Estimation of Post-Harvest Losses in Kinnow Mandarin in Punjab Using a Modified Formula

This study undertaken in Punjab on kinnow mandarin has suggested to include marketing loss in the estimation of marketing margins, price spread and efficiency and has used a modified formula for it. It has been observed that a majority of kinnow producers sell their orchards to the pre-harvest contractors/ traders at different stages. The aggregate post-harvest losses from orchards to consumers in kinnow in two different markets ranges from 14.87 per cent in Delhi market to 21.91 per cent in Bangalore market. It has indicated the necessity of establishing kinnow processing industries for development of value-added ready-to-serve (RTS) quality products, minimizing post-harvest losses and providing remunerative price to the producers. The results have emphasized that efforts should be made to adopt improved packaging techniques, cushioning material and cold storage facilities at the retail level. The producer’s share in consumer’s price as estimated by old method has been found higher in local market than Bangalore and Delhi markets, largely because of lower marketing costs and profit margins of traders. The inclusion of marketing loss in the estimation of marketing margins, price spread and efficiency has indicated that the old estimation method unduly over-states the farmers’ net price and profit margins to the market middlemen. It is appropriate to use modified method for the estimation of marketing margins and price spread.Crop Production/Industries,

Effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on flowering, fruit-set and yield of cashew var. Jhargram-1

Four commonly used plant growth regulators such as NAA, 2,4-D, ethrel and GA3 were sprayed (single or double) at panicle initiation and peak flowering stage in cashew var. Jhargram-1. Results showed that spraying of ethrel 50 ppm twice, significantly produced maximum number of panicle per square meter. Spraying PGRs except 2,4-D had beneficial effect for most of the economic traits of the plants. NAA 100 ppm double spray was found to be the most effective to increase number of perfect flowers, fruit retention, nuts per square meter and yield per square meter. The study also revealed that spraying of GA3 50 ppm (both single and double spray) significantly produced more number of staminate flowers. Duration of flowering more than 60 days was recorded with double spray of GA3 50 ppm, NAA 100 ppm and GA3 100 ppm

Theoretical search for Chevrel phase based thermoelectric materials

We investigate the thermoelectric properties of some semiconducting Chevrel phases. Band structure calculations are used to compute thermopowers and to estimate of the effects of alloying and disorder on carrier mobility. Alloying on the Mo site with transition metals like Re, Ru or Tc to reach a semiconducting composition causes large changes in the electronic structure at the Fermi level. Such alloys are expected to have low carrier mobilities. Filling with transition metals was also found to be incompatible with high thermoelectric performance based on the calculated electronic structures. Filling with Zn, Cu, and especially with Li was found to be favorable. The calculated electronic structures of these filled Chevrel phases are consistent with low scattering of carriers by defects associated with the filling. We expect good mobility and high thermopower in materials with the composition close to (Li,Cu)$_4$Mo$_6$Se$_8$, particularly when Li-rich, and recommend this system for experimental investigation.Comment: 4 two-column pages, 4 embedded ps figure

Early performance of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)genotypes in arecanut under Assam condition of North Eastregion of India

Cocoa is an important plantation crop grown in southern parts of India. Though many cocoa varieties have been released for cultivation in different parts of India, there is no variety recommended for cultivation exclusively for India’s North East region, especially Assam, where arecanut is grown as an important cash crop. Therefore the present investigation was undertaken to study the performance of twelve cocoa genotypes for its growth, pod yield and yield attributing traits for subsequent research programmes. The data for growth, pod yield and yield attributing traits were recorded three years after planting for five years (2015 to 2019), and the mean data were used for analysis. Genotype VTLC 11 significantly produced greater plant height (2.70 m), stem circumference (27.73 cm), height at jorquetting (36.16 cm) and canopy area (17.00 m2). Mean average pod yield among the genotypes varied from 20.65 to 48.40 tree-1 year-1. Genotype VTLC 19 produced significantly higher pod yield (48.40), number of fresh beans pod-1 (34.06), fresh bean weight pod-1 (229.65 g), dry bean weight pod-1 (119.32 g), single dry bean weight (1.20 g) and dry bean yield (1.76 kg). Considering the most economic traits of cocoa, VTLC 19 appears to be the most suitable genotype for commercial cultivation in the region

Quantum Cosmology Aspects Of D3 Branes and Tachyon Dynamics

We investigate aspects of quantum cosmology in relation to string cosmology systems that are described in terms of the Dirac-Born-Infeld action. Using the Silverstein-Tong model, we analyze the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for the rolling scalar and gravity as well for $R\times{S^3}$ universe, by obtaining the wave functions for all dynamical degrees of freedom of the system. We show, that in some cases one can construct a time dependent version of the Wheeler-DeWitt (WDW) equation for the moduli field $\phi$. We also explore in detail the minisuperspace description of the rolling tachyon when non-minimal gravity tachyon couplings are inserted into the tachyon action.Comment: 29 pages, 3 figures, REVTeX 4; v2 clarifications, comments and references added; v3 more typos corrected, additional comments on the minisuperspace description of unstable universes, version published in JHE

Relativistic wave equations for interacting massive particles with arbitrary half-intreger spins

New formulation of relativistic wave equations (RWE) for massive particles with arbitrary half-integer spins s interacting with external electromagnetic fields are proposed. They are based on wave functions which are irreducible tensors of rank $n ($n=s-\frac12$) antisymmetric w.r.t. n pairs of indices, whose components are bispinors. The form of RWE is straightforward and free of inconsistencies associated with the other approaches to equations describing interacting higher spin particles

Recent experimental results in sub- and near-barrier heavy ion fusion reactions

Recent advances obtained in the field of near and sub-barrier heavy-ion fusion reactions are reviewed. Emphasis is given to the results obtained in the last decade, and focus will be mainly on the experimental work performed concerning the influence of transfer channels on fusion cross sections and the hindrance phenomenon far below the barrier. Indeed, early data of sub-barrier fusion taught us that cross sections may strongly depend on the low-energy collective modes of the colliding nuclei, and, possibly, on couplings to transfer channels. The coupled-channels (CC) model has been quite successful in the interpretation of the experimental evidences. Fusion barrier distributions often yield the fingerprint of the relevant coupled channels. Recent results obtained by using radioactive beams are reported. At deep sub-barrier energies, the slope of the excitation function in a semi-logarithmic plot keeps increasing in many cases and standard CC calculations over-predict the cross sections. This was named a hindrance phenomenon, and its physical origin is still a matter of debate. Recent theoretical developments suggest that this effect, at least partially, may be a consequence of the Pauli exclusion principle. The hindrance may have far-reaching consequences in astrophysics where fusion of light systems determines stellar evolution during the carbon and oxygen burning stages, and yields important information for exotic reactions that take place in the inner crust of accreting neutron stars.Comment: 40 pages, 63 figures, review paper accepted for EPJ

Precise measurement of hadronic tau-decays with an eta meson

We have studied hadronic tau decay modes involving an eta meson using 490 fb^{-1} of data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. The following branching fractions have been measured: B(tau- -> K- eta nu)=(1.58 +- 0.05 +- 0.09)x 10^{-4}, B(tau- -> K- pi0 eta nu)=(4.6 +- 1.1 +- 0.4)x 10^{-5}, B(tau- -> pi- pi0 eta nu)=(1.35 +- 0.03 +- 0.07)x 10^{-3}, B(tau- -> pi- KS eta nu)=(4.4 +- 0.7 +- 0.2)x 10^{-5}, and B(tau- -> K^{*-} eta nu)=(1.34 +- 0.12 +- 0.09)x 10^{-4}. These results are substantially more precise than previous measurements. The new measurements are compared with theoretical calculations based on the CVC hypothesis or the chiral perturbation theory. We also set upper limits on branching fractions for tau decays into K- KS eta nu, pi- KS pi0 eta nu, K- eta eta nu, pi- eta eta nu and non-resonant K- pi^0 eta nu final states.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figure

Measurement of the near-threshold e+e−→DDˉe^+e^- \to D \bar D cross section using initial-state radiation

We report measurements of the exclusive cross section for $e^+e^- \to D \bar D$, where $D=D^0$ or $D^+$, in the center-of-mass energy range from the $D \bar D$ threshold to $5\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ with initial-state radiation. The analysis is based on a data sample collected with the Belle detector with an integrated luminosity of 673 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$.Comment: Presented at EPS07 and LP07 conferences, published in PRD(RC