Myrmica elmesi (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) a new species from Himalaya

Myrmica elmesi sp. n. is described from Himalaya. This species belongs to the pachei group of Myrmica speciesand is distinct from the species described in this group hitherto, which is represented by 14 species including three from Indian Himalaya. Myrmica elmesi is the fourth species of the diverse pachei group found in Himalaya; it was collected from the transitional zone and is described with notes on its ecology, this gains significance in the sense that ecology of most of the old world Myrmica is either unknown or poorly known

Mindfulness as an antidote to conspicuous consumption:The mediating roles of self-esteem, self-concept clarity and normative influence

Extant research in consumer behaviour has demonstrated the pervasiveness of conspicuous consumption as a means of psychological salve from inner conflicts such as self-discrepancies with regard to one's status, abilities, power or self-esteem. In this paper we propose mindfulness as an antidote to conspicuous consumption behaviour. Using structural equation modelling and survey responses of 588 consumers (312 non-meditators and 276 meditators), the current research examines the potential sequential mediation effects of self-esteem, self-concept-clarity and consumer susceptibility to normative influence on the association between mindfulness and conspicuous consumption. The results reveal significant differences in conspicuous consumption between the two groups and show that dispositional mindfulness is negatively related to conspicuous consumption in both the samples. Further, mediation effects are confirmed and plausible feedback loops are also identified. The empirical investigation may be useful in understanding the mechanism through which mindfulness works as an antidote to conspicuous consumption, a behaviour which is often seen as detrimental to wellbeing

Study of a four-level system in vee + ladder configuration

We present the results of a theoretical study of a four-level atomic system in vee + ladder configuration using a density matrix analysis. The absorption and dispersion profiles are derived for a weak probe field and for varying strengths of the two strong control fields. For specificity, we choose energy levels of $^{87}$Rb, and present results for both stationary atoms and moving atoms in room temperature vapor. An electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) peak with negative dispersion is observed at zero probe detuning when the control fields have equal strengths, which switches to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with positive dispersion (due to splitting of the EIA peak) when the control fields are unequal. There is significant linewidth narrowing in thermal vapor.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Sub- and super-luminal light propagation using a Rydberg state

We present a theoretical study to investigate sub- and super-luminal light propagation in a rubidium atomic system consisting of a Rydberg state by using density matrix formalism. The analysis is performed in a 4-level vee+ladder system interacting with a weak probe, and strong control and switching fields. The dispersion and absorption profiles are shown for stationary atoms as well as for moving atoms by carrying out Doppler averaging at room temperature. We also present the group index variation with control Rabi frequency and observe that a transparent medium can be switched from sub- to super-luminal propagation in the presence of switching field. Finally, the transient response of the medium is discussed, which shows that the considered 4-level scheme has potential applications in absorptive optical switching.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Can overturning motions in penumbral filaments be detected?

Numerical simulations indicate that the filamentation of sunspot penumbrae and the associated systematic outflow (the Evershed effect) are due to convectively driven fluid motions constrained by the inclined magnetic field. We investigate whether these motions, in particular the upflows in the bright filaments and the downflows at their edges can be reliably observed with existing instrumentation. We use a snapshot from a sunspot simulation to calculate 2D maps of synthetic line profiles for the spectral lines Fe\sci 7090.4 \AA ~ and C\sci 5380.34 \AA. The maps are spatially and spectrally degraded according to typical instrument properties. Line-of-sight velocities are determined from line bisector shifts. We find that the detectability of the convective flows is strongly affected by spatial smearing, particularly so for the downflows. Furthermore, the line-of-sight velocities are dominated by the Evershed flow unless the observation is made very near to disk center. These problems may have compromised recent attempts to detect overturning penumbral convection. Lines with a low formation height are best suited to detect the convective flows.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ on 28th Ju

India’s Vaccine Diplomacy: Role in New Order and Challenges

The COVID-19 hit the world heartlessly. Throughout the worldwide lockdown was imposed, which is now considered as an economic lockdown. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, this involved the world in the development of vaccine breakthroughs. Until December 2020, many new vaccines have been rolling out for use, e.g., Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, COVAXIN, Sputnik V, and others. The vaccines were roll-out, the vaccine diplomacy came into vogue in the international scenario. However, there are many questions about the distribution and export of vaccines, which is considered one of the state’s soft power instruments to influence the relationship with other countries. Similarly, the purpose of this article is to trace India’s vaccine diplomacy and space in the new changing order from the perspective of soft power. Recently, the second wave of COVID-19 devastated India. Though, the study also explores the challenges and increasing role of China in South Asia. Vaccine diplomacy is an approach to the soft power theory in international relations. The case study and content analysis methods are applied here to explain the current vaccine diplomacy. The study finds that initially India strongly showed its vaccine diplomacy widely in its neighbourhood and other developing countries, but the second wave of COVID-19 weakened its position of not providing vaccines to its own home. To provide validity to an argument, vaccine diplomacy of India as a soft power instrument provides a framework for analyzing India’s role in the new world order