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A systematic investigation of isospin dependence of nuclear level density (NLD) is performed for the Zn isotopes. Experimental level densities of 67Zn and 61Zn have been determined by analyzing the spectra of evaporated neutrons emitted from the excited 68Zn and 62Zn nuclei populated via 4He + 64Ni and 4He + 58Ni reactions, respectively. At the low excitation energies, the neutron spectra are predominantly contributed by the first-chance decay, leading to 67Zn and 61Zn as daughters for the two cases. A comparison of the present experimental data along with previously measured NLDs of 66Zn, 64Zn, and 60Zn is performed with state-of-the-art microscopic calculations. While the experimental NLDs of stable isotopes (i.e., 67Zn, 66Zn, and 64Zn) align excellently with theoretical predictions, a compelling contrast emerges for the unstable isotopes 61Zn and 60Zn, exhibiting NLDs an order of magnitude lower than predicted. The possible origins of the observed suppression of NLDs for the N ≈ Z isotopes are discussed. A significant reduction of level density for nuclei situated away from the stability line could have critical implications for the calculation of astrophysical reaction rates pertinent to heavy-element nucleosynthesis.

Background. Sickle cell thalassemia is a heterozygous state of HbS/β+ or HbS/β0 manifested clinically either as an asymptomatic carrier or have features akin to sickle cell anemia. Objective. The aim of the study is to review the literature and discuss the varied clinical manifestations and diagnosis of a case report of haemoglobinopathy in an adult from Central India. Methods. A case of haemoglobinopathy from central part of India is being investigated. Results. A case of haemoglobinopathy in an adult presenting to a tertiary hospital with chronic back ache was reported. The patient was found to have massive splenomegaly with evidence of splenic infarction. Gross examination of spleen revealed multiple soft yellowish pasty areas, which on microscopic examination showed significant necrosis with presence of great amount pale amorphous yellow substance, Gamna-Gandy bodies (GGBs) and massive foreign body cell reaction in splenic parenchyma. Post-splenectomy peripheral blood smear (PBS) showed thrombocytosis and plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. The Hb electrophoresis revealed both elevation of Hb S (49.7%), Hb F (46.7%); Hb A2 (3.0%) and (Hb A 0.7%) consistent with as Sickle Cell Thalassemia Hb S/β+ Thalassemia. Conclusion. Sickle cell thalassemia with long standing huge splenomegaly, splenic infarction with GGBs deposition and concomitant falciparum malaria in clinically stable patient is rare indeed.

Objective: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) happens when microbes, infections, organisms, and parasites change over the long run, becoming resistant to any drug, as well as making contaminations harder to treat and expanding the danger of the disease spreading, severity, and death. Because of medication obstruction and anti-infection agents, antimicrobial drugs become ineffectual, and diseases become progressively troublesome or difficult to treat. AMR keeps on representing a public health concern because of high mortality rate and expensive treatments. Food assumes a significant part in the transmission of commensal microorganisms yet in addition, food-borne microbes include zoonotic organic entities. The aim of this meta-analysis review is to report the predominance of antimicrobial resistance in food from animals and a few vegetables from India and to compare the data with countries like Switzerland and Taiwan. Material and Methods: To evaluate AMR pervasiveness in retail food a literature review survey of information distributed in the range of 2013 to 2020 was done. The research articles were identified through Google scholar, PubMed, and ResearchGate. The Keywords AMR, INDIA, food source like seafood, goat meat, chicken meat, pork, raw eggs, milk, and vegetables were used for the search. Results: Out of the 63 eligible studies, 10 articles (all articles from India) were included in this review. A total of 2,126 AMR tests were collected for various bacteria found in various food products. Nine distinct bacteria and resistance to about 13 different antimicrobial agents/drugs were identified. The sample sources, bacterial species, and their proportion are displayed in Tables 1. In these 9 distinct microorganisms, 1800 microorganism isolates of which 611 samples and 698 isolates were AMR positive. A middle AMR commonness of >50% was noticed for meat and fish with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococci, Salmonella, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Streptococci, Vibrio spp, and Shigella. Conclusions: AMR potential for Gram-negative foodborne bacteria was found in raw meat, milk, fish, and certain matured dairy products. To enable an expanded AMR hazard appraisal for customers, AMR genetics attributes are suggested to be better coordinated into regulated One Health AMR observation and alleviation systems.

Background. Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency presenting in emergency department, and appendectomy is one of the most common surgeries. There is a wide variation in the incidence of acute appendicitis reported for different countries, different regions, race, sex, age and also seasons. Objective. The aim of this study was to understand the epidemiological trend and the seasonal variation of appendicitis in the northeast region of India. Methods. It was a retrospective hospital-based study conducted in Jan 2016 – Dec 2020 at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in the northeast region of India. The patient data were obtained from the Medical Record Department of the hospital and the data regarding the weather was obtained from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the website www.worldweather.com. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 24.0, and the seasonal variation was studied using Kruskal Wallis test. Results. Acute appendicitis affected both the sexes equally with a marginal higher incidence in males. It also had higher peak during the second and third decade of life in both the sexes. The incidence of acute appendicitis was high in the pre-monsoon and monsoon season with peak in the monsoon season. Conclusions. Acute appendicitis is more common during the pre-monsoon and monsoon season, a period known for humidity, high incidence of bacterial and viral infections.

Background. Cystic hygroma (CH), occurs in 1/6000 live births and in 90% of cases develops in age less than 2 years old. They are mainly located in cervicofacial region. Adult-onset CH is very rare. Objective. The aim of this study is to review literature to discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of CH in adults through a case report of unilocular CH in the axillary region in an adult male from India. Methods. A first case report of unilocular CH in axillary region in an adult male from India is being investigated. Results. Here we report a case of unilocular CH in the axillary region in a 49-year-old male with a 14x16x8 cm cystic swelling in left axilla with a history of aspiration failure. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CEMRI) showed well-defined thin walled, unilocular cystic lesion which appeared hyperintense on T2 & STIR and hypointense on T1W1 and showed thin peripheral rim of enhancement on post contrast images. The patient underwent surgical excision and the diagnosis of a pathological CH was established. His postoperative recovery was uneventful and had no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion. Due to rarity of adult-onset unilocular CH in axilla, its evaluation for prompt diagnosis and definitive treatment to prevent recurrence and complications is urgent. Furthermore, this is the first reported case from India which has been successfully managed at a peripheral hospital in Northeast-India and our report of this case contributes to the evidences supporting the role of CH in a differential diagnosis for masses in the adult axilla, especially in acute phase with no predisposing factors.

Nuclear level density and the level density parameter of 115,119,127Te isotopes are experimentally determined by analyzing the backward angle neutron energy spectra from 4He+112,116,124Sn reactions. Measurements are done in the compound nuclear excitation energy range of 25-42 MeV. Statistical model analysis is performed to test different phenomenological prescriptions of the level density parameter. Our data efficiently scan the explicit dependences of level density on three key factors: nuclear deformation, neutron-proton asymmetry, and the separation from the most stable isobar. It is observed that the experimental data are best described when deviation in atomic number from the corresponding β-stable isobar is explicitly taken into account. Further, nuclear level densities determined from the measured spectra show a reduction for 115,127Te in comparison to that of 119Te, which lies closer to the β-stability line.

Abstract Background Primitive neuroectodermal tumor commonly occurs in bones and is equivalent to Ewing’s sarcoma. Very few cases have been reported in the literature and they had a very different presentation and very aggressive behavior. Case presentation We present a case of a young 23-year-old male who presented with complaints of pain in left lumbar region of abdomen since 8 months and hematuria off and on. CT scan of the abdomen was done which revealed a large heterogeneously enhancing mass lesion in the left lumbar region arising from the superior and mid-pole of left kidney showing multiple non-enhancing necrotic areas. A diagnosis of left renal cell carcinoma was kept. Through the transperitoneal approach, the left kidney was approached and a left radical nephrectomy was done. The histopathology report revealed the tumor cells to be positive for CD99 and focally positive for Vimentin and negative for cytokeratin thereby making a diagnosis of primary neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Conclusions Renal PNET is a rare renal malignancy that should be kept in the differential diagnosis of a renal SOL especially when it is a presenting feature in adolescent and young adult. It has a very aggressive course and multimodal therapy has to be considered in its treatment

XIX ғасырдын ортасына дейін өз бетінше сыртқы саяси ықпалдан тыс, оқшау өмір сүрген Ао Нагалары ғасырлар бойы бас алу тәжірибесін жүзеге асырып келді. Көп жағдайда, оны мән-мағынасыз, кездейсоқ “біреудің басын кесіп алу” немесе көлденең келгенді бір себеппен, ия себепсіз оңды-солды шаба беру деп түсінеді. Алайда, бұл тәжірибе – Нагалалардың уақыт тезінен өтіп, өз даму жолымен белгілі бір дәрежеде шыңдалған, соғыс тактикасындағы өзіндік бір дәстүр-салтқа айналған қорғаныс пен шабуыл тәсілі болды. Ауыл тұрғындарының қауіпсіздігі бүтіндей тек тайпа еректерінің әскери дайындығына тәуелді еді. Басқаша айтқанда, монархиялық құрылымдағы шағын, саяси қоғамдық бірлікті құраған Нага халықтары үшін бас алу тәжірбиесі – олардың айналасындағы өздері секілді басқа да бәсекелес тайпарлардан қорғанып қана қоймай, сол тартыста тәуелсіз өмір сүруге ұмтылудан туындаған қажеттілік пен өмір үшін күрес механизмі деп те анықтауға болады. Алайда, қазіргі кезде бұл тәжірибе толық дерліктей христиан дініне бет бұрған жаңа Нагалардың бүгінгі ұрпақтары үшін өткен тарихтың нышаны ғана боп қалды. Түйін сөздер: Бас алу салты, Ао Нагалары, Арен, Ариджу, тайпалық дәстүрлі қоғам.

Until the mid of the 19th century, the Ao tribes had lived isolated from foreign political influence and practiced “headhunting” for thousands of years. In most cases, this horrendous practice was understood as a senseless and accidental “cutting off someone’s head” for some reason or even for no reason. Nevertheless, the “headhunting” practice was a method of defense and attack, which had constituted a tradition in Ao Naga military tactics. The safety of the villagers depended entirely on the level of military training of the tribe’s male population. In other words, for the Naga tribes, who represented sociopolitical units in a monarchical structure, the practice of “headhunting” meant not only self-defense from the hostile tribes, but also as a mechanism for survival. However, the practice has become only a symbol of the past Naga history for the modern generations today that entirely have converted to Christianity.

Precise estimation of the rare direct 3α decay of the Hoyle state of 12C has been made to unveil its unusual α-cluster configurations ranging from linear 3α chain structure to diffuse Bose gas as well as Bose Einstein condensate. The present new high precision, nearly zero background experimental study with 1.6×105 Hoyle events has converged on the upper limit for direct decay at ∼0.019% with 95% confidence limit, which is more than a factor of 2 lower than the limit obtained in the previous studies. Keywords: 3α cluster state, 12C(α, α)3α reaction, Complete kinematics reaction, The Hoyle state decay, Direct versus sequential decay, Inelastic scattering

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused significant morbidity and mortality and new cases are on the rise globally, yet malaria-endemic areas report statistically significant lower incidences. We identified potential shared targets for an immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by immune determinants' shared identities with P. falciparum using the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource Immune 9.0 browser tool. Probable cross-reactivity is suggested through HLA-A∗02:01 and subsequent CD8+ T-cell activation. The apparent immunodominant epitope conservation between SARS-CoV-2 (N and open reading frame (ORF) 1ab) and P. falciparum thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) may underlie the low COVID-19 incidence in the malaria-endemic zone by providing immunity against virus infection to those previously infected with Plasmodium. Additionally, we hypothesize that the shared epitopes which lie within antigens that aid in the establishment of the P. falciparum erythrocyte invasion may be an alternative route for SARS-CoV-2 via the erythrocyte CD147 receptor, although this remains to be proven.

The High-spin states in 195Tl, populated through the 185,187Re(13C, xn) fusion evaporation reaction at the beam energy of 75 MeV, were studied using the Indian National Gamma Array (INGA). More than 50 new γ transitions have been placed in the proposed level scheme which is extended up to the excitation energy of ≈ 5.6 MeV and spin=22.5ħ. Two pairs of degenerate bands based on two different quasi-particle configurations have been identified in this nucleus indicating the first observation of such bands in an odd-A nucleus in A∼190 region and signify the first evidence of multiple chiral bands in a nucleus in this region. The total Routhian surface calculations predict triaxial shapes for both the configurations and thereby, support the experimental observation. The importance of multiple neutron holes in the i13/2 orbital and the stability of shapes for these two configurations have been discussed. Keywords: Nuclear Structure, γ-ray spectroscopy, Doubly degenerate bands, TRS calculation

The phenomenon of collective enhancement in nuclear level density and its fadeout has been probed using neutron evaporation study of two strongly deformed (173Lu, 185Re), and one spherical (201Tl) compound nuclei over the excitation energy (E⁎) range of ∼22–56 MeV. Clear signature of the fadeout of collective enhancement in nuclear level density was observed for the first time in both the deformed evaporation residues 172Lu and 184Re at an excitation energy range ∼14–21 MeV. Calculations based on finite temperature density functional theory, as well as macroscopic–microscopic shape transition model, have strongly established a close correlation between the observed fadeout of collective enhancement and a deformed to spherical nuclear shape transition in these nuclei occurring in the same excitation energy zone. Interestingly, a weak signature of fadeout has also been observed for the spherical residue 200Tl. This is due to a similar shape transition of the deformed excited state configuration of 200Tl.

Vaccine was prepared by using the isolate, exposed to 430 C for 12 days. The vaccination was performed in two thousand four hundred breeder flocks (Banoraja) in 3 different flocks @106.5 EID50 per bird oronasally at the age of day 5 (primary vaccination) followed by vaccination through drinking water on day 26 (boostering) in farm condition and thereafter every 45 days interval. The vaccine was also inoculated intranasally @106.5 EID50 in Two thousand backyard birds (Haringhata Black and non-descriptive) and were boostered after 21 days of 1st vaccination with the same dose and subsequent vaccination was performed at every 45 days interval. Serum samples were collected for HI titre at regular intervals and it was observed that the mean antibody both in backyard birds and breeder flocks was above 1.50 ± 00. Therefore, it was concluded that the thermostable live attenuated lentogenic strain Newcastle Disease vaccine after inoculation into backyard birds and breeder flocks, provides satisfactory level of immunity.

In the present work, one batch of prealloyed 6061Al powder was processed by mixing and another one was ball milled with varying amount of lead content (0-15 vol. %). These powders were compacted at 300MPa and sintered at 590˚C under N2. The instrumented hardness and the young’s modulus of as-sintered 6061Al-Pb alloys were examined as a function of lead content and processing route. The wear test under dry sliding condition has been performed at varying loads (10-40 N) using pin-on-disc tribometer. The microstructure and worn surfaces have been investigated using SEM to evaluate the change in topographical features due to mechanical alloying and lead content. The mechanically alloyed materials showed improved wear characteristics as compared to as-mixed counterpart alloys. Delamination of 6061Al-Pb alloys decreases up to an optimum lead composition in both as-mixed and ball-milled 6061Al-Pb alloys. The results indicated minimum wear rate for as-mixed and ball-milled 6061Al alloy at 5 and 10 vol. % Pb, respectively.

ABSTRACT As a consequence of a growing population of immunocompromised individuals, including transplant recipients and cystic fibrosis patients, there has been a dramatic increase in chronic infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) strains that are usually recalcitrant to effective antibiotic therapy. The recent rise of macrolide resistance in MABC has further complicated this clinical dilemma, dramatizing the need for novel agents. The repurposing of current antibiotics is one rapid path from discovery to patient care. In this study, we have discovered that dual β-lactams, and specifically the combination of ceftazidime with either ceftaroline or imipenem, are synergistic and have clinically relevant activities, with MIC50s of 0.25 (ceftaroline with 100 µg/ml ceftazidime) and 0.5 µg/ml (imipenem with 100 µg/ml ceftazidime) against clinical MABC isolates. Similar synergy was observed in time-kill studies against the M. abscessus ATCC 19977 strain using clinically achievable concentrations of either imipenem (4 µg/ml) or ceftaroline (2 µg/ml), as the addition of ceftazidime at concentrations of ≥50 µg/ml showed a persistent bactericidal effect over 5 days. Treatment of THP-1 human macrophages infected with three different M. abscessus clinical isolates supported the in vitro findings, as the combination of 100 µg/ml ceftazidime and 0.125 µg/ml ceftaroline or 100 µg/ml ceftazidime and 0.25 µg/ml imipenem dramatically reduced the CFU counts to near baseline levels of infection. This study’s finding that there is synergy between certain β-lactam combinations against M. abscessus infection provides optimism toward identifying an optimum dual β-lactam treatment regimen. IMPORTANCE The emergence of chronic MABC infections among immunocompromised populations and their inherent and acquired resistance to effective antibiotic therapy have created clinical challenges in advancing patients for transplant surgery and treating those with disease. There is an urgent need for new treatment regimens, and the repurposing of existing antibiotics provides a rapid strategy to advance a laboratory finding to patient care. Our recent discoveries that dual β-lactams, specifically the combination of ceftazidime with ceftaroline or ceftazidime with imipenem, have significant in vitro MIC values and kill curve activities and are effective against infected THP-1 human macrophages provide optimism for a dual β-lactam treatment strategy against MABC infections. The unexpected synergistic activities reported in this study create a new path of discovery to repurpose the large family of β-lactam drugs.

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug resistant yeast that causes nosocomial fungaemia and deep-seated infections. Notably, the emergence of this yeast is alarming as it exhibits resistance to azoles, amphotericin B and caspofungin, which may lead to clinical failure in patients. The multigene phylogeny and amplified fragment length polymorphism typing methods report the C. auris population as clonal. Here, using whole genome sequencing analysis, we decipher for the first time that C. auris strains from four Indian hospitals were highly related, suggesting clonal transmission. Further, all C. auris isolates originated from cases of fungaemia and were resistant to fluconazole (MIC >64 mg/L).

An InAs/GaSb tunnel diode structure was heterogeneously integrated on silicon by solid source molecular beam epitaxy using a 200 nm strained GaAs1-ySby dislocation filtering buffer. X-ray analysis demonstrated near complete strain relaxation of the metamorphic buffer and a quasi-lattice-matched InAs/GaSb heterostructure, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed sharp, atomically abrupt heterointerfaces between the GaSb and InAs epilayers. In-plane magnetotransport analysis revealed Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, indicating the presence of a dominant high mobility carrier, thereby testifying to the quality of the heterostructure and interfaces. Temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics of fabricated InAs/GaSb tunnel diodes demonstrated Shockley-Read-Hall generation-recombination at low bias and band-to-band tunneling transport at high bias. The extracted conductance slope from the fabricated tunnel diodes increased with increasing temperature due to thermal emission (Ea ∼ 0.48 eV) and trap-assisted tunneling. Thus, this work illustrates the significance of defect control in the heterointegration of metamorphic InAs/GaSb tunnel diode heterostructures on silicon when using GaAs1-ySby dislocation filtering buffers.

Flood forecasting in the downstream part of any hydrological basin is extremely difficult due to the lack of basin-wide hydrological information in near real-time and the absence of a data-sharing treaty among the transboundary nations. The accuracy of forecasts emerging from a hydrological model could be compromised without prior knowledge of the day-to-day flow regulation at different locations upstream of the Niger and Benue rivers. Only satellite altimeter monitoring allows us to identify the actual river levels upstream that reflect the human intervention at that location. This is critical for making accurate downstream forecasts. This present study aims to demonstrate the capability of altimeter-based flood forecasting along the Niger-Benue River in Nigeria. The study includes the comparison of decadal (at every 10 days from Jason-2) or monthly (at every 35 days from Envisat/AltiKa) observations from 2002 to 2014, with historical in situ measurements from 1990 to 2012. The water level obtained from these sources shows a good correlation (0.7–0.9). After validation of hydrological parameters obtained from two sources, a quantitative relation (rating curve) of upstream water level and downstream discharge is derived. This relation is then adopted for calculation of discharge at observation points, which is used to propagate the flow downstream at a desired location using a hydraulic river model. Results from this study from Jason-2 shows a promising correlation (R2 ≥ 90% with a Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of more than 0.70) with 5~days ahead of downstream flow prediction over the Benue stream.

In this paper, Operational Trans-Resistance Amplifier (OTRA) based wave active filter structures are presented. They are flexible and modular, making them suitable to implement higher order filters. The circuits implement the resistors using matched transistors, operating in linear region, making them well suited for IC fabrication. They are insensitive to parasitic input capacitances and input resistances due to the internally grounded input terminals of OTRA. As an application, a doubly terminated third order Butterworth low pass filter has been implemented, by substituting OTRA based wave equivalents of passive elements. PSPICE simulations are given to verify the theoretical analysis.

Response of low latitude ionosphere to the geomagnetic storm of 15 May 2005 has been studied using total electron content (TEC) data, obtained from three GPS stations namely, Yibal, Udaipur and Kunming situated near the northern crest of equatorial ionization anomaly at different longitudes. Solar wind parameters, north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF Bz) and AE index data have been used to infer the strength of the geomagnetic storm. A large value of eastward interplanetary electric field at 06:15 UT, during the time of maximum southward IMF Bz has been used to infer the transmission of an eastward prompt penetration electric field (PPEF) which resulted in a peak in TEC at 07:45 UT due to the local uplift of plasma in the low latitudes near the anomaly crest over a wide range of longitudes. Wave-like modulations superposed over the second enhancement in TEC between 09:15 UT to 10:30 UT have been observed at all the three stations. The second enhancement in TEC along with the modulations of up to 5 TECU have been attributed to the combined effect of super plasma fountain and traveling atmospheric disturbances (TAD). Observed large enhancements in TEC are a cause of concern for satellite based navigation and ground positioning. Increased [O/N2] ratio between 09:15 UT to 10:15 UT when modulations in TEC have been also observed, confirms the presence of TADs over a wide range of longitudes.

This paper proposes a new floating gate MOSFET (FGMOS) based voltage-controlled grounded resistor. In the proposed circuit FGMOS operating in the ohmic region is linearized by another conventional MOSFET operating in the saturation region. The major advantages of FGMOS based voltage-controlled grounded resistor (FGVCGR) are simplicity, low total harmonic distortion (THD), and low power consumption. A simple application of this FGVCGR as a tunable high-pass filter is also suggested. The proposed circuits operate at the supply voltages of +/-0.75 V. The circuits are designed and simulated using SPICE in 0.25-µm CMOS technology. The simulation results of FGVCGR demonstrate a THD of 0.28% for the input signal 0.32 Vpp at 45 kHz, and a maximum power consumption of 254 µW.

Results pertaining to the response of the equatorial and low latitude ionosphere to a major geomagnetic storm that occurred on 15 May 2005 are presented. These results are also the first from the Indian zone in terms of (i) GPS derived total electron content (TEC) variations following the storm (ii) Local low latitude electrodynamics response to penetration of high latitude convection electric field (iii) effect of storm induced traveling atmospheric disturbances (TAD's) on GPS-TEC in equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) zone. Data set comprising of ionospheric TEC obtained from GPS measurements, ionograms from an EIA zone station, New Delhi (Geog. Lat. 28.42° N, Geog. Long. 77.21° E), ground based magnetometers in equatorial and low latitude stations and solar wind data obtained from Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) has been used in the present study. GPS receivers located at Udaipur (Geog. Lat. 24.73° N, Geog. Long. 73.73° E) and Hyderabad (Geog. Lat. 17.33° N, Geog. Long. 78.47° E) have been used for wider spatial coverage in the Indian zone. Storm induced features in vertical TEC (VTEC) have been obtained comparing them with the mean VTEC of quiet days. Variations in solar wind parameters, as obtained from ACE and in the SYM-H index, indicate that the storm commenced on 15 May 2005 at 02:39 UT. The main phase of the storm commenced at 06:00 UT on 15 May with a sudden southward turning of the Z-component of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF-Bz) and subsequent decrease in SYM-H index. The dawn-to-dusk convection electric field of high latitude origin penetrated to low and equatorial latitudes simultaneously as corroborated by the magnetometer data from the Indian zone. Subsequent northward turning of the IMF-Bz, and the penetration of the dusk-to-dawn electric field over the dip equator is also discernible. Response of the low latitude ionosphere to this storm may be characterized in terms of (i) enhanced background level of VTEC as compared to the mean VTEC, (ii) peaks in VTEC and foF2 within two hours of prompt penetration of electric field and (iii) wave-like modulations in VTEC and sudden enhancement in hmF2 within 4–5 h in to the storm. These features have been explained in terms of the modified fountain effect, local low latitude electrodynamic response to penetration electric field and the TIDs, respectively. The study reveals a strong positive ionospheric storm in the Indian zone on 15 May 2005. Consequences of such major ionospheric storms on the systems that use satellite based navigation solutions in low latitude, are also discussed.

A GSV 4004A GPS receiver has been operational near the crest of the equatorial anomaly at Udaipur, India for some time now. The receiver provides the line-of-sight total electron content (TEC), the phase and amplitude scintillation index, σφ and S4, respectively. This paper presents the first results on the nighttime TEC depletions associated with the equatorial spread F in the Indian zone. The TEC depletions are found to be very well correlated with the increased S4 index. A new feature of low-latitude TEC is also reported, concerning the observation of isolated and localized TEC enhancements in the nighttime low-latitude ionosphere. The TEC enhancements are not correlated with the S4 index. The TEC enhancements have also been observed along with the TEC depletions. The TEC enhancements have been interpreted as the manifestation of the plasma density enhancements reported by Le et al. (2003). Keywords. Ionosphere (Equatorial ionosphere; Ionospheric irregularities)

Ionospheric drifts measured at a low latitude station, Udaipur (Geomag. Lat. 14.5° N), in the night-time F-region and daytime E-region during solar flares have been studied. The night-time observations, which correspond to the F-region drifts, were carried out on five different nights. The daytime observation corresponding to the E-region drifts is only for one day. It is found that the apparent drift during the solar flare period is reduced considerably, in the daytime E-region as well as in the night-time F-region. The East-West and North-South components of the apparent drift speed are also similarly affected. For the daytime E-region drifts during a flare, increased ionization and subsequent reduction of reflection height is proposed to be the cause of reduced drift speeds. For the night-time F-region drifts, a reduced electric field at the F-region heights resulting from coupling of sunlit and dark hemispheres has been proposed to be the possible cause.Key words. Ionosphere (electric fields and currents; ionospheric disturbances)

The human face at rest displays distinguishable asymmetries with some lateralization of emotion or expression. The asymmetrical nature of the resting face was examined by preparing hemifacial composites, left–left, right–right, along with normal facial orientation. The left side and right side composites were constructed by using the lateral half of one side of the face and its mirror-reversal. The left side facial composites were found to be more emotional than the right side or normal facial orientations of neutral expressions.