Short-Term and Medium-Term Prospects of Agricultural Sector in Gujarat – Some Policy Recommendations

By mid-September, 2003 it is becoming clear that Gujarat is likely to experience a bumper crop in the year 2003-04. The State Ministry of Agriculture is looking for some concrete suggestions, advice and policy recommendations to better manage the situation likely to be created by the bumper crop this year. Falling prices in the face of bumper crop can considerably wipe out positive effect on agricultural incomes in the hands of farmers in the State. Short-term measures to avoid such a situation need to be integrated into medium term and long term development strategy for the State agricultural sector. The present paper provides some implementable policy recommendations in this context.

Using Chandra to Unveil the High-Energy Properties of the High-Magnetic Field Radio Pulsar J1119-6127

(shortened) PSR J1119-6127 is a high magnetic field (B=4.1E13 Gauss), young (<=1,700 year-old), and slow (P=408 ms) radio pulsar associated with the supernova remnant (SNR) G292.2-0.5. In 2003, Chandra allowed the detection of the X-ray counterpart of the radio pulsar, and provided the first evidence for a compact pulsar wind nebula (PWN). We here present new Chandra observations which allowed for the first time an imaging and spectroscopic study of the pulsar and PWN independently of each other. The PWN is only evident in the hard band and consists of jet-like structures extending to at least 7" from the pulsar, with the southern `jet' being longer than the northern `jet'. The spectrum of the PWN is described by a power law with a photon index~1.1 for the compact PWN and ~1.4 for the southern long jet (at a fixed column density of 1.8E22/cm2), and a total luminosity of 4E32 ergs/s (0.5-7 keV), at a distance of 8.4 kpc. The pulsar's spectrum is clearly softer than the PWN's spectrum. We rule out a single blackbody model for the pulsar, and present the first evidence of non-thermal (presumably magnetospheric) emission that dominates above ~3keV. A two-component model consisting of a power law component (with photon index ~1.5--2.0) plus a thermal component provides the best fit. The thermal component can be fit by either a blackbody model with a temperature kT~0.21 keV, or a neutron star atmospheric model with a temperature kT~0.14 keV. The efficiency of the pulsar in converting its rotational power, Edot, into non-thermal X-ray emission from the pulsar and PWN is ~5E-4, comparable to other rotation-powered pulsars with a similar Edot. We discuss our results in the context of the X-ray manifestation of high-magnetic field radio pulsars in comparison with rotation-powered pulsars and magnetars.Comment: 26 pages including 3 tables and 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Formulation of the Spinor Field in the Presence of a Minimal Length Based on the Quesne-Tkachuk Algebra

In 2006 Quesne and Tkachuk (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. {\bf 39}, 10909, 2006) introduced a (D+1)-dimensional $(\beta,\beta')$-two-parameter Lorentz-covariant deformed algebra which leads to a nonzero minimal length. In this work, the Lagrangian formulation of the spinor field in a (3+1)-dimensional space-time described by Quesne-Tkachuk Lorentz-covariant deformed algebra is studied in the case where $\beta'=2\beta$ up to first order over deformation parameter $\beta$. It is shown that the modified Dirac equation which contains higher order derivative of the wave function describes two massive particles with different masses. We show that physically acceptable mass states can only exist for $\beta<\frac{1}{8m^{2}c^{2}}$. Applying the condition $\beta<\frac{1}{8m^{2}c^{2}}$ to an electron, the upper bound for the isotropic minimal length becomes about $3 \times 10^{-13}m$. This value is near to the reduced Compton wavelength of the electron $(\lambda_c = \frac{\hbar}{m_{e}c} = 3.86\times 10^{-13} m)$ and is not incompatible with the results obtained for the minimal length in previous investigations.Comment: 11 pages, no figur

Postmenopausal Women With Greater Paracardial Fat Have More Coronary Artery Calcification Than Premenopausal Women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Cardiovascular Fat Ancillary Study.

BackgroundVolumes of paracardial adipose tissue (PAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are greater after menopause. Interestingly, PAT but not EAT is associated with estradiol decline, suggesting a potential role of menopause in PAT accumulation. We assessed whether volumes of heart fat depot (EAT and PAT) were associated with coronary artery calcification (CAC) in women at midlife and whether these associations were modified by menopausal status and estradiol levels.Methods and resultsEAT and PAT volumes and CAC were measured using electron beam computed tomography scans. CAC was evaluated as (1) the presence of CAC (CAC Agatston score ≥10) and (2) the extent of any CAC (log CAC Agatston score &gt;0). The study included 478 women aged 50.9&nbsp;years (58% pre- or early perimenopausal, 10% late perimenopausal, and 32% postmenopausal). EAT was significantly associated with CAC measures, and these associations were not modified by menopausal status or estradiol. In contrast, associations between PAT and CAC measures were modified by menopausal status (interaction-P≤0.01). Independent of study covariates including other adiposity measures, each 1-SD unit increase in log PAT was associated with 102% higher risk of CAC presence (P=0.04) and an 80% increase in CAC extent (P=0.008) in postmenopausal women compared with pre- or early perimenopausal women. Additional adjustment for estradiol and hormone therapy attenuated these differences. Moreover, the association between PAT and CAC extent was stronger in women with lower estradiol levels (interaction P=0.004).ConclusionsThe findings suggest that PAT is a potential menopause-specific coronary artery disease risk marker, supporting the need to monitor and target this fat depot for intervention in women at midlife

Discovery of a New Transient Magnetar Candidate: XTE J1810-197

We report the discovery of a new X-ray pulsar, XTE J1810-197. The source was serendipitously discovered on 2003 July 15 by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) while observing the soft gamma repeater SGR 1806-20. The pulsar has a 5.54 s spin-period and a soft spectrum (photon index ~ 4). We detect the source in earlier RXTE observations back to 2003 January. These show that a transient outburst began between 2002 November 17 and 2003 January 23 and that the pulsar has been spinning down since then, with a high rate Pdot ~ 10^-11 s/s showing significant timing noise, but no evidence for Doppler shifts due to a binary companion. The rapid spin-down rate and slow spin-period imply a super-critical magnetic field B=3x10^14 G and a young characteristic age < 7600 yr. These properties are strikingly similar to those of anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma repeaters, making the source a likely new magnetar. A follow-up Chandra observation provided a 2".5 radius error circle within which the 1.5 m Russian-Turkish Optical Telescope RTT150 found a limiting magnitude of R_c=21.5, in accord with other recently reported limits. The source is present in archival ASCA and ROSAT data as well, at a level 100 times fainter than the \~ 3 mCrab seen in 2003. This suggests that other X-ray sources that are currently in a state similar to the inactive phase of XTE J1810-197 may also be unidentified magnetars awaiting detection via a similar activity.Comment: Submitted to ApJL; 4 pages; 4 figure

DESIGN, OPTIMIZATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIERS OF TOLNAFTATE

Objective: The main purpose of this work was to prepare tolnaftate (TOL) loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), Evaluate its characteristics and in vitro release study. Methods: Tolnaftate loaded Nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared by the high shear homogenization method using different liquid lipids types (DERMAROL DCO® and DERMAROL CCT®) and concentrations, different concentration ratios of tween80® to span20® and different homogenization speeds. All the formulated nanoparticles were subjected to particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), polydispersity index (PI), drug entrapment efficiency (EE), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM), release kinetics and in vitro release study was determined. Results: The results revealed that NLC dispersions had spherical shapes with an average size between 154.966±1.85 nm and 1078.4±103.02 nm. High entrapment efficiency was obtained with negatively charged zeta potential with PDI value ranging from 0.291±0.02 to 0.985±0.02. The release profiles of all formulations were characterized by a sustained release behavior over 24 h and the release rates increased as the amount of surfactant decreased. The release rate of TOL is expressed following the theoretical model by Higuchi. Conclusion: From this study, It can be concluded that NLCs are a good carrier for tolnaftate deliver

Venturing into a Vanishing Space: Representations of Palestine in Jewish-American and Arab Novels

This study explores the literary representation of Palestine by Jewish American and Arab novelists within the emergent geopolitics of settler colonialism, thus challenging the notion that Palestine presents a unique situation that largely defies comparative approaches. It illustrates how postcolonial theory proves necessary but insufficient to engage the cultural and political specificities of the Palestinian situation, both as fictional representation and as otherwise knowable history. Here, recent developments in theorising settler colonialism provide a useful starting point. Drawing on the work of Patrick Wolfe and Lorenzo Veracini, with its revisionary challenge to postcolonial theory in relation to the need to distinguish between settler colonialism and metropole colonialism, this thesis argues that the case of Palestine problematizes the settler colonial paradigm. Overlaps and entanglements between the supposedly distinct forms of colonialism on the ground complicate the discreteness of the settler model. Hence, the focus on Jewish-American novel serves to suggest that the Zionist settler enterprise is inseparable from American imperialism, and therefore challenges conceptualizations of a purely settler phenomenon in Palestine. The study draws together New Historicism and postcolonialism, suggesting that engagement with the intersection of these two approaches is both valid and timely. The New Historicist return to history proves central to appraisal of the forms of power that continue to condition the authority accorded to a particular version of events, and to the evaluation of the writer’s responsibility to reality as well as the measure of truth embedded even in most fictionalized versions of history. Accordingly, the structure of the thesis identifies key historical moments in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, juxtaposing Jewish-American renditions of the Zionist settler project with Arab counter-narratives. The emphasis in the thesis on historicising rhetorical appropriations and restoring a Palestinian version of events challenges the perception transfer of settler narratives, which, to the privilege of settlers’ self-origination, has long relegated Palestinian people, land, and narratives to the peripheries of history and postcolonial debates. The first three chapters focus on three signal events: the 1948 nakba, the 1967 war, and the 1980s uprising. The first chapter compares and contrasts two versions of the 1948 events as represented in Leon Uris’s The Haj (1984) and Elias Khoury’s Gate of the Sun (1998; trans. 2005). Drawing on the revisionary work of the Israeli new historians, together with Palestinian commentators, the chapter explores the 1948 Palestinian exodus in terms of settlers’ violence and logic of elimination, which Uris’s narrative conceals behind a Western civilizational discourse. Against Uris’s legitimation of the master Zionist narrative, Khoury’s novel suggests an instance of ‘writing back,’ narrating the unspoken and replacing the monologism of the official line with the multiplicity of oral history. The second chapter extends this cross-cultural research to the 1967 war, suggesting the centrality of this event to paradigmatic shifts in Palestinian historical experience and self-representation as well as in the Jewish American writer’s relation to the state of Israel. Literary representations of 1967 Palestine, including Edward Said’s Out of Place: A Memoir (2000), Halim Barakat’s Six Days (1961; trans. 1990) and Days of Dust (1969; trans. 1986), Sahar Khalifeh’s Wild Thorns (1976; trans. 2003), and Saul Bellow’s Mr Sammler’s Planet (1970) and To Jerusalem and Back: A Personal Account (1976), articulate liminality, ambivalence, and the enabling of new possibilities and fresh perspectives. Each of these writers reveals a shared concern for the politics of the local in order to escape the burdens of diasporic existence, attempting to redefine what seems to be a borderless and geographically vague existence. While post-1967 narratives affirm the rise of a new focus for Palestinian writers, the third chapter shows how the greater visibility of Palestinians in the aftermath of the 1980s uprising finds literary form in US fiction. Philip Roth’s Operation Shylock: A Confession (1993) illustrates the cultural limits that restrict a dialogic engagement with the emerging heteroglossia in US media following the appearance of a Palestinian voice and an anti-Zionist stance. However, this failed dialogism reveals how silence and dissimulation become forms of expression, unveiling the dynamics that manipulate the space permitted for Palestinians in Jewish American fiction. Recovering Palestinian literature from the margins of postcolonial studies, the final chapter charts ways of representing Palestinian (post)coloniality by drawing on the temporal and spatial specifications conceptualised in Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of the chronotope. Raja Shehadeh’s Palestinian Walks (2008) and Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin (2011) reinvent the traditions of walking and returning, previously manipulated in Zionist settler narratives, in order to articulate a political protest against settler colonialism and assert the legitimacy of the Palestinians’ claim to the land. Although focusing on the Palestinian case, this study seeks to open up the postcolonial to the historical and rhetorical specificities of the literature emerging from contemporary settler colonial situations, and the possible enactment of postcolonial passages in not-yet-postcolonial contexts

Key features of palliative care service delivery to Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States: A comprehensive review

Background: Indigenous peoples in developed countries have reduced life expectancies, particularly from chronic diseases. The lack of access to and take up of palliative care services of Indigenous peoples is an ongoing concern. Objectives: To examine and learn from published studies on provision of culturally safe palliative care service delivery to Indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand (NZ), Canada and the United States of America (USA); and to compare Indigenous peoples’ preferences, needs, opportunities and barriers to palliative care. Methods: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was undertaken. Articles were included if they were published in English from 2000 onwards and related to palliative care service delivery for Indigenous populations; papers could use quantitative or qualitative approaches. Common themes were identified using thematic synthesis. Studies were evaluated using Daly’s hierarchy of evidence-for-practice in qualitative research. Results: Of 522 articles screened, 39 were eligible for inclusion. Despite diversity in Indigenous peoples’ experiences across countries, some commonalities were noted in the preferences for palliative care of Indigenous people: to die close to or at home; involvement of family; and the integration of cultural practices. Barriers identified included inaccessibility, affordability, lack of awareness of services, perceptions of palliative care, and inappropriate services. Identified models attempted to address these gaps by adopting the following strategies: community engagement and ownership; flexibility in approach; continuing education and training; a whole-of-service approach; and local partnerships among multiple agencies. Better engagement with Indigenous clients, an increase in number of palliative care patients, improved outcomes, and understanding about palliative care by patients and their families were identified as positive achievements. Conclusions: The results provide a comprehensive overview of identified effective practices with regards to palliative care delivered to Indigenous populations to guide future program developments in this field. Further research is required to explore the palliative care needs and experiences of Indigenous people living in urban areas