Heterogeneous microbial oceanographic environments: Application of GIS technology in deciphering of microenvironment scenarios off the central west coast of India

In the vast oceanic microbial environment of 2468.83km 2, GIS modeling techniques involving sixty query steps, enabled the deciphering of Microenvironments as low as 1.19km 2 to 38.6 km 2 for the summer of 2004 and in case of summer 2005 where 84 query steps were involved to decipher Microenvironments of 10.55km 2 to 25.94km 2. Thirtythree sampling stations were established between Betul to Ankola off the central west coast of India accounting for a spatial coverage of 2468.83km 2. GIS query-modeling investigation was carried out using spatial layers of depth, optical parameters (k-Irradiance attenuation Coefficient, c-Beam attenuation coefficient), sediment size parameters (Sediment Mean Size and Sediment Sorting) and Benthic Foraminifera Suborders (Rotaliina, Textulariina, Miliolina, Lagenina). Foraminifera have been used as a surrogate parameter. However, any microbial parameter could proxy for foraminifers providing for the numerical deciphering of microenvironments. This is suggestive of the assimilation of GIS technology for a better appreciation of microbial oceanography

A single-photon transistor using nano-scale surface plasmons

It is well known that light quanta (photons) can interact with each other in nonlinear media, much like massive particles do, but in practice these interactions are usually very weak. Here we describe a novel approach to realize strong nonlinear interactions at the single-photon level. Our method makes use of recently demonstrated efficient coupling between individual optical emitters and tightly confined, propagating surface plasmon excitations on conducting nanowires. We show that this system can act as a nonlinear two-photon switch for incident photons propagating along the nanowire, which can be coherently controlled using quantum optical techniques. As a novel application, we discuss how the interaction can be tailored to create a single-photon transistor, where the presence or absence of a single incident photon in a ``gate'' field is sufficient to completely control the propagation of subsequent ``signal'' photons.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure

COMPARISON OF EFFICACY AND ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS OF MONOTHERAPY VERSUS COMBINATION THERAPY OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVES AMONG DIABETIC HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: To compare the efficacy and adverse drug reactions of monotherapy and combination therapy of antihypertensive drugs in diabetic hypertensive patients.Methods: A prospective observational study of 18 months duration was conducted in the Department of Medicine of a tertiary care hospital in South India. A total of 200 patients were included in the study. Using a standard proforma, the details of patients such as demographic data and antihypertensive medications were collected and analyzed for efficacy and safety.Results: Of 200 patients studied, 50% received monotherapy whereas the remaining 50% received combination therapy. There was male preponderance (54%) in the study population, with the mean age being 60.07±11.32 years. In monotherapy group, most commonly prescribed drug was amlodipine (38%), whereas in combination group, angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) or calcium channel blocker (CCB) + beta blocker (18%) was commonly prescribed among 2-drug group and ARB+ thiazide+ CCB (25.6%) among 3-drug group. Monotherapy and combination therapy were analyzed to be equally efficacious in reducing systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Based on the adverse effect profile, monotherapy comparatively produced more adverse effects than combination group. Amlodipine-induced pedal edema (56.7%) was the most common adverse effect observed, and it was predominantly managed by changing it to be a better tolerable CCB, namely cilnidipine.Conclusion: The combination therapy may be a better treatment option in selected patient population.Keywords: Systolic blood pressure, Diastolic blood pressure, Amlodipine, Cilnidipine, Pedal edema

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined. For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4, while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than 90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Regulation of microRNA biogenesis and turnover by animals and their viruses

Item does not contain fulltextMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a ubiquitous component of gene regulatory networks that modulate the precise amounts of proteins expressed in a cell. Despite their small size, miRNA genes contain various recognition elements that enable specificity in when, where and to what extent they are expressed. The importance of precise control of miRNA expression is underscored by functional studies in model organisms and by the association between miRNA mis-expression and disease. In the last decade, identification of the pathways by which miRNAs are produced, matured and turned-over has revealed many aspects of their biogenesis that are subject to regulation. Studies in viral systems have revealed a range of mechanisms by which viruses target these pathways through viral proteins or non-coding RNAs in order to regulate cellular gene expression. In parallel, a field of study has evolved around the activation and suppression of antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) by viruses. Virus encoded suppressors of RNAi can impact miRNA biogenesis in cases where miRNA and small interfering RNA pathways converge. Here we review the literature on the mechanisms by which miRNA biogenesis and turnover are regulated in animals and the diverse strategies that viruses use to subvert or inhibit these processes

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

Search for light bosons in decays of the 125 GeV Higgs boson in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe