Effect of foliar application of GA3, ethrel and copper sulphate on flowering behaviour and sex ratio of Jatropha curcas L.

Effect of various plant growth substances viz., GA3 (25, 50,100 ppm), ethrel (1500, 2000, 2500 ppm), copper sulphate (0.1, 0.2, 0.5%) as foliar spray treatment applied during January to October was studied at 15 days intervals. The flowering behaviour and sex-expression of Jatropha curcas was investigated during in randomized block design (RBD) at the College Farm, Navsari. Looking to the results, it was noticed that GA3 50 ppm resulted in increased number of inflorescence per plant (31.25), number of flower per inflorescence (76.87), number of (male 94.75/female 4.01) flowers, flower sex ratio (24.22) in J. curcas. The Male: Female flower ratio was the lowest at 14th spray stage under majority of treatments indicating increased number of female flowers which is ultimately reflected by increased fruit and seed yield of J. curcas

Short communication: The effect of depth of operation and soaking time on catch rates in the experimental tuna longline fisheries in Lakshadweep Sea, India

Most of the marine fish landings from the Indian waters are from the fishing operations in the coastal shelf area, especially from the shallower region ranging from 5 to 100 m depth. Heavy demand for seafood in domestic and international markets underlines the need for increasing the marine fish production. Catch trends indicated that the production from the coastal fisheries is almost stagnant and point towards the need for harvesting unexploited or under exploited oceanic fish resources. Present fleet size of the distant water fishing vessels is very less in spite of India’s vast EEZ of 2.02 million sq km and two Islands groups, viz., Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep. ... Experimental longline operations were initiated in the Lakshadweep Sea to tap the unexploited oceanic tuna fishes. This paper discusses the effect of depth of operation and soaking time on the overall catching performance and species selectivity in the longlines operated

Biochemical changes in cotton plants due to infestation by cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

The study on biochemical changes in cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L.) due to infestation by cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was conducted at CICR Nagpur during 2014-15. Total protein contents estimated from the shoots of the healthy plants (4.29 mg/g) indicated 50.5% increase over the healthy plants (2.85 mg/g). Total phenol content increased by 185.7% in the mealybug infested plants (0.20?g/g) over the healthy plants (0.07?g/g). Insignificant difference in the level of total soluble sugar was observed in mealybug infested plants (1.00?g/g) as compared to healthy plants (0.90?g/g). Total reducing sugar was found to be unaffected with the mealybug infestation. Although there was depletion in all the photosynthetic pigments viz., chlorophyll a (19.1%), chlorophyll b (23.7%), total chlorophyll (21.2%) and carotenoids (20.8%) due to the mealybug infestation, these values were not statistically different in the healthy plants. This is the first report on biochemical changes in cotton plant due to infestation of P. solenopsis

Subscale Ship Airwake Studies Using Novel Vortex Flow Devices with Smoke, Laser-Vapor-Screen and Particle Image Velocimetry

Ships produce vortices and air-wakes while either underway or stationary in a wind. These flow fields can be detrimental to the conduction of air operations in that they can adversely impact the air vehicles and flight crews. There are potential solutions to these problems for both frigates/destroyers and carriers through the use of novel vortex flow or flow control devices. This appendix highlights several devices which may have application and points out that traditional wind-tunnel testing using smoke, laser-vapor screen, and Particle Image Velocimetry can be useful in sorting out the effectiveness of different devices

Patterns of analgesic use, pain and self-efficacy: a cross-sectional study of patients attending a hospital rheumatology clinic

Background: Many people attending rheumatology clinics use analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories for persistent musculoskeletal pain. Guidelines for pain management recommend regular and pre-emptive use of analgesics to reduce the impact of pain. Clinical experience indicates that analgesics are often not used in this way. Studies exploring use of analgesics in arthritis have historically measured adherence to such medication. Here we examine patterns of analgesic use and their relationships to pain, self-efficacy and demographic factors. Methods: Consecutive patients were approached in a hospital rheumatology out-patient clinic. Pattern of analgesic use was assessed by response to statements such as 'I always take my tablets every day.' Pain and self-efficacy (SE) were measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES). Influence of factors on pain level and regularity of analgesic use were investigated using linear regression. Differences in pain between those agreeing and disagreeing with statements regarding analgesic use were assessed using t-tests. Results: 218 patients (85% of attendees) completed the study. Six (2.8%) patients reported no current pain, 26 (12.3%) slight, 100 (47.4%) moderate, 62 (29.4%) severe and 17 (8.1%) extreme pain. In multiple linear regression self efficacy and regularity of analgesic use were significant (p < 0.01) with lower self efficacy and more regular use of analgesics associated with more pain. Low SE was associated with greater pain: 40 (41.7%) people with low SE reported severe pain versus 22 (18.3%) people with high SE, p < 0.001. Patients in greater pain were significantly more likely to take analgesics regularly; 13 (77%) of those in extreme pain reported always taking their analgesics every day, versus 9 (35%) in slight pain. Many patients, including 46% of those in severe pain, adjusted analgesic use to current pain level. In simple linear regression, pain was the only variable significantly associated with regularity of analgesic use: higher levels of pain corresponded to more regular analgesic use (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Our study confirms that there is a strong inverse relationship between self-efficacy and pain severity. Analgesics are often used irregularly by people with arthritis, including some reporting severe pain

Optimised Cockpit Heat Load Analysis using Skin Temperature Predicted by CFD and Validation by Thermal Mapping to Improve the Performance of Fighter Aircraft

Designing of optimum environmental control system (ECS) plays a major role for increasing performance of fighter aircraft depending upon requirement of engine bleed air for running of ECS. Accurate estimation of cockpit skin temperature for obtaining optimised cockpit heat load helps in estimation of engine bleed air for ECS. Present research evolved a methodology for comparing the theoretically calculated skin temperature with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to obtain optimum skin temperature. Results are validated by flight tests under critical flight conditions using thermal crayons. Based on which the optimized heat load and bleed air requirements has been computed. Uncertainty analysis of skin temperature measurement for thermal crayons have been undertaken. The results indicate that the theoretical skin temperature is -26.70 per cent as that of CFD estimated skin temperature. Optimized average cockpit heat load at critical flight profiles is 0.74 times the theoretical cockpit heat load, leading to reduction of bleed air requirement by 26 per cent as compared to theoretical. Due to this literature survey has pridicted the increase in performance parameters like increase in bleed air pressure by 78 per cent, increase in thrust by 60 per cent, and decrease in specific fuel consumption (SFC) by 40 per cent to improve the endurance of aircraft. The research has generated governing equations for variation of cockpit heat loads w.r.t aircraft skin temperatures.Defence Science Journal, Vol. 65, No. 1, January 2015, pp.12-24, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.65.720

More About the Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System

TetrUSS is a comprehensive suite of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs that won the Software of the Year award in 1996 and has found increasing use in government, academia, and industry for solving realistic flow problems (especially in aerodynamics and aeroelastics of aircraft having complex shapes). TetrUSS includes not only programs for solving basic equations of flow but also programs that afford capabilities for efficient generation and utilization of computational grids and for graphical representation of computed flows (see figure). The 2004 version of the Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System (TetrUSS), which is one of two software systems reported in "NASA s 2004 Software of the Year," NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 18, has been improved greatly since 1996. These improvements include (1) capabilities to simulate viscous flow by solving the Navier-Stokes equations on unstructured grids, (2) portability to personal computers from diverse manufacturers, (3) advanced models of turbulence, (4) a parallel-processing version of one of the unstructured-grid Navier-Stokes-equation-solving programs, and (5) advanced programs for generating unstructured grids

Discovery and Rossiter-McLaughlin Effect of Exoplanet Kepler-8b

We report the discovery and the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of Kepler-8b, a transiting planet identified by the NASA Kepler Mission. Kepler photometry and Keck-HIRES radial velocities yield the radius and mass of the planet around this F8IV subgiant host star. The planet has a radius RP = 1.419 RJ and a mass, MP = 0.60 MJ, yielding a density of 0.26 g cm^-3, among the lowest density planets known. The orbital period is P = 3.523 days and orbital semima jor axis is 0.0483+0.0006/-0.0012 AU. The star has a large rotational v sin i of 10.5 +/- 0.7 km s^-1 and is relatively faint (V = 13.89 mag), both properties deleterious to precise Doppler measurements. The velocities are indeed noisy, with scatter of 30 m s^-1, but exhibit a period and phase consistent with the planet implied by the photometry. We securely detect the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, confirming the planet's existence and establishing its orbit as prograde. We measure an inclination between the projected planetary orbital axis and the projected stellar rotation axis of lambda = -26.9 +/- 4.6 deg, indicating a moderate inclination of the planetary orbit. Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements of a large sample of transiting planets from Kepler will provide a statistically robust measure of the true distribution of spin-orbit orientations for hot jupiters in general.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; In preparation for submission to the Astrophysical Journa

Overview of the Kepler Science Processing Pipeline

The Kepler Mission Science Operations Center (SOC) performs several critical functions including managing the ~156,000 target stars, associated target tables, science data compression tables and parameters, as well as processing the raw photometric data downlinked from the spacecraft each month. The raw data are first calibrated at the pixel level to correct for bias, smear induced by a shutterless readout, and other detector and electronic effects. A background sky flux is estimated from ~4500 pixels on each of the 84 CCD readout channels, and simple aperture photometry is performed on an optimal aperture for each star. Ancillary engineering data and diagnostic information extracted from the science data are used to remove systematic errors in the flux time series that are correlated with these data prior to searching for signatures of transiting planets with a wavelet-based, adaptive matched filter. Stars with signatures exceeding 7.1 sigma are subjected to a suite of statistical tests including an examination of each star's centroid motion to reject false positives caused by background eclipsing binaries. Physical parameters for each planetary candidate are fitted to the transit signature, and signatures of additional transiting planets are sought in the residual light curve. The pipeline is operational, finding planetary signatures and providing robust eliminations of false positives.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Effectiveness of Partial Wrapping of Stainless-Steel Wire Mesh on Compression Behavior of Concrete Cylinders

Partial confinement can provide sufficient reinforcement to enhance the compressive strength and ductility of concrete with lesser confining material. This paper presents the results of an axial compression test conducted on eighteen plain concrete cylinders of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height partially confined with a Stainless-Steel Wire Mesh (SSWM) strip of different widths. The study included two specimens without wrapping, two fully wrapped specimens, and others wrapped with two SSWM strips of varying widths at both the ends of concrete cylinder. The strain on SSWM up to failure is measured to understand the effectiveness of lateral confining pressure on the behaviour of concrete cylinders. The peak axial compressive strength and corresponding strain of unconfined and SSWM-confined concrete cylinders are compared. The result shows a significant increase in peak confined compressive stress as compared to an unconfined concrete cylinder. However, the confinement efficiency is reduced when the height of the unconfined region exceeds the diameter of the cylinder, and significant strain localisation is detected within the unwrapped region. Based on experimental investigation, a confinement coefficient is suggested for a partial wrapping of SSWM on the concrete cylinder