Temperature in nonequilibrium systems with conserved energy

We study a class of nonequilibrium lattice models which describe local redistributions of a globally conserved energy. A particular subclass can be solved analytically, allowing to define a temperature T_{th} along the same lines as in the equilibrium microcanonical ensemble. The fluctuation-dissipation relation is explicitely found to be linear, but its slope differs from the inverse temperature T_{th}^{-1}. A numerical renormalization group procedure suggests that, at a coarse-grained level, all models behave similarly, leading to a two-parameter description of their macroscopic properties.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, final versio

Carnot: A highly Scalable and Responsive BFT Consensus protocol

We present Carnot, a leader-based Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus protocol that is responsive and operates under the partially synchronous model. Responsive BFT consensus protocols exhibit wire-speed operation and deliver instantaneous finality, thereby addressing a fundamental need in distributed systems. A key challenge in scaling these protocols has been the computational complexity associated with authenticator verification. We demonstrate that Carnot effectively addresses this bottleneck by adeptly streamlining the verification and aggregation of $O(log(N))$ authenticators per node. This notable advancement marks a substantial improvement over the prevailing $O(N)$ state-of-the-art approaches. Leveraging this inherent property, Carnot demonstrates its capacity to seamlessly scale to networks comprising tens to hundreds of thousands of nodes. We envision Carnot as a critical stride towards bridging the gap between classical BFT consensus mechanisms and blockchain technology

Convective heat transfer in airflow through a duct with wall thermal radiation

This paper presents a numerical investigation on airflow through a heated horizontal rectangular duct wherein the model considers the combined modes of natural and forced convection heat transfer and the thermal radiation from duct walls. The duct periphery is differentially heated with known temperature profiles imposed on the two opposite vertical sidewalls while the other two walls are treated as adiabatic. The air enters into the duct hydrodynamically fully developed and flows steadily under laminar conditions undergoing thermal development within the duct. Considering several temperature profiles on the two vertical sidewalls, the numerical simulation generates the heat transfer rates and associated fluid flow patterns in the duct for a range of airflow rates, duct aspect ratios and surface emissivity. The variation of local Nusselt number at duct walls and the fluid flow patterns are critically examined to identify thermal instabilities and the significance of wall thermal radiation effects on the overall heat transfer rates

Studies on the sterility mosaic disease of pigeon pea. III. Nitrogen metabolism of infected plants

A decrease in the chloroplastic protein and a slight increase in the cytoplasmic protein were seen in the diseased leaves. There was no appreciable quantitative difference in the amino-acid contents of proteins of healthy and diseased plants. The total nitrogen content of diseased leaves showed a progressive increase over healthy during the day starting from the morning till evening. The free amino-acids of diseased leaves showed variations both in quality and quantity. Alanine, asparagine, arginine and aspartic acid were found to be in higher concentrations in diseased leaves, the increase being proportional to the severity of disease symptoms. The presence of two unidentified amino-acids was detected only in diseased leaves. The amino-acids, alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid and arginine which were in very high concentrations in diseased leaves at 6 a.m. were observed to be either completely absent or present only in very small amounts at 6 p.m. A decrease in the C/N ratio resulted due to virus infection. This reduction could be attributed to the reduction in the carbohydrate content and increase in nitrogen content of diseased leaves

Investigating the KNDy hypothesis in humans by co-administration of kisspeptin, neurokinin B and naltrexone in men

Context: A subpopulation of hypothalamic neurons co-localise three neuropeptides namely kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin collectively termed KNDy neurons. Animal studies suggest they interact to affect pulsatile GnRH release (KNDy hypothesis); kisspeptin stimulates, NKB modulates and dynorphin (an opioid) inhibits. Objective: To investigate the KNDy hypothesis in humans, we assessed for the first time the effects of co-administration of kisspeptin-54, NKB and an opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone on LH pulsatility (surrogate marker for GnRH pulsatility) and gonadotropin release. Design, setting and participants: Ethically approved prospective, single-blinded placebo-controlled study. Healthy male volunteers (n=5/group) attended our research facility for 8 study visits. Intervention and main outcome measure: After 1h baseline blood sampling, participants received a different intervention at each visit: oral 50mg naltrexone (NAL), 8h intravenous infusions of vehicle, 2.56nmol/kg/h NKB (NKB), 0.1nmol/kg/h kissspeptin-54 (KP) alone and in combination. Frequent blood sampling to measure plasma gonadotropins and sex steroids was conducted and LH pulsatility was determined using blinded deconvolution analysis. Results: All kisspeptin and naltrexone containing groups potently increased LH and LH pulsatility (p<0.001 vs vehicle). NKB alone did not affect gonadotropins. NKB+KP had significantly lower increases in gonadotropins compared with kisspeptin alone (p<0.01). NAL+KP was the only group to significantly increase LH pulse amplitude (p<0.001 vs vehicle). Conclusions: Our results suggest significant interactions between the KNDy neuropeptides on LH pulsatility and gonadotropin release in humans. This has important implications for improving our understanding of GnRH pulse generation in humans

Hydrographic features off northeast coast and Andaman - Nicobar Islands in relation to demersal finfish resources

Temperature varied from 17.6 to 28.5°C, salinity values from 32.12 to 35.21 x 10"" and dissolved oxygen from 0.8 to 4.41 ml/1. No identifiable relationship could be established between these three parameters and the total fish abundance, probably because the catch was made up of many species having different requirements. Higher abundance of trawl catches was from January to May when bottom water temperature was relatively low. The highest level of abundance of 2764 kg/hr in February 1989 was recorded when the parameters were 26°C, 33.6 x 10" and 2.71 ml/1; and the lowest level of 43.2 kg/hr in July 1988 was when the parameters were 25.3°C, 34.48 x 10'^ and 1.6 ml/1

Occurrence and distribution of black pod rot of Cocoa (Theobromae cocoa L.) in southern transition zone of Karnataka

Straminipile genus Phytophthora cause significant disease losses to global cocoa production. Phytopthtora palmivora is one of the major constraints in cocoa production causes significant pod losses. P. palmivora has a complex disease cycle involving several sources of primary inoculum and several modes of dissemination of secondary inoculum. This results in explosive epidemics during favorable environmental conditions. Highest severity of Seedling blight was observed in raised bed nurseries as compared to poly bag nurseries in Shivamogga district (59.26%) followed by Chikkamagluru (53.85%) of the state Karnataka , respectively. Further, the highest incidence of 72.00, 70.83 and 70.00% of black pod rot disease was recorded in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Shivamogga district followed by Chikkamagaluru (65.22%), Kodagu (64.00%) and Davanagere (55.56%) district respectively. Due to continuous rain fall or high moisture conditions and the crop was grown as intercrop with arecanut is vulnerable for the attack of pathogen due to the presence of pathogenic variability

Multimode heat transfer characteristics in airflow through a differentially heated rectangular duct

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.This paper presents a numerical investigation on airflow through a heated horizontal rectangular duct wherein the model considers the combined modes of natural and forced convection heat transfer and the surface thermal radiation from duct walls. The duct periphery is differentially heated with known temperature profiles imposed on the two opposite vertical sidewalls and the other two walls treated as adiabatic. The air enters the duct hydrodynamically fully developed and flows steadily under laminar conditions undergoing thermal development within the duct. Considering several temperature profiles on the two vertical sidewalls, the numerical simulation generates the heat transfer rates and associated fluid flow patterns in the duct for a range of airflow rates, duct aspect ratios and surface emissivity. The Nusselt number at duct wall and the fluid flow patterns are critically examined to identify thermal instabilities and the significance of wall surface radiation effects on the overall heat transfer rates.cs201

Phonon Transport Across a Vacuum Gap

Phonon transport across a silicon/vacuum-gap/silicon structure is modeled using lattice dynamics calculations and Landauer theory. The phonons transmit thermal energy across the vacuum gap via atomic interactions between the leads. Because the incident phonons do not encounter a classically impenetrable potential barrier, this mechanism is not a tunneling phenomenon. While some incident phonons transmit across the vacuum gap and remain in their original mode, many are annihilated and excite different modes. We show that the heat flux due to phonon transport can be 4 orders of magnitude larger than that due to photon transport predicted from near-field radiation theory

Effect of different herbicide spray volumes on weed control efficiency of a battery-operated Unmanned aerial vehicle sprayer in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The effect of spray volume on weed control in transplanted rice ecosystems using the Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) needs to be better understood for management in the advancements of UAV-based spraying technology. The present study aimed to find out the influence of varied spray volumes of 15 L/ha, 20 L/ha and 25 L/ha using the UAV and 500 L/ha using a Knapsack sprayer (KS) to compare the weed density, weed dry matter and weed control efficiency and yield in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.). Pre-emergence (PE) application of Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl at 25 g a.i./ha at three days after transplanting (DAT) and post-emergence (PoE) application of Bis-pyribac sodium at 25 g a.i./ha at 25 DAT were used as herbicide treatments. The results revealed that varied spray volumes significantly influenced the weed density, dry matter, and weed control efficiency of the UAV and KS. Application of herbicides using KS (500 L/ha) and UAV (25 L/ha) had better control on the weeds by reducing weed density and dry matter at 20, 40, and 60 DAT, with no significant difference. Higher grain yield and straw yield were recorded in KS (500 L/ha) and UAV (25 L/ha), with no significant difference. However, applying 25 L/ha had better weed control efficiency and higher yield, possibly due to optimum deposition. Considering the low volume application of UAV (25 L/ha) as compared with KS (500 L/ha), it is better to go for the optimal application of 25 L/ha, which is an energy-efficient and cost-effective, labour-saving approach compared to KS