<i>EPOXI</i> : COMET 103P/HARTLEY 2 OBSERVATIONS FROM A WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN

Meech, K. J.,A’Hearn, M. F.,Adams, J. A.,Bacci, P.,Bai, J.,Barrera, L.,Battelino, M.,Bauer, J. M.,Becklin, E.,Bhatt, B.,Biver, N.,Bockelé,e-Morvan, D.,Bodewits, D.,Bö,hnhardt, H.,Boissier, J IOP Publishing 2011 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.734 No.1

<P>Earth- and space-based observations provide synergistic information for space mission encounters by providing data over longer timescales, at different wavelengths and using techniques that are impossible with an in situ flyby. We report here such observations in support of the EPOXI spacecraft flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2. The nucleus is small and dark, and exhibited a very rapidly changing rotation period. Prior to the onset of activity, the period was similar to 16.4 hr. Starting in 2010 August the period changed from 16.6 hr to near 19 hr in December. With respect to dust composition, most volatiles and carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, the comet is similar to other Jupiter-family comets. What is unusual is the dominance of CO2-driven activity near perihelion, which likely persists out to aphelion. Near perihelion the comet nucleus was surrounded by a large halo of water-ice grains that contributed significantly to the total water production.</P>

Stellar contents and star formation in the young star cluster Be 59

Pandey, A. K.,Sharma, Saurabh,Ogura, K.,Ojha, D. K.,Chen, W. P.,Bhatt, B. C.,Ghosh, S. K. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2008 Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol.383 No.3

<P>ABSTRACT</P><P>We present <I>UBV I</I><SUB><I>c</I></SUB> CCD photometry of the young open cluster Be 59 with the aim to study the star formation scenario in the cluster. The radial extent of the cluster is found to be ∼10 arcmin (2.9 pc). The interstellar extinction in the cluster region varies between <I>E</I>(<I>B</I>−<I>V</I>) ≃ 1.4 to 1.8 mag. The ratio of total-to-selective extinction in the cluster region is estimated as 3.7 ± 0.3. The distance of the cluster is found to be 1.00 ± 0.05 kpc. Using near-infrared (NIR) colours and slitless spectroscopy, we have identified young stellar objects (YSOs) in the open cluster Be 59 region. The ages of these YSOs range between <1 and ∼2 Myr, whereas the mean age of the massive stars in the cluster region is found to be ∼2 Myr. There is evidence for second-generation star formation outside the boundary of the cluster, which may be triggered by massive stars in the cluster. The slope of the initial mass function, Γ, in the mass range 2.5 < <I>M</I>/M<SUB>⊙</SUB>≤ 28 is found to be −1.01 ± 0.11 which is shallower than the Salpeter value (−1.35), whereas in the mass range 1.5 < <I>M</I>/M<SUB>⊙</SUB>≤ 2.5 the slope is almost flat. The slope of the <I>K</I>-band luminosity function is estimated as 0.27 ± 0.02, which is smaller than the average value (∼0.4) reported for young embedded clusters. Approximately 32 per cent of Hα emission stars of Be 59 exhibit NIR excess indicating that inner discs of the T Tauri star (TTS) population have not dissipated. The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) and <I>IRAS-HIRES</I> images around the cluster region are also used to study the emission from unidentified infrared bands and to estimate the spatial distribution of optical depth of warm and cold interstellar dust.</P>

Cytokine expression pattern in milk somatic cells of subclinical mastitis-affected cattle analyzed by real time PCR

Bhatt, Vaibhav D.,Khade, Prasad S.,Tarate, Sagar B.,Tripathi, Ajai K.,Nauriyal, Dev S.,Rank, Dharamshi N.,Kunjadia, Anju P.,Joshi, Chaitanya G. The Korean Society of Veterinary Science 2012 大韓獸醫學會誌 Vol.52 No.4

The expression profiles of inflammatory cytokines viz. interleukins (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-12, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, interferon-${\gamma}$ and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ in response to subclinical mastitis in indigenous cattle breed Kankrej (n = 6), Gir (Bos indicus) (n = 12) and crossbred (Bos taurus${\times}$Bos indicus) (n = 7) were investigated using quantitative real time PCR. Significant correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between total bacterial load and somatic cell count (SCC) in all three breeds of cattle. All the cytokines were observed to be up-regulated compared to cows with healthy quarters, however, level of their expression varied among three breeds of cattle. In Kankrej most cytokines were found to be transcribed to higher levels than in other two breeds; the milk had higher load of bacteria but not so high SCC, implying that Kankrej has a higher inherent resistance against mastitis. The results of present study indicated that mammary glands of crossbred cattle are more sensitive to bacterial infection than indigenous breed of cattle as they elicit immune response at lower bacterial load and result into higher SCC. Research on identification of factors responsible for differentially expressed cytokines profiles and use of cytokines as immunomodulatory tools can pave way for formulating control strategies against bovine mastitis.

Study of structural, electrical and magnetic properties of Cr doped Ni–Mg ferrite nanoparticle

Hashim, M.,Meena, S. S.,Kotnala, R. K.,Shirsath, S. E.,Roy, A. S.,Parveen, A.,Bhatt, P.,Kumar, S.,Jotania, R. B.,Kumar, R. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. 2014 Journal of Alloys and Compounds Vol.602 No.-

Standardization of grafting technique in Kusum [Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken]

Sarkar Pradip Kumar,Sinha Animesh,Dhakar M. K.,Das Bikash,Bhatt B. P. 한국산림과학회 2023 Forest Science And Technology Vol.19 No.1

The species, Schleichera oleosa (Kusum), holds an important place in the livelihood of tribal farmers in eastern region of India. It is getting popular due to its ethnobotanical values and its potential use as host plant for lac production. Its natural population and genetic variability is declining at faster rate due to deforestation and human interventions. Mass production of Kusum seedlings is a major challenge and moreover, auto-generation of heterozygous nature in plants calls for long term experiments for its genetic improvement which require huge monetary investments. Moreover, the factors like low quality and quantity planting materials and the problem of restricted growth in plants raised from seeds hinder the interest of the farmers. Hence, clonal propagation through grafting could be an option. The scientific knowledge on application and standardization of various approaches like girdling of scionstick branches, age of mother plant, rootstocks, etc. of Kusum are extremely limited. Keeping these in view, an experiment was conducted during 2018–2021 to standardize grafting technique in Kusum. The result revealed that grafting methods affected the graft’s success significantly. Cleft grafting was found to be the most successful (72.38% graft) than veneer grafting (64.46%). Moreover, the scions collected from tree aged <15 years showed maximum success in grafting (upto 86.23%). This study revealed the importance of girdling of scionstick branches, girdling age (3months), girdling-ring thickness (6–8mm), and selection of two years old rootstock to maximize graft success upto 86.25% in Kusum. Furthermore, season also play an important role in successful grafting. The period from April to June was the best time for grafting with 73.31% success.

Assaying of SNM using Simultaneous Detection of Fission Neutrons and Gammas by Employing a Novel Phoswich Detector

Sonu,Mohit Tyagi,A. Kelkar,A. Sahu,M. Sonawane,P.S. Sarkar,A. Pandey,D.B. Sathe,G.D. Patra,T. Vincent,S.G. Singh,R.B. Bhatt Korean Nuclear Society 2023 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.55 No.7

For the precise measurements of special nuclear materials (SNM) including Pu and Am isotopes, we have used phoswich detector combination of two single crystal scintillators of Gd₃Ga₃Al₂O₁₂:Ce and CsI:Tl. High detection efficiency and sensitivity along with high figure of merit for the discrimination of these phoswich detectors ensures the detection and discrimination of thermal neutrons and gammas from spontaneous fission of Pu and other isotopes in presence of high gamma background. Using this detector, the low energy gammas, which is stopped completely in 1mm thick disc of GGAG, can be also discriminated from high energies gamma and shows linearity in wide range of sample quantities. By changing only the appropriate shielding, the similar setup was used for thermal neutron detection and shows a very good linearity over wide range. The quantity of a test sample was also calculated accurately by using the measured calibrated plot.