal solid waste (MSW) contains mostly organic substances, therefore vermicomposting could be a better and cost-effective option for waste management. In this study, vermicomposting of organic portion of MSW with cow dung (additive) was performed using Eisenia fetida. The results showed significant (p < 0.001) decline in pH (13.17%), TOC (21.70%), C: N (62.53%) and C: P (57.66%) ratios, whilst total N (108.9%), P (84.89%) and K (21.85%) content increased (p < 0.001) in matured vermicompost. Different enzymatic activities declined during termination phase of vermicomposting experiment with maximum decrease of 41.72 (p ¼ 0.002) and 39.56% (p ¼ 0.001) in protease and β-glucosidase, respectively. FT-IR, TGA, DSC and SEM studies suggested that final vermicompost was more stabilized as compared to initial waste mixture, characterized by reduced levels of aliphatic materials, carbohydrates and increase in aromatic groups possibly due to biosynthesis of humic substances. Both, the conventional (physicochemical and enzyme activity) and advanced techniques depict maturity and stability of the ready vermicompost. However, FT-IR, TGA, DSC and SEM were proved to be more promising, fast and reliable techniques over conventional analyses.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Strenuous efforts are being made to make the manufacturing activities sustainable. Consequently, ... more Strenuous efforts are being made to make the manufacturing activities sustainable. Consequently, industries are seeking ways not only to reduce energy consumption, waste accumulation and carbon footprint but also to reduce exploitation of precious natural resources. Fertile soil is one such precious resource which is being used for brick manufacturing for centuries. Brick industry needs frugal innovations to accommodate large quantities of waste and to make the production processes sustainable. Numerous studies in the past have tried to recycle waste materials by incorporating them into the brick production cycle. This experimental feasibility study is first to demonstrate the use of aquatic weed (water hyacinth) in brick manufacturing. Using chemical-mineralogical and physical-mechanical characterization , optimal mixing ratio of water hyacinth (WH) and soil was determined for achieving the desirable mechanical properties (compressive strength and water absorption) of a fired clay brick compliant with Indian and ASTM standard codes. XRD results confirmed that addition of WH does not cause compositional changes in the phase and leads merely to an increased porosity in bricks. An optimum mix of 10% WH with soil and a firing temperature of 900 C were found appropriate for brick production using WH as a partial substitute to the soil. Greenhouse gas (CO 2) emission during firing was ascertained and it was estimated that incorporation of 10% WH leads to 7% net saving in the consumption of external fuel required for firing the bricks.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Groundwater is a clean source of drinking water. However, the presence of elevated concentrations... more Groundwater is a clean source of drinking water. However, the presence of elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic in groundwater, particularly in the regions of Bangladesh and the eastern part of India, is a cause for concern. Most people residing in this geographic location have no alternative but to drink arsenic contaminated groundwater, which has arsenic concentrations above the permissible limit (0.01 mg/L). As a result, approximately 123 million people in India and Bangladesh face higher risk of cancer, as well as risk other cardiovascular and neurologic diseases. Many techniques for getting rid of arsenic from drinking water are available. In this paper, we focus on the region of eastern India and Bangladesh to examine the extent of arsenic contamination and its toxic effects on humans, explore the sources of arsenic in this geography, and compare and contrast the technologies of arsenic removal.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Abstract Recent molecular dynamics simulation results have increased conceptual understanding of ... more Abstract Recent molecular dynamics simulation results have increased conceptual understanding of the grazing and the ploughing friction at elevated temperatures, particularly near the substrate's melting point. In this commentary we address a major constraint concerning its experimental verification.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Indo-Gangetic plains receive rainfall ranging between 650 and 1000 mm, most of which is conce... more The Indo-Gangetic plains receive rainfall ranging between 650 and 1000 mm, most of which is concentrated during the three months of monsoon period. Out of this, only about 200 mm naturally recharges the ground water aquifers and the remaining part runs off unharnessed into the ocean. Therefore potential exist to capture part of runoff and to store it underground which will be available for use during dry periods. Providing check structures across the unlined drains can increase the recharge capacity of drains. This book, therefore provides a novel method of recharging the ground water. It considers two scenarios i.e., when check structres are used across the drain and when they are not used. Khepar's model has been used to find optimum number of check structured based on their hydraulic performance. Economic analysis has also been carried out on a drain in Haryana to find out the optimum number of check structures based on difference of annual benefit and annual cost. This book should be especially useful to the professionals in water resources field, or anyone else who may be considering methods of ground water recharge.
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CURRENT SCIENCE, Jan 1, 2010
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