Impact of plankton structure on primary productivity in two beels of West Bengal, India

Planktonic community in floodplain wetlands embodies the energy transfer through this phase and indicates trophic status of lake. Originally rich bottom coupled with a conducive physicochemical environment encourages fast colonization of the plankton population. Present investigation was carried out in two floodplain wetlands having characteristics of open (Amda beel) and closed (Suguna beel) system. The physicochemical parameters of water and soil of the investigated heels were by and large conducive for planktonic growth. The density of plankton population varied between 1,346 and 2,170 u/l in Suguna bed whereas in Amda beel it ranged from 1,030 to 1,802 u/l. Seasonal fluctuations in water column were conspicuous and mostly dependent on the replenished resources and volume, A mixed and balanced population of diversified fauna constituted the plankton population of the investigated ecosystems. Mostly the diversity was observed to be maximum during winter seasons with coincidence of favorable temperature, dissolved oxygen and other physico-chemical parameters of water besides optimum solar penetration. Richness of planktonic structure in closed system (Suguna) resulted in higher fish production (1,570,05 kg/ha/yr) than that of open system (Amda) (384.4 kg/ha/yr)

Some socio-economic aspects of the fishermen of twin pronged floodplain wetlands in West Bengal

A socio-economic investigation was carried out in two fishermen cooperative societies namely Purba Helatala Fishermen Co-operative Society (E-1), Barhal Fishermen Co-operative Society (E-2), under Maldah district, West Bengal to which the beels (flood plains) under study belong. A total of 132 member fishermen, which constituted the sample, were personally interviewed. The age group of the fishermen of the sample in E-1 varied between 20 and 66 years whereas in E-2 it was 22 and 61 years. All the members of the sample belonged to Scheduled Caste (SC) community. The primary occupation of all the respondents of both the beels was observed to be fishing (100%). Maximum number of illiterate respondents was observed to 56% in E-2 and 35% in E-1. It has been observed that as many as 38.3% of fishermen were having fishing experience which ranging from 16 to 20 years in E-1 whereas it was 6 - 10 years (36.1%) in E-2. Maximum number of fishermen lived in thatched houses (41.66%) in E-1 whereas in E-2 most of them lived in houses made of corrugated tin/tile shed (41.66%). As many as 41.55% of E-1 and 30.55% of E-2 used dug-out canoes for their fishing. Maximum number of fishermen used cast net with individualistic approach (100%) followed by Gill net (E-1:41.56% and E-2:55.55%). Most of the fishermen of the sample participated in fishing activities for 241 to 270 days (41.66%) in E-2 whereas it was 211 to 240 days (33.33 %) in E-1 in a year. During fishing season as many as 40.0% of the respondents of E-1 earned on an average Rs. 801.00 to Rs. 900.00 per month whereas it was Rs. 901.00 to Rs.1,000.00 (43.05%) in case of E-2. A section of fishermen of the sample borrowed money often (51.6%) E-1 whereas it was most often (27.27%) of E-2. The respondents of E-2 made regular repayment of the loan to the maximum extent (79.48%) whereas it was 57.44% in E-1. Higher fish production vis-a-vis higher income for the fishermen was observed in the beel (E2) having close characteristic

Pivotal role of families in doctor–patient communication in oncology: a qualitative study of patients, their relatives and cancer clinicians

Families are a unique source of support for many cancer patients. Most advanced communication skills training for oncologists are patient centred and do not cover interactions with family members. The current study used in-depth qualitative interviews of patients, relatives and cancer clinicians with thematic analysis to explore the role of family members in the communication process. Forty-one participants included 10 cancer patients, 10 relatives ensuring proportionate representation of both gender and primary cancer site and 21 doctors representing both medical and surgical oncology. Nineteen of 20 patients and relatives wanted an "open and honest" discussion with their doctors. All patients, relatives and doctors preferred involvement of the family at most stages of cancer treatment. Five themes were identified in relation to communication with family members. The participants highlighted the "importance of family for physical and psychological care," they emphasised the need to "balance patient autonomy and relatives desire to be protective" using varied "negotiating strategies" that are influenced by "socioeconomic circumstances of both patient and family." The doctor-patient-relative communication process was not static with preferences changing over time. The data suggests that communication skills training of cancer clinicians should incorporate modules on better communication with relatives

Spin systems with dimerized ground states

In view of the numerous examples in the literature it is attempted to outline a theory of Heisenberg spin systems possessing dimerized ground states (``DGS systems") which comprises all known examples. Whereas classical DGS systems can be completely characterized, it was only possible to provide necessary or sufficient conditions for the quantum case. First, for all DGS systems the interaction between the dimers must be balanced in a certain sense. Moreover, one can identify four special classes of DGS systems: (i) Uniform pyramids, (ii) systems close to isolated dimer systems, (iii) classical DGS systems, and (iv), in the case of $s=1/2$, systems of two dimers satisfying four inequalities. Geometrically, the set of all DGS systems may be visualized as a convex cone in the linear space of all exchange constants. Hence one can generate new examples of DGS systems by positive linear combinations of examples from the above four classes.Comment: With corrections of proposition 4 and other minor change

Photon irradiation effects on electrical properties of n-ZnO/p-Si junctions for optoelectronic device

667-672Simple high energy laser photon irradiation is a handy tool to tune the functional properties of wide band gap oxide-based devices. Present study reports on the effects of laser photon irradiation on electrical transport behaviour of n-ZnO/p-Si p-n junctions. The n-type conductivity of ZnO was optimised by doping of stoichiometric amount of Al in ZnO. The n-ZnO/p-Si junctions were grown on p-Si (100) substrate by pulsed laser deposition. The structural property was analysed by X-ray diffraction. Morphological study was done using atomic force microscopy (AFM) which shows smooth and mono-dispersed surfaces of the p-n junction. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the n-ZnO/p-Si devices have been measured at room temperature in the dark and under illumination. Moreover, the effects of 532 nm visible laser light irradiation on the electric parameter of n-AZO/p-Si p-n junctions were investigated. The characteristic parameters of the junctions such as barrier height, ideality factor and series resistance were determined from the current-voltage measurement. The results show a promise of ZnO based diode structure for its optoelectronic applications

Effects of spin-elastic interactions in frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnets

The Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a compressible triangular lattice in the spin- wave approximation is considered. It is shown that the interaction between quantum fluctuations and elastic degrees of freedom stabilizes the low symmetric L-phase with a collinear Neel magnetic ordering. Multi-stability in the dependence of the on-site magnetization on an unaxial pressure is found.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 2 eps figure

Arginine dependence of tumor cells: targeting a chink in cancer’s armor

Arginine, one among the twenty most common natural amino acids, plays a pivotal role in cellular physiology as it is being involved in numerous cellular metabolic and signaling pathways. Dependence on arginine is diverse for both tumor and normal cells. Due to decreased expression of argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) and/or ornithine transcarbamoylase (OTC), several types of tumor are auxotrophic for arginine. Deprivation of arginine exploits a significant vulnerability of these tumor cells and leads to their rapid demise. Hence, enzyme-mediated arginine depletion is a potential strategy for the selective destruction of tumor cells. Arginase, arginine deiminase (ADI) and arginine decarboxylase (ADC) are potential enzymes that may be used for arginine deprivation therapy. These arginine catabolizing enzymes not only reduce tumor growth but also make them susceptible to concomitantly administered anti-cancer therapeutics. Most of these enzymes are currently under clinical investigations and if successful will potentially be advanced as anti-cancer modalities

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to control cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus in South Asia: protocol for a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: While a number of strategies are being implemented to control cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the cost-effectiveness of these in the South Asian context has not been systematically evaluated. We aim to systematically review the economic (cost-effectiveness) evidence available on the individual-, group- and population-level interventions for control of CVD and T2DM in South Asia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will consider all relevant economic evaluations, either conducted alongside randomised controlled trials or based on decision modelling estimates. These studies must include participants at risk of developing CVD/T2DM or with established disease in one or more of the South Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan). We will identify relevant papers by systematically searching all major databases and registries. Selected articles will be screened by two independent researchers. Methodological quality of the studies will be assessed using a modified Drummond and a Phillips checklist. Cochrane guidelines will be followed for bias assessment in the effectiveness studies. RESULTS: Results will be presented in line with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-analysis) checklist, and overall quality of evidence will be presented as per the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has received ethics approval from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. The results of this review will provide policy-relevant recommendations for the uptake of cost-effectiveness evidence in prioritising decisions on essential chronic disease care packages for South Asia. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42013006479

The Heisenberg antiferromagnet on an anisotropic triangular lattice: linear spin-wave theory

We consider the effect of quantum spin fluctuations on the ground state properties of the Heisenberg antiferromagnet on an anisotropic triangular lattice using linear spin-wave theory. This model should describe the magnetic properties of the insulating phase of the kappa-(BEDT-TTF)_2 X family of superconducting molecular crystals. The ground state energy, the staggered magnetization, magnon excitation spectra and spin-wave velocities are computed as a function of the ratio between the second and first neighbours, J2/J1. We find that near J2/J1 = 0.5, i.e., in the region where the classical spin configuration changes from a Neel ordered phase to a spiral phase, the staggered magnetization vanishes, suggesting the possibility of a quantum disordered state. In this region, the quantum correction to the magnetization is large but finite. This is in contrast to the frustrated Heisenberg model on a square lattice, for which the quantum correction diverges logarithmically at the transition from the Neel to the collinear phase. For large J2/J1, the model becomes a set of chains with frustrated interchain coupling. For J2 > 4 J1, the quantum correction to the magnetization, within LSW, becomes comparable to the classical magnetization, suggesting the possibility of a quantum disordered state. We show that, in this regime, quantum fluctuations are much larger than for a set of weakly coupled chains with non-frustated interchain coupling.Comment: 10 pages, RevTeX + epsf, 5 figures Replaced with published version. Comparison to series expansions energies include