Hadron energy response of the Iron Calorimeter detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory

The results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the hadron energy response for the magnetized Iron CALorimeter detector, ICAL, proposed to be located at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is presented. Using a GEANT4 modeling of the detector ICAL, interactions of atmospheric neutrinos with target nuclei are simulated. The detector response to hadrons propagating through it is investigated using the hadron hit multiplicity in the active detector elements. The detector response to charged pions of fixed energy is studied first, followed by the average response to the hadrons produced in atmospheric neutrino interactions using events simulated with the NUANCE event generator. The shape of the hit distribution is observed to fit the Vavilov distribution, which reduces to a Gaussian at high energies. In terms of the parameters of this distribution, we present the hadron energy resolution as a function of hadron energy, and the calibration of hadron energy as a function of the hit multiplicity. The energy resolution for hadrons is found to be in the range 85% (for 1GeV) -- 36% (for 15 GeV).Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures (24 eps files

Neutrinos from Stellar Collapse: Effects of flavour mixing

We study the effect of non-vanishing masses and mixings among neutrino flavours on the detection of neutrinos from stellar collapse by a water Cerenkov detector. We consider a realistic framework in which there are three neutrino flavours whose mass squared differences and mixings are constrained by the present understanding of solar and atmospheric neutrinos. We also include the effects of high dense matter within the supernova core. We find that the number of events due to the dominant process involving electron-antineutrinos may change dramatically for some allowed mixing parameters. Furthermore, contributions from charged-current scattering off oxygen atoms in the detector can be considerably enhanced due to flavour mixing; such events have a distinct experimental signature since they are backward-peaked. Hence, mixing has a non-trivial effect on the signature of neutrinos (and antineutrinos) from stellar collapse.Comment: 22 pages Latex file, with 6 postscript figures, minor changes made in tex

Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report, we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration, Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic

Pregnancy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a female predominant disease, carries a high maternal and fetal mortality in pregnancy despite improved insight and the development of novel therapies. The high risk is attributed to the adaptive changes that take place to promote healthy fetal development during pregnancy, which can adversely affect the already compromised right ventricle in patients with PAH. While in the prior era emphasis was placed on termination of pregnancy, here we will illustrate through a multidisciplinary approach and meticulous planning at an expert center, these high-risk women can undergo successful childbirth

Effect of malathion and temperature combination on blood glucose and urea levels of gobiid Fish Glossogobius Giuris(Ham)

Exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of malathion (0.05,0.25 and 0.5 ppm) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hrs at laboratory temperature (27 ± 1 °C) the blood glucose level has gradually declined after 96 hrs exposure of 0.5 ppm malathion. The blood urea level was significantly elevated after treatment with high concentration (0.5 ppm) for longer duration (96 hrs). In malathion temperature (20 °C and 30 °C) combinations show a significant decrease of blood glucose level prominently at 30 °C after exposure to 0.5 ppm for 72 and 96 hrs than in 20 °C. Increase blood urea levels were conspicuous at 30 °C for 24 to 96 hrs at high concentration (0.5 ppm) of malathion than in 20 °C. © Enviromedia Printed in India. All rights reserved

Comparative evaluation of effectiveness of intra-pocket anesthetic gel and injected local anesthesia during scaling and root planing – A split-mouth clinical trial

Background and Aim: Pain control is an important outcome measure for successful periodontal therapy. Injected local anesthesia has been used to secure anesthesia for scaling and root planing (SRP) and continues to be the anesthetic of choice for pain control. Alternatively, intra-pocket anesthetic gel has been used as an anesthetic during SRP. Hence, this clinical trial was done to compare the effectiveness of intra-pocket anesthetic gel and injected local anesthesia during SRP and also to assess the influence of intra-pocket anesthetic gel on treatment outcomes in chronic periodontitis patients. Materials and Methods: Fifteen systemically healthy chronic periodontitis patients were recruited. The dental quadrants on right side received either intra-pocket 20% benzocaine gel (Gel group) or infiltration/block by 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 adrenaline (injection group). Quadrants on the left side received the alternative. Pain perception and patients preference for the type of anesthesia was recorded. Clinical parameters: plaque index, modified gingival index, modified sulcular bleeding index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level were recorded at baseline and 1 month after treatment. Results: No difference was observed in visual analog scale (P > 0.05) and verbal rating scale (P > 0.05) pain perception between gel group and injection group. A slightly increased preference to gel as anesthesia (53% vs. 47%) was observed. The treatment outcome after SRP did not show a significant difference between gel and injection group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Intra-pocket administration of 20% benzocaine gel may be effective for pain control during SRP and may offer an alternative to conventional injection anesthesia