Application of biotechnology in the coloration of jute fabric using bis–triazinyl type of reactive dyes

Two sets of processed jute fabric, viz. alkaline scoured-bleached and bioscoured -bleached jute fabrics, have been dyed separately with two neucleophilic substitution type (bis- triazinyl type) of reactive dyes, namely Procion Blue HERD and Procion Green HE4BD dyes. It is observed that bioscoured - bleached- reactive dyed jute fabric shows higher dye uptake than that produced by alkaline scoured-bleached-reactive dyed jute fabric in case of both the reactive dyes. Bio-treatment results in improvement of handle and wash fastness properties of jute fabric. Brightness of the shade is also improved in case of biotreated-bleached-reactive dyed jute fabric. 

Violating Bell's inequality beyond Cirel'son's bound

Cirel'son inequality states that the absolute value of the combination of quantum correlations appearing in the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality is bound by $2 \sqrt 2$. It is shown that the correlations of two qubits belonging to a three-qubit system can violate the CHSH inequality beyond $2 \sqrt 2$. Such a violation is not in conflict with Cirel'son's inequality because it is based on postselected systems. The maximum allowed violation of the CHSH inequality, 4, can be achieved using a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state.Comment: REVTeX4, 4 page

Quantum mechanical effect of path-polarization contextuality for a single photon

Using measurements pertaining to a suitable Mach-Zehnder(MZ) type setup, a curious quantum mechanical effect of contextuality between the path and the polarization degrees of freedom of a polarized photon is demonstrated, without using any notion of realism or hidden variables - an effect that holds good for the product as well as the entangled states. This form of experimental context-dependence is manifested in a way such that at \emph{either} of the two exit channels of the MZ setup used, the empirically verifiable \emph{subensemble} statistical properties obtained by an arbitrary polarization measurement depend upon the choice of a commuting(comeasurable) path observable, while this effect disappears for the \emph{whole ensemble} of photons emerging from the two exit channels of the MZ setup.Comment: To be published in IJT

Hybrid bleaching of jute yarn using hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid

78-82An alternative eco-friendly method of bleaching of jute fibre and yarn has been developed using peracetic acid as bleaching agent and it is found that the treatment produces satisfactory whiteness with minimum loss in tensile properties. Comparative study on bleaching of jute using these two bleaching agents (hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid) clearly demonstrates that hydrogen peroxide bleaching produces 5-8 grades higher whiteness in HUNTER Scale but peracetic acid bleached fibre and yarn show better retention of tensile strength after bleaching. Partial bleaching of jute has also been carried out using 25%, 50% and 75% (normal dose) of both bleaching agents separately and their whiteness indexes as well as tensile strength are evaluated. In both the bleaching processes, whiteness increases with increase in concentration of bleaching agents and tensile strength retention decreases. It is also clear that for any particular percentage of bleaching agent, whiteness index is more in peroxide bleached sample, while tensile strength is more in case of peracetic acid bleached samples. Hence, hybrid bleaching has been carried out using both the bleaching agents (peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide) by two-step bleaching process so that the synergistic effect can produce higher whiteness with high retention of tenacity. Moreover, the sequence of bleaching, i.e. peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide or vice versa has also been studied in detail. It has been found that the hybrid bleaching of jute using peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide produces better whiteness with high retention of tensile strength. The hybrid bleaching of jute using 75% peracetic acid followed by 25% hydrogen peroxide produces the best result

Hybrid bleaching of jute yarn using hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid

An alternative eco-friendly method of bleaching of jute fibre and yarn has been developed using peracetic acid as bleaching agent and it is found that the treatment produces satisfactory whiteness with minimum loss in tensile properties. Comparative study on bleaching of jute using these two bleaching agents (hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid) clearly demonstrates that hydrogen peroxide bleaching produces 5-8 grades higher whiteness in HUNTER Scale but peracetic acid bleached fibre and yarn show better retention of tensile strength after bleaching. Partial bleaching of jute has also been carried out using 25%, 50% and 75% (normal dose) of both bleaching agents separately and their whiteness indexes as well as tensile strength are evaluated. In both the bleaching processes, whiteness increases with increase in concentration of bleaching agents and tensile strength retention decreases. It is also clear that for any particular percentage of bleaching agent, whiteness index is more in peroxide bleached sample, while tensile strength is more in case of peracetic acid bleached samples. Hence, hybrid bleaching has been carried out using both the bleaching agents (peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide) by two-step bleaching process so that the synergistic effect can produce higher whiteness with high retention of tenacity. Moreover, the sequence of bleaching, i.e. peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide or vice versa has also been studied in detail. It has been found that the hybrid bleaching of jute using peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide produces better whiteness with high retention of tensile strength. The hybrid bleaching of jute using 75% peracetic acid followed by 25% hydrogen peroxide produces the best result.

Bell's theorem with and without inequalities for the three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and W states

A proof of Bell's theorem without inequalities valid for both inequivalent classes of three-qubit entangled states under local operations assisted by classical communication, namely Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) and W, is described. This proof leads to a Bell inequality that allows more conclusive tests of Bell's theorem for three-qubit systems. Another Bell inequality involving both tri- and bipartite correlations is introduced which illustrates the different violations of local realism exhibited by the GHZ and W states.Comment: REVTeX4, 5 pages, 3 figure

Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger nonlocality for continuous variable systems

As a development of our previous work, this paper is concerned with the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) nonlocality for continuous variable cases. The discussion is based on the introduction of a pseudospin operator, which has the same algebra as the Pauli operator, for each of the $N$ modes of a light field. Then the Bell-CHSH (Clauser, Horne, Shimony and Holt) inequality is presented for the $N$ modes, each of which has a continuous degree of freedom. Following Mermin's argument, it is demonstrated that for $N$-mode parity-entangled GHZ states (in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space) of the light field, the contradictions between quantum mechanics and local realism grow exponentially with $N$, similarly to the usual $N$-spin cases.Comment: RevTEX; comments are welcomed; new version with minor change

First Dark Matter Limits from a Large-Mass, Low-Background Superheated Droplet Detector

We report on the fabrication aspects and calibration of the first large active mass ($\sim15$ g) modules of SIMPLE, a search for particle dark matter using Superheated Droplet Detectors (SDDs). While still limited by the statistical uncertainty of the small data sample on hand, the first weeks of operation in the new underground laboratory of Rustrel-Pays d'Apt already provide a sensitivity to axially-coupled Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) competitive with leading experiments, confirming SDDs as a convenient, low-cost alternative for WIMP detection.Comment: Final version, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press

Progressive resistance of BTK-143 osteosarcoma cells to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis is mediated by acquisition of DcR2/TRAIL-R4 expression: resensitisation with chemotherapy

© 2003 Cancer Research UKApo2 ligand (Apo2L, also known as TRAIL) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) family of cytokines that selectively induces the death of cancer cells, but not of normal cells. We observed that recombinant Apo2L/TRAIL was proapoptotic in early-passage BTK-143 osteogenic sarcoma cells, inducing 80% cell death during a 24 h treatment period. Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis was blocked by caspase inhibition. With increasing passage in culture, BTK-143 cells became progressively resistant to the apoptotic effects of Apo2L/TRAIL . RNA and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that resistance to Apo2L/TRAIL was paralleled by progressive acquisition of the decoy receptor, DcR2. Blocking of DcR2 function with a specific anti-DcR2 antibody restored sensitivity to Apo2L/TRAIL in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, treatment of resistant cells with the chemotherapeutic agents doxorubicin, cisplatin and etoposide reversed the resistance to Apo2L/TRAIL, which was associated with drug-induced upregulation of mRNA encoding the death receptors DR4 and DR5. BTK-143 cells thus represent a useful model system to investigate both the mechanisms of acquisition of resistance of tumour cells to Apo2L/TRAIL and the use of conventional drugs and novel agents to overcome resistance to Apo2L/TRAIL.S Bouralexis, D M Findlay, G J Atkins, A Labrinidis, S Hay & A Evdokio

Violation of multi-particle Bell inequalities for low and high flux parametric amplification using both vacuum and entangled input states

We show how polarisation measurements on the output fields generated by parametric down conversion will reveal a violation of multi-particle Bell inequalities, in the regime of both low and high output intensity. In this case each spatially separated system, upon which a measurement is performed, is comprised of more than one particle. In view of the formal analogy with spin systems, the proposal provides an opportunity to test the predictions of quantum mechanics for spatially separated higher spin states. Here the quantum behaviour possible even where measurements are performed on systems of large quantum (particle) number may be demonstrated. Our proposal applies to both vacuum-state signal and idler inputs, and also to the quantum-injected parametric amplifier as studied by De Martini et al. The effect of detector inefficiencies is included.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure