On Measuring the top quark mass using the dilepton decay modes

We demonstrate a new likelihood method for extracting the top quark mass from events of the type ttbar-->bW(l+nu)bW(l+nu) This method estimates the top quark mass correctly from an ensemble of dilepton events. The method proposed by Dalitz and Goldstein [1] is shown to result in a systematic underestimation of the top quark mass. Effects due to the spin correlations between the top and anti-top quarks are shown to be unimportant in estimating the mass of the top quark.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the 1996 DPF/DPB study on new directions for High Energy Physics, Snowmass, Colorad

Factorizing Numbers with the Gauss Sum Technique: NMR Implementations

Several physics-based algorithms for factorizing large number were recently published. A notable recent one by Schleich et al. uses Gauss sums for distinguishing between factors and non-factors. We demonstrate two NMR techniques that evaluate Gauss sums and thus implement their algorithm. The first one is based on differential excitation of a single spin magnetization by a cascade of RF pulses. The second method is based on spatial averaging and selective refocusing of magnetization for Gauss sums corresponding to factors. All factors of 16637 and 52882363 are successfully obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Abstract and Conclusion are slightly modified. References added and formatted with Bibte

Growth performance of groundnut (arachis hypogaea L.) seeds from organically and Inorganically treated plants

A field experiment was carried out at the Agronomy farm of the Eastern University, Sri Lanka in 2010 to study the growth performance of groundnut plants developed from seeds which were harvested from both organic and inorganic fertilized plants. Treatments were assigned according to the seed stock from recommended inorganic fertilized plants (T 1), no fertilizer (T2) and from the plants grown with 5, 10, 15 and 20 t ha-I cattle manure (T3, T4, T5 and T6 respectively). The experimental design was randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. All agronomic practices were uniform to all treatments except plant materials. Growth measurements were taken and analyzed statistically. The results showed that difference in treatments significantly influenced plant growth of groundnut mostly after flowering stage. Among the treatments, plants developed from groundnut seeds which were collected from 15 t/ha cattle manure fertilized field (T5), exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher dry weights of leaves (12.51 g), stem (16.09 g), root (0.61 g) and nodule (0.19 g) per plant than that in recommended inorganic fertilizer (T 1). Further it was noted that dry weight of immature pods per plant was high in T5 (17.38 g) than that in Tl (15.80 g) at 1 0th week after planting however there was no significant variation between them. Plant biomass (46.78 g) was significantly (P<0.05) higher at 10th week after planting the progeny of groundnut from 15 t ha-I of cattle manure than that from chemical fertilizer. In the Eastern region, farmers mostly harvest their groundnut product at the immature stage due to marketing and storage problem. The result revealed that cattle manure could be used by farmers for better crop production in sandy regosol

Comparative fishing ability and economic efficiency of mechanised trawlers operating along the Kerala coast

This study was undertaken with a view to finding out the comparative fishing ability and economic performance of different fishing vessel sizes 9.15m (30'), 9.76m (32') and 10.97m (36') designed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and operating along the Kerala coast. Data were collected from selected vessels of these sizes for four consecutive fishing seasons from 1964-65 to 1967-68. The catch/unit effort and total effort per year for the 10.97m (36') vessels were much better than those for the 9.76m (32') vessels. The yearly landings and the crew remuneration for the former were about twice those of the 9.76m (32') vessels. The economic efficiency of the 10.97m (36') vessels was also much better. The decline in landings per year in both size groups was more due to the reduction in the effort per year than the decline in catch/unit effort

Isolation and Characterization of Nodule-Associated Exiguobacterium sp. from the Root Nodules of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and Their Possible Role in Plant Growth Promotion

One of the ways to increase the competitive survivability of rhizobial biofertilizers and thus achieve better plant growth under such conditions is by modifying the rhizospheric environment or community by addition of nonrhizobial nodule-associated bacteria (NAB) that cause better nodulation and plant growth when coinoculated with rhizobia. A study was performed to investigate the most commonly associated nodule-associated bacteria and the rhizospheric microorganisms associated with the Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) plant. Isolation of nonrhizobial isolates from root nodules of Fenugreek was carried out along with the rhizospheric isolates. About 64.7% isolates obtained from Fenugreek nodules were gram-negative coccobacilli, 29.41% were gram-positive bacilli, and all rhizospheric isolates except one were gram-positive bacilli. All the isolates were characterized for their plant growth promoting (PGP) activities. Two of the NAB isolates M2N2c and B1N2b (Exiguobacterium sp.) showed maximum positive PGP features. Those NAB isolates when coinoculated with rhizobial strain—S. meliloti, showed plant growth promotion with respect to increase in plant's root and shoot length, chlorophyll content, nodulation efficiency, and nodule dry weight

Theoretical Study of Physisorption of Nucleobases on Boron Nitride Nanotubes: A New Class of Hybrid Nano-Bio Materials

We investigate the adsorption of the nucleic acid bases, adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T) and uracil (U) on the outer wall of a high curvature semiconducting single-walled boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) by first principles density functional theory calculations. The calculated binding energy shows the order: G>A\approxC\approxT\approxU implying that the interaction strength of the (high-curvature) BNNT with the nucleobases, G being an exception, is nearly the same. A higher binding energy for the G-BNNT conjugate appears to result from a stronger hybridization of the molecular orbitals of G and BNNT, since the charge transfer involved in the physisorption process is insignificant. A smaller energy gap predicted for the G-BNNT conjugate relative to that of the pristine BNNT may be useful in application of this class of biofunctional materials to the design of the next generation sensing devices.Comment: 17 pages 6 figure

RNAseq reveals hydrophobins that are involved in the adaptation of aspergillus nidulans to lignocellulose

Background Sugarcane is one of the world’s most profitable crops. Waste steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse (SEB) is a cheap, abundant, and renewable lignocellulosic feedstock for the next-generation biofuels. In nature, fungi seldom exist as planktonic cells, similar to those found in the nutrient-rich environment created within an industrial fermenter. Instead, fungi predominantly form biofilms that allow them to thrive in hostile environments. Results In turn, we adopted an RNA-sequencing approach to interrogate how the model fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, adapts to SEB, revealing the induction of carbon starvation responses and the lignocellulolytic machinery, in addition to morphological adaptations. Genetic analyses showed the importance of hydrophobins for growth on SEB. The major hydrophobin, RodA, was retained within the fungal biofilm on SEB fibres. The StuA transcription factor that regulates fungal morphology was up-regulated during growth on SEB and controlled hydrophobin gene induction. The absence of the RodA or DewC hydrophobins reduced biofilm formation. The loss of a RodA or a functional StuA reduced the retention of the hydrolytic enzymes within the vicinity of the fungus. Hence, hydrophobins promote biofilm formation on SEB, and may enhance lignocellulose utilisation via promoting a compact substrate-enzyme-fungus structure. Conclusion This novel study highlights the importance of hydrophobins to the formation of biofilms and the efficient deconstruction of lignocellulose