Effect of feed quality restriction followed by realimentation on growth, nutrient utilization, biochemical changes and haematological profiles of Indian major carp, rohu (Labeo rohita H.)

To investigate the effect of protein restriction with subsequent re-alimentation on nutrient utilization, hematological and biochemical changes of Indian major carp, Rohu (Labeo rohita H.), 150 acclimatized Rohu fingerlings (average 20.74 ± 0.13 g) divided into five experimental groups (30 fingerlings in each groups with three replications with 10 fingerlings in each) for experimental trial of 90 days using completely randomized design. Control group (T sub(CPR)) was fed with feed having 30% crude protein at 3% of body weight for 90 days trial period. Other experimental groups T sub(1PR) was alternatively 3 days fed with feed having 20% CP and 30% CP at 3% of body weight, T sub(2PR) was alternatively 7 days fed with feed having 20% CP and 30% CP at 3% of body weight, T sub(3PR) was alternatively 15 days fed with feed having 20% CP and 30% CP at 3% of body weight and T sub(4PR) was alternatively 25 days fed with feed having 20% CP and 30% CP at 3% of body weight during 90 days trial period with daily ration in two equal halves at morning and afternoon. It was noticed that retention of different nutrients was almost similar among all treatment groups indicated improvement of digestibility of nutrients might not be the mechanisms for recovery growth in carps. Increased percent feed intake of body weight (hyperphagia) (4.14 ± 0.30 or 4.94 ± 0.46 and 3.33 ± 0.29), improved specific growth rate (1.86 ± 0.09 or 2.26 ± 0.05 and 1.43 ± 0.01), absolute growth rate (1.57 ± 0.08 or 1.84 ± 0.18 and 1.36 ± 0.12), protein efficiency ratio (1.19 ± 0.11 or1.16 ± 0.12 and 1.05 ± 0.09) were the important mechanism showing better performance index (21.60 ± 1.09 or 23.80 ± 0.21 and 19.45 ± 0.37) through which the experimental groups which were protein restricted and re-alimented at 3 or 7 days alternatively during 90 days trial period could able to compensate the growth retardation and to catch up the final body weight of control (128.68 ± 11.53 g/f) but other experimental groups failed to compensate during 90 days trial period. Result of the present study indicated that deprived fish i.e., fish received alternate 3 or 7 days protein restriction and re-alimentation showed recovery growth had still lower values of Hb (10.21 ± 0.02, and 9.88 ± 0.04 g/dl), hematocrit value (30.62 ± 0.05 and 26.64 ± 0.11%), total erythrocytic count (3.40 ± 0.01 and 3.29 ± 0.01 X10super(6) mm³), plasma glucose (126.93 ± 0.20 and 126.67 ± 0.05 mg/dl), total plasma lipid (1.04 ± 0.01 and 1.02 ± 0.01 g/dl) and liver glycogen (290.10 ± 0.80 and 288.99 ± 0.95 mg/kg) in comparison to control (10.56 ± 0.08 g/dl, 31.68 ± 0.24%, 3.52 ± 0.03 X10super(6) mm³, 128.23 ± 0.25 mg/dl, 1.07 ± 0.01g/dl and 292.00 ± 0.23 mg/kg) at the end of 90 days trial but total plasma protein in deprived group was compensated with advancement of trial period. All hematological and biochemical parameters studied were proportionately lowered in the experimental group got higher degree of deprivation. These findings suggested that with the increase of trial length complete compensation of hematological and biochemical profiles of rohu might be achieved. The results indicated that the implementation of alternative 7 days low and high protein diet feeding during aquaculture of carps could make economize the operation through minimizing the feed input cost

The STAR Photon Multiplicity Detector

Details concerning the design, fabrication and performance of STAR Photon Multiplicity Detector (PMD) are presented. The PMD will cover the forward region, within the pseudorapidity range 2.3--3.5, behind the forward time projection chamber. It will measure the spatial distribution of photons in order to study collective flow, fluctuation and chiral symmetry restoration.Comment: 15 pages, including 11 figures; to appear in a special NIM volume dedicated to the accelerator and detectors at RHI

Backward-angle photoproduction of π0\pi^0 mesons on the proton at EγE_\gamma = 1.5--2.4 GeV

Differential cross sections and photon beam asymmetries for $\pi^0$ photoproduction have been measured at $E_\gamma$ = 1.5--2.4 GeV and at the $\pi^0$ scattering angles, --1 $<$ cos$\Theta_{c.m.} <$ --0.6. The energy-dependent slope of differential cross sections for $u$-channel $\pi^0$ production has been determined. An enhancement at backward angles is found above $E_\gamma$ = 2.0 GeV. This is inferred to be due to the $u$-channel contribution and/or resonances. Photon beam asymmetries have been obtained for the first time at backward angles. A strong angular dependence has been found at $E_\gamma >$ 2.0 GeV, which may be due to the unknown high-mass resonances.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PL

Two-body Z′Z' decays in the minimal 331 model

The two-body decays of the extra neutral boson Z_2 predicted by the minimal 331 model are analyzed. At the three-level it can decay into standard model particles as well as exotic quarks and the new gauge bosons predicted by the model. The decays into a lepton pair are strongly suppressed, with $Br(Z_2 --> l^+l^-) ~ 10^{-2}$ and $Br(Z_2 --> \bar{\nu}_l \nu) ~ 10^{-3}$. In the bosonic sector, Z_2 would decay mainly into a pair of bilepton gauge bosons, with a branching ratio below the 0.1 level. The Z_2 boson has thus a leptophobic and bileptophobic nature and it would decay dominantly into quark pairs. The anomaly-induced decays $Z_2 --> Z_1\gamma$ and $Z_2 --> Z_1Z_1$, which occurs at the one-loop level are studied. It is found that $Br(Z_2 --> Z_1\gamma) ~ 10^{-9}$ and $Br(Z_2 --> Z_1Z_1) ~ 10^{-6}$ at most. As for the $Z_2 --> W^+W^-$ and $Z_2 --> Z_1H$ decays, with H a relatively light Higgs boson, they are induced via Z'-Z mixing. It is obtained that $Br(Z_2 --> W^+W^-) ~ 10^{-2}$ and $Br (Z_2 --> Z_1H) ~ 10^{-5}$. We also examine the flavor changing neutral current decays $Z_2 --> tc$ and $Z_2 --> tu$, which may have branching fractions as large as $10^{-3}$ and $10^{-5}$, respectively, and thus may be of phenomenological interest.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Suppression of High-p_T Neutral Pion Production in Central Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV Relative to p+C and p+Pb Collisions

Neutral pion transverse momentum spectra were measured in p+C and p+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.4 GeV at mid-rapidity 2.3 < eta_lab < 3.0 over the range 0.7< p_T < 3.5 GeV/c. The spectra are compared to pi0 spectra measured in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 17.3 GeV in the same experiment. For a wide range of Pb+Pb centralities (N_part < 300) the yield of pi0's with p_T > 2 GeV/c is larger than or consistent with the p+C or p+Pb yields scaled with the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions (N_coll), while for central Pb+Pb collisions with N_part > 350 the pi0 yield is suppressed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Pion Freeze-Out Time in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158 A GeV/c Studied via pi-/pi+ and K-/K+ Ratios

The effect of the final state Coulomb interaction on particles produced in Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV/c has been investigated in the WA98 experiment through the study of the pi-/pi+ and K-/K+ ratios measured as a function of transverse mass. While the ratio for kaons shows no significant transverse mass dependence, the pi-/pi+ ratio is enhanced at small transverse mass values with an enhancement that increases with centrality. A silicon pad detector located near the target is used to estimate the contribution of hyperon decays to the pi-/pi+ ratio. The comparison of results with predictions of the RQMD model in which the Coulomb interaction has been incorporated allows to place constraints on the time of the pion freeze-out.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure

Search for Doubly-Charged Higgs Bosons at LEP

Doubly-charged Higgs bosons are searched for in e^+e^- collision data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. Final states with four leptons are analysed to tag the pair-production of doubly charged Higgs bosons. No significant excess is found and lower limits at 95% confidence level on the doubly-charged Higgs boson mass are derived. They vary from 95.5 GeV to 100.2 GeV, depending on the decay mode. Doubly-charged Higgs bosons which couple to electrons would modify the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry of the e^+e^- -> e^+e^- process. The measurements of these quantities do not deviate from the Standard Model expectations and doubly-charged Higgs bosons with masses up to the order of a TeV are excluded

Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface

We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn, including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization

We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop (Vienna August 2005) Proceeding

Centrality Dependence of the High p_T Charged Hadron Suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV

PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below 30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in the collisions.Comment: 7 pages text, LaTeX, 6 figures, 2 tables, 307 authors, resubmitted to Phys. Lett. B. Revised to address referee concerns. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/run/phenix/papers.htm