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In this paper, we have extended the idea of gravitational Bose-Einstein condensate star (gravastar) to charged gravastar system and explored the role of charge in gravastar formation and its properties. We have used the most general line element in cylindrically symmetric space-time. In this approach the existence of singularity at the center of gravastar is removed and the event horizon is replaced by the thin shell approximation. The proper length of the shell is calculated along with the energy of the thin shell. A mass limit for thin shell has also been evaluated. The entropy calculation shows that the entropy of the configuration is smaller than that of a quasi-black hole system and even smaller than that of a classical black hole. Unlike black hole, the gravastar system is a stable configuration and there is no information paradox., 12 pages, 4 figures

This article presents the experimental observations and characterization of Ion Acoustic Soliton (IAS) in a unique Multi-pole line cusp Plasma Device (MPD) device in which the magnitude of the pole-cusp magnetic field can be varied. And by varying the magnitude of the pole-cusp magnetic field, the proportions of two-electron-temperature components in the filament-produced plasmas of MPD can be varied. The solitons are experimentally characterized by measuring their amplitude-width relation and Mach numbers. The nature of the solitons is further established by making two counter-propagating solitons interact with each other. Later, the effect of the two-temperature electron population on soliton amplitude and width is studied by varying the magnitude of the pole cusp-magnetic field. It has been observed that different proportions of two-electron-temperature significantly influence the propagation of IAS. The amplitude of the soliton has been found to be following inversely with the effective electron temperature (Teff), arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2208.00279

In this article, we demonstrated a stellar model for compact star in presence of strange matter embedded in $D\ge4$ dimensional space-time defind by Finch-Skea metric. To study the relevant physical properties of the interior matter, we consider the equation of state $(henceforth~EOS)$ as proposed in MIT bag model given by $p=\frac{1}{3}(\rho-4B)$, where $B$ is termed as bag constant. The Mass-Radius relationships in four and higher dimensions are determined using the range of values of surface density through the relation $\rho_{s}=4B$ for which bulk strange matter may be a viable issue for compact objects. Here we choose the range of $B$ such that stable strange matter may exist at zero external pressure relative to neutron. We note that a maximum value of the stellar radius is exist when $B$ is fixed at a given allowed value for which metric functions considered here to be real. This is the maximum allowed radius $(b_{max})$ in this model which depends on surface density of a strange star. In four dimensions the compactness of a star is found to be greater than 0.33. In case of higher dimensions ($D>4$), we observed different values of compactness. Causality conditions are satisfied interior to the star upto maximum allowed radius $(b_{max})$ for which metric function is real. The validity of energy conditions, surface red-shift and other parameters of the stellar configuration are studied and found new results. Stability of the system is also studied., Comment: 36 pages, 31 figures

A class of strange star is analyzed in the present article in hydrostatic equilibrium whose state is defined by a CFL phase equation of state. We compare our result with those obtained from MIT bag equation of state for strange quark matter which are regarded as free particles. We note that if we consider quarks to form cooper pair and their description is made by CFL equation of state, the maximum mass of strange star assumes value as high as 3.61 $M_{\odot}$ which is well above the value 2.03 $M_{\odot}$ obtained by considering MIT bag equation of state for massless free quarks. Both the maximum masses are determined by solving TOV equation for different values of strange quark mass $m_s$. Thus inclusion of possibility of quark pair formation in the theory permits us to accommodate a wider class of compact objects like 4U 1820-30, PSR J1614-2230, PSR J0030+0451, PSR J1903+0327, PSR J0740+6620, PSR J0952-0607 and mass of the companion star in GW170817 and GW190814 events in our model. The consideration of such high value of mass is hardly obtainable theoretically from normal strange star models in General Relativity even with fast rotation effect. The object PSR J0952-0607 is found to be the fastest and heaviest pulsar in the disk of Milky Way Galaxy having mass 2.59 $M_{\odot}$ may be predicted in our model as observational evidence supports the existence of strange quark matter in its composition., Comment: 12 pages, 20 figures

We represent a class of new Gravastar solutions as obtained by Mazur and Mottola in a gravitational Bose-Einstein condensate (GBEC) in a cylindrical symmetric space-time. A stable gravastar with three distinct regions namely, (i) Interior de-Sitter space, (ii) Intermediate thin shell with a slice of finite length and (iii) exterior vacuum region. The interior region is characterised by positive energy density and negative pressure $(p=-\rho)$, which exerts a repulsive outward force at all points on the thin shell. The thin shell separating the interior and exterior is supposed to be consisting of ultra-relativistic stiff fluid having equation of state $p=\rho$, which satisfies the Zel'dovich's criteria. This thin shell, which is considered as the critical surface for the quantum phase transition, replaces both the classical de-Sitter and Schwarzschild event horizons. The new solution is free from any singularities as well as any information paradox. The energy density, total energy, proper length, mass and entropy of the shell region are explored in this model and the gravastar model is stable and physically viable., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures

The Fe$_3$O$_4$/Si films are considered to be promising materials for THz spintronic applications due to their high temperature magnetic transition and semiconducting properties. In this article, we present the real part of the dielectric constant ($\epsilon_1$) and the optical conductivity ($\sigma_1$) of Fe$_3$O$_4$ films of different thicknesses deposited on Si substrate (Fe$_3$O$_4$/Si) in the THz range at temperatures 2- 300 K. Although the magnetization of the films with thickness $\geq$ 115 nm shows a clear change at the Verwey transition temperature T$_v$ = 121 K, their optical properties in the THz frequency range are drastically different from each other. We have shown that $\sigma_1$ is maximum and $\epsilon_1$ is minimum when the Fe$^{+2}$/Fe$^{+3}$ ratio is equal to 0.54 which is the ratio of Fe+2/Fe+3 for pure Fe$_3$O$_4$. The $\sigma_1$ reduces and $\epsilon_1$ increases at all temperatures when the Fe$^{+2}$/Fe$^{+3}$ ratio deviates from 0.54. We have shown that a slight change in the Fe$^{+2}$/Fe$^{+3}$ ratio can induce large changes in the optical properties which shall have implications in the application of the Fe3O4 films in THz spintronics., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures

Magnetic response of uranium dioxide (UO2) has been investigated through temperature and magnetic field dependent dc magnetization measurements. UO2 is a paramagnet at room temperature. The magnetic susceptibility, however, deviates from Curie-Weiss (CW) like paramagnetic behavior below T = 280 K. Further down the temperature UO2 undergoes phase transition to an antiferromagnetic state below TN = 30.6 K. The zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetizations exhibit some distinct thermomagnetic irreversibility below TN. The temperature dependence of the FC magnetization is more like a ferromagnet, whereas ZFC magnetization exhibits distinct structures not usually observed in the antiferromagnets. In low applied magnetic field this thermomagnetic irreversibility in magnetization exists in a subtle way even in the paramagnetic regime above TN up to a fairly high temperature, but vanishes in high applied magnetic fields. Deviation from CW law and irreversibility between ZFC and FC magnetization indicate that the paramagnetic state above TN is not a trivial one. Magnetic response below TN changes significantly with the increase in the applied magnetic field. Thermomagnetic irreversibility in magnetization initially increases with the increase in the strength of applied magnetic field, but then gets reduced in the high applied fields. A subtle signature of a magnetic field induced phase transition is also observed in the isothermal magnetic field vartaion of magnetization. All these experimetal results highlight the non-trivial nature of the antiferromagnetic state in UO2, 11 pages and 4 figures

Nanostructured (FeCoNi)70Ti10B20 (at%) alloy was synthesized by mechanical alloying from elemental powder mixture of Fe, Co, Ni, Ti and B using ball milling. The effect of ball milling time on the evolution of structure and morphology was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and differential thermal analysis. It was observed that the formation of solid solution of (FeCoNi)70Ti10B20 started from the very onset of the milling process. Crystallite size and lattice strains seemed to be leveled off after 20 h of milling with no further major changes. The milling process for longer periods introduced severe plastic deformations causing formation of amorphous phase of (FeCoNi)70Ti10B20. The amorphous alloy composition was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis that showed an excellent homogeneity of the alloying elements. The phase stability of the mechanically alloyed amorphous sample was further verified by employing high-temperature and high-pressure studies. The alloy samples heat-treated at 700 °C revealed crystallization of the amorphous phase. However, synchrotron-based high-pressure ambient temperature X-ray diffraction studies confirmed that the amorphous phase of the alloy remained stable up to the pressure of 30 GPa. The 50 h milled sample after being annealed at 350 °C showed improvement in the soft magnetic properties of the alloy, which was due to the probable elimination of the residual stress in the amorphous phase of the alloy powders.

$��$-Ag$_2$Se is a promising material for room temperature thermoelectric applications and magneto-resistive sensors. However, no attention was paid earlier to the hysteresis in the temperature dependence of resistivity ($��$($T$)). Here, we show that a broad hysteresis above 35 K is observed not only in $��$($T$), but also in other electronic properties such as Hall coefficient ($R_H$($T$)), Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity and ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS). We also show that the hysteresis is not associated with a structural transition. The $��$($T$) and $R_H$($T$) show that $��$-Ag$_2$Se is semiconducting above 300 K, but metallicity is retained below 300 K. While electronic states are absent in the energy range from the Fermi level ($E_F$) to 0.4 eV below the $E_F$ at 300 K, a distinct Fermi edge is observed in the UPS at 15 K suggesting that the $��$-Ag$_2$Se undergoes an electronic topological transition from a high temperature semiconducting state to a low temperature metallic state. Our study reveals that a constant and moderately high thermoelectric figure of merit ($ZT$) in the range 300-395 K is observed due to the broad semiconductor to metal transition in $��$-Ag$_2$Se., 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table

We present here, the effect of microstructure on the magnetic, electrical and thermal properties of (V$_{0.60}$Ti$_{0.40}$)-Gd alloys. The gadolinium is found to be immiscible and precipitates with a size $, Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables

Confinement time of electron plasmas trapped using a purely toroidal magnetic field has been extended to $\sim 100$ s in a small aspect ratio ($R_{o}/{a} \sim {1.59}$, $R_o$ and $a$ are device major and minor radius, respectively), partial torus. It surpasses the previous record by nearly two orders of magnitude. Lifetime is estimated from the frequency scaling of the linear diocotron mode launched from sections of the wall, that are also used for mode diagnostics. Confinement improves enormously with reduction in neutral pressure in the presence of a steady state magnetic field. In addition, confinement is seen to be independent of the magnetic field, a distinguishing feature of Magnetic Pumping Transport (MPT) theory. Since MPT predicts an upper limit to confinement comparisons have been made between our experiments and MPT estimates.

The importance of supply chain management in analyzing and later catalyzing economic expectations while simultaneously prioritizing cleaner production aspects is a vital component of modern finance. Such predictions, though, are often known to be less than accurate due to the ubiquitous uncertainty plaguing most business decisions. Starting from a multi-dimensional cost function defining the sustainability of the supply chain (SC) kernel, this article outlines a 4-component SC module - environmental, demand, economic, and social uncertainties - each ranked according to its individual weight. Our mathematical model then assesses the viability of a sustainable business by first ranking the potentially stochastic variables in order of their subjective importance, and then optimizing the cost kernel, defined from a utility function. The model will then identify conditions (as equations) validating the sustainability of a business venture. The ranking is initially obtained from an Analytical Hierarchical Process; the resultant weighted cost function is then optimized to analyze the impact of market uncertainty based on our supply chain model. Model predictions are then ratified against SME data to emphasize the importance of cleaner production in business strategies., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures; 3 additional appendices (14 pages)

Covid-19 is raging a devastating trail with the highest mortality-to-infected ratio ever for a pandemic. Lack of vaccine and therapeutic has rendered social exclusion through lockdown as the singular mode of containment. Harnessing the predictive powers of Machine Learning within a 6 dimensional infection kinetic model, depicting interactive evolution of 6 infection stages - healthy susceptible ($H$), predisposed comorbid susceptible ($P$), infected ($I$), recovered ($R$), herd immunized ($V$) and mortality ($D$) - the model, PHIRVD, provides the first accurate mortality prediction of 18 countries at varying stages of strategic lockdown, up to 30 days beyond last data training. PHIRVD establishes mortality-to-infection ratio as the correct pandemic descriptor, substituting reproduction number, and highlights the importance of early and prolonged but strategic lockdown to contain secondary relapse. Significance Statement: 1. Accurate prediction of the day-by-day mortality profiles of 18 countries, 30 days beyond the last data of data training. 2. Precise quantification of the impact of early-vs-later lockdown impositions. 3. Accurate prediction of secondary relapse timelines/ 4. Establishment of mortality-to-infected ratio as the correct pandemic descriptor substituting the popular choice of reproduction number, a proven failure in predicting future infection kinetics and secondary surge. The outcomes have potential to redefine healthy policy landscape, particularly in light of secondary relapse and possible future SARS-COV/Ebola group incursion., Comment: 13 pages main text (8figures, 2 tables), 20 pages of appendices (21 figures, 5 tables)

Structured on the paradigmatic Navier-Stokes flow model, we study a stochastically forced Taylor-Couette system in the narrow gap limit, in order to analyze the simultaneous impact of a non-conserved (Gaussian) force and a nonlinear perturbation, in determining linear stability. Our analysis identifies key parametric windows within which the model remarkably retains its linear stability, even against jointly varying stochastic forcing and nonlinear fluctuations. We identify this feature as a {\it latent universality}, that we then utilize to answer the elusive question as to how a recent groundbreaking accretion flow model retains its stability, even in presence of nonlinear perturbations and non-conserved stochastic forcing. Our analytical outline goes beyond the immediate model studied and lays a generic foundation of analyzing stability for nonlinear sheared models acted on by external forces and subjected to boundary layer instability. presence of nonlinear perturbations and non-conserved stochastic forcing. Our analytical outline goes beyond the immediate model studied and lays a generic foundation of analyzing stability for nonlinear sheared models acted on by external forces and subjected to boundary layer instability., Comment: 24 pages, 33 figures

Carcinoma of the stomach is a global disease with the highest incidence in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. The disease is least common in USA and Western Europe [1]. The disease is common among smokers. Other risk factors are H. pylori infection, atrophic gastritis, Menetrier’s disease and previous gastrectomy. The disease can be genetic as in familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, Peutz-Jegher’s syndrome, etc. [2]. Screening for gastric carcinoma is done in high incidence areas such as Japan, Korea and China.

We present here the temperature dependence of heat capacity ($C$($T$)) and thermal conductivity ($\kappa$($T$)) in the superconducting state as well as in the normal state of as-cast V$_{1-x}$Zr$_x$ alloys. Distinct jumps in the $C$($T$) of the alloys indicate the presence of three superconducting phases with transition temperatures $T_{C1}$ = 5.4~K, $T_{C2}$ = 8.2~K and $T_{C3}$ = 8.5~K. From the metallography micrographs, these three phases are identified to be $\beta$-V, $\gamma$-ZrV$_2$, and $\gamma'$-ZrV$_2$ respectively. Apart from these phases, $\alpha$-Zr and $\beta$-Zr phases are also detected in these samples. The experimental $\kappa$($T$) in the superconducting state of these alloys is observed to be significantly higher than that expected theoretically. Our analysis suggests that the above observation is due to the coexistence of multiple superconducting and non superconducting phases which resulted in the two-parallel channels for the conduction of heat., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

We report here the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of as-cast V$_{1-x}$Zr$_x$ alloys ($x$ =0 - 0.4) at low temperatures. We observe that all the alloys undergo successive peritectic and eutectic reactions during cooling from the melt which leads to the formation of five phases, namely, a body centred cubic $\beta$-V phase, two phases with slightly different compositions having face centred cubic ZrV$_2$ structure, a hexagonal closed packed $\alpha$-Zr phase, and the $\beta$-Zr precipitates. The amount of each phase is found to be dependent on the concentration of zirconium in vanadium. The $\beta$-V and ZrV$_2$ phases show superconductivity below 5.3~K and 8.5~K respectively. We show that the critical current density is large for V-rich V$_{1-x}$Zr$_x$ alloys with $x >$ 0.1. The grain boundaries generated from the eutectic reaction, and the point defects formed due to the variation in the composition are found to be responsible for the pinning of flux lines in low and high magnetic fields respectively. Our studies reveal that the choice of the composition and the heat treatment which leads to eutectic reaction are important in improving the critical current density in this alloy system., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

The V-Ti alloys are promising materials as alternate to the commercial Nb-based superconductors for high current-high magnetic field applications. However, the critical current density (J_c) of these alloys are somewhat low due to their low grain-boundary density. We show here that grain refinement of the V-Ti alloys and enhancement of the J_c can be achieved by the addition of Gd into the system, which precipitates as clusters along the grain boundaries. Both the J_c and the pinning force density (F_P) increase with the increasing Gd content up to 1 at. % Gd, where they are more than 20 times higher than those of the parent V_0.60Ti_0.40 alloy. Introduction of Gd into the system also leads to ferromagnetic (FM) correlations, and the alloys containing more than 0.5 at. % Gd exhibit spontaneous magnetization. In spite of the FM correlations, the superconducting transition temperature increases slightly with Gd-addition.

A phenomenological mean-field theory is presented to describe the role of external magnetic field, pressure and chemical substitution on the nature of ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase transition in manganites. The application of external field (or pressure) shifts the transition, leading to a field (or pressure) dependent phase boundary along which a tricritical point is shown to exist where a first-order FM-PM transition becomes second-order. We show that the effect of chemical substitution on the FM transition is analogous to that of external perturbations (magnetic field and pressure); this includes the existence of a tricritical point at which the order of transition changes. Our theoretical predictions satisfactorily explain the nature of FM-PM transition, observed in several systems. The modeling hypothesis has been critically verified from our experimental data from a wide range of colossal magnetoresistive manganite single crystals like Sm0.52Sr0.48MnO3. The theoretical model prediction of a tricritical point has been validated in this experiment which provides a major ramification of the strength of the model proposed.

Measurement of radial density profile in both the source and expansion chambers of a helicon plasma device have revealed that it is always centrally peaked in the source chamber, whereas in the expansion chamber near the diverging magnetic field it becomes hollow above a critical value of the magnetic field. This value corresponds to that above which both electrons and ions become magnetized. The temperature profile is always peaked off- axis and tail electrons are found at the peak location in both the source and expansion chambers. Rotation of the tail electrons in the azimuthal direction in the expansion chamber due to gradient-B drift produces more ionization off-axis and creates a hollow density profile; however, if the ions are not magnetized, the additional ionization does not cause hollowness.

Superconducting transition temperature $T_C$ of some of the cubic $��$-phase Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ alloys with x > 0.10 is an order of magnitude higher than that in the elements Mo and Re. We investigate this rather enigmatic issue of the enhanced superconductivity with the help of experimental studies of the temperature dependent electrical resistivity ($��$(T)) and heat capacity (C$_P$(T)), as well as the theoretical estimation of electronic density of states (DOS) using band structure calculations. The $��$(T) in the normal state of the Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ alloys with x > 0.15 is distinctly different from that of Mo and the alloys with x < 0.10. We have also observed that the Sommerfeld coefficient of electronic heat capacity $��$, superconducting transition temperature $T_C$ and the DOS at the Fermi level show an abrupt change above x > 0.10. The analysis of these results indicates that the value of electron-phonon coupling constant ��ep required to explain the $T_C$ of the alloys with x > 0.10 is much higher than that estimated from $��$. On the other hand the analysis of the results of the $��$(T) reveals the presence of phonon assisted inter-band s-d scattering in this composition range. We argue that a strong electron-phonon coupling arising due to the multiband effects is responsible for the enhanced $T_C$ in the $��$-phase Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ alloys with x > 0.10.

We have performed an experimental study on the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity $��$($T$) and heat capacity $C$($T$) of the Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ $(x = 0.20, 0.25)$ alloy superconductors in different magnetic fields. In the presence of applied magnetic field, the electrical resistivity of these alloys go to zero at a temperature well above the bulk superconducting transition temperature obtained with the help of heat capacity measurements in the same magnetic field. Our study indicates the presence of surface superconducting state in these alloys, where the flux lines are pinned in the surface sheath of the superconductor. The configuration of the flux-lines (2d pancake-like) in the surface sheath is understood in the realm of the flux-spot model. Experimental evidence in support of the surface mixed-state state or "Kulik vortex-state" and the occurrence of a vortex-liquid to vortex-glass transition is presented., 15 pages, 9 figures

We report an enhancement of thermal conductivity ($\kappa$) below the superconducting transition temperature ($T_C$) in the high carrier density $\beta$-V$_{1-x}$Ti$_x$ alloys. We find that the point defects generated when Ti is added to V reduce the electron mean free path down to the inter-atomic distances and make the high frequency phonons ineffective in carrying heat. In this Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit, the phonon thermal conductivity is dominated by the low frequency phonons limited by the scattering due to the electrons. The formation of Cooper pairs below the $T_C$ re-normalizes the phonon mean free path and enhances the $\kappa$., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures

Two new complexes, [MnL2](ClO4) (1) and [CuL2] (2) (where LH = (E)-1-((3-(dimethylamino)propylimino)methyl)naphthalen-2-ol), have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques and their molecular structures are established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Complex 1 adopts an octahedral geometry around the central manganese atom which is in + 3 oxidation state, whereas in complex 2, the Cu+2 ion preferred a square pyramidal environment around it through the ligand donor atoms. Both complexes were tested for catecholase and phenoxazinone synthase activity. Complex 1 catalyzes the oxidation of 3,5-ditertiary-butyl catechol with a kcat value of 6.8424 × 102 h−1 in acetonitrile whereas the same for complex 2 is 3.7485 × 102 h−1 in methanol. Phenoxazinone synthase activity was shown only by complex 2 having kcat = 74.225 h−1. Structures of both the title complexes have been optimized by means of DFT calculations. Experimental electronic spectra of the complexes have been corroborated by TDDFT analysis. Electrochemical investigations by means of cyclic voltammetry have been carried out to study the electron transfer processes in the complexes.

We present a detailed study of the superconducting properties in the beta-phase Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ (x = 0.25 and 0.4) solid solution alloys pursued through magnetization and heat capacity measurements. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field H$_{C2}$(T) in these binary alloys shows a deviation from the prediction of the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) theory. The temperature dependence of superfluid density estimated from the variation of lower critical field H$_{C1}$ with temperature, cannot be explained within the framework of a single superconducting energy gap. The heat capacity also shows an anomalous feature in its temperature dependence. All these results can be reasonably explained by considering the existence of two superconducting energy gaps in these Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ alloys. Initial results of electronic structure calculations and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy measurements support this possibility and suggest that the Re-5d like states at the Fermi level may not intermix with the Mo-5p and 5s like states in the beta-phase Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ alloys and contribute quite distinctly to the superconductivity of these alloys., 15 pages, 8 figures

In 40% of cases of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latency-II antigens [EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)/latent membrane protein (LMP)1/LMP2A] are present (EBV(+) cHL) in the malignant cells and antigen presentation is intact. Previous studies have shown consistently that HLA-A*02 is protective in EBV(+) cHL, yet its role in disease pathogenesis is unknown. To explore the basis for this observation, gene expression was assessed in 33 cHL nodes. Interestingly, CD8 and LMP2A expression were correlated strongly and, for a given LMP2A level, CD8 was elevated markedly in HLA-A*02(-) versus HLA-A*02(+) EBV(+) cHL patients, suggesting that LMP2A-specific CD8(+) T cell anti-tumoral immunity may be relatively ineffective in HLA-A*02(-) EBV(+) cHL. To ascertain the impact of HLA class I on EBV latency antigen-specific immunodominance, we used a stepwise functional T cell approach. In newly diagnosed EBV(+) cHL, the magnitude of ex-vivo LMP1/2A-specific CD8(+) T cell responses was elevated in HLA-A*02(+) patients. Furthermore, in a controlled in-vitro assay, LMP2A-specific CD8(+) T cells from healthy HLA-A*02 heterozygotes expanded to a greater extent with HLA-A*02-restricted compared to non-HLA-A*02-restricted cell lines. In an extensive analysis of HLA class I-restricted immunity, immunodominant EBNA3A/3B/3C-specific CD8(+) T cell responses were stimulated by numerous HLA class I molecules, whereas the subdominant LMP1/2A-specific responses were confined largely to HLA-A*02. Our results demonstrate that HLA-A*02 mediates a modest, but none the less stronger, EBV-specific CD8(+) T cell response than non-HLA-A*02 alleles, an effect confined to EBV latency-II antigens. Thus, the protective effect of HLA-A*02 against EBV(+) cHL is not a surrogate association, but reflects the impact of HLA class I on EBV latency-II antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell hierarchies.

One of the fundamental problems is the understanding of physics of electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations in multi-scale plasma turbulence. Especially so, in continuously connected plasma regions with varying degree of magnetization. Examples range from multiscale plasmas in Magnetron-like devices to astrophysical plasmas confined by magnetic dipole structures, solar wind driven collision-less and weakly collisional plasmas around Earth, to mention a few. Such plasmas are dominated by both electron scale and ion scale physics as well as finite beta effects. To investigate such processes in laboratory experiments requires excellent control of continuously connected regions of nearly zero plasma beta with finite beta regions as well as the gradient length scales of mean density and temperatures. To address some of these phenomena at laboratory scale, a new multi-line cusp configured plasma device (MPD) consisting of electromagnets with core material has been constructed with a capability to experimentally control the relative volume fractions of magnetized to unmagntized plasma volume as well as accurate control on the gradient length scales of mean density and temperature profiles. The hot tungsten cathode produced Argon plasma in the MPD has been characterised using single Langmuir probes. Argon plasma has been produced in the device over a wide range of pressure 5 x 10-5 mBar to 1 x 10-3 mBar, achieving plasma density range from 109 to 1011cm-3 and temperature in the range 1eV to 8eV.

Starting from a stochastic agent-based model to represent market exchange in a developing economy, we study time variations of the probability density function of income with simultaneous variation of the consumption deprivation (CD), where CD represents the shortfall in consumption from the saturation level of an essential commodity, cereal. Together, these two models combine income-expenditure-based market dynamics with time variations in consumption due to income. In this new unified theoretical structure, exchange of trade in assets is only allowed when the income exceeds consumption-deprivation while CD itself is endogenously obtained from a separate kinetic model. Our results reveal that the nature of time variation of the CD function leads to a downward trend in the threshold level of consumption of basic necessities, suggesting a possible dietary transition in terms of lower saturation level of food-grain consumption, possibly through an improvement in the level of living. The new poverty index, defined as CD, is amenable to approximate probabilistic prediction within a short time horizon. A major achievement of this work is the intrinsic independence of the poverty index from an exogenous poverty line, making it more objective for policy formulation as opposed to existing poverty indices in the literature.

Recent experiments on mixed liquid crystals have highlighted the hugely significant role of ferromagnetic nanoparticle impurities in defining the nematic-smectic-A phase transition point. Structured around a Flory-Huggins free energy of isotropic mixing and Landau-de Gennes free energy, this article presents a phenomenological mean-field model that quantifies the role of such impurities in analyzing thermodynamic phases, in a mixture of thermotropic smectic liquid crystal and ferromagnetic nanoparticles. First we discuss the impact of ferromagnetic nanoparticles on the isotropic-ferronematic and ferronematic-ferrosmectic phase transitions and their transition temperatures. This is followed by analysis of various topologies in the phase diagrams. Our model results indicate that there exists a critical concentration of nanoparticle impurities for which the second order N-SmA transition becomes first order at a tricritical point. Calculations based on this model show remarkable agreement with experiment., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

In this article, we discuss a dynamical stochastic model that represents the time evolution of income distribution of a population, where the dynamics develop from an interplay of multiple economic exchanges in the presence of multiplicative noise. The model remit stretches beyond the conventional framework of a Langevin-type kinetic equation in that our model dynamics is self-consistently constrained by dynamical conservation laws emerging from population and wealth conservation. This model is numerically solved and analyzed to interpret the inequality of income as a function of relevant dynamical parameters like the {\it mobility} $M$ and the {\it total income} $\mu$. In our model, inequality is quantified by the {\it Gini index} $G$. In particular, correlations between any two of the mobility index $M$ and/or the total income $\mu$ with the Gini index $G$ are investigated and compared with the analogous correlations resulting from an equivalent additive noise model. Our findings highlight the importance of a multiplicative noise based economic modeling structure in the analysis of inequality. The model also depicts the nature of correlation between mobility and total income of a population from the perspective of inequality measure., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures

Starting from a Langevin formulation of a thermally perturbed nonlinear elastic model of the ferroelectric smectic-C$^*$ (SmC${*}$) liquid crystals in the presence of an electric field, this article characterizes the hitherto unexplored dynamical phase transition from a thermo-electrically forced ferroelectric SmC${}^{*}$ phase to a chiral nematic liquid crystalline phase and vice versa. The theoretical analysis is based on a combination of dynamic renormalization (DRG) and numerical simulation of the emergent model. While the DRG architecture predicts a generic transition to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class at dynamic equilibrium, in agreement with recent experiments, the numerical simulations of the model show simultaneous existence of two phases, one a "subdiffusive" (SD) phase characterized by a dynamical exponent value of 1, and the other a KPZ phase, characterized by a dynamical exponent value of 1.5. The SD phase flows over to the KPZ phase with increased external forcing, offering a new universality paradigm, hitherto unexplored in the context of ferroelectric liquid crystals., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures

The Stokes perturbative solution of the nonlinear (boundary value dependent) surface gravity wave problem is known to provide results of reasonable accuracy to engineers in estimating the phase speed and amplitudes of such nonlinear waves. The weakling in this structure though is the presence of aperiodic “secular variation” in the solution that does not agree with the known periodic propagation of surface waves. This has historically necessitated increasingly higher-ordered (perturbative) approximations in the representation of the velocity profile. The present article ameliorates this long-standing theoretical insufficiency by invoking a compact exact n-ordered solution in the asymptotic infinite depth limit, primarily based on a representation structured around the third-ordered perturbative solution, that leads to a seamless extension to higher-order (e.g., fifth-order) forms existing in the literature. The result from this study is expected to improve phenomenological engineering estimates, now that any desired higher-ordered expansion may be compacted within the same representation, but without any aperiodicity in the spectral pattern of the wave guides.

Stokes perturbative solution of the nonlinear (boundary value dependent) surface gravity wave problem is known to provide results of reasonable accuracy to engineers in estimating the phase speed and amplitudes of such nonlinear waves. The weakling in this structure though is the presence of aperiodic secular variation in the solution that does not agree with the known periodic propagation of surface waves. This has historically necessitated increasingly higher ordered (perturbative) approximations in the representation of the velocity profile. The present article ameliorates this long standing theoretical insufficiency by invoking a compact exact $n$-ordered solution in the asymptotic infinite depth limit, primarily based on a representation structured around the third ordered perturbative solution, that leads to a seamless extension to higher order (e.g. fifth order) forms existing in the literature. The result from this study is expected to improve phenomenological engineering estimates, now that any desired higher ordered expansion may be compacted within the same representation, but without any aperiodicity in the spectral pattern of the wave guides., 4 pages, two columned; to appear in European Physical Journal Plus

Recent epidemiological evidences indicate that arsenic exposure increases risk of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases and microangiopathies in addition to the serious global health concern related to its carcinogenic effects. In experiments on animals, acute and chronic exposure to arsenic directly correlates cardiac tachyarrhythmia, and atherogenesis in a concentration and duration dependent manner. Moreover, the other effects of long-term arsenic exposure include induction of non-insulin dependent diabetes by mechanisms yet to be understood. On the other hand, there are controversial issues, gaps in knowledge, and future research priorities of accelerated incidences of CVD and mortalities in patients with HIV who are under long-term anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Although, both HIV infection itself and various components of ART initiate significant pathological alterations in the myocardium and the vasculature, simultaneous environmental exposure to arsenic which is more convincingly being recognized as a facilitator of HIV viral cycling in the infected immune cells, may contribute an additional layer of adversity in these patients. In this mini-review which have been fortified with our own preliminary data, we will discuss some of the key current understating of chronic arsenic exposure, and its possible impact on the accelerated HIV/ART induced CVD. The review will conclude with notes on recent developments in mathematical modeling in this field that probabilistically forecast incidence prevalence as functions of aging and life style parameters, most of which vary with time themselves; this interdisciplinary approach provides a complementary kernel to conventional biology., 15 pages, 4 figures; accepted in Bengal Heart Journal

Population-level coverage for immunization against many vaccine-preventable diseases remains below optimal rates in the U.S. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended several interventions to increase vaccination coverage based on systematic reviews of the evaluation literature. The present study provides the economic results from those reviews.A systematic review was conducted (search period, January 1980 through February 2012) to identify economic evaluations of 12 interventions recommended by the Task Force. Evidence was drawn from included studies; estimates were constructed for the population reach of each strategy, cost of implementation, and cost per additional vaccinated person because of the intervention. Analyses were conducted in 2014.Reminder systems, whether for clients or providers, were among the lowest-cost strategies to implement and the most cost effective in terms of additional people vaccinated. Strategies involving home visits and combination strategies in community settings were both costly and less cost effective. Strategies based in settings such as schools and MCOs that reached the target population achieved additional vaccinations in the middle range of cost effectiveness.The interventions recommended by the Task Force differed in reach, cost, and cost effectiveness. This systematic review presents the economic information for 12 effective strategies to increase vaccination coverage that can guide implementers in their choice of interventions to fit their local needs, available resources, and budget.

High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the U.S., and a substantial national burden through lost productivity and medical care. A recent Community Guide systematic review found strong evidence of effectiveness of team-based care in improving blood pressure control. The objective of the present review is to determine from the economic literature whether team-based care for blood pressure control is cost beneficial or cost effective.Electronic databases of papers published January 1980-May 2012 were searched to find economic evaluations of team-based care interventions to improve blood pressure outcomes, yielding 31 studies for inclusion.In analyses conducted in 2012, intervention cost, healthcare cost averted, benefit-to-cost ratios, and cost effectiveness were abstracted from the studies. The quality of estimates for intervention and healthcare cost from each study were assessed using three elements: intervention focus on blood pressure control, incremental estimates in the intervention group relative to a control group, and inclusion of major cost-driving elements in estimates. Intervention cost per unit reduction in systolic blood pressure was converted to lifetime intervention cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved using algorithms from published trials.Team-based care to improve blood pressure control is cost effective based on evidence that 26 of 28 estimates of $/QALY gained from ten studies were below a conservative threshold of $50,000. This finding is salient to recent U.S. healthcare reforms and coordinated patient-centered care through formation of Accountable Care Organizations.

Within bioinformatics, the textual alignment of amino acid sequences has long dominated the determination of similarity between proteins, with all that implies for shared structure, function and evolutionary descent. Despite the relative success of modern-day sequence alignment algorithms, so-called alignment-free approaches offer a complementary means of determining and expressing similarity, with potential benefits in certain key applications, such as regression analysis of protein structure-function studies, where alignment-base similarity has performed poorly. Here, we offer a fresh, statistical physics-based perspective focusing on the question of alignment-free comparison, in the process adapting results from 'first passage probability distribution' to summarize statistics of ensemble averaged amino acid propensity values. In this article, we introduce and elaborate this approach., 6 pages, 3 figures; published in Bioinformatics Journal, vol 31(15), pages 2469-2474; doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btv167

The article analyzes the contribution of stochastic thermal fluctuations in the attachment times of the immature T-cell receptor TCR: peptide-major-histocompatibility-complex pMHC immunological synapse bond. The key question addressed here is the following: how does a synapse bond remain stabilized in the presence of high-frequency thermal noise that potentially equates to a strong detaching force? Focusing on the average time persistence of an immature synapse, we show that the high-frequency nodes accompanying large fluctuations are counterbalanced by low-frequency nodes that evolve over longer time periods, eventually leading to signaling of the immunological synapse bond primarily decided by nodes of the latter type. Our analysis shows that such a counterintuitive behavior could be easily explained from the fact that the survival probability distribution is governed by two distinct phases, corresponding to two separate time exponents, for the two different time regimes. The relatively shorter timescales correspond to the cohesion:adhesion induced immature bond formation whereas the larger time reciprocates the association:dissociation regime leading to TCR:pMHC signaling. From an estimate of the bond survival probability, we show that, at shorter timescales, this probability PΔ(τ) scales with time τ as a universal function of a rescaled noise amplitude DΔ2, such that PΔ(τ)∼τ-(ΔD+12),Δ being the distance from the mean intermembrane (T cell:Antigen Presenting Cell) separation distance. The crossover from this shorter to a longer time regime leads to a universality in the dynamics, at which point the survival probability shows a different power-law scaling compared to the one at shorter timescales. In biological terms, such a crossover indicates that the TCR:pMHC bond has a survival probability with a slower decay rate than the longer LFA-1:ICAM-1 bond justifying its stability.

ROLE OF CLANS IN THE PROXIMITIES IN A LATTICE

Digestion and Utilization of Protein in Gesonula punctifrons Stal (Acrididae: Orthoptera)

GENERATION OF LOVE WAVES UNDER INITIAL STRESS DUE TO A MOMENTARY POINT SOURCE

Supply chain optimization schemes have more often than not underplayed the role of inherent stochastic fluctuations in the associated variables. The present article focuses on the associated reengagement and correlated renormalization of supply chain predictions now with the inclusion of stochasticity induced fluctuations in the structure. With a processing production plant in mind that involves stochastically varying production and transportation costs both from the site to the plant as well as from the plant to the customer base, this article proves that the producer may benefit through better outlay in the form of higher sale prices with lowered optimized production costs only through a suitable selective choice of producers whose production cost probability density function abides a Pareto distribution. Lower the Pareto exponent, better is the supply chain prediction for cost optimization. On the other hand, other symmetric (normal) and asymmetric (lognormal) distributions lead to upscaled costs both in terms of inlays and outlays. While this is an averaged out statistics over large time regimes, transient features may still affect such probabilistic predictions and offset results. The predictions are shown to be in good harmony with model results shown., Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

STRESSES PRODUCED IN AN INITIALLY STRESSED ELASTIC HALF-SPACE DUE TO A MOVING LOAD

A NOTE ON FUZZY ULTRAFILTERS

We report results of an experimental study, complemented by detailed statistical analysis of the experimental data, on the development of a more effective control method of drug delivery using a pH sensitive acrylic polymer. New copolymers based on acrylic acid and fatty acid are constructed from dodecyl castor oil and a tercopolymer based on methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid and acryl amide were prepared using this new approach. Water swelling characteristics of fatty acid, acrylic acid copolymer and tercopolymer respectively in acid and alkali solutions have been studied by a step-change method. The antibiotic drug cephalosporin and paracetamol have also been incorporated into the polymer blend through dissolution with the release of the antibiotic drug being evaluated in bacterial stain media and buffer solution. Our results show that the rate of release of paracetamol getss affected by the pH factor and also by the nature of polymer blend. Our experimental data have later been statistically analyzed to quantify the precise nature of polymer decay rates on the pH density of the relevant polymer solvents. The time evolution of the polymer decay rates indicate a marked transition from a linear to a strictly non-linear regime depending on the whether the chosen sample is a general copolymer (linear) or a tercopolymer (non-linear). Non-linear data extrapolation techniques have been used to make probabilistic predictions about the variation in weight percentages of retained polymers at all future times, thereby quantifying the degree of efficacy of the new method of drug delivery., 5 figures, 2 tables, 1 Graphical abstract, Journal of Advances in Natural Sciences, vol 3 (1) (2014)

The letter resolves the long standing debate as to the proper time scale ($$) of the onset of the immunological synapse (IS) bond, the non-covalent chemical bond defining the immune pathways involving T-cells and antigen presenting cells (APC). Results from our model calculations show $$ to be of the order of seconds instead of minutes. Close to the linearly stable regime, we show that in between the two critical spatial thresholds defined by the integrin:ligand pair ($\Delta_2\sim$ 40-45 nm) and the T cell receptor (TCR):pMHC bond ($\Delta_1\sim$ 14-15 nm), $$ grows monotonically with increasing co-receptor bond length separation $\delta$ (= $\Delta_2-\Delta_1\sim$ 26-30 nm) while $$ decays with $\Delta_1$ for fixed $\Delta_2$. The non-universal $\delta$-dependent power-law structure of the probability density function (PDF) further explains why only the TCR:pMHC bond is a likely candidate to form a stable synapse., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

From Wrought Iron to Steel: Beginning of Steel Making in Eastern India

This paper resolves the long standing debate as to the proper time scale τ of the onset of the immunological synapse bond, the noncovalent chemical bond defining the immune pathways involving T cells and antigen presenting cells. Results from our model calculations show τ to be of the order of seconds instead of minutes. Close to the linearly stable regime, we show that in between the two critical spatial thresholds defined by the integrin:ligand pair (Δ2∼ 40-45 nm) and the T-cell receptor TCR:peptide-major-histocompatibility-complex pMHC bond (Δ1∼ 14-15 nm), τ grows monotonically with increasing coreceptor bond length separation δ (= Δ2-Δ1∼ 26-30 nm) while τ decays with Δ1 for fixed Δ2. The nonuniversal δ-dependent power-law structure of the probability density function further explains why only the TCR:pMHC bond is a likely candidate to form a stable synapse.

We present a data based statistical study on the effects of seasonal variations in the growth rates of the gastro-intestinal (GI) parasitic infection in livestock. The alluded growth rate is estimated through the variation in the number of eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces in animals. In accordance with earlier studies, our analysis too shows that rainfall is the dominant variable in determining EPG infection rates compared to other macro-parameters like temperature and humidity. Our statistical analysis clearly indicates an oscillatory dependence of EPG levels on rainfall fluctuations. Monsoon recorded the highest infection with a comparative increase of at least 2.5 times compared to the next most infected period (summer). A least square fit of the EPG versus rainfall data indicates an approach towards a super diffusive (i. e. root mean square displacement growing faster than the square root of the elapsed time as obtained for simple diffusion) infection growth pattern regime for low rainfall regimes (technically defined as zeroth level dependence) that gets remarkably augmented for large rainfall zones. Our analysis further indicates that for low fluctuations in temperature (true on the bulk data), EPG level saturates beyond a critical value of the rainfall, a threshold that is expected to indicate the onset of the nonlinear regime. The probability density functions (PDFs) of the EPG data show oscillatory behavior in the large rainfall regime (greater than 500 mm), the frequency of oscillation, once again, being determined by the ambient wetness (rainfall, and humidity). Data recorded over three pilot projects spanning three measures of rainfall and humidity bear testimony to the universality of this statistical argument. © 2013 Chattopadhyay and Bandyopadhyay.