Interview with Beena D B

Beena D B works as a Resource Person at the School of Arts and Sciences, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. In this interview, she shares her experiences and insights on a life in science

Ant Colony Optimization for Efficient Resource Allocation in Cloud Computing

Resource scheduling and energy consumption is an important issue of Cloud Computing. The intention of optimization for scheduling resources is an important issue to be considered in scheduling of different resources among heterogeneous users. The resources are placed in a distributed location in cloud and the major task is to distribute the resources effectively such that the processing time and energy is reduced. In this paper, Ant Colony optimization technique is proposed to optimize the resources in an efficient manner. ACO is used to choose one among the different alternative paths to determine the processing order of each resource. The search space is reduced to provide a better solution. Travelling Salesman Problem(TSP) is the application that is used here to find the shortest path to the destination. This reduces the delay in allocating resources to the user by providing a global search technique. The energy conservation which is the main objective of Green Computing, can also be achieved using this technique

Effects of Carbohydrates on in vitro axillary shoot initiation and multiplication of Bambusa pallida Munro.

The purpose of the current study was to optimize the carbohydrate sources and sucrose concentrations for mass clonal propagation of B. pallida. Sucrose in MS liquid medium consisting additives (ascorbic acid, 50mg/l + citric acid, 25 mg/l + cysteine, 25 mg/l) was found to be the best carbohydrate source for shoot induction and shoot multiplication.  NAA 0.25mg/l in combination with TDZ 0.25mg/l in the medium exhibited high frequency shoot induction and NAA 0.25mg/l with BAP 1.0mg/l helped for further multiplication of quality shoots.  IBA pulse treated shoots were rooted in the MS half strength agar gelled medium fortified with sucrose (2%) and glucose (1%). Rooted plantlets were well established in the green house with more than 95% survivability within four weeks period.&nbsp

Defect-Free Carbon Nanotube Coils

Carbon nanotubes are promising building blocks for various nanoelectronic components. A highly desirable geometry for such applications is a coil. However, coiled nanotube structures reported so far were inherently defective or had no free ends accessible for contacting. Here we demonstrate the spontaneous self-coiling of single-wall carbon nanotubes into defect-free coils of up to more than 70 turns with identical diameter and chirality, and free ends. We characterize the structure, formation mechanism, and electrical properties of these coils by different microscopies, molecular dynamics simulations, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical and magnetic measurements. The coils are highly conductive, as expected for defect-free carbon nanotubes, but adjacent nanotube segments in the coil are more highly coupled than in regular bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes, owing to their perfect crystal momentum matching, which enables tunneling between the turns. Although this behavior does not yet enable the performance of these nanotube coils as inductive devices, it does point a clear path for their realization. Hence, this study represents a major step toward the production of many different nanotube coil devices, including inductors, electromagnets, transformers, and dynamos

Overview of marine fisheries in India during 2007

Fisheries sector in India plays an important role in the country’s economy and it supports the livelihood of millions of people. India is having 8,129 km of coastal length with 2.02 million sq. km of Exclusive Economic Zone (upto 200 m depth) and 0.452 million sq. km of continental shelf area

Inhaled ozone (O3)-induces changes in serum metabolomic and liver transcriptomic profiles in rats

Air pollution has been linked to increased incidence of diabetes. Recently, we showed that ozone (O3) induces glucose intolerance, and increases serum leptin and epinephrine in Brown Norway rats. In this study, we hypothesized that O3 exposure will cause systemic changes in metabolic homeostasis and that serum metabolomic and liver transcriptomic profiling will provide mechanistic insights. In the first experiment, male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were exposed to filtered air (FA) or O3 at 0.25, 0.50, or 1.0 ppm, 6 h/day for two days to establish concentration-related effects on glucose tolerance and lung injury. In a second experiment, rats were exposed to FA or 1.0 ppm O3, 6 h/day for either one or two consecutive days, and systemic metabolic responses were determined immediately after or 18 h post-exposure. O3 increased serum glucose and leptin on day 1. Glucose intolerance persisted through two days of exposure but reversed 18 h-post second exposure. O3 increased circulating metabolites of glycolysis, long-chain free fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids and cholesterol, while 1,5-anhydroglucitol, bile acids and metabolites of TCA cycle were decreased, indicating impaired glycemic control, proteolysis and lipolysis. Liver gene expression increased for markers of glycolysis, TCA cycle and gluconeogenesis, and decreased for markers of steroid and fat biosynthesis. Genes involved in apoptosis and mitochondrial function were also impacted by O3. In conclusion, short-term O3 exposure induces global metabolic derangement involving glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, typical of a stress–response. It remains to be examined if these alterations contribute to insulin resistance upon chronic exposure

Direct imaging of the coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface

LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 are insulating, nonmagnetic oxides, yet the interface between them exhibits a two-dimensional electron system with high electron mobility,1 superconductivity at low temperatures,2-6 and electric-field-tuned metal-insulator and superconductorinsulator phase transitions.3,6-8 Bulk magnetization and magnetoresistance measurements also suggest some form of magnetism depending on preparation conditions5,9-11 and suggest a tendency towards nanoscale electronic phase separation.10 Here we use local imaging of the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility to directly observe a landscape of ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, and superconductivity. We find submicron patches of ferromagnetism in a uniform background of paramagnetism, with a nonuniform, weak diamagnetic superconducting susceptibility at low temperature. These results demonstrate the existence of nanoscale phase separation as suggested by theoretical predictions based on nearly degenerate interface sub-bands associated with the Ti orbitals.12,13 The magnitude and temperature dependence of the paramagnetic response suggests that the vast majority of the electrons at the interface are localized, and do not contribute to transport measurements.3,6,7 In addition to the implications for magnetism, the existence of a 2D superconductor at an interface with highly broken inversion symmetry and a ferromagnetic landscape in the background suggests the potential for exotic superconducting phenomena.Comment: Edited version to appear in Nature Physic

Reactions to symptoms of mental disorder and help seeking in Sabah, Malaysia.

Abstract Background: A better understanding is needed about how people make decisions about help seeking. Materials: Focus group and individual interviews with patients, carers, healthcare staff, religious authorities, traditional healers and community members. Discussion: Four stages of help seeking were identified: (1) noticing symptoms and initial labelling, (2) collective decision-making, (3) spiritual diagnoses and treatment and (4) psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion: Spiritual diagnoses have the advantage of being less stigmatising, giving meaning to symptoms, and were seen to offer hope of cure rather than just symptom control. Patients and carers need help to integrate different explanatory models into a meaningful whole.N/

Structural Characterization of Minor Ampullate Spidroin Domains and Their Distinct Roles in Fibroin Solubility and Fiber Formation

10.1371/journal.pone.0056142PLoS ONE82