Strategies in Developing an Aviation & Aerospace Skill Ecosystem for the State of Telangana, India – Case Study of TASK -Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge

The aviation & aerospace sector in India has been expanding and growing through partnerships and new research facilities, thereby encouraging more players to invest and optimize the manufacturing process. Improving green and fuel-efficient technologies have contributed to a steady rise in fuelling the demand for aerospace engineers. The state of Telangana is fast emerging as a new aviation cluster with some of the country’s best-qualified engineers and technicians. The potential of the aerospace industry is immense as it continuously requires skilled technicians and engineers. Considering the precision of skill required, it is imperative that rigorous training be imparted to all those who would be directly working on the components. With a plethora of job opportunities available in this industry, from engineering technicians, template makers, numeric control tool programmers, die makers, to technical writers and graphic artists, TASK has identified the gaps in the current learning landscape. It has taken the onus of working with technology partners and service providers across the aviation, aerospace and avionics value chain to train youth/professionals to be ‘reskilled’ to fit the aerospace and aviation sector. This paper thus explores the strategies to enhance synergies between industry, government and academia

Differential regulation of the attachment of KSHV infected human B cells to ECM by KSHV encoded gB and cellular alpha-V integrins

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) has two modes replication: latent and lytic replication. Reactivation from latency is dictated, in part, by the cell cycle. Herein, we have attempted to delineate the importance of cell cycle in KSHV pathogenesis by exploring the expression pattern of cell surface receptors during different phases of the cell cycle. αV integrin expression is augmented during S phase in fibroblasts, epithelial, and KSHV infected cells. Using a Matrigel system, we pioneer the concept that KSHV infected primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cells can attach to extracellular matrix proteins. This attachment is mediated primarily via αV integrins or virally encoded gB, and occurs preferentially in cells from S phase or cells from S phase actively supporting a lytic infection, respectively. Such an ability of infected B cells to attach to endothelial cells may also aid in the dissemination of infection. The keystone of this work is that for the first time, we describe the ability of KSHV infected B cells to preferentially use cellular (αV) or viral (gB) receptors to specifically bind cells, depending upon the stage of the cell cycle and infection. Originally published Cellular Microbiology, Vol. 10, No. 7, July 200

Rings and bars: unmasking secular evolution of galaxies

Secular evolution gradually shapes galaxies by internal processes, in contrast to early cosmological evolution which is more rapid. An important driver of secular evolution is the flow of gas from the disk into the central regions, often under the influence of a bar. In this paper, we review several new observational results on bars and nuclear rings in galaxies. They show that these components are intimately linked to each other, and to the properties of their host galaxy. We briefly discuss how upcoming observations, e.g., imaging from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G), will lead to significant further advances in this area of research.Comment: Invited review at "Galaxies and their Masks", celebrating Ken Freeman's 70-th birthday, Sossusvlei, Namibia, April 2010. To be published by Springer, New York, editors D.L. Block, K.C. Freeman, & I. Puerari; minor change

Exploring the stability of super heavy elements: First measurement of the fission barrier of 254No

The gamma-ray multiplicity and total energy emitted by the heavy nucleus 254No have been measured at 2 different beam energies. From these measurements, the initial distributions of spin I and excitation energy E * of 254No were constructed. The distributions display a saturation in excitation energy, which allows a direct determination of the fission barrier. 254No is the heaviest shell-stabilized nucleus with a measured fission barrier. © Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2014

Spectroscopy of neutron-deficient nuclei near the Z=82 closed shell via symmetric fusion reactions

In-beam and decay-spectroscopy studies of neutron-deficient nuclei near the Z=82 shell closure were carried out using the Fragment Mass Analyzer (FMA) and the Gammasphere array, in conjunction with symmetric fusion reactions and the Recoil Decay Tagging (RDT) technique. The primary motivation was to study properties of 179Tl and 180Tl, and their daughter, and grand-daughter isotopes. For the first time, in-beam structures associated with 179Tl and 180Tl were observed, as well as γ rays associated with the 180Tl α decay. No long-lived isomer was identified in 180Tl, in contrast with the known systematics for the heavier odd-odd Tl isotopes

β -decay measurements of 12B with Gammasphere

The β-decay branching ratio of 12B to the Hoyle state in 12C was measured by detection of γ rays. 12B nuclei were produced via the 11B(d,p)12B reaction in inverse kinematics on a TiD2 target. The present results corroborate those obtained recently for the β branch by implantation. The value from both experiments is inconsistent with that accepted in the literature

Role of the νg9/2 orbital in the development of collectivity in the A≈60 region: The case of Co 61

An extensive study of the level structure of Co61 has been performed following the complex Mg26(Ca48,2α4npγ)Co61 reaction at beam energies of 275, 290, and 320 MeV using Gammasphere and the Fragment Mass Analyzer (FMA). The low-spin structure is discussed within the framework of shell-model calculations using the GXPF1A effective interaction. Two quasirotational bands consisting of stretched-E2 transitions have been established up to spins I=41/2 and (43/2), and excitation energies of ∼17 and ∼20 MeV, respectively. These are interpreted as signature partners built on a neutron ν(g9/2)2 configuration coupled to a proton πp3/2 state, based on cranked shell model (CSM) calculations and comparisons with observations in neighboring nuclei. In addition, four ΔI=1 bands were populated to high spin, with the yrast dipole band interpreted as a possible candidate for the shears mechanism, a process seldom observed thus far in this mass region

Single-particle and collective excitations in Ni 62

Background: Level sequences of rotational character have been observed in several nuclei in the A=60 mass region. The importance of the deformation-driving πf7/2 and νg9/2 orbitals on the onset of nuclear deformation is stressed. Purpose: A measurement was performed in order to identify collective rotational structures in the relatively neutron-rich Ni62 isotope. Method: The Mg26(Ca48,2α4nγ)Ni62 complex reaction at beam energies between 275 and 320 MeV was utilized. Reaction products were identified in mass (A) and charge (Z) with the fragment mass analyzer (FMA) and γ rays were detected with the Gammasphere array. Results: Two collective bands, built upon states of single-particle character, were identified and sizable deformation was assigned to both sequences based on the measured transitional quadrupole moments, herewith quantifying the deformation at high spin. Conclusions: Based on cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations and comparisons with deformed bands in the A=60 mass region, the two rotational bands are understood as being associated with configurations involving multiple f7/2 protons and g9/2 neutrons, driving the nucleus to sizable prolate deformation

N=151Pu, Cm and Cf nuclei under rotational stress: Role of higher-order deformations

Fast-rotating N=151 isotones 245Pu, 247Cm and 249Cf have been studied through inelastic excitation and transfer reactions with radioactive targets. While all have a ground-state band built on a νj15/2[734]9/2- Nilsson configuration, new excited bands have also been observed in each isotone. These odd-N excited bands allow a comparison of the alignment behavior for two different configurations, where the νj15/2 alignment is either blocked or allowed. The effect of higher order deformations is explored through cranking calculations, which help clarify the elusive nature of νj15/2 alignments

Fission barrier of superheavy nuclei and persistence of shell effects at high spin: Cases of No 254 and Th 220

We report on the first measurement of the fission barrier height in a heavy shell-stabilized nucleus. The fission barrier height of No254 is measured to be Bf=6.0±0.5 MeV at spin 15 and, by extrapolation, Bf=6.6±0.9 MeV at spin 0. This information is deduced from the measured distribution of entry points in the excitation energy versus spin plane. The same measurement is performed for Th220 and only a lower limit of the fission barrier height can be determined: Bf(I)>8 MeV. Comparisons with theoretical fission barriers test theories that predict properties of superheavy elements