Theoretical Study of Interplay Between Superconductivity and Itinerant Ferromagnetism

Following Green’s function technique and equation of motion method, the coexistence of superconductivity (SC) and itinerant ferromagnetism (FM) is investigated in a single band homogenous system. Self consistent equations for SC and FM order parameters, Δ and m or I respectively are derived. It is shown that there generally exists a coexistent (Δ ≠ 0, and m or I ≠ 0) solutions to the coupled equations of the order parameter in the,temperature range 0 < T < min(TC, TFM), where TC and TFM are respectively the superconducting and ferromagnetic transition temperatures. Expressions for specific heat, density of states, free energy and critical field are derived. The specific heat has linear temperature dependence as opposed to the exponential decrease in the bCS theory. The density of states for a finite m increases as opposed to that of a ferromagnetic metal. Free energy study reveals that FM-SC state has lowest energy than the normal FM state and therefore realized at low enough temperature .Effect of small external field is also studied. The theory is applied to explain the observations in uranium based intermetallics systems UCoGe and UIr. The agreement between theory and experiments is quite encouraging

The Impact of Armed Drones on Human Security Goals

The rapid proliferation of armed drones around the globe has sparked a debate on their benefits and their tradeoffs. Through a traditional security perspective, drones are the ideal weapon of the future: incredible technological capabilities lend tactical advantages to any military that owns drones. They allow actors to strike at enemy combatants without no risk to their own troops and minimal risk to any civilian bystanders. Yet through a nontraditional human security lens, armed drones have been nothing short of a disaster in protecting civilians and reducing collateral damage. The tactical advantages they lend users are some of their most problematic features when it comes to protecting civilians. This has been seen across multiple conflicts in the 21st century, at the cost of thousands of civilian lives. Since nations are disincentivized to self-regulate at the fear of disadvantage in conflict, it falls to international organizations to establish frameworks to better protect civilians before it is too late

Airway compromise in infectious mononucleosis: a case report

A 25-year-old Caucasian man had difficulty swallowing and shortness of breath during an episode of infectious mononucleosis. His tonsils were “kissing” and erythematous but no superimposed infection with a streptococcal organism was identified. His symptoms improved rapidly upon administration of intravenous steroids. This case demonstrates a rare and short-term complication that is well described in young adults with infectious mononucleosis. Physicians should routinely counsel their patients with infectious mononucleosis to be aware of potentially life-threatening airway obstruction in addition to splenic rupture and meningitis

Subdural Hematoma in Grave’s Disease Induced Thrombocytopenia.

Subdural hematoma (SDH) usually occurs secondary to trauma, in bleeding disorders it may occur spontaneously. It is a rare complication of immune thrombocytopenia. Here we report a case of 45 years female presenting with presenting with complaints of headache, palpitation and menorrhagia and later diagnosed to be a case of Grave's disease with thrombocytopenia with sub dural hematoma. No such case reports are available in literature

Type-I superconductivity in ScGa3 and LuGa3 single crystals

We present evidence of type-I superconductivity in single crystals of ScGa3 and LuGa3, from magnetization, specific heat, and resistivity measurements: low critical temperatures Tc = 2.1-2.2 K; field-induced secondto first-order phase transition in the specific heat, critical fields less than 240 Oe; and low Ginzburg-Landau coefficients {\kappa} approx 0.23 and 0.30 for ScGa3 and LuGa3, respectively, are all traits of a type-I superconducting ground state. These observations render ScGa3 and LuGa3 two of only several type-I superconducting compounds, with most other superconductors being type II (compounds and alloys) or type I (elemental metals and metaloids).Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Awareness level of family planning methods in adolescent girls of different socio-economic groups in rural sectors, in central India

Background: Adolescence, the transition from childhood to adulthood is an important crossroad. Studies are available which suggest that a considerable number of adolescent boys (16 to 14%) and girls (1 to 10%) engage in premarital sexual activity. All though importance of health education and health counseling for adolescents have been incorporated in the formal education system but there are no large scale community based studies to assess awareness level of adolescent girls about the method of family planning. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of socio-economic factor on the awareness level of adolescent girls with special reference to the methods of family planning, and their concepts about long term effects of high population growth.Methods: The study samples were higher secondary girl students between 15 to 19 years of age in 5 rural schools (Hindi & English medium) of Wardha district, Maharashtra, India. The survey programme was conducted during a period of one year from July 2011 to June 2012. A questionnaire was prepared in local language.Results: The education level of parent in upper-middle (group A) was significantly more than low-economic group (group B). Knowledge about hormonal contraceptive pill in group A was significantly high than  group B and the idea about surgical technique and condom was also high in group A than group B. Regarding emergency contraceptive technique, the idea in group A was high but in group B, the rate was very low.Conclusions: The awareness programme should be conducted in formal education in the school curricula so that adolescent girl’s knowledge, attitude and practice can be assessed

A viscosity-enhanced mechanism for biogenic ocean mixing

Recent observations of biologically generated turbulence in the ocean have led to conflicting conclusions regarding the significance of the contribution of animal swimming to ocean mixing. Measurements indicate elevated turbulent dissipation—comparable with levels caused by winds and tides—in the vicinity of large populations of planktonic animals swimming together1. However, it has also been noted that elevated turbulent dissipation is by itself insufficient proof of substantial biogenic mixing, because much of the turbulent kinetic energy of small animals is injected below the Ozmidov buoyancy length scale, where it is primarily dissipated as heat by the fluid viscosity before it can affect ocean mixing. Ongoing debate regarding biogenic mixing has focused on comparisons between animal wake turbulence and ocean turbulence. Here, we show that a second, previously neglected mechanism of fluid mixing—first described over 50 years ago by Charles Darwin — is the dominant mechanism of mixing by swimming animals. The efficiency of mixing by Darwin's mechanism is dependent on animal shape rather than fluid length scale and, unlike turbulent wake mixing, is enhanced by fluid viscosity. Therefore, it provides a means of biogenic mixing that can be equally effective in small zooplankton and large mammals. A theoretical model for the relative contributions of Darwinian mixing and turbulent wake mixing is created and validated by in situ field measurements of swimming jellyfish using a newly developed scuba-based laser velocimetry device. Extrapolation of these results to other animals is straightforward given knowledge of the animal shape and orientation during vertical migration. On the basis of calculations of a broad range of aquatic animal species, we conclude that biogenic mixing via Darwin's mechanism can be a significant contributor to ocean mixing and nutrient transport

From the surface to the seafloor: How giant larvaceans transport microplastics into the deep sea.

Plastic waste is a pervasive feature of marine environments, yet little is empirically known about the biological and physical processes that transport plastics through marine ecosystems. To address this need, we conducted in situ feeding studies of microplastic particles (10 to 600 μm in diameter) with the giant larvacean Bathochordaeus stygius. Larvaceans are abundant components of global zooplankton assemblages, regularly build mucus "houses" to filter particulate matter from the surrounding water, and later abandon these structures when clogged. By conducting in situ feeding experiments with remotely operated vehicles, we show that giant larvaceans are able to filter a range of microplastic particles from the water column, ingest, and then package microplastics into their fecal pellets. Microplastics also readily affix to their houses, which have been shown to sink quickly to the seafloor and deliver pulses of carbon to benthic ecosystems. Thus, giant larvaceans can contribute to the vertical flux of microplastics through the rapid sinking of fecal pellets and discarded houses. Larvaceans, and potentially other abundant pelagic filter feeders, may thus comprise a novel biological transport mechanism delivering microplastics from surface waters, through the water column, and to the seafloor. Our findings necessitate the development of tools and sampling methodologies to quantify concentrations and identify environmental microplastics throughout the water column

Study of adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup in managing menstrual health and hygiene

Background: Menstrual cups have been available for decades, but their use is limited by bulky design and the need for multiple sizes. However, some benefits have been reported like improvement in managing health and hygiene during menstruation, better information on the average menstrual fluid discharged by women during menstruation and attainment of more knowledge bridging the lacuna in knowledge about the adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup as a better alternative to conventional options. The study is aimed towards assessing the adaptability and the effectiveness of menstrual cup by naïve users who have been using sanitary pads/tampons/cloth as conventional menstrual sanitary protection.Methods: The study was conducted at conducted Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat, India. Total 158 participants aged between ages of 20 to 50 years with regular menstrual cycle were enrolled in the study. Participants were provided menstrual cups to be used for three consecutive menstrual cycles. They were given detailed explanation/information about its usage. Feedback was obtained after every cycle for three cycles using a structured questionnaire.Results: The cup was preferred for comfort, dryness, and less odor. Insertion was easy for 80% participants and 90% participants found removal easy. Problem of leakage was encountered in 3-6%. There were few side effects like rashes, dryness or infection.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that this reusable vaginal device has no significant health risks and is acceptable to many women without the need for fitting or other medical services

Prebiotic Properties of Yeast Cell Wall Mannanoligosaccharides and Guar Gum Galactomannans in Starting Broilers

Two studies were designed to evaluate the growth promoting and prebiotic properties of Yeast Cell Wall (YCW) containing mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) and guar gum galactomannans in starting broilers. In study one, the effects of different sources and concentrations of YCW-MOS and a blend from both the sources were investigated in starting broilers under both challenged (immune stress and Clostridium perfringens challenge) and unchallenged conditions through a series of 6 challenged and 4 unchallenged experiments. Weekly body weights, feed consumption, and daily mortality were recorded. Each experiment was terminated after 3 weeks. YCW-MOS had no effect in the unchallenged birds. Pooled data analysis of challenged broilers revealed no effect of source of YCW-MOS. Both the products tested produced significant improvement in growth rate compare to the control birds. However, the blend of YCW-MOS showed approximately 15% improvement in growth rate with 10% reduction in feed conversion rate (FCR). The optimum dose of tested YCW-MOS products in starting broilers is determined to be 250 ppm. YCW-MOS additives produced increased body weight with a reduction in FCR and may be considered as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. In study two, newly hatched broiler chicks (24 pens, 6 replicates per treatment) were randomly distributed among four dietary treatments to evaluate the effects of guar gum galactomannans (GG) with and without Mannanase Guar® enzyme in starting broilers. Effects of dietary treatments (negative control, positive control-YCW product Safmannan (YCW-S) at 500 ppm, GG at 500 ppm and GG at 500 ppm with enzyme (GGE) on growth, FCR, apparent ileal energy digestibility (AIED), intestinal histomorphology and microbial ecology were investigated. No significant differences were observed in body weight, feed conversion, mortality and productivity index. GG diets produced significantly reduced AIED, villus height, and increased crypt depth compared to the control. Broilers receiving GGE had overall intestinal villus height and AIED equal to YCW-S. Microbial patterns from the YCW-S and GGE treated broilers grouped together with a 95.6% similarity coefficient suggesting near identical microbial populations between these two groups. GG may have potential to consider as a prebiotic in starting broilers when used with an appropriate exogenous enzyme