Coupled ocean-atmosphere inter-decadal modes in the tropics

Homogencous upper air data for 50 years (1949-1998) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis project, sea surface temperatures and sea level pressure are used to bring out the three dimensional structure of two dominant decadal/multi-decadal variations in the tropics. The global three dimensional modes represent generalized forms of inter-decadal modes studied earlier only with surface data. In the vertical, both modes show approximate first baroclinic structures over the tropics. The Walker circulation associated with the multidecadal mode has a wavenumber two structure in the zonal direction. It is shown that the magnitude of major ascending and descending motions associated with the multi-decadal Hadley and Walker circulations, are comparable to those associated with the dominant inter-annual mode. Implications of these large scale global circulations associated with the low frequency oscillations in modulating regional climate on a inter-annual time scale are discussed.

Thomas-Fermi Method For Particles Obeying Generalized Exclusion Statistics

We use the Thomas-Fermi method to examine the thermodynamics of particles obeying Haldane exclusion statistics. Specifically, we study Calogero-Sutherland particles placed in a given external potential in one dimension. For the case of a simple harmonic potential (constant density of states), we obtain the exact one-particle spatial density and a {\it closed} form for the equation of state at finite temperature, which are both new results. We then solve the problem of particles in a $x^{2/3} ~$ potential (linear density of states) and show that Bose-Einstein condensation does not occur for any statistics other than bosons.

FURTHER RECORDS OF THE SINDH AWL-HEADED SNAKE, Lytorhynchus paradoxus (GUNTHER, 1875), FROM INDIA WITH NOTES ON ITS HABITAT AND NATURAL HISTORY

This paper presents additional distributional records of the Sindh awl-headed snake Lytorhynchus paradoxus from India, along with scale counts, measurements and natural history observations of this poorly known species.

History of Computing in India: 1955-2010

The history of computing in India is inextricably intertwined with two interacting forces: the political climate determined by the political party in power) and the government policies mainly driven by the technocrats and bureaucrats who acted within the boundaries drawn by the political party in power. There were four break points (which occurred in 1970, 1978, 1991 and 1998) that changed the direction of the development of computers and their applications. This article explains why these breaks occurred and how they affected the history of computing in India.