Invariant Theory of finite general linear groups modulo Frobenius powers

We prove some cases of a conjecture of Lewis, Reiner and Stanton regarding Hilbert series corresponding to the action of $Gl_n(\mathbb{F}_q)$ on a polynomial ring modulo Frobenius powers. We also give a few conjectures about the invariant ring for certain cases that we don't prove completely

CDM potential of SPV pumps in India

So far, the cumulative number of renewable energy systems such as Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) irrigation pumps in the agriculture sector in India is far below their theoretical potential despite government subsidy programmes. One of the major barriers are the high costs of investments in these systems. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) provides industrialized countries with an incentive to invest in emission reduction projects in developing countries to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions at lowest cost that also promotes sustainable development in the host country. Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) irrigation pumps could be of interest under the CDM because they directly displace greenhouse gas emissions while contributing to sustainable rural development. However, there is only one SPV project under the CDM so far. --Clean Development Mechanism,Agriculture,Renewable Energy,CO2 Emissions,Solar Photovoltaic Pumps,India

CDM potential of wind power projects in India

So far, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power projects in India is far below their gross potential (È 15%) despite very high level of policy support, tax benefits, long term financing schemes etc, for more than 10 years etc. One of the major barriers is the high costs of investments in these systems. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol provides industrialized countries with an incentive to invest in emission reduction projects in developing countries to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions at lowest cost that also promotes sustainable development in the host country. Wind power projects could be of interest under the CDM because they directly displace greenhouse gas emissions while contributing to sustainable rural development, if developed correctly. Our estimates indicate that there is a vast theoretical potential of CO2 mitigation by the use of wind energy in India. The annual CER potential of wind power in India could theoretically reach 86 million tonnes. Under more realistic assumptions about diffusion of wind power projects based on past experiences with the government-run programmes, annual CER volumes by 2012 could reach 41 to 67 million and 78 to 83 million by 2020. The projections based on the past diffusion trend indicate that in India, even with highly favorable assumptions, the dissemination of wind power projects is not likely to reach its maximum estimated potential in another 15 years. CDM could help to achieve the maximum utilization potential more rapidly as compared to the current diffusion trend if supportive policies are introduced. --

RECENT TRENDS IN MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEMS

This review critically evaluates the current trends of male reproductive health problems in relation to semen quality. Increasing trend in male reproductive disorders observed in recent years, are principally found to associate with lifestyle and environmental factors. Lifestyle-allied diseases could be controlled with modification in diet, living and working environment etc. This review outlines the changing trends in male reproductive health and highlights the alterations in semen quality, in scientific manner. Though scientific and public concern regarding the changes on male reproductive health has grown in past few decades but the demonstration of a geographical differences in sperm concentration, still appears to be controversial. The amplitude of the difference observed cannot only be explained by methodological or confounding factors, and must to some extent be attributed to ethnic, genetic or environmental factors. However, there are numerous reports indicating the chronologically declining sperm count and standard semen parameters in various population indicating the increasing trend of male reproductive health disorders

Development of a Photo Oxidation/Reduction Electrode in Photocatalytic Study

Catalysis has been a thrust area in materials research and MOFs have shown potential to make strong in-road in catalytic applications. Many of these MOFs reportedly have shown photosensitivity and since photocatalysis constitute one of the most intriguing areas of research within the domain of catalysis, it would be worth an effort to probe their effectiveness as photocatalyst. Although, the success or failure of any MOF compound as photocatalyst would largely depend on their ability to remain stable under aqueous and/or organic medium on prolonged exposure. Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin film is a recent concept. Harnessing solar energy has been a thrust area and gaining momentum continually. Various methods, products and technologies have been developed towards this direction and our present research endeavor and motivation is mainly sourced from the issue on harnessing solar energy in photo degradation. In this work, two contemporary metal organic frameworks (MOFs) i.e. MOF-5 (ZnBDC) and MIL-53(Fe) (or, Fe-BDC) were synthesized using microwave synthesis technique and characterized. Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films were fabricated by sol-gel and spin coating techniques. MOF films (Zn-BDC) were grown onto TCO. Improvisations were also made in TCO matrix by using Al and Pb as doping agents. The doping percentage as well as the number of cycles of coating was varied so as to get the most suitable TCO.The performance study of MOFs and ZnO as photocatalyst were carried out in degradation of ammonia. When used directly, MOFs had shown a better degradation percentage (ca. 60%) as compared to ZnO and that could be attributed to their very high specific surface area as compared to ZnO. Meanwhile, TCO films of various combinations when tested for their electrical conductivity are met with limited success and further work is going on towards achieving the targeted result

Linguistic Identity with Special Reference to Western Hindi Dialects

Linguistic identity is the common bond that people share when they can understand each other in their native tongues, even if they share no other common heritage. Linguistic identity gets trickier when you’re talking about two people who may share linguistic bonds but come from mutually hostile ethnic groups. With racial and ethnic identity, linguistic identity does not exist in isolation; it is frequently yet one more facet of how a person identifies. There’s what we might call “reverse linguistic identity.” As Boas demonstrated over a century ago, everyone has at least three independent identities: race (in the traditional, not the anthropological sense), culture, and language. Language (or linguistic) identity   take to mean the speech community with which someone is identified. This is probably always a historical phenomenon, either of birth or of personal choice. Most subjects to personal choice are culture and language, for instance, a given person identifies with, or belongs to a particular culture, and speaks a particular language. These identities may be due to birth or socialization, or they may be the result of a deliberate choice NOT to identify with the language and culture of birth. Linguistic identities are double-edged swords because, while functioning in a positive and productive way to give people a sense of belonging, they do so by defining an “us” in opposition to a “them” that becomes all too easy to demonize. All identity markers of a social group together constitute the “culture” or cultural identity of the social group. Therefore, the loss of one marker does not automatically entails the loss of cultural identity. Given the rich multilingual tradition of India where languages act as facilitators rather than as barriers in communication, one hopes that as linguistic identity. This paper is a case study of the author’s inferences regarding the Western Hindi dialects analysis

MOVE-HF: An Internet-Based Pilot Study to Improve Adherence to Exercise in Patients with Heart Failure

Background Although the use of internet-based exercise interventions to improve physical activity has become popular and useful, such approaches to improve exercise adherence in patients with heart failure (HF) are lacking. It is also unknown whether the delivery of objective feedback on physical activity can impact exercise adherence. Purpose The purpose of the Move on Virtual Engagement (MOVE-HF) study was to i) test the feasibility of delivering an internet-based face-to-face group discussion/education intervention using a software called “Vidyo” and monitoring of physical activity using the Fitbit Charge HR (FCHR) in community dwelling patients with heart failure; ii) compare the MOVE-HF intervention group and the control group on adherence to recommended exercise guidelines (150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise) from baseline to 8 weeks; iii) compare intention to adhere to exercise, functional status, self-efficacy for exercise and perceived social isolation between the groups at baseline and 8 weeks. Methods Thirty HF patients, aged 64.7±11.5 years, were randomly assigned to an experimental or comparison group. Participants were stable HF patients belonging to NYHA Class I-III and were required to have an iPad/cell phone/laptop/desktop with internet connectivity. Participants in both groups were provided with a Fitbit Charge HR, assistance in set-up and training, and were asked to wear the Fitbit all day from awakening until going to bed at night. All participants were provided with a handout on self-care in HF, an exercise routine and asked to record their exercise sessions using the Fitbit and exercise diaries. The 15 participants in the experimental group were subdivided into 3 cohorts of 5 participants each. These subjects were provided with Vidyo software, assistance in set-up and training. Each cohort met once a week, for 8 weeks, for a 45 min face-to-face online group discussion/education session. Data Analysis: Repeated measure ANOVA was done to compare group differences in adherence, intention to adhere and functional status across time. A non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test with change score was done to compare changes in group scores for self-efficacy for exercise and perceived social isolation at baseline and at 8 weeks. Results Overall Vidyo session attendance was 68% with 73% of participants attending 5 or more group meeting sessions. Adherence to exercise was 58.8% in the experimental group and 57.3% in the comparison group (NS). Intention to adhere, functional status, self-efficacy and perceived social isolation were not significantly different between the groups. The experimental group participants anecdotally reported perceptions of receiving social support through the face-to-face group meetings but due to a small sample size and lack of adequate power, no significant impact on exercise adherence was observed. Conclusion An internet based group face-to-face intervention is feasible and feedback on exercise and physical activity can play an important role in adherence to exercise in patients with HF. HF patients may have unique barriers to overcome and interventions using the internet are feasible to use in patients with heart failure

Deployment Strategies of EV School Buses with Vehicle to Grid (V2G) in the US School System

Governments across the world are pushing for speedier adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in order to meet their target for transition to a greener and cleaner environment that has low or zero carbon emission. Transportation being one of the major contributors to environmental pollution because of incessant burning of fossil fuels. EVs are being considered to be the best possible solution to alleviate vehicular pollution. However, proliferation of EVs create additional burden on the power grids. The consumption of electrical power is steadily rising because of even-growing population and the demand is particularly higher during summer months due to higher use of air conditioners. To ease this pressure on the grid the novel vehicle-to-grid or V2G technology is being employed whereby idle electric vehicles can be put to use as giant batteries that can send power back to the grid to supplement its output. With the wide scale adoption of electrical buses is schools this turns out to be a feasible option. Battery driven school buses are best suited for this. These vehicles remain idle for major portion of the day and also during summer months and can be effectively utilized for generating electricity using their batteries. However, there are challenges involved in the implementation of this strategy. Besides lack of charging infrastructure and limited knowledge of owners about the nature and benefits of the implementation there are also problems of rapid battery degradation, lack of control on the vehicle and the process and high costs involved. Nevertheless, using literature review this article explains the rationale behind adoption of the technology and highlights, the strategies that can be adopted to effectively exploit this novel technology to make the most out of idle electric school buses to support public utilities. To an extent electric school buses and the v2g technology can be potentially helpful for stabilizing supply of electricity during peak hours and improve efficiency of supply chain management of several industries including the power sector