Management of Resources for Sustainable Agriculture

Green Revolution triggered in India with the introduction of high yielding varieties of crops particularly wheat and rice in seventies. The cultivators rapidly adopted these varieties in North India, which produced high yields by greatly responding to modern inputs, generation of suitable crop production and protection technologies and favourable public policies. But continuation of same cropping patterns over the last three decades with inefficient and indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals inputs as well as natural resources have resulted into mounting environmental problems. The shrinking of natural resources coupled with technology and public policy related problems have caused increase in cost of production over the years. Considering various factors like optimization of agricultural productivity and profitability, employment generation, natural resource conservation and reduction in agro-chemical use, the objectives framed were i) to study utilization pattern of land, water and agro-chemicals in perspective ii) to formulate suitable farm plans for sustainable production.Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A First Principles Calculation of Ferromagnetic EuFe4Sb12

AbstractThe filled skutterudite compounds have attracted much attention of their wide variety of strongly correlated electron behaviour. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of the filled skutterudites EuFe4Sb12 have been performed using full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within the framework of the local spin density approximation (LSDA) approach. FeSb-based filled skutterudite compound exhibits variety of interesting features, since there coexist localized 4f-electrons and 3d-electrons with high density of states near Fermi level originating from Eu and Fe. The calculation performed near the Fermi level for density of states shows the compound to be suitable for effective thermoelectric application. The exchange-splitting of Eu-4f states were analysed to explain the ferromagnetic behaviour of EuFe4Sb12 with magnetic moment of 5.35μB

Somatically acquired hypomethylation of IGF2 in breast and colorectal cancer

The imprinted insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) gene is expressed predominantly from the paternal allele. Loss of imprinting (LOI) associated with hypomethylation at the promoter proximal sequence (DMR0) of the IGF2 gene was proposed as a predisposing constitutive risk biomarker for colorectal cancer. We used pyrosequencing to assess whether IGF2 DMR0 methylation is either present constitutively prior to cancer or whether it is acquired tissue-specifically after the onset of cancer. DNA samples from tumour tissues and matched non-tumour tissues from 22 breast and 42 colorectal cancer patients as well as peripheral blood samples obtained from colorectal cancer patients [SEARCH (n=case 192, controls 96)], breast cancer patients [ABC (n=case 364, controls 96)] and the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer [EPIC-Norfolk (n=breast 228, colorectal 225, controls 895)] were analysed. The EPIC samples were collected 2–5 years prior to diagnosis of breast or colorectal cancer. IGF2 DMR0 methylation levels in tumours were lower than matched non-tumour tissue. Hypomethylation of DMR0 was detected in breast (33%) and colorectal (80%) tumour tissues with a higher frequency than LOI indicating that methylation levels are a better indicator of cancer than LOI. In the EPIC population, the prevalence of IGF2 DMR0 hypomethylation was 9.5% and this correlated with increased age not cancer risk. Thus, IGF2 DMR0 hypomethylation occurs as an acquired tissue-specific somatic event rather than a constitutive innate epimutation. These results indicate that IGF2 DMR0 hypomethylation has diagnostic potential for colon cancer rather than value as a surrogate biomarker for constitutive LOI

Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV

We present the first measurement of directed flow ($v_1$) at RHIC. $v_1$ is found to be consistent with zero at pseudorapidities $\eta$ from -1.2 to 1.2, then rises to the level of a couple of percent over the range $2.4 < |\eta| < 4$. The latter observation is similar to data from NA49 if the SPS rapidities are shifted by the difference in beam rapidity between RHIC and SPS. Back-to-back jets emitted out-of-plane are found to be suppressed more if compared to those emitted in-plane, which is consistent with {\it jet quenching}. Using the scalar product method, we systematically compared azimuthal correlations from p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions. Flow and non-flow from these three different collision systems are discussed.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 proceeding, 4 pages, 3 figure

Azimuthal anisotropy: the higher harmonics

We report the first observations of the fourth harmonic (v_4) in the azimuthal distribution of particles at RHIC. The measurement was done taking advantage of the large elliptic flow generated at RHIC. The integrated v_4 is about a factor of 10 smaller than v_2. For the sixth (v_6) and eighth (v_8) harmonics upper limits on the magnitudes are reported.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, contribution to the Quark Matter 2004 proceeding

All-optical switching and strong coupling using tunable whispering-gallery-mode microresonators

We review our recent work on tunable, ultrahigh quality factor whispering-gallery-mode bottle microresonators and highlight their applications in nonlinear optics and in quantum optics experiments. Our resonators combine ultra-high quality factors of up to Q = 3.6 \times 10^8, a small mode volume, and near-lossless fiber coupling, with a simple and customizable mode structure enabling full tunability. We study, theoretically and experimentally, nonlinear all-optical switching via the Kerr effect when the resonator is operated in an add-drop configuration. This allows us to optically route a single-wavelength cw optical signal between two fiber ports with high efficiency. Finally, we report on progress towards strong coupling of single rubidium atoms to an ultra-high Q mode of an actively stabilized bottle microresonator.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figures. Accepted for publication in Applied Physics B. Changes according to referee suggestions: minor corrections to some figures and captions, clarification of some points in the text, added references, added new paragraph with results on atom-resonator interactio

Strange Resonance Production in p+p and Au+Au Collisions at RHIC Energies

Resonance yields and spectra from elementary p+p and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} =$ 200 GeV from the STAR experiment at RHIC are presented and discussed in terms of chemical and thermal freeze-out conditions. Thermal models do not adequately describe the yields of the resonance production in central Au+Au collisions. The approach to include elastic hadronic interactions between chemical freeze-out and thermal freeze-out suggests a time of $\Delta \tau>$5 fm/c.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, proceedings of the Quark Matter 2004, in Oakland, California, to be published in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic

Identified particles at large transverse momenta in STAR in Au+Au collisions @ sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV

We report measurements of the ratios of identified hadrons (pi,K,p,Lambda) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV as a function of both collision centrality and transverse momentum (p_T). Ratios of anti-baryon to baryon yields are independent of p_T within 2<p_T <6 GeV/c indicating that, for such a range, our measurements are inconsistent with theoretical pQCD calculations predicting a decrease due to a stronger contribution from valence quark scattering. For both strange and non-strange species, a strong baryon enhancement relative to meson yields is observed as a function of collision centrality in this intermediate p_T region, leading to p/pi and Lambda/K ratios greater than unity. The nuclear modification factor, R_cp (central relative to peripheral collisions), is used to illustrate the interplay between jet quenching and hadron production. The physics implications of these measurements are discussed with reference to different theoretical models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings of Quark Matter 2004 Conference, Jan 2004, Oakland, USA. Submitted to Journal of Physics

High-pTp_{T} electron distributions in d+Au and p+p collisions at RHIC

We present preliminary measurements of electron and positron spectra in d+Au and p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV for $1.5 < p_{T} < 7.0$ GeV/c. These measurements were carried out using the STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and the Barrel Electromagnetic calorimeter (EMC). Overall hadron rejection factors in the range of $10^{5}$ have been achieved. In this work we describe the measurement technique used to discriminate electrons from hadrons and compare the results for single electron spectra with Pythia based pQCD calculations for electrons from heavy-quark semi-leptonic decays.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 conference proceeding

Correlations and Fluctuations in STAR

We report measurements for the balance function, transverse momentum fluctuations, and net charge fluctuations from Au+Au collisions at 20, 130, and 200 GeV as well as p+p and d+Au collisions at 200 GeV using STAR at RHIC. For Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV, we observe a narrowing of the balance function in central collisions. We observe dynamic transverse momentum fluctuations at all incident energies. Observables related to transverse momentum fluctuations and net charge fluctuations are similar for peripheral Au+Au collisions and inclusive p+p collisions while central Au+Au collisions deviate significantly from HIJING predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Contribution to Quark Matter 2004 Proceeding