Observed changes in Himalayan glaciers

In the Himalaya, large areas are covered by glaciers and seasonal snow. They are an important source of water for the Himalayan rivers. In this article, observed changes in glacial extent and mass balance have been discussed. Various studies suggest that most of the Himalayan glaciers are retreating though the rate of retreat varies from glacier to glacier, ranging from a few meters to almost 61 m/year, depending upon the terrain and meteorological parameters. In addition, mapping of almost 11,000 out of 40,000 sq. km of glaciated area, distributed in all major climatic zones of the Himalaya, suggests an almost 13% loss in area in the last 4-5 decades. The glacier mass balance observations and estimates made using methods like field, AAR, ELA and geodetic measurements, suggest a significant increase in mass wastage of Himalayan glaciers in the last 3-4 decades. In the last four decades loss in glacial ice has been estimated at 19 +/- 7 m. This suggests loss of 443 +/- 136 Gt of glacial mass out of a total 3600-4400 Gt of glacial stored water in the Indian Himalaya. This study has also shown that mean loss in glacier mass in the Indian Himalaya is accelerated from -9 +/- 4 to -20 +/- 4 Gt/year between the periods 1975-85 and 2000-2010. The estimate of glacial stored water in the Indian Himalaya is based on glacier inventory on a 1 : 250,000 scale and scaling methods; therefore, we assume uncertainties to be large.

Performance Analysis of a Cooperative MAC Protocol of Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Different medium access control (MAC) layer protocols, for example, IEEE 802.11 series and others are used in wireless local area networks. They have limitation in handling bulk data transfer applications, like video-on-demand, videoconference, etc. To avoid this problem a cooperative MAC protocol environment has been introduced, which enables the MAC protocol of a node to use its nearby nodes MAC protocol as and when required. We have found on various occasions that specified cooperative MAC establishes cooperative transmissions to send the specified data to the destination. In this paper we propose cooperative MAC priority (CoopMACPri) protocol which exploits the advantages of priority value given by the upper layers for selection of different paths to nodes running heterogeneous applications in a wireless ad hoc network environment. The CoopMACPri protocol improves the system throughput and minimizes energy consumption. Using a Markov chain model, we developed a model to analyse the performance of CoopMACPri protocol; and also derived closed-form expression of saturated system throughput and energy consumption. Performance evaluations validate the accuracy of the theoretical analysis, and also show that the performance of CoopMACPri protocol varies with the number of nodes. We observed that the simulation results and analysis reflects the effectiveness of the proposed protocol as per the specifications.

Slow Slip Acceleration beneath Andaman Islands Triggered by the 11 April 2012 Indian Ocean Earthquakes

The M-w 8.6 and 8.2 strike-slip earthquakes that struck the northeast Indian Ocean on 11 April 2012 resulted in coseismic deformation both at near and distant sites. The slip distribution, deduced using seismic-wave analysis for the orthogonal faults that ruptured during these earthquakes, is sufficient to predict the coseismic displacements at the Global Positioning System (GPS) sites, such as NTUS, PALK, and CUSV, but fall short at four continuous sites in the Andaman Islands region. Slip modeling, for times prior to the events, suggests that the lower portion of the thrust fault beneath the Andaman Islands has been slipping at least at the rate of 40 cm/yr, in response to the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman coseismic stress change. Modeling of GPS displacements suggests that the en echelon and orthogonal fault ruptures of the 2012 intraplate oceanic earthquakes could have possibly accelerated the ongoing slow slip, along the lower portion of the thrust fault beneath the islands with a month-long slip of 4-10 cm. The misfit to the coseismic GPS displacements along the Andaman Islands could be improved with a better source model, assuming that no local process contributed to this anomaly.

C-11/C-9 Helices in Crystals of alpha beta Hybrid Peptides and Switching Structures between Helix Types by Variation in the alpha-Residue

Close-packed helices with mixed hydrogen bond directionality are unprecedented in the structural chemistry of alpha-polypeptides. While NMR studies in solution state provide strong evidence for the occurrence of mixed helices in (beta beta)(n) and (alpha beta)(n) sequences, limited information is currently available in crystals. The peptide structures presented show the occurrence of C-11/C-9 helices in (alpha beta)(n) peptides. Transitions between C-11 and C-11/C-9 helices are observed upon varying the alpha-amino acid residue.

Species and acoustic diversity of bats in a palaeotropical wet evergreen forest in southern India

The Western Ghats of India is among the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. About 43% of the reported 117 bat species in India are found in this region, but few quantitative studies of bat echolocation calls and diversity have been carried out here thus far. A quantitative study of bat diversity was therefore conducted using standard techniques, including mist-netting, acoustical and roost surveys in the wet evergreen forests of Kudremukh National Park in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. A total of 106 bats were caught over 108 sampling nights, representing 17 species, 3 belonging to Megachiroptera and 14 to Microchiroptera. Acoustical and roost surveys added three more species, two from Microchiroptera and one from Megachiroptera. Of these 20 species, 4 belonged to the family Pteropodidae, 10 to Vespertilionidae, 3 to Rhinolophidae, 2 to Megadermatidae and 1 to Hipposideridae. We recorded the echolocation calls of 13 of the 16 microchiropteran species, of which the calls of 4 species (Pipistrellus coromandra, Pipistrellus affinis, Pipistrellus ceylonicus and Harpiocephalus harpia) have been recorded for the first time. Discriminant function analyses of the calls of 11 species provided 91.7% correct classification of individuals to their respective species, indicating that the echolocation calls could be used successfully for non-invasive acoustic surveys and monitoring of bat species in the future.

Water-responsive carbon nanotubes for selective detection of toxic gases

Ammonia plays an important role in our daily lives and hence its quantitative and qualitative sensing has become necessary. Bulk structure of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been employed to detect the gas concentration of 10 ppm. Hydrophobic CNTs were turned to hydrophilic via the application of a ramp electric field that allowed confinement of a controlled amount of water inside CNT microstructure. These samples were then also used to detect different gases. A comparative study has been performed for sensing three reducing gases, namely, ammonia, sulphur-di-oxide, and hydrogen sulphide to elaborate the selectivity of the sensor. A considerable structural bending in the bulk CNT was observed on evaporation of the confined water, which can be accounted to the zipping of individual nanotubes. However, the rate of the stress induced on these bulk microstructures increased on the exposure of ammonia due to the change in the surface tension of the confined solvent. A prototype of an alarm system has been developed to illustrate sensing concept, wherein the generated stress in the bulk CNT induces a reversible loss in electrical contact that changes the equivalent resistance of the electrical circuit upon exposure to the gas. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

On variant distribution and coarsening behavior of the a phase in a metastable beta titanium alloy

The stereology, variant distribution and coarsening behavior of semicoherent alpha(hcp) precipitates in a beta(bcc) matrix of a Ti5553 alloy has been analyzed, and a dominant 3-variant cluster has been observed in which the variants are related to each other by an axis-angle pair <<11(2)over bar> 0 >/60 degrees. Shape and spatial distribution independent elastic self and interaction energies for all pairwise and triplet combinations of a have been calculated and it is found that the 3-cluster combination that is experimentally observed most frequently has the lowest energy for the semicoherent state. The coarsening behavior of the delta distribution follows LSW kinetics after an initial transient, and has been modeled by phase field methods. (C) 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efecto del cultivo láctico CHN-11 en la elaboración de queso de crema con leche de cabra de forma artesanal en la hacienda Santa Rosa UNA Managua

El presente trabajo se realizó con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de cultivo láctico CHN-11 en la elaboración de queso crema a base de leche de cabra de forma artesanal en la hacienda Santa Rosa UNA. Managua-Nicaragua, considerando los tratamientos queso crema con adición de cultivo y queso crema sin adición de cultivo. Se utilizó un método analítico sensorial para valorar las variables en cada tratamiento contando con 51 muestras previamente codificadas presentadas a 17 panelistas inexpertos para su evaluación. Las variables bajo análisis fueron: olor, color, sabor y textura, según los análisis estadísticos de la percepción de los panelistas, existe diferencia altamente significativo para la variable color y textura, diferencia significativa para la variable sabor, no encontrando diferencia significativa en lo que respecta a la variable olor. Las características físico química de la materia pri ma fueron óptimas para la elaboración del queso siendo comparadas con la norma NTON O3340-00 para leche pasterizada. Los costos de producción de cada uno de los tratamientos fueron similares en ambos siendo la diferencia en cuanto calidad.

Prevalencia de leptospirosis canina en la ciudad de Catacamas Olancho utilizando la tecnica de micro-aglutinacion 11 de marzo al 24 de julio

Con el objetivo de Contribuir a la mejora de la salud pública en la ciudad de Catacamas, Olancho, Honduras, mediante el diagnóstico de la prevalencia de Leptospirosis canina. Utilizando la técnica de Micro-aglutinación (MAT), para el registro y control de casos En el periodo del 11 de marzo al 24 de agosto del 2009. Para conocer la población canina con posibilidades de infestación con Leptospirosis según, sexo, edad, factores de riesgo. Y determinar el grado de infestación y una estrategia técnica y económica para el control y seguimiento contra la Leptospirosis. Se realizo un muestreo de 380 canes, correspondiente al 10% de la población canina en dicha ciudad. Extrayéndose 3 ml de sangre de la vena radial y safena externa, luego de procesarla para separar el suero mediante precipitación, fueron trasladados al laboratorio del INSTITUTO HONDUREÑO DE INVESTIGACIONES MEDICO VETERINARIO. Para su análisis mediante la técnica MAT. Luego se tomo una segunda muestra de orina a los animales reactivos, para realizar un cultivo haciendo uso de un medio de cultivo con antibiótico flurouracilo (5-fu) De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, de 380 canes, 5.1% son positivos y 94.9 % negativos a Leptospirosis encontrándose los siguientes serovares: canicola, icterohemorragica, hardjo, grippotyphosa.

Zinc oxide nanostructures and high electron mobility nanocomposite thin film transistors

This paper reports on the synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and examines the performance of nanocomposite thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using ZnO dispersed in both n- and p-type polymer host matrices. The ZnO nanostructures considered here comprise nanowires and tetrapods and were synthesized using vapor phase deposition techniques involving the carbothermal reduction of solid-phase zinc-containing compounds. Measurement results of nanocomposite TFTs based on dispersion of ZnO nanorods in an n-type organic semiconductor ([6, 6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) show electron field-effect mobilities in the range 0.3-0.6 cm2V-1 s-1. representing an approximate enhancement by as much as a factor of 40 from the pristine state. The on/off current ratio of the nanocomposite TFTs approach 106 at saturation with off-currents on the order of 10 pA. The results presented here, although preliminary, show a highly promising enhancement for realization of high-performance solution-processable n-type organic TFTs. © 2008 IEEE.

The W-11-4A platform comprehensive strength monitoring system

A comprehensive strength monitoring system used on a fixed jacket platform is presented in this paper. The long-term monitoring of W-11-4A platform achieved. Structural responses (strain and acceleration) at selected locations, as well as associated environmental parameters, have been obtained. The emphasis of the paper is placed on the system design, and the instrumentation and operation methodology employed in the monitoring of the structural responses. The performance of the system and the characteristic results obtained during its 13-month operation are also summarized.

Saludo a los participantes del Curso de la Rota Romana; procesos matrimoniales, hoy, del 11 al 14 de agosto en la Facultad

Querido hermano: Próximamente tendrá lugar, en esa Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, y bajo la dirección del Decano de la Rota Romana, Mons. Pio Vito Pinto, un curso sobre los procesos matrimoniales...