Milkweed blended fabrics and their thermal insulation and UV protection properties

Two sets of milkweed blended weft knitted fabrics have been produced and then tested for their constructional properties like courses/wales per inch, thickness, weight and tightness factor. These fabrics are also evaluated for thermal insulation (TI), water vapour permeability, air permeability and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) properties and then compared with the only cotton and polyester knitted fabrics. The UPF and TI data of various blends of milkweed fibre with cotton or polyester have beed evaluated using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results reveal that the thermal insulation and ultraviolet protection factor of the milkweed blended fabric are higher than the corresponding properties of cotton and polyester fabrics, while the air permeability and water permeability properties are lower than the corresponding properties of cotton and polyester knitted fabrics.

First observations of the X-ray transient EXO 2030+375 with IBIS/ISGRI

We present a first INTEGRAL observation of the 42s transient X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 with IBIS/ISGRI. The source was detected during Cyg X-1 observations in December 2002. We analyzed observations during the outburst period from 9 to 21 December 2002 with a total exposure time of ~770 kiloseconds. EXO 2030+375 was almost always detected during single ~30 minute exposures in the 18-45 energy bands. The source light curve shows the characteristic outburst shape observed in this source.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (1 in CMYK color), accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics, INTEGRAL special issue, 200

An X-Ray Dip in the X-Ray Transient 4U 1630-47

An x-ray dip was observed during a 1996 Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observation of the recurrent x-ray transient 4U 1630-47. During the dip, the 2-60 keV x-ray flux drops by a factor of about three, and, at the lowest point of the dip, the x-ray spectrum is considerably softer than at non-dip times. We find that the 4U 1630-47 dip is best explained by absorption of the inner part of an accretion disk, while the outer part of the disk is unaffected. The spectral evolution during the dip is adequately described by the variation of a single parameter, the column density obscuring the inner disk.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Multilingual Android based application for Meteorological Units Conversions and Calculation of empirical relationship.

Meteorological data can be expressed in several units. Various climatological and physical parameters are used for calculating evapotranpiration, irrigation demand, soil moisture etc. from meteorological data. Some of these data are directly measured in weather stations. Other parameters are related to commonly measured data on field and can be derived with the help of a direct or empirical relationship. Many a times on field and on time calculation or conversion are required. Android is a mobile based, free of cost operating system; used by majority of the mobile manufactures and equally appreciated and used by handheld users. Person working on field collects data and an android mobile based multilingual converter and calculator can assist in solving major issues pertaining to on field and on time conversions and calculation in regional language. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15011

A supernova remnant coincident with the slow X-ray pulsar AX J1845-0258

We report on Very Large Array observations in the direction of the recently-discovered slow X-ray pulsar AX J1845-0258. In the resulting images, we find a 5-arcmin shell of radio emission; the shell is linearly polarized with a non-thermal spectral index. We class this source as a previously unidentified, young (< 8000 yr), supernova remnant (SNR), G29.6+0.1, which we propose is physically associated with AX J1845-0258. The young age of G29.6+0.1 is then consistent with the interpretation that anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) are isolated, highly magnetized neutron stars ("magnetars"). Three of the six known AXPs can now be associated with SNRs; we conclude that AXPs are young (~<10 000 yr) objects, and that they are produced in at least 5% of core-collapse supernovae.Comment: 4 pages, 1 embedded EPS file, uses emulateapj.sty. Accepted to ApJ Letter

High Resolution Chandra Spectroscopy of Gamma Cassiopeia (B0.5IVe)

gamma Cas has long been famous for its unique hard X-ray characteristics. We report herein on a 53 ks Chandra HETGS observation of this target. An inspection of our spectrum shows that it is quite atypical for a massive star, with abnormally weak Fe XXV, XXVI lines, Ly-alpha lines of H-like species from Fe XVII, XXIII, XXIV, S XVI, Si XIV, Mg XII, Ne X, O VII, VIII, and N VII. Also, line ratios of the rif-triplet of for a few He-like ions XVII are consistent with the dominance of collisional atomic processes. Yet, the presence of Fe and Si fluorescence K features indicates that photoionization also occurs in nearby cold gas. The line profiles indicate a mean velocity at rest and a broadening of 500 km/s. A global fitting analysis of the line and continuum spectrum finds that there are 3-4 plasma emission components. The dominant hot (12 keV) component and has a Fe abundance of 0.22 solar. Some fraction of this component (10-30%) is heavily absorbed. The other 2-3 components, with temperatures 0.1, 0.4, 3 keV, are "warm," have a nearly solar composition, a lower column absorption, and are responsible for most other emission lines. The strength of the fluorescence features and the dual-column absorption model for the hot plasma component suggest the presence near the hot sites of a cold gas structure with a column density of 10^23 cm^-2. Since this value is consistent with theoretical estimates of the vertical disk column of this star, these attributes suggest that the X-rays originate near the star or disk. It is possible that the Fe anomaly in the hot component is related to the First Ionization Potential effect found in coronal structures around active cool stars. This would be yet another indication that the X-rays -rays are produced in the immediate vicinity of the Be star.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures (Fig. 3 colorized.) To be published in 01/10/04 Astrophysical Journal, Main Journal; included figures and updated formattin

Hard X-ray Bursts Recorded by the IBIS Telescope of the INTEGRAL Observatory in 2003-2009

To find X-ray bursts from sources within the field of view of the IBIS/INTEGRAL telescope, we have analysed all the archival data of the telescope available at the time of writing the paper (the observations from January 2003 to April 2009). We have detected 834 hard (15-25 keV) X-ray bursts, 239 of which were simultaneously recorded by the JEM-X/INTEGRAL telescope in the standard X-ray energy range. More than 70% of all bursts (587 events) have been recorded from the well-known X-ray burster GX 354-0. We have found upper limits on the distances to their sources by assuming that the Eddington luminosity limit was reached at the brightness maximum of the brightest bursts.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures, 2 table

The Low Quiescent X-Ray Luminosity of the Transient X-Ray Burster EXO 1747-214

We report on X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray burster EXO 1747-214. This source is an X-ray transient, and its only known outburst was observed in 1984-1985 by the EXOSAT satellite. We re-analyzed the EXOSAT data to derive the source position, column density, and a distance upper limit using its peak X-ray burst flux. We observed the EXO 1747-214 field in 2003 July with the Chandra X-ray Observatory to search for the quiescent counterpart. We found one possible candidate just outside the EXOSAT error circle, but we cannot rule out the possibility that the source is unrelated to EXO 1747-214. Our conclusion is that the upper limit on the unabsorbed 0.3-8 keV luminosity is L < 7E31 erg/s, making EXO 1747-214 one of the faintest neutron star transients in quiescence. We compare this luminosity upper limit to the quiescent luminosities of 19 neutron star and 14 black hole systems and discuss the results in the context of the differences between neutron stars and black holes. Based on the theory of deep crustal heating by Brown and coworkers, the luminosity implies an outburst recurrence time of >1300 yr unless some form of enhanced cooling occurs within the neutron star. The position of the possible X-ray counterpart is consistent with three blended optical/IR sources with R-magnitudes between 19.4 and 19.8 and J-magnitudes between 17.2 and 17.6. One of these sources could be the quiescent optical/IR counterpart of EXO 1747-214.Comment: 7 pages, accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

Validation of EORTC quality-of-life questionnaire in Indian women with operable breast cancer

Background: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) module QLQ-C30 and the breast cancer-specific module BR-23 have been validated world-wide to assess the quality of life ( QOL) in women with breast cancer. No such study has been published on Indian women using EORTC questionnaires. Methods: QOL was assessed in relation to surgery, adjuvant chemotheraphy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy in 299 Indian women with operable breast cancer (OBC) at the Breast Unit of Tata Memorial Hospital( TMH), Mumbai, from October 1998 to September 2001. The QLQ-C30 module was used to assess physical health, emotional, cognitive and social functioning, and the BR-23 module to assess breast cancer treatment-related symptoms. Assessment was done at 3 visits: visit 1 ( after surgery); visit 2 ( during adjuvant therapy) and visit 3 ( on completion of adjuvant therapy). Results: Of the 299 women at first visit, 274 (91.6%) completed the visit 2 questionnaire and 239 ( 80%) completed the visit 3 questionnaire. Only those women who filled the questionnaires at all 3 visits were included as 'valid visits' for analysis ( 193 of 299; 64.5%). The reliability and validity of the English and translated versions of the questionnaires were tested by Cronbach alpha (0.61-0.96) and item-scale correlation (0.63-0.93). Women with breast conversion treatment had a superior body image as compared to those with mastectomy (p&lt;0.01). Physical, emotional and cognitive functions were not related to the type of surgery. Global QOL, physical, sexual and role functioning were found to deteriorate with chemo-therapy ( p≤0.01). Radiotherapy had only local adverse wffects (p&lt;0.001), while hormone theraphy had no adverse impact on QOL. Conclusion: QLQ-C30 and BR-23 questionnaires can be used reliably to assess QOL in Indian patients. The translated versions were found to be valid for further use in clinical trials on Indian women with breast cancer