Giant Quantum Reflection of Neon Atoms from a Ridged Silicon Surface

The specular reflectivity of slow, metastable neon atoms from a silicon surface was found to increase markedly when the flat surface was replaced by a grating structure with parallel narrow ridges. For a surface with ridges that have a sufficiently narrow top, the reflectivity was found to increase more than two orders of magnitude at the incident angle of 10 mRad from the surface. The slope of the reflectivity vs the incident angle near zero was found to be nearly an order of magnitude smaller than that of a flat surface. A grating with 6.5% efficiency for the first-order diffraction was fabricated by using the ridged surface structure.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. To be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Detection of Residues of Cardenolides of Nerium oleander by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography in Autopsy Samples

Background: Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub of Apocynaceae family cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. All parts of the plant are toxic and contain a mixture of very toxic cardiac glycosides of cardenolides. A number of techniques were used to determine the cardenolides of N.oleander in various biological matrices. A survey of literature has revealed that the use of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) for the detection of oleander glycosides is very scanty. Method: A simple and rapid HPTLC method for separation and identification of cardenolides of N.oleander is reported. The cardenolides present in the aerial parts of the plant and residues available in the autopsy samples sent in cases of poisoning; were extracted with chloroform by using accelerated solvent extractor (ASE). Results: Separation of cardenolides was achieved on precoated silica gel 60F254 HPTLC plates with chloroform-acetone-acetic acid 8.5:1:0.5 (v/v) as mobile phase and densitometric analysis was carried out at 275 nm. A comprehensive study for the separation and detection of cardenolides in general and oleandrin in particular were studied by new mobile phases and spray reagents. The 1H-NMR spectra were recorded for the separated components and the component corresponding to oleandrin was identified. Conclusion: The method has specific advantages that it is simple, rapid and has higher resolution of separation achieved so as to be free from interferences from the plant and forensic matrices

Serum Lipid Profile and Electrocardiographic Changes in Young Smokers

Smoking represents an important and rapidly growing global cause of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.Cigarrette smoking is one of the major modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease, unless smokers are able to quit, approximately 40% of them will die prematurely.The need of the hour is timely intervention through smoking cessation.Our study was carried out in young smokers to demonstrate the effects of smoking on lipid profile and electrocardiographic changes. We aimed to study the effect of smoking on lipid profile and electrocardiographic changes in young smokers.The study design was a cross sectional study comprising 75 male smokers and 75 healthy controls.Smoking history and physical examination was done .Fasting sample was analysed for lipid profile and electrocardiograph of all subjects were recorded.The statistical anaylsis between mean values were evaluated by student‘t' test. Statistical significance was assessed by chi-square test, p<0.001 was considered to be significant.The mean pulse rate, the mean systolic blood pressure, abnormal lipid profile and prolonged Qt interval were significantly higher in smokers (p<0.001).We demonstrated significant lipid abnormalities and electrocardiographic changes in young smokers who form an important risk group and target population in whom smoking cessation counseling should be carried out to decrease long term cardiovascular risk

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF VRIKSHAYURVEDA SEED TREATMENTS ON GERMINATION RATE AND ACTIVE INGREDIENT OF BAKUCHI (PSORALEA CORYLIFOLIA LINN.) BY HPLC METHOD

Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia Linn.) is one of the important endangered medicinal plants used in Ayurveda and other Traditional systems. Its cultivation and propagation is difficult due to its low germination rate (5-7%) &amp; prolonged seed dormancy. Bakuchi seeds made into 5 groups, the experiment was conducted in a complete randomized block design with 5 treatments and 5 replications totally 500 seeds in each group) &amp; observed for 50 days. Control Group 1 no- seed treatment, Group 2- Standard treated with 1% conc H2SO4, Group 3 Vrikshayurvedic treatment done by soaking in milk subsequently fumigation of Vidanga &amp; Ghee, Group 4- treated with paste of Brihati, Tila, Kamalanaala, Ghee &amp; Group 5 treated by soaking in milk subsequently Cow dung, Vidanga &amp; Honey applied. Number of seeds germinated, germination percentage, emergence index and relative seed germination parameters were observed. HPLC studies carried out of post harvested Bakuchi seeds of all 5 groups to know the effect of seed treatments on Psoralen content quantitatively. Overall results indicates that Group 4 (8.000 ± 0.8367) seeds soaked in 12 hrs milk followed by application of Brihati, Tila, Kamalanaala &amp; Ghee paste for 12 hrs treatment is statistically significant (P value&gt;0.05) in comparison with group 2 (4.600 ± 0.6782) Sulphuric acid treatment and Group 3 (4.200± 0.9165) fumigation with Honey &amp; Vidanga. Rest of the groups shown insignificant changes on germination parameters. HPLC Results found that generally seed treatments may reduce the content of Psoralen as in control (Group 1) maximum percentage (0.04%w/w) of Psoralen is noticed. Among treatment groups Group 4 contains maximum (0.027%w/w) Psoralen next to control (0.039%w/w). Psoralen content is very less in standard Group 2 (0.022%w/w), Group 3 (0.023%w/w) &amp; Group 4 (0.024%w/w). Maximum germination percentage was observed in Group 4 in comparison with the Group 2conventional method of treating with sulphuric acid. Estimation of Psoralen contents in the seeds from the plants grown by various treated seeds reveled that Group 4 is qualitatively better than standard, but inferior to the control, standard &amp; other Vrikshayurveda seed treatment techniques used in the current experiment

A Composite Chiral Pair of Rotational Bands in the odd-A Nucleus 135Nd

High-spin states in 135Nd were populated with the 110Pd(30Si,5n)135Nd reaction at a 30Si bombarding energy of 133 MeV. Two Delta(I)=1 bands with close excitation energies and the same parity were observed. These bands are directly linked by Delta(I)=1 and Delta(I)=2 transitions. The chiral nature of these two bands is confirmed by comparison with three-dimensional tilted axis cranking calculations. This is the first observation of a three-quasiparticle chiral structure and established the primarily geometric nature of this phenomenon.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures (1 in color), 1 table, submitted to Physics Review Letters, written in REVTEX4 forma

STIRAP transport of Bose-Einstein condensate in triple-well trap

The irreversible transport of multi-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is investigated within the Stimulated Adiabatic Raman Passage (STIRAP) scheme. A general formalism for a single BEC in M-well trap is derived and analogy between multi-photon and tunneling processes is demonstrated. STIRAP transport of BEC in a cyclic triple-well trap is explored for various values of detuning and interaction between BEC atoms. It is shown that STIRAP provides a complete population transfer at zero detuning and interaction and persists at their modest values. The detuning is found not to be obligatory. The possibility of non-adiabatic transport with intuitive order of couplings is demonstrated. Evolution of the condensate phases and generation of dynamical and geometric phases are inspected. It is shown that STIRAP allows to generate the unconventional geometrical phase which is now of a keen interest in quantum computing.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. To be published in Laser Physics (v. 19, n.4, 2009

Dephasing Times in a Non-degenerate Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

Studies of weak localization by scattering from vapor atoms for electrons on a liquid helium surface are reported. There are three contributions to the dephasing time. Dephasing by the motion of vapor atoms perpendicular to the surface is studied by varying the holding field to change the characteristic width of the electron layer at the surface. A change in vapor density alters the quasi-elastic scattering length and the dephasing due to the motion of atoms both perpendicular and parallel to the surface. Dephasing due to the electron-electron interaction is dependent on the electron density.Comment: 4 pages, Revte

In-beam spectroscopy of medium- and high-spin states in 133^{133}Ce

Medium and high-spin states in $^{133}$Ce were investigated using the $^{116}$Cd($^{22}$Ne, $5n$) reaction and the Gammasphere array. The level scheme was extended up to an excitation energy of $\sim22.8$ MeV and spin 93/2 . Eleven bands of quadrupole transitions and two new dipole bands are identified. The connections to low-lying states of the previously known, high-spin triaxial bands were firmly established, thus fixing the excitation energy and, in many cases, the spin parity of the levels. Based on comparisons with cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations and tilted axis cranking covariant density functional theory, it is shown that all observed bands are characterized by pronounced triaxiality. Competing multiquasiparticle configurations are found to contribute to a rich variety of collective phenomena in this nucleus.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure

Non-equilibrium tunneling into general quantum Hall edge states

In this paper we formulate the theory of tunneling into general Abelian fractional quantum Hall edge states. In contrast to the simple Laughlin states, a number of charge transfer processes must be accounted for. Nonetheless, it is possible to identify a unique value corresponding to dissipationless transport as the asymptotic large-$V$ conductance through a tunneling junction, and find fixed points (CFT boundary conditions) corresponding to this value. The symmetries of a given edge tunneling problem determine the appropriate boundary condition, and the boundary condition determines the strong-coupling operator content and current noise.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures; published versio