62 research outputs found
LaSrVMoO: A case study for -site covalency-driven local cationic order in double perovskites
An unusual atomic scale chemical fluctuation in LaSrVMoO, in terms of
narrow patches of La,V and Sr,Mo-rich phases, has been probed in detail to
understand the origin of such a chemical state. Exhaustive tuning of the
equilibrium synthesis parameters showed that the extent of phase separation can
never be melted down below an unit cell dimension making it impossible to
achieve the conventional -site ordered structure, which establishes that the
observed `inhomogeneous' patch-like structure with minimum dimension of few
angstroms is a reality in LaSrVMoO. Therefore, another type of local
chemical order, hitherto unknown in double perovskites, gets introduced here.
X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy elemental mapping, magnetic, and various
spectroscopic studies have been carried out on samples, synthesized under
different conditions. These experimental results in conjunction with {\it
ab-initio} electronic structure calculation revealed that it is the energy
stability, gained by typical La-O covalency as in LaVO, that leads to the
preferential La,V and Sr,Mo ionic proximity, and the consequent patchy
structure.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure
Antimagnetic rotation and sudden change of electric quadrupole transition strength in 143Eu
Lifetimes of the states in the quadrupole structure in 143Eu have been
measured using the Doppler shift attenuation method as well as parity of the
states in the sequence has been firmly identified from polarization measurement
using the Indian National Gamma Array. The decreasing trends of the deduced
quadrupole transition strength B(E2) with spin, along with increasing J (2)
/B(E2) values before band crossing, conclusively establish the origin of these
states as arising out of antimagnetic rotation. The abrupt increase in the
B(E2) values after the band crossing in the quadrupole band, a novel feature
observed in the present experiment, may indicates the crossing of different
shears configurations resulting in re-opening of shears structure. The results
are well reproduced by numerical calculation within the framework of
semi-classical geometric model.Comment: 6 pages, 4 postscript figure
Revised level structure of 120Te
The level scheme of the nucleus Te120, populated in the reaction Se80(Ca48,α4n), was reinvestigated using γ-ray coincidence data measured with the Gammasphere spectrometer. Previously, five high-spin rotational bands were discovered in this nucleus. Th
'Bhavishya Shakti: Empowering the Future': establishing and evaluating a pilot community mobile teaching kitchen as an innovative model, training marginalised women to become nutrition champions and culinary health educators in Kolkata, India.
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a global emergency, creating an overlapping burden on individual, public and economic health. The double burden of malnutrition affects approximately 2.3 billion adults worldwide. Following 3 years of capacity building work in Kolkata, with assistance of local volunteers and organisations, we established an empowering nutrition education model in the form of a 'mobile teaching kitchen (MTK)' with the aim of creating culinary health educators from lay slum-dwelling women. AIMS: To evaluate the piloting of a novel MTK nutrition education platform and its effects on the participants, alongside data collection feasibility. METHODS: Over 6 months, marginalised (RG Kar and Chetla slums) women underwent nutrition training using the MTK supported by dietitians, doctors and volunteers. Preintervention and postintervention assessments of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP), as well as anthropometric and clinical nutritional status of both the women and their children were recorded. The education was delivered by a 'See One, Do One, Teach One' approach with a final assessment of teaching delivery performed in the final session. RESULTS: Twelve women were trained in total, six from each slum. Statistically significant improvements were noted in sections of KAP, with improvements in nutrition knowledge (+4.8) and practices (+0.8). In addition, statistically significant positive changes were seen in 'understanding of healthy nutrition for their children' (p=0.02), 'sources of protein rich food' (p=0.02) and 'not skipping meals if a child is ill' (p≤0.001). CONCLUSION: The MTK as a public health intervention managed to educate, empower and upskill two groups of lay marginalised women into MTK Champions from the urban slums of Kolkata, India. Improvements in their nutrition KAP demonstrate just some of the effects of this programme. By the provision of healthy meals and nutritional messages, the MTK Champions are key drivers nudging improvements in nutrition and health related awareness with a ripple effect across the communities that they serve. There is potential to upscale and adapt this programme to other settings, or developing into a microenterprise model, that can help future MTK Champions earn a stable income
High-spin spectroscopy of I-122
High-spin states in I-122 have been investigated using the Cd-116(B-11,5n)I-122 reaction at a beam energy of 65 MeV and gamma-ray coincidence events were recorded with the INGA spectrometer. The level scheme of I-122 has been extended up to spin I = 30. Experimental features, such as band-crossing frequencies, aligned angular momenta, signature splitting, and B(M1)/B(E2) ratios have been used for configuration assignments to low-energy band structures. Maximally aligned states involving all eight particles outside the Sn-114 core and states with one particle antialigned have been identified. Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky calculations have been used to interpret high-spin structures
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