Ultrasensitive interplay between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in NbGd composite thin films

A model binary hybrid system composed of a randomly distributed rare-earth ferromagnetic (Gd) part embedded in an s-wave superconducting (Nb) matrix is being manufactured to study the interplay between competing superconducting and ferromagnetic order parameters. The normal metallic to superconducting phase transition appears to be very sensitive to the magnetic counterpart and the modulation of the superconducing properties follow closely to the Abrikosov-Gorkov (AG) theory of magnetic impurity induced pair breaking mechanism. A critical concentration of Gd is obtained for the studied NbGd based composite films (CFs) above which superconductivity disappears. Besides, a magnetic ordering resembling the paramagnetic Meissner effect (PME) appears in DC magnetization measurements at temperatures close to the superconducting transition temperature. The positive magnetization related to the PME emerges upon doping Nb with Gd. The temperature dependent resistance measurements evolve in a similar fashion with the concentration of Gd as that with an external magnetic field and in both the cases, the transition curves accompany several intermediate features indicating the traces of magnetism originated either from Gd or from the external field. Finally, the signatures of magnetism appear evidently in the magnetization and transport measurements for the CFs with very low (less than 1 at. %) doping of Gd

A novel multiplex PCR system for the detection of virulence associated genes of E. coli O157:H7 from food system

In view of the importance E. coli serotype 0157:H7 in human diseases, an easy and quick system is desirable to detect toxin producing strains. In this report, we describe standardization of a novel multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) assay for simultaneous detection of four important genes associated with the organism E. coli 0157:H7 viz., stx 1, stx 2, eae A, hly A along with an internal amplification control (IAC). The mPCR method developed in the present study is sensitive enough to detect cells as low as 103 CFU ml-1 or g-1 of the food samples. The E. coli 0157:H7 strains having been identified to contain the gene in the mPCR were unequivocally detected positive for the serological and conventional culture method.  As E. coli 0157:H7 is qualified as biowarfare agent; this mPCR system is of immense help in detecting them during emergencies of biological war and suspected outbreaks.&nbsp

Effect of methionine type and levels on performance of broiler chicken

The experiment was conducted at Hybrid Farms, Kaukau, Kaduna State on one hundred and ninety eight 7-day old broiler chicks to determine the effect of methionine type and levels on performance of broiler starter chickens. The DL-Methionine and L-Methionine were supplemented at 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25% levels of inclusion respectively. The birds were divided into six treatments and replicated three times with eleven birds per replicate in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement using a completely randomized design (CRD). Feed and water were given ad libitum. Data collected were analysed using GLM procedure of SAS. Differences between means were compared for significance (P˂0.05) using Duncan Multiple Range Test. Methionine type, inclusion levels and interaction had significant (P˂0.05) effects on the growth performance. Birds fed dietary L-Methionine type performed better than those fed on DL-methionine. Birds fed dietary methionine at 0.20% inclusion levels performed significantly (P˂0.05) better than those on 0.15 and similar with those on 0.25. It was concluded that type and levels of methionine had influence on the growth performance of broiler chicken.Keywords: DL-Methionine; L-Methionine; Broiler; Starter; Chicke

Characterization of partially purified β-galactosidase from Bacillus Sp MTCC-864

β-Galactosidase is an important enzyme for the hydrolysis of lactose in milk and other by-products of dairy industry such as whey and for the synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides known for their prebiotic properties. In the present study we report the extraction, partial purification and characterization of intracellular β-galactosidase from Bacillus sp MTCC-864. The media containing tryptone, yeast extract and lactose was used for growth and enzyme production. The enzyme was extracted through ammonium sulphate fractionation and gel permeation chromatography technique using Sephacryl-200. Optimum enzyme activity was found at 50oC and pH 7.0. Further enzyme activity was enhanced in the presence of divalent metal ions such as Mg++ and Mn++, while it was inhibited by EDTA. The enzyme was thermostable and retained 70% of its original activity after 30min of incubation at 60oC. These properties of enzyme indicate its potential use for hydrolysis of lactose in milk and whey from the dairy industry

CP Violation in γγ→t tˉ\gamma \gamma \to t~\bar{t} within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

The complete analysis of the CP violation in the process $\gamma \gamma \to t \bar{t}$ in frame of the Minimal Supersymmetric Model(MSSM) is presented. The CP-odd observables for describing the CP violating effects in polarized and unpolarized photon collisions, are calculated. We investigate the possible CP violation sources induced by the complex soft breaking parameters and study the CP violating effects contributed by gluino, neutralino and chargino sectors appearing in the loop diagrams. We find that it is possible to observe the CP violation effects in top quark pair production via polarized and unpolarized photon fusions by using optimal observables and favorable parameters.Comment: 15 pages, LaTex, including 14 figures in eps file

Linking Human Health to Biological Diversity

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74648/1/j.1523-1739.1997.0110061459.x.pd

Constraints on the Charged Higgs Sector from the Tevatron Collider Data on Top Quark Decay

The top quark data in the lepton plus $\tau$ channel offers a viable probe for the charged Higgs boson signal. We analyse the recent Tevatron collider data in this channel to obtain a significant limit on the $H^\pm$ mass in the large $\tan\beta$ region.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX file; 2 figures included (PS files

APPLICATION DES MÉTHODES STATISTIQUES À L’ÉTUDE HYDROCHIMIQUE DES EAUX D’UN HYDROSYSTÈME TROPICAL : CAS DU BASSIN VERSANT DE LA RIVIÈRE ZIO (TOGO)

Zio River is the only perennial river of Lake Togo basin. It passes through many urban areas including capital Lomé which it receives discharges of all kinds and subjected to several human pressures. This study aims to characterize the physicochemical quality of water from the source to the river mouth, identify pollution sources and highlight the impact of human activities on these waters quality. For this purpose water samples were taken during four times at each site and Physicochemical analyzes were done in the laboratory according to AFNOR methods. The results of these analyzes were accompanied by statistical analysis. Principal Component Analysis identified parameters influenced by human activities or effluents and those related to mineralization process. Factor scores of sampling sites on the bidimensional plane (F1XF2) showed increasing pollution or disturbance gradient of sites from upstream to downstream. Physicochemical quality study reveals that sites located at upstream are good quality, record the highest levels of dissolved oxygen (6 to 14.6 mgO2 / L) and are suitable for any purpose contrary to downstream sites waters, degraded by human activities and record lower levels of dissolved oxygen (0.6mgO2/L). Piper diagram showed dominance of Ca-HCO3 water type with the presence of Na-HCO3 water type and a few Na-Cl water type

Delineating meta-quantitative trait loci for anthracnose resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, is one of the devastating disease affecting common bean production and productivity worldwide. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for anthracnose resistance have been identified. In order to make use of these QTLs in common bean breeding programs, a detailed meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis has been conducted. For the MQTL analysis, 92 QTLs related to anthracnose disease reported in 18 different earlier studies involving 16 mapping populations were compiled and projected on to the consensus map. This meta-analysis led to the identification of 11 MQTLs (each involving QTLs from at least two different studies) on 06 bean chromosomes and 10 QTL hotspots each involving multiple QTLs from an individual study on 07 chromosomes. The confidence interval (CI) of the identified MQTLs was found 3.51 times lower than the CI of initial QTLs. Marker-trait associations (MTAs) reported in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were used to validate nine of the 11 identified MQTLs, with MQTL4.1 overlapping with as many as 40 MTAs. Functional annotation of the 11 MQTL regions revealed 1,251 genes including several R genes (such as those encoding for NBS-LRR domain-containing proteins, protein kinases, etc.) and other defense related genes. The MQTLs, QTL hotspots and the potential candidate genes identified during the present study will prove useful in common bean marker-assisted breeding programs and in basic studies involving fine mapping and cloning of genomic regions associated with anthracnose resistance in common beans

In-Network Outlier Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

To address the problem of unsupervised outlier detection in wireless sensor networks, we develop an approach that (1) is flexible with respect to the outlier definition, (2) computes the result in-network to reduce both bandwidth and energy usage,(3) only uses single hop communication thus permitting very simple node failure detection and message reliability assurance mechanisms (e.g., carrier-sense), and (4) seamlessly accommodates dynamic updates to data. We examine performance using simulation with real sensor data streams. Our results demonstrate that our approach is accurate and imposes a reasonable communication load and level of power consumption.Comment: Extended version of a paper appearing in the Int'l Conference on Distributed Computing Systems 200