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A statistical study of pulsing hiss emissions observed during daytime at low latitude Indian ground stations Jammu (geomag. lat., 22°26′N; L = 1.17) and Srinagar (geomag. lat., 24°10′N; L = 1.28) is presented. From the detailed statistical analysis of the observed data it is found that the reported day time pulsing hiss emissions is a rare phenomena at low latitudes. The spectrograms of pulsing hiss emissions observed during daytime clearly show band limited spectrums regularly pulsing with almost equal period of the order of few seconds in the frequency range of 300 Hz–8 kHz. The intensity and bandwidth of daytime pulsing hiss remain almost constant in the frequency range of 300 Hz–8 kHz in clear contrast to the pulsing hiss emission observed during nighttime at low latitudes. The daytime pulsing hiss time period is about 0.5 s which is small in comparison to time period (~1.43 s) of the low latitude pulsing hiss observed during nighttime. The generation and propagation mechanisms of pulsing hiss emissions are discussed. The micropulsations propagating along the geomagnetic field lines modulate the growth rate of the wave resulting in hiss intensity.

Whistler data recorded during 5-h period at our low latitude ground station Srinagar (geomag. lat. 24°10′N; L = 1.28) are used to determine lifetime of whistler ducts. On certain occasions, whistler occurrence rate at Srinagar is found to exhibit some periodicity. Power spectrum analysis of occurrence rate yields a dominant period of about 1 hour. It is suggested that this period is an indication of the duct-lifetimes at low L-values. Dispersion analysis of these whistlers has qualitatively confirmed the existence of separate ducts during the period of observation. Further the dispersion analysis shows that these whistlers have propagated in the magnetosphere along higher L-values (L = 2.10–4.12). Power spectrum analysis may not be applicable to the whistler data corresponding to high L-values because at high latitudes the occurrence rate of whistlers is very high. Moreover a large number of ducts might simultaneously contribute to the occurrence rate.

In coal mines abandoned works or voids at shallow depth, might be a potential hazard and therefore, such areas are considered for redevelopment. As voids and fractures accumulate groundwater which may be hazardous for the mines work. Subsidence, fire, flooding and some other kinds of environmental hazards related to shallow coal works, necessitate for better understanding of voids and their interpretation for Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data. Whereas, in civil engineering, GPR is used for detection of the buried pipe, however, it becomes difficult to differentiate betweem the pipes used for water supply and for electrical cable. In order to better interpretation of voids and buried pipes we present a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solution based on Maxwell’s equations that allows accounting for the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity of many near-surface materials. The algorithm and the results presented here, however, offer the perspective to improve some of these inherent problems and thus help to make 2-D structure a more reliable and effective tool for probing the shallow subsurface. Also it is found that the different dispersion mechanisms cause significant amplitude and phase differences, which may be relevant to amplitude variation with offset (AVO) and stratigraphic investigations using Ground Penetrating Radar.

Seventy five female workers employed in the cashew nut industry in Karnataka to slice off the outer hard shells from the nuts and thus exposed to the chashew nut shell oil had a characteristic cauterization type of reaction manifesting as brownish-black, thickened sheets of dead skin covering the dorsal as well as the palmar aspects of hands including the fingers and feet. Smaller but similer lesions were also seen on these parts of the forearms, abdomen, neck and face which were not covered with clothes. The fingers were thinned and tapering and several nails of the hands and feet were thickened, discolored and eaten away. The other changes included loss of the dermatoglyphic patterns, maceration of the hands, small pits on the finger tips and pitted keratolysis seen in some cases only. Similar changes were also seen on the feet of both the male workers exposed to the same oil, in the section which extracts the oil from the sliced shells. In contrast 29, feamle wokers engaged to peel off the thin reddish covering on the cashew nut had normal hands and feet, except for the two callosities on the flexural aspect of the proximal phalanx of the right middle finger and proximal interphalangeal joint of the right index finger respectively, caused by the friction of the peeling knife. An open patch test with the cashew nut shell oil used as such in 17 workers produced a cauterization type of reaction in 32 workers irrespective of the nature of their duties, while the standard occluded patch test with 10% cashew nut shell oil in polyethylene glycol showed a mild cauterization type of reaction in only 6 workers. Patch tests with 1% and 0.1% concentrations of the shell oil were negative in all the workers. Two barrier creams tested to protect the workers from the cashew nut shell oil produced reasonably effective results within a week.

Strong X-ray and $\gamma$--ray flares have been detected in February 2010 from the high synchrotron peaked blazar Mrk 421 (z=0.031). With the motivation of understanding the physics involved in this flaring activity, we study the variability of the source in X-ray and $\gamma$--ray energy bands during the period February 10-23, 2010 (MJD 55237-55250). We use near simultaneous X-ray data collected by \emph{MAXI}, \emph{Swift}-XRT and $\gamma$--ray data collected by \emph{Fermi}-LAT and \emph{TACTIC} along with the optical V-band observations by \emph{SPOL} at Steward Observatory. We observe that the variation in the one day averaged flux from the source during the flare is characterized by fast rise and slow decay. Besides, the TeV $\gamma$--ray flux shows a strong correlation with the X-ray flux, suggesting the former to be an outcome of synchrotron self Compton emission process. To model the observed X-ray and $\gamma$--ray light curves, we numerically solve the kinetic equation describing the evolution of particle distribution in the emission region. The injection of particle distribution into the emission region, from the putative acceleration region, is assumed to be a time dependent power law. The synchrotron and synchrotron self Compton emission from the evolving particle distribution in the emission region are used to reproduce the X-ray and $\gamma$--ray flares successfully. Our study suggests that the flaring activity of Mrk 421 can be an outcome of an efficient acceleration process associated with the increase in underlying non-thermal particle distribution., Comment: Accepted for publication in New Astronomy

Resistivity imaging (RI) survey was carried out along two profiles in the Hingir-Rampur Colliery to assess how far it would be practical to extend the workings in Seam I towards the waterlogged previous workings, whilst leaving at least 60 m of coal between the two sections of mine. In order to corroborate the results of the geophysical survey, two boreholes were drilled along the profiles. Analysis confirmed hard, compact and dry strata between 60 and 146 m depth.

Introduction: The potential risk of prolongation of treatment time in cervical cancer has been reported for many low-dose rate (LDR) studies, with an estimated loss of local control ranging from 0.3 to 1.6% per day of treatment prolongation. Since the treatment schedule for fractionated high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDRICBT) is not directly comparable with that for LDR studies. Many studies are also present with different results. Aims: To evaluate the adverse effect of treatment prolongation for cervical cancer treated with HDRICBT. Methods and Materials: Hundred patients with biopsy proven squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix with stage IIB to IVA (according to FIGO classification) were entered into protocol using concurrent paclitaxel and radiation. Radiotherapy was conventionally administered: 50.4 Gy/28 fractions by external beam (whole pelvis) followed by HDR-ICBT, 4 fractions of 7 Gy each. Paclitaxel was administered on weekly basis at dose of 40 mg∕m 2 during entire course of external beam radiotherapy. Results: Treatment response was evaluated three months after the end of radiotherapy by means of clinical examination and ultrasonography. Complete Regression (CR) in 83%, partial response (PR) 14% and progressive disease 3%. At 26 months of median follow up 73 patients alive out of 58 patients are diseases free. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that to achieve better treatment outcome, avoid treatment prolongation and overall treatment time should be less than 50 days.

A detailed analysis of the VLF/ELF wave data obtained during a whistler campaign under All India Coordinated Program of Ionosphere Thermosphere Studies (AICPITS) at our low latitude Indian ground station Jammu (geomag. lat. = 22° 26′ N, L = 1.17) has yielded two types of unusual and unique whistler-triggered VLF/ELF emissions. These include (1) whistler-triggered hook emissions and (2) whistler-triggered long enduring discrete chorus riser emissions in VLF/ELF frequency range during night time. Such types of whistler-triggered emissions have not been reported earlier from any of the ground observations at low latitudes. In the present study, the observed characteristics of these emissions are described and interpreted. Dispersion analysis of these emissions show that the whistlers as well as emissions have propagated along a higher geomagnetic field line path with L -values lying ∼ L = 4, suggesting that these triggered emissions are to be regarded as mid-latitude emissions. These waves could have propagated along the geomagnetic field lines either in a ducted mode or in a pro-longitudinal (PL) mode. The measured intensity of the triggered emissions is almost equal to that of the source waves and does not vary throughout the period of observation on that day. It is speculated that these emissions may have been generated through a process of resonant interaction of the whistler waves with energetic electrons. Parameters related to this interaction are computed for different values of L and wave amplitude. The proposed mechanism explains some aspects of the dynamic spectra.

In contrast to earlier reports, we find that the mixture Y-Ba-Ag-O does not form a compound “YBa2Ag3O x ” in a similar fashion to YBa2Cu3O7 but rather is a combination of Ba-Y-O compounds, silver metal and unreacted starting materials. This mixture shows metallic behaviour, but no superconductivity down to 5 K. The observed metallic behaviour of these samples is almost certainly due to the presence of elemental silver. Electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) studies show that silver does not react with Y, Ba and Ba4Y2O7 in an oxygen atmosphere. The importance of conjoint EPMA/EDAX (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) studies is emphasised.

The three systems LaSrAl1-xNixO4, LaSrAl1-xFexO4 and LaSrFe1-xNixO4 have the tetragonal K2NiF4 structure and a two-dimensional percolation limit xc approximately=0.59. A tolerance factor t>1 in LaSrAlO4 creates a large c/a axial ratio due to relief of compressive stress in the rocksalt layer. LaSrNiO4 contains low-spin Ni(III) with one itinerant sigma *(x2-y2) electron per Ni atom. LaSrFeO4 is an antiferromagnet with high-spin Fe3+ ions. For x xc. In LaSrFe1-xNixO4, the low-spin Ni(III) ions have a 3d(x2-y2) orbital more stable than the 3d(z2) orbital for all x, and antiferromagnetic coupling occurs for all x

Bergenia ciliata Sternb., commonly known as Paashaanbhed, is a well known herb of Sikkim Himalaya with various pharmaceutical properties. However, scientific exploration of B. ciliata, growing in the Sikkim Himalaya, for phytochemicals and pharmacological properties is in infancy. With this view, the present study was undertaken to investigate B. ciliata leaf extracts for antioxidant, antimicrobial activity and bioactive compounds. Three solvents viz., methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane were used for extraction and the respective leaf extracts were analyzed for total phenolic and flavonoid contents along with the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Amongst the tested solvents, methanol was found to be the best solvent for extraction with highest total phenolic contents and the lowest IC50 values for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Methanol extract also exhibited effective antimicrobial activity, particularly against bacteria and actinomycetes. Further, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that methanolic extract contains the highest amount of all the three analyzed bioactive compounds viz. bergenin, catechin and gallic acid. The current study suggests that the methanol extract of B. ciliata is a potential source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds that can be used in food and drug industries., Graphical abstract

DTDGA solvent system was evaluated for hydrolytic and radiolytic stabilities to ascertain its application in separation and recovery of palladium from High Level Liquid Waste (HLW) solutions. Hydrolysis of DTDGA solvent system was not observed when it was kept in contact with 3.0 M nitric acid solution for two weeks. Moreover, contrary to other ‘S’ donor extractants used for the said purpose, the oxidation of thioetheric sulphur to sulphoxide or sulphones was also not observed. On the other hand, radiolysis of DTDGA solvent system was notably observed, which was found to increase with increase in absorbed dose. At gamma radiation dose of 0.2 MGy, no significant loss of DTDGA was observed. Aliphatic diluent namely n-dodecane was found to have sensitization effect on degradation of DTDGA. The degradation products were identified by GC-MS, the major ones were found to be formed by cleavage of thioetheric and amidic bonds of DTDGA molecule. The liquid–liquid extraction studies of palladium with irradiated solvent indicate that there was no significant change in D Pd up to an absorbed dose of 0.2 MGy above which it decreases gradually. Further, the radiolysis does not affect the stripping behavior of palladium. Extraction studies of Simulated High Level Liquid Waste (SHLW) elements with irradiated solvent system showed that, except palladium, any other element is hardly extracted thus retaining its remarkable selectivity.

In this work, we report on the intense flaring activity from Mkn-421 in X-ray and γ -ray regimes simultaneously observed by Swift -XRT/BAT and Fermi -LAT satellite telescopes in February 2010. With the aim of understanding the underlying physics of the flaring state in Mkn-421, we have performed a detailed spectral analysis of Swift /XRT and Fermi /LAT observations of Mkn-421 during February 12–25, 2010 (MJD 55239–55252). Over this period, we study the daily light curves and spectral variability of the source in 1–10 keV, 0.1–1 GeV and 1–100 GeV energy bands. We have performed the spectral analysis of Swift -XRT and Fermi /LAT observations to study the spectral evolution in the X-ray and gamma-ray energy domains respectively. We also compute the fractional variability amplitude in both the energy bands during the above period. We study trends between spectral parameters and physical insights provided by the parameter responsible for X-ray and γ -ray emission from the source. We search for energetic features phenomenologically linked to the single zone SSC model for blazar emission. We also produce the broad band SED with a leptonic single zone SSC model for the source.

In this paper, the reaction of 2-thioxoperhydro – 1, 3 – thiazin – 4 ones; with VO(IV), Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions lead to the formation of M(TP)-x (H2O)y [M=Mn(II), Cr(III), Fe(III); x=1 or 2; y=2 or 3], VO(TP) 2 and [Fe(TPH)Cl 2 (PPh 3 ) 2 ]. These complexes have been characterized by analytical, magnetic, thermogravimetric and spectral (IR, UV and Visible) studies and their tentative structures are proposed.

In this paper, the reaction of 2-thioxopherhydro-1, 3-thiazine-4 ones with [Ru(η 5 -C 5 H 5 )

The purpose of this study is to obtain a self-similar solution of the problem of propagation of a magnetogasdynamic shock wave in a nonideal gas with heat conduction and radiation heat flux in the presence of a spatially decreasing azimuthal magnetic field strength. The initial density of the medium is assumed to be constant. The heat conduction is expressed in terms of Fourier’s law, and the radiation is considered to be of a diffusion type for an optically thick gray gas model. The thermal conductivity and absorption coefficients are assumed to vary with temperature and density. The shock is assumed to be driven by a piston moving with a variable velocity. Similarity solutions are obtained, and the effects of variation of the gas nonidealness parameter and Alfven–Mach number on the flow field behind the shock are investigated.

Similarity solutions are obtained for one-dimensional unsteady flow of a dusty gas behind a spherical shock wave with heat conduction and radiation heat flux under a gravitational field of heavy nucleus at the centre (Roche model). The dusty gas is assumed to be a mixture of small solid particles and a non-ideal gas. The equilibrium flow conditions are assumed to be maintained, and the heat conduction is expressed in terms of Fourier’s law and the radiation is considered to be of the diffusion type for an optically thick grey gas model. The thermal conductivity K and the absorption coefficient αR are assumed to vary with temperature and density. In order to obtain similarity solutions the density of the undisturbed medium is assumed to be constant. The effects of an increase in the value of the parameter of non-idealness of the gas in the mixture \(\bar{b}\), the mass concentration of the solid particles in the mixture Kp, the ratio of the density of the solid particles to the initial density of the gas G1 and the variation of the heat transfer parameters ΓR and Γc are obtained.

For acceptance of any chemical agent as an endogenous chemical mediator of inflammation, the agent in question must fulfill some biological requirements which are (a) it should be ubiquitously present in tissues in inactive form, (b) it should be activated during process of inflammation whose increase should be identifiable, (c) it should induce or amplify some events of inflammation, (d) there must be some natural inhibitor of such active form in tissues, (e) it should be able to induce inflammatory reaction after exogenous injection, (f) such reaction should be inhibited by exogenous use of their antagonists, and (g) it should be amplified by use of agonists. Copper in its protein free or protein bound form are reported to act as pathogenic factor in inflammatory processes due to oxidative stress. But their role as endogenous chemical mediator of inflammation does not appear to be investigated thoroughly in light of abovementioned biological criterion of mediator. Present study aims at thorough exploration on role of free copper as endogenous chemical mediator of inflammation in light of above facts. It was done by estimation of total copper, protein-bound copper, and free copper along with estimation of free radical generation, increase in vascular permeability, and cellular infiltration during acute inflammatory reaction induced by carrageenan and concanavalin using chicken skin as test model. It was further evaluated by use of exogenous free copper in experimental model and their subsequent inhibition and amplification by chemical chelators of copper. Present study confirms that free copper fulfilled all the biological requirements for accepting it as an endogenous chemical mediator of inflammation.

A method has been developed for plant regeneration from alginate-encapsulated nodal segments of Rhododendron dalhousiae. Shoot tips collected from in vitro proliferated shoots were used for synthetic seed production. For encapsulation, nodal segments were mixed with MS medium supplemented with 3% sodium alginate and incubated with calcium chloride (60 mM). The maximum frequency (69%) of conversion of encapsulated shoot tips into plantlets was achieved on MS medium containing 25 μM 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP) along with additive such as, 100 mg L-l polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), 100 mg L -l ascorbic acid, 10 mg L-l citric acid. The presence of 2iP (25 μM) with IAA (0.6 μM) improved re-generation. Amongst the two gelling agents used higher shoot proliferation as well as better growth were observed in cultures grown on Agar in comparison to Phytagel medium. Encapsulated nodal segments stored at 4°C for 25 days also showed successful conversion, followed by development into complete plantlets when returned to regeneration medium. Liquid medium was superior over solid medium for root formation and growth. IBA (1.0 μM) was more effective than other auxins for root induction. Plantlets with developed shoot and roots were hardened off to survive ex vitro conditions and successfully established in greenhouse. Possibility of direct sowing of synthetic seeds in the soil was also examined.

Production of crops is greatly influenced by weather phenomena and therefore any change in climate will have major effects on crop yield and productivity. Using NYD analysis for prediction of crop yield on seasonal basis, it has been observed that maximum temperature may cause the reduction in yield of rice in Eastern Uttar Pradesh by 1.0 to 1.1% per ha by 2020. Similarly, minimum temperature may decrease the yield of rice by 1.5 to 1.9% per ha in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. From future scenario of rainfall it was observed that south-west monsoonal rainfall would be the major factor for controlling the yield of rice. The role of maximum temperature for wheat production in Bihar state is more significant as compared to Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The model predicts that wheat yield may decrease by 5-6% in Bihar state due to increase in maximum temperature by the end of 2080 whereas this decrement in Eastern Uttar Pradesh may be 1.5-2.0%.

Study evaluates nutritive value of oat fodder varieties in sheep by in vitro and in vivo means. The newly identified oat varieties (JHO-99-2 and JHO-2010-1) with check Kent grown under identical agronomic management were fed to 18 sheep (25.13±0.42 kg BW and 14.05±0.64 m age) randomly allotted to Kent, JHO-99-2 and JHO-2010-1 groups with 6 animals in each. Crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose and lignin contents of the oat varieties were identical. Total carbohydrate, carbohydrate and protein fractions were similar in oat cultivars. Calculated dry matter intake (DMI), digestible dry matter (DDM), total digestible nutrients (TDN), digestible energy (DE), metabolisable energy (ME), net energy for maintenance (NEm), lactation (NEl) and gain (NEg) were similar in all varieties. In vitro gas and CH4 production (ml/g), partition factor (PF) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) varied (P

Characteristics of nighttime VLF/ELF emissions are examined on the basis of the data obtained at our low latitude ground station Jammu (geomagnetic latitude, 22°26′ N; L = 1.17), India during our VLF/ELF campaign. From the detailed analysis of a huge amount of acquired VLF/ELF data at Jammu we have found three remarkable events which clearly exhibit a rise in their frequency in pre and past midnight sectors during magnetically quiet and substorm periods. Our analysis shows that the frequency drift in VLF/ELF emissions seems to be a rare phenomenon at low latitudes during magnetically quiet and substorm periods in pre and post midnight sectors. This property of temporal frequency drift (regular frequency increases with time) in VLF/ELF emissions observed at our station Jammu are interpreted in terms of a quasi-linear electron cyclotron instability model for wave excitation. The initial frequency increase is believed to be due to a combind effect of L-shell drift of energetic electrons. Further, the frequency drifts in VLF/ELF emissions observed at Jammu have been used to estimate the large scale electric field during quiet and substorm periods in pre and post midnight sectors. This investigation would be most useful for the study of the wave-particle interaction processes, magnetospheric plasma structure and particle dynamics, especially during quiet periods in premidnight sector at low latitudes.

In most block designs for agricultural experiments, the nature of the yield underlying treatments may reach such a stage that the treatment received by a plot may influence the response on the neighbouring plots of the same block or sometimes it may influence the response only on the following plot. As an example of the second type, the tall varieties may affect the crops grown on the neighbouring plots by their shades. Bailey (J Indian Soc Agric Stat 56(3):302–314, 2003) has developed a type of design concerned with the study of one sided neighbour effects for application under such conditions. This paper gives, introducing a lemma, constructions of new series of (i) Circular Neighbour-Balanced designs and (ii) One-sided Circular Neighbour-Balanced designs.

Results of phytochemical tests showed presence of different kinds of phyto-constituents in aqueous, ether and methanol extract of Stevia rebaudiana leaves. Daily single dose (2.0 g/kg) administration of aqueous extract (A.E.), ether extract (E.E.) and methanol extract (M.E.) for 28 days of S. rebaudiana could not show any significant change in ALT and AST levels in rats. Blood sugar level was found to be decreased on day 28 in groups of rats treated with A.E., E.E. and M.E. of S. rebaudiana .

A unique night-time natural electromagnetic disturbances in the VLF/ELF range received during a magnetically quite period at a low latitude Indian ground station, Jammu (geomag. lat. 19°26′ N, L=1.17) has been reported. During the routine observation of VLF waves at Jammu, whistlers and different types of VLF/ELF emissions such as whistlers of varying dispersion confined to a small band limited frequency range, hisslers, pulsing hiss, discrete chorus emissions of rising and falling tones with multiple bands, oscillating tone discrete emission, whistler-triggered hook and discrete chorus risers emissions, etc. have been observed simultaneously during the quiet period on a single night. Such type of unique simultaneous observations has never been reported from any of the low latitude ground stations and this is the first observation of its kind. The results are discussed in the light of recorded features of whistlers and emissions. Generation and propagation mechanism are discussed briefly. Plasma parameters are further derived from the dispersion analysis of nighttime whistlers and emissions recorded simultaneously during magnetically quiet periods.

The first observation of hiss-triggered discrete chorus riser emissions recorded during daytime at our newly setup low latitude ground station Srinagar (geomag. lat., 24° 10′ N; L = 1.28), India on March 30, 2009 are reported. From the spectral analysis of these emissions, it is found that the chorus is hiss-triggered and each chorus element has the tendency to originate from the hiss band. A possible generation mechanism of these hiss-triggered chorus riser emissions is proposed.

The purpose of this paper is to describe some unusual whistlers (doublets and triplets) and VLF hiss emission recorded simultaneously on February 18, 1998 during nighttime at a low latitude Indian ground station Jammu (geomag. lat., 22° 26′ N; L = 1.17), and to make some discussions about their origin. The detailed structures of the observed VLF hiss emission clearly show that these emissions confined to a narrow continuous frequency band. Some times the frequency of hiss band oscillates and subsequently touches the upper edge of the first whistler component of the doublet. Detailed structures of the dynamic spectra of whistler and VLF hiss emission are briefly presented. From the dispersion analysis of the whistler doublets and triplets, it is found that the individual whistlers of the doublets and triplets simultaneously observed on the same day are one-hop whistlers having propagation path along higher and closely spaced L -values. Our result also shows that VLF hiss has been generated in the equatorial region of higher L -values. Generation and propagation mechanisms are briefly discussed.

In the present study we estimate the velocity and thickness of the Patseo glacier, Himachal Pradesh, India. The average velocity of the glacier was estimated as similar to 5.47 m/year using co-registration of optically sensed images and correlation (COSI-Corr) method. The glacier thickness was found to vary between 12 and 278 m, with an average value 59 m. The total glacier ice volume was estimated as similar to 15.8 x 10(7) m(3), with equivalent water reservoir of similar to 14.5 x 10(7) m(3). Ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted during 2004 and 2013 for validation of the estimated glacier thickness. The glacier thickness estimated using COSI-Corr method was found to be in agreement with GPR-retrieved glacier thickness (RMSE = 4.75 m; MAE = 3.74 m). The GPR profiles collected along the same geographic locations on the glacier during 2004 and 2013 showed a reduction in ice thickness of similar to 1.89 m, and thus resulting in an annual ice thickness decrease of similar to 0.21 m. The glacier area was estimated for 2004 and 2013 using LISS IV satellite data and found to be similar to 2.52 and similar to 2.30 sq. km respectively. This shows an annual reduction of similar to 0.024 sq. km in glacier area. The total annual loss in glacier ice volume was estimated as similar to 4.55 x 10(5) m(3). This loss in the glacier ice volume of the Patseo glacier is supported by the snow and meteorological observations collected at a nearby field observatory of Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE). The climate data collected at SASE meteorological observatory at Patseo (3800 m), between 1993-94 and 2014-15 showed an increasing trend in the mean annual temperature and a decreasing trend in winter precipitation.

This experiment was designed to assess the effect of chronic fenvalerate toxicity on tissue Cu concentration in goats and to explore the pathways responsible for it. A significant decrease in tissue Cu concentration of kidney, heart, and brain while an increase in the liver were recorded in fenvalerate intoxicated goats at 15 mg/kg b.w. orally daily for 270 days. Concentration of total Cu, protein-free Cu, and protein-bound Cu in the wet intestine of fenvalerate-treated goats revealed a significant decrease in Cu concentration of the intestine due to the decrease in trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-insoluble Cu, while TCA-soluble Cu remained almost unaffected. Rabbit duodenal loop technique was used to assess the relative absorption of nonisotopic copper in a living animal. This technique enabled to compare Cu absorption from the lumen of three closely associated loops, each receiving 100 µg of copper along with different doses (0, 15, and 30 µg) of fenvalerate. A significant dose-dependent decrease in Cu absorption from the lumen due to fenvalerate treatment was recorded. A decrease in total copper (TCA-insoluble fraction) suggested an interference in active transport of copper due to the inhibition of absorption of protein-bound copper. It was concluded that fenvalerate interfered in copper absorption mostly by inhibiting its active or mediated transport.

Aim : The association of central obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia with higher grade advanced prostate cancer as determined by Gleason grading is not well understood. We evaluated the effect of central obesity waist hip ratio (WHR ≥ 0.9) and biochemical parameters associated with central obesity on Gleason grading in North Indian patients of prostate cancer presenting at advanced stages. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 nondiabetic patients having clinical stages III and IV prostate cancer. Gleason grading on core biopsy samples by histopathology was done and patients were divided in two groups-group1, Gleason score ≥8; group 2, Gleason score

4-Acyl-1-phenyl-3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-ones condensed with 2-amino-4(4'-methylphenyl)-thiazole to form Schiff base. These Schiff bases from complexes of type ML22H2O (M=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu). Elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductance, electronic and Infrared spectral data suggested octahedral structure for the complexes. All the compounds were tested for their antibacterial activity. The result indicates that the growth of the tested organism was inhibited by most of the compounds. These Schiff bases are characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectra,1H-NMR spectra,13C NMR spectra and FT IR spectra.

A detailed analysis of the VLF data collected during January to December, 2003 at the low latitude station Jammu (geomag. lat., 22° 26′ N; L = 1.17) has yielded some unusual VLF events like whistler triplets of very high dispersion D ∼ 70 − 90 sec1/2. From the dispersion analysis of the whistler triplets, it is found that the individual whistlers of the triplets are one-hop high dispersion ducted whistlers having propagation path along higher and closely spaced L-values (L∼4.0) than the L-value of the recording station. The dispersion and occurrence characteristics of these high dispersion whistlers of the triplets are compared with those of the majority of low dispersion whistlers (D ∼ 30 − 40 sec1/2) recorded during the same period. Generation and propagation mechanisms are briefly discussed.

The discrete VLF chorus emissions recorded at low latitude ground station Jammu (geomag. lat. = 22°26′N, L = 1.17) are reported and their characteristics based on spectral analysis have been carried out. These discrete chorus emissions are falling tone emissions which are rarely observed at low latitude ground stations. These discrete chorus emissions are generated during a strong geomagnetic storm period of 2–7 May, 1998. We have computed the frequency sweep rate, repetition period and source region of the individual chorus elements. It is observed that the sweep rate increases with time.

Flutter, a self-excited vibration resulting from the interaction between structural motion and aerodynamic force, is the major aspect in wind resistant design of cable stayed bridges. The critical speed for flutter of a deck section can be evaluated using the flutter derivatives obtained by sectional model testing of the bridge deck in a wind tunnel. Since it is very expensive, time consuming and laborious to conduct wind tunnel tests for all the practical dimensions of deck, the support vector machine (SVM) is applied for predicting the flutter derivatives for any deck size. The wind tunnel experimental data is collected from literature and SVM is trained. Thus predicted flutter derivatives are used for estimation of critical flutter velocity of cable stayed bridges. The effect of each aerodynamic derivative on flutter instability is investigated in this study.

Investigation on the evaluation of certain management schedules against major insect pests of Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek, was carried out for two crop seasons (July to October 2001 and 2002) at the Agronomy Farm and the Department of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology of Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur, India. The efficacy of Azadirachta indica A. Juss oil and malathion, as first application against aphids, jassids and whiteflies was significantly lower under sole crop of V. radiataI than when it was inter-cropped with maize during both years (2001 and 2002). Among the different treatment schedules as third application, endosulfan was most effective against the pod borers (Maruca testulalis Geyer and Lampides boeticus L.) in both sole crop and the intercrop. During the two-year study (2001 and 2002), the maximum yield of maize and green gram in the inter-cropped pattern and that as sole crop of green gram, as well as the maximum rupee equivalent yield value was recorded for the management schedule comprising release of Chrysoperla carnea 25 DAS, spray of A. indica oil 40 DAS and endosulfan 55 DAS. The lowest yield of V. radiata was recorded under the management schedule comprising three release of Chrysoperla carnea Stephen at 25, 40 and 55 DAS irrespective of the cropping pattern.

Optimum design of a cable-stayed bridge structure is very complicated because of large number of design variables. Use of genetic algorithms (GAs) in optimizing such structure consumes significant computational time. Due to nonlinearity, structural analysis itself takes considerable computational time and the genetic algorithm has to perform a large number of iterations in order to obtain global minima. A new approach combining GA and support vector machine (SVM) has been adopted. This drastically reduces the computation time of optimization. The genetic algorithm is employed to obtain the minimum cost of the cable-stayed bridge. Constraint evaluation is done using SVM which is trained by a data base generated through FEM analysis. System level optimization is carried out considering configuration and cross-sectional parameters as design variables. In the present study, optimization was carried out for bridge lengths ranging from 100 to 500m. Final optimum designs were reanalyzed to check the adequacy of the developed approach.

This paper reports quasi-periodic pulsing hiss emissions recorded during daytime in the frequency range of 50 Hz–15 kHz at low latitude station Jammu (geomag. lat. = 22 ◦ 26 � N; L =1 .17). It is noted that pulsing VLF emissions are a rare phenomena at low latitudes. The various spectrograms of pulsing VLF hiss emissions presented in this paper clearly show band limited spectrums regularly pulsing with almost equal period of the order of few seconds in the frequency range of ∼ 3–8 kHz. Generation and propagation mechanism of these emissions are briefly discussed.

Exploration and exploitation of coal seams is one of the major resources for the energy sector in any country but at the same time water filled voids/water logged areas in the old workings of these seams are very critical problems for the coal mining industry. In such situations, disasters like inundation, landslides, collapsing of the old seams may occur. In this regard, it is necessary to find out the water saturated/water filled voids and zones in the mining areas. Since no established technique is available to find such zones, an experimental study using Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) has been carried out in one of the coal mining areas near Dhanbad, to find out the feasibility of finding the barrier thickness and the water logged area in underground coal mines. The area under study forms part of Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad district, Jharkhand state. The coal bearing rocks of Barakar Formation of Lower Permian age (Gondwana period) occur in the area under a thin cover (10 m to15 m) of soil and or alluvium. Coal bearing Barakar Formations consist mainly of sandstone of varying grain size, intercalation of shale and sandstone, grey and carbonaceous-shale and coal seams.

The influence of topographic effects in optical satellite imagery is not investigated very extensively in the Himalayan terrain. The topographic variability causes a problem of differential illumination due to steep and varying slopes in rugged Himalayan terrain. Therefore, topographic corrections are essential for qualitative and quantitative analysis of snow cover applications. The present paper discusses the implementation of different topographic correction models on AWiFS sensor onboard IRS P6 satellite images and the qualitative and quantitative comparative analysis in detail. Both the Lambertian and non-Lambertian assumptions have been considered in the present analysis with the aim to explore best suitable empirical model for rugged terrain. The main topographic methods implemented are: • C-correction • Minneart corrections • Civco’s modified version of cosine correction • two-stage normalization and • slope matching technique.

In this study, we have attempted to enhance the utility of soil–plant–atmosphere–water (SPAW) model that has been used successfully by various workers in different countries for soil moisture prediction under different cropping conditions. One of the major climatic inputs for SPAW model is pan evaporation, which in many places is not readily available. To address the above, and to get the benefit of this model in regions characterized by limited weather data availability, this study was undertaken using computed ET0 from air temperature by the 1985 Hargreaves equation, as one of the inputs in place of pan evaporation. For the purpose, actual air temperature collected from experimental farm area, as well as forecast air temperature collected from National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Government of India, were used. First, the SPAW model was calibrated and its performance was evaluated under wheat, taking layerwise and profile soil moisture as the variables for comparison between the predict...

In this paper, we report observations of unusual whistlers recorded at Jammu (geomag. lat. = 22°26′N; L = 1.17), India on March 8, 1999 during the daytime. They are interpreted as one-hop ducted whistlers having propagated along higher L-values in closely spaced narrow ducts from the opposite hemispheres. After leakage from the duct, the waves might have propagated in the earth-ionosphere waveguide towards the equator in surface mode. Tentative explanation of the dynamic spectra of these events is briefly presented.

In sorghum and mungbean – lentil cropping system, field experiments were conducted for three successive years to assess the effect of mung bean residue incorporation on sorghum and succeeding lentil productivity along with different doses of phosphorus (P; 0, 30, 60 kg ha− 1) applied to these crops. The level of soil fertility was also tested with or without incorporation of mung bean residue. The interaction of phosphorus to mungbean residue incorporation was thus studied in relation to improve crop productivity with balancing fertilizer requirements through an eco-friendly approach. Sorghum grain yield increased significantly when 60 kg P2O5 ha− 1 was applied and mungbean residue incorporated. The response was reduced to 30 kg P2O5 ha− 1 when mungbean residue was not incorporated. The succeeding lentil crop responded up to 60 kg P2O5 ha− 1 only when preceding sorghum crop received 0 or 30 kg P2O5 ha− 1. Response to applied P2O5 to lentil reduced to 30 kg ha− 1 when preceding sorghum crop receiv...

An analytical solution for two-dimensional water table variation in an aquifer basin with inclined impermeable base has been proposed incorporating the effect of depth-dependent evapotranspiration (ET) from land surface. The proposed analytical solution has been obtained by devising a sound mathematical transformation, which transforms a complex partial differential equation into the simplest form. The results obtained from the proposed solution are in good agreement with the already existing mathematical solutions. The results of the proposed solution have been illustrated to study the variation of water table in the 2-D aquifer. Since the water table profiles are obtained lower by consideration of ET, the solution will result in wider drain spacing and, thus, economy in the drainage design. The proposed analytical solution can be used as an important tool for reliable prediction of water table variation in the salinity affected croplands of arid and semi-arid regions where the ET rate is very high.

Experiments on Ge15Tc85-xSix glasses (2