A microspectroscopic study of the electronic homogeneity of ordered and disordered Sr2FeMoO6

Besides a drastic reduction in saturation magnetization of disordered Sr2FeMoO6 compared to highly ordered samples, magnetizations as a function of the temperature for different disordered samples may also show qualitatively different behaviors. We investigate the origin of such diversity by performing spatially resolved photoemission spectroscopy on various disordered samples. Our results establish that extensive electronic inhomogeneity, arising most probably from an underlying chemical inhomogeneity in disordered samples is responsible for the observed magnetic inhomogeneity. It is further pointed out that these inhomogeneities are connected with composition fluctuations of the type Sr2Fe1+xMo1-xO6 with Fe-rich (x>0) and Mo-rich (x<0) regions.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Empirical determination of charm quark energy loss and its consequences for azimuthal anisotropy

We propose an empirical model to determine the form of energy loss of charm quarks due to multiple scatterings in quark gluon plasma by demanding a good description of production of D mesons and non-photonic electrons in relativistic collision of heavy nuclei at RHIC and LHC energies. Best results are obtained when we approximate the momentum loss per collision $\Delta p_T \propto \alpha \, p_T$, where $\alpha$ is a constant depending on the centrality and the centre of mass energy. Comparing our results with those obtained earlier for drag coefficients estimated using Langevin equation for heavy quarks we find that up to half of the energy loss of charm quarks at top RHIC energy could be due to collisions while that at LHC energy at 2760 GeV/A the collisional energy loss could be about one third of the total. Estimates are obtained for azimuthal anisotropy in momentum spectra of heavy mesons, due to this energy loss. We further suggest that energy loss of charm quarks may lead to an enhanced production of D-mesons and single electrons at low $p_T$ in AA collisions.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, Typographical errors corrected, Key-words and PACS indices added, sequence of figures corrected, references added in section 3, discussions expande

Heavy exploitation of juvenile threadfin bream, Nemipterus randalli along Kerala coast

Threadfin breams are one of the most dominant group among the demersal fisheries resources along the Kerala coast, landed mainly by multiday trawlers operating beyond 100 m. Among the threadfin breams, Nemipterus randalli is the most abundant species contributing over 60% of threadfin bream landings of the state. Large quantities of this species are landed by trawlers at Cochin, Munambam and Neendakara Fisheries Harbours of the state. Threadfin breams locally known as “kilimeen” have good local demand in fresh condition and is sold at ` 40-60/- per kg. Peak landing occurs during August - September months, immediately after south-west monsoon. The present report is based on the observations made on threadfin bream landings at the above landing centres during 2010

Optimisation of age at first calving in Karan Fries cattle

The study was conducted on the performance records of age at first calving (AFC) spread over a period of 15 years on Karan Fries crossbred cattle maintained at Livestock Research Centre. Data of 676 cows were collected and analysed by Least Squares Technique to examine the effect of non-genetic factors on age at first calving. Period of birth was classified into 5 periods (I-V) and season of calving into 4 seasons (winter, summer, rainy and autumn) to see the effect of non-genetic factors on age at first calving. Effect of period of birth was significant on age at first calving while season of calving showed non-significant effect on age at first calving. The overall least squares mean of age at first calving was 1043.40±6.64 days. For the optimisation of age at first calving with regard to milk productivity, analysis was carried out by class interval method. Age at first calving was classified into 7 classes and its average means of milk yield were obtained by using Least Squares Technique where optimum level of age at first calving was obtained at 885–1100 days based on higher milk yield and numbers of animal observed in different classes. From the study, it was concluded that optimum age at first calving could be achieved through proper nutrition and management practices. However, to determine the optimum level of age at first calving, much emphasis should be given to maximum profit rather than maximizing milk production

F-box protein FBXO16 functions as a tumor suppressor by attenuating nuclear beta-catenin function

Aberrant activation of beta-catenin has been implicated in a variety of human diseases, including cancer. In spite of significant progress, the regulation of active Wnt/beta-catenin-signaling pathways is still poorly understood. In this study, we show that F-box protein 16 (FBXO16) is a putative tumor suppressor. It is a component of the SCF (SKP1-Cullin1-F-box protein) complex, which targets the nuclear beta-catenin protein to facilitate proteasomal degradation through the 26S proteasome. FBXO16 interacts physically with the C-terminal domain of beta-catenin and promotes its lysine 48-linked polyubiquitination. In addition, it inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by attenuating the level of beta-catenin. Therefore, depletion of FBXO16 leads to increased levels of beta-catenin, which then promotes cell invasion, tumor growth, and EMT of cancer cells. Furthermore, FBXO16 and beta-catenin share an inverse correlation of cellular expression in clinical breast cancer patient samples. In summary, we propose that FBXO16 functions as a putative tumor suppressor by forming an SCF(FBXO16) complex that targets nuclear beta-catenin in a unique manner for ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation to prevent malignancy. This work suggests a novel therapeutic strategy against human cancers related to aberrant beta-catenin activation

Ab initio molecular dynamics using density based energy functionals: application to ground state geometries of some small clusters

The ground state geometries of some small clusters have been obtained via ab initio molecular dynamical simulations by employing density based energy functionals. The approximate kinetic energy functionals that have been employed are the standard Thomas-Fermi $(T_{TF})$ along with the Weizsacker correction $T_W$ and a combination $F(N_e)T_{TF} + T_W$. It is shown that the functional involving $F(N_e)$ gives superior charge densities and bondlengths over the standard functional. Apart from dimers and trimers of Na, Mg, Al, Li, Si, equilibrium geometries for $Li_nAl, n=1,8$ and $Al_{13}$ clusters have also been reported. For all the clusters investigated, the method yields the ground state geometries with the correct symmetries with bondlengths within 5\% when compared with the corresponding results obtained via full orbital based Kohn-Sham method. The method is fast and a promising one to study the ground state geometries of large clusters.Comment: 15 pages, 3 PS figure

Heavy landings of mobulids reported at Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Kerala

Heavy landings of mobulids was seen for four days during 19 - 22 August and again during 31 August - 3 September 2013 at Cochin Fisheries Harbour. During the first phase, around 600 mobulids (16 tonnes) were landed by gillnetters which operated off the coast of Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Colachel. The vessels operated for a period of 5-7 days in the fishing ground 08014’N; 76033’E at a depth of 15 -30 m. The gear used was “ozhukkuvalai” with a square mesh size of 80 - 150 mm. On an average, 15 – 30 numbers of mobulids were landed per boat