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Emissions from residential cooking and heating, power generation, and industries together contribute up to 60 per cent of India's PM2.5 pollution, with about 80 per cent of this coming from <keyword id="23824528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fossil-fuel-combustion" source="keywords">fossil fuel combustion</keyword>, a new study has found. The peer-reviewed study, published in MDPI's "Air" journal, suggests dividing India into 15 airsheds based on regional climate and pollution sources. <br /><br />An airshed is a geographic area where <keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-quality" source="Orion">air quality</keyword> is influenced by common factors such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution can spread across regions, the <keyword id="22077484" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airshed-approach" source="keywords">airshed approach</keyword> promotes coordinated action among states. <br /><br />"Residential cooking and heating, power generation, and all other industries together are responsible for 40-60 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in all the airsheds, and approximately 80 per cent of the pollution comes from fossil fuel burning sources," said Sarath Guttikunda, lead author of the study and founder of UrbanEmissions.info. <br /><br />The study said biomass burning, including post-harvest crop residue burning, contributed less than 3 per cent to annual PM2.5 levels while transport accounted for 5-10 per cent in all airsheds. <br /><br />PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that these can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks. <br /><br />An analysis of PM2.5 trends from 1998 to 2020, along with state-level data on fuel consumption, energy demand and emissions, revealed that 11 of the 15 airsheds were critical for India's air quality management and required coordinated interventions. <br /><br />The Indo-Gangetic Plains remain the most polluted region, with significant emissions from residential cooking and heating (especially in winter), power plants, brick kilns (driven by construction demand), waste burning, dust and vehicular movement for passengers and freight. <br /><br />The plateau region between the Eastern and Western Ghats, India's second most populated area, has seen the highest rise in annual PM2.5 pollution during this period, the study said. <br /><br />"This is an indication of the growing urbanisation and demand for transport, industrial, and commercial amenities," it said. <br /><br />Coastal areas, vital to India's industrial economy, have also experienced rising pollution despite the moderating effects of land-sea breezes. <br /><br />This increase is attributed to growing shipping emissions and overall industrial growth in cities such as Mundra, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Haldia.

Study traces 60% PM2.5 pollution in India to residential cooking, power generation, industries

Picture this. You are in the middle of an intense boss fight. Arrows flying from all directions. Beastly creatures are after you and in the midst of it all you spot a large dragon who lands right in the middle of action. You quickly change your weapon choice and instruct your companions to fight the dragon with you. However, just before you could attack, you run into a system error and have to restart the game all over again. Trust me, we have all been there. But this wasn’t the case with the newly-launched Dragon Age: The Veilguard.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="3" msid="116133701" hostid="261" sizebytes="1807404"></div><br />This is a game that pushes both graphical fidelity and hardware performance, delivering a breathtaking journey through a richly detailed fantasy world. With my PC armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800 X3D processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super GPU, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, I was able to get a great experience with this game. Let us take a look at how the game performed with different settings. <br /><br /><h2>The sweet spot<br /></h2><br />Starting with DLSS set to Balanced mode, I tested the game at a resolution of 2560x1440 with ultra graphics and selective <keyword id="20976394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ray-tracing" source="keywords">ray tracing</keyword>. Without frame generation, the gameplay clocked in at 90 FPS, offering smooth visuals. Enabling frame generation and turning off V-Sync cranked the frame rate up to 140 FPS, significantly enhancing responsiveness during combat and exploration.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="6" msid="116133722" hostid="261" sizebytes="1410873"></div><br />Lowering the resolution to 1080p further pushed the performance to 180-190 FPS with frame generation, and 120-110 FPS without it, making the gameplay exceptionally fluid.<br /><br /><h2>Prioritising visual fidelity<br /></h2><br />Switching to Nvidia <keyword id="24385578" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DLSS-Quality-mode" source="keywords">DLSS Quality mode</keyword>, which focuses on visual excellence over raw performance, I saw fantastic results. At 1080p resolution with ultra graphics and frame generation off, the game maintained an average of 118 FPS. <br /><br />Returning to 2K resolution with Quality DLSS, Nvidia Reflex set to “On + Boost,” and frame generation enabled, the frame rates ranged between 130-150 FPS. The experience was smooth and visually stunning, with every texture rendered in incredible detail. In some scenarios, frame rates even spiked to 180-200 FPS, peaking at 220 FPS in less graphically intense areas. I spent hours exploring the vast world with this setting, marvelling at various scenes it had to offer. The environment artists have really done a fabulous job and the game looks breathtaking.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="4" msid="116133742" hostid="261" sizebytes="1234786"></div><br />When I switched DLSS to Performance mode at 2K resolution, the game delivered around 160 FPS, offering a good balance of visuals and performance. <br /><br /><h2>Prioritising performance<br /></h2><br />To test the game’s performance, I tweaked around the settings a bit and here is how it went.<br /><br />At 1080p resolution, with Ultra Performance DLSS, frame rates soared to 230-250 FPS, with only a slight reduction in visual quality—barely noticeable unless scrutinised.<br /><br />To explore maximum performance potential, I switched from ultra to high graphics settings with ray tracing off, DLSS set to Ultra Performance, and frame generation enabled. This unleashed astonishing frame rates of 300-350 FPS, showing that at lower graphical presets, the game resulted in almost unbelievable frame rates without a drop. The visual quality was noticeably reduced but the game wasn’t unplayable. You still will get to see some gorgeous scenarios, even with these graphic settings.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="7" msid="116133766" hostid="261" sizebytes="991975"></div><br />Reverting DLSS to Quality mode under these settings still delivered an average of 260 FPS, proving the rig’s capability to handle demanding titles like Dragon Age: The Veilguard with ease.<br /><br /><h2>Ray Tracing: A visual feast</h2>The pinnacle of visual fidelity in the game came with DLSS Quality mode with ultra graphics, ray-traced reflections, and ambient occlusion at 2K. With these settings enabled, I got an average of 110-120.<br /><br />Even during intense battle sequences, frame rates rarely dipped below 100 FPS. The realistic reflections and intricate lighting effects made environments come alive, with highlights like walking through water puddles becoming a jaw-dropping experience.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="5" msid="116133782" hostid="261" sizebytes="1046215"></div><br /><br />Thus, Dragon Age: Veilguard delivered a stellar performance on my custom water-cooled system, thanks to NVIDIA's 4070 Super GPU and DLSS option.  Whether you’re a player who prioritises ultra-smooth gameplay or one who revels in visual splendour, the game offers a wide range of configurations to suit your preferences.<br /><br />With its flexibility in settings, Dragon Age: Veilguard proves to be a masterfully optimised title that caters to both performance enthusiasts and visual connoisseurs. <br /><br />On my rig, the game performed brilliantly, making every battle, exploration, and story moment a seamless experience. Whether you’re walking through shimmering puddles or taking down foes in epic battles, this is a journey that will keep you hooked for hours. <br />

Dragon Age The Veilguard performance review: How Nvidia 4070 Super GPU powers this aesthetic marvel

If you woke up in <keyword id="19900881" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi" source="keywords">Delhi</keyword> recently, you might have noticed more than just the nip in the air – a thick, toxic smog has blanketed the city, turning the air almost unbreathable. On Monday, Delhi’s <keyword id="19920379" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-quality-index" source="keywords">Air Quality Index</keyword> (<keyword id="19916482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aqi" source="keywords">AQI</keyword>) hit 481, placing it in the "severe plus" category. For context, the “severe” category begins at an AQI of 401, and anything above 450 poses serious health risks even for healthy individuals.<br /><br />According to Swiss group IQAir’s live rankings, Delhi is currently the most polluted city in the world, with an air quality score of 1,081 – a “hazardous” level that is 130.9 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit for PM2.5.<br /><h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">Major contributors to Delhi’s smog</h3>The root causes of Delhi’s pollution are manifold:<br /><br /><ul><li>Stubble Burning: On Saturday, crop residue burning contributed 25% of Delhi’s air pollution. By Sunday, this figure had climbed to 40%, according to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research). Satellites recorded 1,334 stubble-burning incidents in six northern states on Sunday alone, the highest number in four days.</li><li>Vehicles: On Sunday, vehicular emissions accounted for 15.8% of the city’s pollution, according to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management.</li><li>Construction Dust and Industrial Emissions: PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, remains the most prominent factor, capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and leading to severe respiratory and cardiac diseases.</li></ul><h3 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;"><keyword id="24020184" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GRAP-Stage-4" source="keywords">GRAP Stage 4</keyword></h3>To combat the rising pollution levels, authorities have enforced Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Here’s a breakdown of the restrictions:<br /><ul><li>Vehicle Restrictions:</li><ul><li>Diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (BS-IV and below) registered in Delhi are banned unless carrying essential goods.</li><li>Non-essential light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi can only enter if they use CNG, BS-VI diesel, or are electric.</li><li>Trucks carrying non-essential items are barred unless they use cleaner fuels like LNG, CNG, or BS-VI diesel.<br /></li></ul><li>Workplace and School Adjustments:</li><ul><li>Classes for students in grades 6 to 9 and class 11 have moved online.</li><li>Offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) are advised to work at 50% capacity, with the rest operating remotely.<br /></li></ul><li>Construction Ban:<br /></li><ul><li>Construction and demolition (C&amp;D) activities have been halted, including large projects like highways, flyovers, and pipelines.<br /></li></ul></ul>Out of Delhi’s 40 monitoring stations, 32 reported AQI levels above 400 on Monday. Visibility in parts of the city dropped to just 100 metres due to the thick smog.<br /><br />The health implications of these numbers are alarming. <keyword id="20118319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM2-5-levels" source="keywords">PM2.5 levels</keyword> in Delhi were recorded at 130.9 times the safe limit set by the WHO. According to experts, long-term exposure to such air quality could lead to an 11% increase in premature mortality rates due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that Delhi residents may lose an average of 10 years of life expectancy if pollution levels persist.<br /><br />Despite the restrictions, life in Delhi continues under a cloud of smog. Iconic landmarks like India Gate have become barely visible through the haze. While flights and trains are operational, some delays have been reported.<br />

GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

Delhi continued to battle with air pollution for the 10th consecutive day post-Diwali as a dense layer of smog blanketed parts of the national capital on Sunday. <br /><br />Several parts of the national capital recorded very poor air quality levels on Sunday morning as per the data issued by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India).<br /><br />Today morning, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 351, Bawana 383, CRRI Mathura Road 323, Dwarka Sector 8 at 341, IGI Airport at 326, ITO 328, Lodhi Road 319, Mundka at 358, Najafgarh at 341, New Moti Bagh at 394, Okhla phase-2 at 339, RK Puram at 368, and Wazirpur at 366, as per SAFAR-India data.<br /><br />As of 5 pm on November 10, Delhi's AQI stood at 334, with Anand Vihar at 353, Dilshad Garden at 262, and Jahangirpuri at 377. For tomorrow, AQI in adjoining cities of Noida and Gurugram is forecasted to be at 208.92 and 77.51, respectively. <br /><br />Multiple visuals from Delhi's Kartavya Path showed the area surrounding India Gate engulfed by a layer of smog. The AQI in the area was recorded at 357 as of 7 am. High-rise buildings were also covered in smog in the Kalindi Kunj and surrounding locality, as the AQI was recorded as 323 in the area.<br /><br />An AQI is considered "poor" between '200 and 300', "very poor" at '301 and 400', "severe" at '401-450," and 450 and above is "severe plus." As the air pollution levels in the national capital reach "very poor," doctors say that even people with no history of respiratory diseases are suffering from breathing issues.<br /><br />Dr. Nikhil Modi, Senior Consultant for Respiratory Critical Care at Apollo Hospital, told ANI that apart from the regular patients, those who haven't had any respiratory issues in the past are showing up with symptoms such as runny noses, sneezing, coughing, and having increasing difficulties breathing. As it is, respiratory illnesses in the national capital are estimated to have shot up by around 15-20%. <br /><br />The Apollo doctor further suggested that the government close the schools for children as they remain vulnerable. Whenever the pollution levels have gone beyond a certain limit, the government has opted to close the schools, Dr. Modi said.<br /><br />"For the last few years, we have been seeing that the government has taken action. Whenever this pollution level has gone beyond a certain limit, they have opted to close the schools. This is important because children are from a vulnerable group. As adults, we are masked and can protect ourselves better, but children usually are not that effectively taking these measures. Secondly, their lungs are still in developing stages, so they are bound to have more harm due to this pollution," the doctor told ANI.<br /><br />Siddharth Singhal, Head of Health Insurance, Policybazaar.com, notes that while most standard health plans in India cover pollution-related ailments, it is always advised to also go for an OPD plan along with a health insurance plan to cover consultations, medications, and diagnostic tests that may be required frequently due to pollution.<br /><br />"Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR and some other parts of India have shot up post Diwali. Effects of this are very evident in the form of sore throats and breathing problems, among others. This can also result in respiratory ailments and chronic conditions like asthma, bronchitis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), pneumonia, and severe cases of respiratory or bronchial obstruction. Health insurance becomes critical to cover such expenses. Most policies typically cover emergency hospitalization for respiratory issues like asthma or COPD exacerbations requiring ICU or critical care," he adds. <br />

Layer of smog covers Delhi as air quality remains 'very poor'. Here's why you need an insurance cover for this

We all know the pressure of meeting deadlines, but what if we told you that being late doesn’t just affect your calendar — it could actually tarnish how people see the quality of your <keyword id="6355058" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Work" source="Orion">work</keyword>? According to researchers, that’s exactly the case. They found that work submitted late is seen as lower in quality than the same work submitted on time or early, no matter how great it actually is. It turns out, missing a deadline can make you and your work seem less competent and trustworthy, all because of the subtle judgments deadlines trigger in other people.<br /><h2>The deadly deadline dilemma</h2>Previous studies have focused on how deadlines affect employees’ productivity and stress levels, but lead researcher Sam Maglio’s team wanted to know how missing a deadline changes an outsider’s perception. To test this, the researchers conducted 18 different experiments with thousands of people, from managers and HR professionals to everyday folks, evaluating a wide range of creative and professional work. <br /><br />In the test, participants saw the same exact work samples — like photography, product pitches, news articles, and art — but they were told it was submitted either early, on time, or late. And guess what? The late submissions were consistently rated as lower quality, despite being identical to those submitted on time.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114883482" title="We heard from over 750 people who have recently struggled to find work. Here are their biggest frustrations with getting hired." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Maglio explains, “Everyone saw the exact same art contest entry, school submission, or business proposal, but they couldn’t help but use their knowledge of when it came in to guide their evaluation of how good it was.” In other words, once people knew something was late, it was hard not to think <em>less</em> of it.<br /><h2>Early birds don’t really get extra credit, but late birds do lose points</h2>Interestingly, turning in work early didn’t seem to earn extra praise. Evaluators ranked work that came in early and on time as equally good, which means there’s no major boost for those overachievers who submit work ahead of the deadline. But the real problem comes if you’re late — even by a little. In fact, it didn’t matter if the work was one day or one week late; the hit to quality ratings was the same.<br /><br />Late submissions were rated as poorly as work that objectively missed the mark, like not meeting word counts. And it turns out that advance warning doesn’t do much to soften the blow — one missed deadline still chipped away at the evaluator’s view of the employee’s competence and integrity, even if they were usually punctual.<br /><br />But here’s where it gets even trickier: evaluators didn’t just judge the work as poorer in quality — they also saw the latecomer as less reliable and were less likely to consider them for future tasks. One missed deadline could, in theory, limit your future opportunities to shine or earn promotions.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114915871" title="I did a remote internship while also side hustling at a national park. I worked all day but lived in a beautiful place." mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The researchers even tested this with high school students in China, who were shown art entries with the submission dates marked as either early, on time, or late. Even though they were told to ignore everything except the artwork itself, the “late” pieces received lower grades. And that’s with peers evaluating peers, so it didn’t matter if a boss or manager had set the deadline — missing it still left a mark.<br /><h2>Let your manager know!</h2>Luckily, not all hope is lost for late submitters. Maglio’s team found that the reason behind a missed deadline actually mattered. If the delay was due to uncontrollable events — like jury duty or a medical emergency — people cut the submitter more slack. The same was true if the deadline was a “soft” one rather than a hard cutoff, or if the work wasn’t particularly critical.<br /><br />“Communication around deadlines is vital. If it’s a hard, and not a soft, deadline, you as the manager should let your employees know,” Maglio explained. “If the reason why you missed the deadline was beyond your control, you as the employee should let your manager know.”<br /><br />The findings of this study have been published in <em>Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes </em>and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2024.104365">here</a>.<br />

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Study traces 60% PM2.5 pollution in India to residential cooking, power generation, industries

PTI

Dragon Age The Veilguard performance review: How Nvidia 4070 Super GPU powers this aesthetic marvel

Divyanshi Sharma

GRAP Stage 4 restrictions take effect as air quality in Delhi deteriorates; PM2.5 levels 130 times higher than WHO limits

BI India Bureau

Layer of smog covers Delhi as air quality remains 'very poor'. Here's why you need an insurance cover for this

BI India Bureau

Missed a deadline? Here’s why it might cost you more than just a little extra time

BI India Bureau

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