Temperature and magnetization-dependent band-gap renormalization and optical many-body effects in diluted magnetic semiconductors

We calculate the Coulomb interaction induced density, temperature and magnetization dependent many-body band-gap renormalization in a typical diluted magnetic semiconductor GaMnAs in the optimally-doped metallic regime as a function of carrier density and temperature. We find a large (about 0.1 eV) band gap renormalization which is enhanced by the ferromagnetic transition. We also calculate the impurity scattering effect on the gap narrowing. We suggest that the temperature, magnetization, and density dependent band gap renormalization could be used as an experimental probe to determine the valence band or the impurity band nature of carrier ferromagnetism.Comment: Revised versio

Night sky at the Indian Astronomical Observatory during 2000-2008

We present an analysis of the optical night sky brightness and extinction coefficient measurements in UBVRI at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), Hanle, during the period 2003-2008. They are obtained from an analysis of CCD images acquired at the 2 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope at IAO. Night sky brightness was estimated using 210 HFOSC images obtained on 47 nights and covering the declining phase of solar activity cycle-23. The zenith corrected values of the moonless night sky brightness in mag/square arcsecs are 22.14(U), 22.42(B), 21.28(V), 20.54(R) and 18.86(I) band. This shows that IAO is a dark site for optical observations. No clear dependency of sky brightness with solar activity is found. Extinction values at IAO are derived from an analysis of 1325 images over 58 nights. They are found to be 0.36 in U-band, 0.21 in B-band, 0.12 in V-band, 0.09 in R-band and 0.05 in I-band. On average, extinction during the summer months is slightly larger than that during the winter months. No clear evidence for a correlation between extinction in all bands and the average night time wind speed is found. Also presented here is the low resolution moonless optical night sky spectrum for IAO covering the wavelength range 3000-9300 \AA. Hanle region thus has the required characteristics of a good astronomical site in terms of night sky brightness and extinction, and could be a natural candidate site for any future large aperture Indian optical-infrared telescope(s).Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, uses basi.cls, accepted for publication in Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of Indi

Narasimham Committee Report - Some Further Ramifications and Suggestions

This paper while agreeing with the general thrust of the Narasimham Committee Report. Calls attention to some logical corollaries of the Report and analyses some possible fallout from implementing the Report. We agree with the view that control of banking system should be under an autonomous body supervised by the RBI. However at the level of individual banks, closer scrutiny of lending procedures may be called for than is envisaged in the Report. In a freely functioning capital market the potential of government bonds is enormous, but this necessitates restructuring of the government bond market. The government bonds may then also be used as suitable hedging mechanisms by introducing options and futures trading. We recommend freeing up the operation of pension and provident fund to enable at least partial investment of such funds in risky securities. In the corporate sector, we believe that the current 2:1 debt equity norm is too high and not sustainable in the long term. We envisage that high debt levels and higher interest rates, combined with higher business risk may result in greater incidence of corporate sickness. This may call for various schemes for retrenched workers and amendment to land laws for easy exit of companies. On account of interdependencies across different policies, any sequencing of their implementation may be highly problematic. We therefore suggest a near simultaneity in the implementation of various reforms in order to build up a momentum which would be irreversible if people are to have confidence that the reforms will endure, and if we are to retain our credibility with international financial institutions.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi

Objective: To evaluate our experience of laparoscopic cholecystectomies at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi over a three-year period from the inception of the technique, and to assess its value and advantages to the patients. Design: A prospective case series study. Setting: The Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi. Patients: One hundred and thirty five cases operated from February 1996 to April 1999. All patients were subjected to the American method of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is described in detail in this paper. Main outcome measures: Clinical presentation, age and sex demographics, average hospital stay, intraoperative and postoperative complications and outcome. Results: There was a female preponderance with a female to male ratio of 5:1. Mean age was forty nine years. Majority of patients suffered from chronic cholecystitis. The conversion rate to an open procedure was five per cent. There were two cases of significant bile leakage which required laparotomy. No mortality was reported in this series. Conclusion: This technique was found to have distinct advantages such as shorter hospital stay, lesser postoperative pain and very good cosmesis. It is a safe procedure if performed by a well trained surgeon

Unsteady Flow Of A Viscous Incompressible Fluid Between Parallel Plates

In the present paper an exact solution of the Navier Stokes equations has been obtained, considering the flow of a viscous incompressible fluid between two infinitely extended parallel plates when upper plate is moving with uniform velocity and the lower plate is performing linear oscillations in its own plane. The technique of Laplace transform has been employed to obtain the velocity distribution, which has been shown graphically

Optical Photometry of the GRB 010222 Afterglow

The optical afterglow of GRB 010222 was observed using the recently installed 2-m telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, and the telescopes at the Vainu Bappu Observatory, Kavalur, beginning ~ 0.6 day after the detection of the event. The results based on these photometric observations combined with others reported in the literature are presented in this paper. The R band light curve shows an initial decline of intensities proportional to t^{-0.542} which steepens, after 10.3 hours, to t^{-1.263}. Following the model of collimated outflow, the early break in the light curve implies a very narrow beam angle (~ 2-3 deg). The two decay rates are consistent with the standard jet model in a uniform density ambient medium, but require a hard spectrum of electron power density with p ~ 1.5. The R band light between 14 and 17 hours since outburst departs from the power law fit by 0.1 mag and shows some evidence for fluctuations over timescales of an hour in the observer's frame. Such deviations are expected due to density inhomogeneities if the ambient medium is similar to the local interstellar medium. GRB 010222 is thus an example of a highly collimated outflow with a hard spectrum of electron energy distribution in normal interstellar environment.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, including 2 postscript figures, to appear in the Bull. astro. Soc. India, September 2001 issu

Neoarchean crustal shear zones and implications of shear indicators in tectonic evolution of Bundelkhand craton, central India

The gneisses and granitoids emplaced along E-W sub-vertical crustal shear zones are represented as important tectonic units in Bundelkhand craton of central India. The tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses (3.5-3.2 Ga; oldest unit), and streaky to mafic gneisses structurally deformed in D 1 deformation. The metabasic, felsic, banded iron formation and metasedimentaries of greenstone complex exposed in central part, have characteristics of three sets of folding (F 1 -F 3 ). These gneisses associated with migmatite, amphibolite, quartzite, and schist were evolved in D 2 compressive phase, which are not occurring in northern part of craton. The K-rich Neoarchean granitoids (2.6-2.49 Ga) were intruded as granitic complex (D 3 magmatic phase) and the E-W strike-slip Raksa-Garhmau shear zone reported as important tectonic unit, were evolved in asyn-to post-tectonic D 3 phase. The dolerite dykes (ca. 2.0 Ga) were emplaced along NW-SE fractures in extension setting during D 4 magmatic event. The NE-SW riedel shears occupied by giant quartz veins (reefs) evolved in Paleoproterozoic during D 5 endogenic activity. The relationship between macro and microstructural fabrics has been documented within mylonitic foliation, stretching lineation, S-C planes and rotated fabrics, reflect mesoscopic shear indicators, as noted in three types of mylonitic rocks. i) The rotated porphyroclasts of quartz, feldspars and asymmetric pressure shadows showing strong undulose extinction, deformation lamellae, and dynamic recrystallization are characteristic features of protomylonite where altered orthoclase and kinked plagioclase are noticed. ii) Mylonite, a distinct mylonitic foliation represented by parallel orientation of elongated quartz and feldspar with flakes of mica. iii) The ground matrix of recrystallized quartz with few protoliths of quartz and feldspar are observed, important features of ultramylonite. The asymmetric microstructures viz. σa and σb mantled porphyroclasts, othermicrostructures show progressively deformed by crystal plastic (non-coaxial) strain softening under low to moderate temperature conditions. The sinistral top- to- SW sense of shear movement was dominant. The microfractures/ microfaults, kinking and pull apart structures observed in K- feldspars and are indicative of overprinting of brittle deformation on ductile shearing

Labeling Schemes for Bounded Degree Graphs

We investigate adjacency labeling schemes for graphs of bounded degree $\Delta = O(1)$. In particular, we present an optimal (up to an additive constant) $\log n + O(1)$ adjacency labeling scheme for bounded degree trees. The latter scheme is derived from a labeling scheme for bounded degree outerplanar graphs. Our results complement a similar bound recently obtained for bounded depth trees [Fraigniaud and Korman, SODA 10], and may provide new insights for closing the long standing gap for adjacency in trees [Alstrup and Rauhe, FOCS 02]. We also provide improved labeling schemes for bounded degree planar graphs. Finally, we use combinatorial number systems and present an improved adjacency labeling schemes for graphs of bounded degree $\Delta$ with $(e+1)\sqrt{n} < \Delta \leq n/5$