Effects of CME and CIR induced geomagnetic storms on low-latitude ionization over Indian longitudes in terms of neutral dynamics

This paper presents the response of the ionosphere during the intense geomagnetic storms of October 12-20, 2016 and May 26-31, 2017 which occurred during the declining phase of the solar cycle 24. Total Electron Content (TEC) from GPS measured at Indore, Calcutta and Siliguri having geomagnetic dips varying from 32.23{\deg}N, 32{\deg}N and 39.49{\deg}N respectively and at the International GNSS Service (IGS) stations at Lucknow (beyond anomaly crest), Hyderabad (between geomagnetic equator and northern crest of EIA) and Bangalore (near magnetic equator) in the Indian longitude zone have been used for the storms. Prominent peaks in diurnal maximum in excess of 20-45 TECU over the quiet time values were observed during the October 2016 storm at Lucknow, Indore, Hyderabad, Bangalore and 10-20 TECU for the May 2017 storm at Siliguri, Indore, Calcutta and Hyderabad. The GUVI images onboard TIMED spacecraft that measures the thermospheric O/N2 ratio, showed high values (O/N2 ratio of about 0.7) on October 16 when positive storm effects were observed compared to the other days during the storm period. The observed features have been explained in terms of the O/N2 ratio increase in the equatorial thermosphere, CIR-induced High Speed Solar Wind (HSSW) event for the October 2016 storm. The TEC enhancement has also been explained in terms of the Auroral Electrojet (AE), neutral wind values obtained from the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM14) and equatorial electrojet strength from magnetometer data for both October 2016 and May 2017 storms. These results are one of the first to be reported from the Indian longitude sector on influence of CME- and CIR-driven geomagnetic storms on TEC during the declining phase of solar cycle 24.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Researc

Comparative studies of Ionospheric models with GNSS and NavIC over the Indian Longitudinal sector during geomagnetic activities

This paper presents the storm time comparative analysis of the performances of latest versions of global ionospheric models: International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) 2016, NeQuick 2 (NeQ) and the IRI extended to Plasmasphere (IRI-P) 2017 with respect to Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) derived ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). The analysis is carried out under varying geomagnetic storm conditions during September 2017-November 2018, falling in the declining phase of solar cycle 24. TEC data from Indore, located near the northern crest of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) along with data obtained from the International GNSS Service (IGS) stations at Lucknow, located beyond the anomaly crest; Hyderabad, located between anomaly crest and magnetic equator and Bangalore, located near the magnetic equator have been analysed. The models generally overestimated during the storm periods with the exception of IRI-P, which matched (with an offset of about 3-5 TECU) with the enhancement observed on September 7, 2017 (during the strong storm of September 2017), from stations around the anomaly crest. No significant match was observed by the other two models. This match of IRI-P is attributed to the plasmaspheric contribution as well as the capability of assimilating measured TEC values into this model. In the present study, to the best of our knowledge, first comparisons of the empirical model derived TEC with NavIC and GNSS measurements from an anomaly crest location, combined with the IGS observations from the magnetic equator to locations beyond the anomaly crest, are conducted during geomagnetically disturbed conditions. Since NavIC satellites are at higher altitudes(~ 36000 km), the inclusion of NavIC data to the existing model could give better ionospheric predictions over the Indian subcontinent.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in Advances in Space Researc

Dicamba Resistance: Enlarging and Preserving Biotechnology-Based Weed Management Strategies

The advent of biotechnology-derived, herbicide-resistant crops has revolutionized farming practices in many countries. Facile, highly effective, environmentally sound, and profitable weed control methods have been rapidly adopted by crop producers who value the benefits associated with biotechnology-derived weed management traits. But a rapid rise in the populations of several troublesome weeds that are tolerant or resistant to herbicides currently used in conjunction with herbicide-resistant crops may signify that the useful lifetime of these economically important weed management traits will be cut short. We describe the development of soybean and other broadleaf plant species resistant to dicamba, a widely used, inexpensive, and environmentally safe herbicide. The dicamba resistance technology will augment current herbicide resistance technologies and extend their effective lifetime. Attributes of both nuclear- and chloroplast- encoded dicamba resistance genes that affect the potency and expected durability of the herbicide resistance trait are examined

Dicamba Resistance: Enlarging and Preserving Biotechnology-Based Weed Management Strategies

The advent of biotechnology-derived, herbicide-resistant crops has revolutionized farming practices in many countries. Facile, highly effective, environmentally sound, and profitable weed control methods have been rapidly adopted by crop producers who value the benefits associated with biotechnology-derived weed management traits. But a rapid rise in the populations of several troublesome weeds that are tolerant or resistant to herbicides currently used in conjunction with herbicide-resistant crops may signify that the useful lifetime of these economically important weed management traits will be cut short. We describe the development of soybean and other broadleaf plant species resistant to dicamba, a widely used, inexpensive, and environmentally safe herbicide. The dicamba resistance technology will augment current herbicide resistance technologies and extend their effective lifetime. Attributes of both nuclear- and chloroplast- encoded dicamba resistance genes that affect the potency and expected durability of the herbicide resistance trait are examined

HORMONE INDUCIBLE MILK PROTEIN GENE EXPRESSION AND ITS RELEVANCE TO MAMMARY CARCINOGENESIS (ORGAN CULTURE, CHEMOPREVENTIVE AGENTS, CLONING)

Selenium, 4-HPR and (beta)-carotene have a preventive influence during the transformation of mouse mammary epithelial cells induced by a variety of oncogenic chemicals. However, nothing is known about the effect of these agents on normal functional differentiation. Therefore, studies were done to determine the influence of the various chemopreventive agents on the hormone-inducible expression of the milk protein genes (beta)-casein, (epsilon)-casein and whey acidic protein, used as markers of differentiation. Mammary glands were cultured in medium containing insulin, prolactin, aldosterone, hydrocortisone and one of the chemopreventive agents. Quantitative determination of the cellular concentration of the respective mRNA was ascertained by molecular hybridization of RNA to the specific cloned cDNA probes. cDNA probes used for solution hybridization studies was prepared from cDNA clones in M13mp8 bacteriophage. cDNA copies of the insert DNA were synthesized with DNA polymerase I, primed with a sequencing primer. Selenium and 4-HPR caused a reversible, dose-dependent inhibition of the accumulation of these mRNA sequences, suggestive of an adverse effect of these compounds on functional differentiation. In contrast, concentrations of the three mRNAs in (beta)-carotene treated glands remained similar to that of the control glands. Prolactin, a polypeptide hormone, is essential for the growth and differentiation of the mouse mammary gland. Prolactin is also involved in osmoregulation in the mammary gland, a process activated by the cell membrane bound Na(\u27+)/K(\u27+) ATPase. However, no information is available on the intercellular factors that are responsible for the modulation of these functions of prolactin. An attempt was made to obtain clues to the understanding of this mechanism. Ouabain, an inhibitor of Na(\u27+)/K(\u27+) ATPase was used in the culture medium and the resulting effect of the compound on prolactin action was observed by measuring the level of expression of the milk protein genes. Results of filter hybridization and nuclear transcription experiments show that at 5 (mu)M concentration of ouabain, both accumulation and transcription of the milk protein genes are inhibited. This suggests a possible modulation of the action of prolactin by the monovalent cations

Design and Development of a Magneto-Optic Sensor for Magnetic Field Measurements

A magneto-optic sensor is developed using a Terbium Doped Glass (TDG) element as a Faraday rotation sensor and optical fiber as light transmitting and receiving medium. Online LabView based application software is developed to process the sensor output. The system is used to sense the magnetic field of a DC motor field winding in industrial environment. The sensor output is compared with the magnetic flux density variation obtained with a calibrated Hall Magnetic sensor (Gauss Meter). A linear variation of sensor output over wide range of current passing through the field winding is obtained. Further the results show an improved sensitivity of magneto-optic sensor over the Hall sensor

Decoding the Migration, Rehabilitation, and the Impact of Caste in the Lives of Bengali Dalit Women Strata in the post-Partition Bengal: Revisiting Kalyani Thakur Charal’s Autobiographical Narrative Ami Keno Charal Likhi, and Novella Andhar Bil

Based on the reading of Kalyani Thakur Charal’s notable autobiographical narrative Ami Keno Charal Likhi (Why I Sign as Charal,2016) and novella Andhar Bil (2016), this paper intends to analyze the experiences of second-generation Bengali Dalit women refugees in case of the post-Partition West Bengal. The present paper examines the tropes of nostalgia, partition, and rehabilitation as experiences of Bengali Dalit women characters in the post-Partition West Bengal, the notions of migration, remembrance, oppression, and injustice. Through a detailed analysis of both the narratives, this research article intends to explore how the intersectional dynamism of caste, and gender have impacted the experiences of Bengali Dalit women strata substantially. In majoritarian aspects Bengali Dalit women characters have been reduced to mute objects, stripped of their agency, subjecthood, and desires, from which these two narratives shift substantially. In case of the post-Partition scenario of West Bengal, the experiences of refugees from the different sections of the society are not a homogenized one. Kalyani Thakur’s narratives offer some valuable points for thinking about the differentiated experiences of migration, displacement, deprivation, and caste discrimination faced by Bengali Dalit women characters. Through her autobiographical narrative and the novella Andhar Bil, Kalyani Thakur also tries to portray how the intersectional dynamism of caste and gender has problematized the overall experiences of the Bengali Dalit populace in the post-Partition West Bengal. The researcher wants to argue that ideas like caste and gender both act as a site of oppression, which the grand narrative of the Bengal partition is primarily unable to capture. To develop this paper, the researcher consults literary, historical, and sociological facets of the Bengal Partition of 1947, Dalit identity, migration, and its effects on the Bengali Dalit population