Glauconites occurring within the Ukra Member of Kutch Basin have remained unexplored in terms of their economic significance. The present study aimed to present a detailed physicochemical characterization of glauconite occurring in the siliciclastic rocks of Guneri and Umarsar area of the Kutch district, Gujarat, India to explore their economic potential. The study involved an integrated petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical investigation of glauconitic rocks to highlight the occurrence, nature, and maturity of glauconite. The characterization was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) combined with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Petrographic and bulk XRD analysis revealed that the glauconite occurs as green pellets constituting ~30 and 40% of the glauconitic sandstone and shale, respectively. Whole-rock analysis showed that the value of K2O varies considerably from 3.93 wt.% (sandstone) to 5.63 wt.% (shale). Mineral chemistry indicated the distinctive chemical composition of glauconite pellets containing 7.4–8.4 wt.% of K2O. The parameters, such as the distance between the (001) and (020) peaks and the large K2O content (~8 wt.%) of the glauconite fraction reflect an evolved to highly evolved stage of maturation. The morphological and spectral signatures further support the high degree of maturation in glauconites. Trace-element analysis implied that the glauconitic sandstone and shale contain elements such as Zn, Mn, Cu, Co, Mo, and Ni, which serve as essential micronutrients for plants. These data sets collectively constitute part of a preliminary study which is prerequisite to beneficiation, but further evaluation of its potential as a potash fertilizer also is needed.

We develop a theoretical model to study (dense) two-dimensional gravity current flow in a laterally extensive porous medium experiencing leakage through a discrete fissure situated along this boundary at some finite distance from the injection point. Our model, which derives from the depth-averaged mass and buoyancy equations in conjunction with Darcy's law, considers dispersive mixing between the gravity current and the surrounding ambient by allowing two different gravity current phases. Thus do we define a bulk phase consisting of fluid whose density is close to that of the source fluid and a dispersed phase consisting of fluid whose density is close to that of the ambient. We characterize the degree of dispersion by estimating, as a function of time, the buoyancy of the dispersed phase and the separation distance between the bulk nose and the dispersed nose. On this basis, it can be shown that the amount of dispersion depends on the flow conditions upstream of the fissure, the fissure permeability and the vertical and horizontal extents of the fissure. We also show that dispersion is larger when the gravity current propagates along an inclined barrier rather than along a horizontal barrier. Model predictions are fitted against numerical simulations. The simulations in question are performed using COMSOL and consider different inclination angles and fissure and upstream flow conditions. Our study is motivated by processes related to underground $\mathrm {H}_2$ storage e.g. an irrecoverable loss of $\mathrm {H}_2$ when it is injected into the cushion gas saturating an otherwise depleted natural gas reservoir.

The interaction of a droplet with a swirling airstream is investigated experimentally using shadowgraphy and particle image velocimetry techniques. In swirl flow, the droplet experiences oppose-flow, cross-flow and co-flow conditions depending on its ejection location, the velocity of the airstream and the swirl strength, which results in distinct droplet morphologies as compared with the straight airflow situation. We observe a new breakup phenomenon, termed as ‘retracting bag breakup’, as the droplet encounters a differential flow field created by the wake of the swirler's vanes and the central recirculation zone in swirl airflow. A regime map demarcating the various modes, such as no breakup, vibrational breakup, retracting bag breakup and bag breakup modes, is presented for different sets of dimensionless parameters influencing the droplet morphology and its trajectory. In contrast to the straight flow, the swirl flow promotes the development of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, enhancing the stretching factor in the droplet deformation process, resulting in a larger number of fingers on the droplet's surface. In order to gain physical insight, a modified theoretical analysis based on the Rayleigh–Taylor instability is proposed for the swirl flow. The experimental behaviour of droplet deformation phenomena in swirl flow conditions can be determined by modifying the stretching factor in the theoretical model.

Cardiac hypertrophy is the enlargement of cardiomyocytes in response to persistent release of catecholamine which further leads to cardiac fibrosis. Chrysin, flavonoid from honey, is well known for its multifarious properties like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and anti-apoptotic. To investigate the cardioprotective potential of chrysin against isoproterenol (ISO), cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis are induced in rats. Acclimatised male albino Wistar rats were divided into seven groups (n 6): normal (carboxymethyl cellulose at 0·5 % p.o.; as vehicle), hypertrophy control (ISO 3 mg/kg, s.c.), CHY15 + H, CHY30 + H & CHY60 + H (chrysin; p.o.15, 30 and 60 mg/kg respectively + ISO at 3 mg/kg, s.c.), CHY60 (chrysin 60 mg/kg in per se) and LST + H (losartan 10 mg/kg p.o. + ISO 3 mg/kg, s.c.) were treated for 28 d. After the dosing schedule on day 29, haemodynamic parameters were recorded, after that blood and heart were excised for biochemical, histological, ultra-structural and molecular evaluations. ISO administration significantly increases heart weight:body weight ratio, pro-oxidants, inflammatory and cardiac injury markers. Further, histopathological, ultra-structural and molecular studies confirmed deteriorative changes due to ISO administration. Pre-treatment with chrysin of 60 mg/kg reversed the ISO-induced damage to myocardium and prevent cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis through various anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-fibrotic pathways. Data demonstrated that chrysin attenuated myocardial hypertrophy and prevented fibrosis via activation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/Smad signalling pathway.

Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

The migration of dense fluid through a saturated, layered porous medium leads to two end-member examples of buoyancy-driven flow, namely plumes and gravity currents. Herein we develop an integrated theoretical model to study this scenario for the special case where the boundary between the permeable layers, in a two-layered porous medium, is inclined at an angle to the horizontal. Far from being a routine detail, the inclination of the permeability jump leads to a symmetry-breaking: up- and downdip flows have different volume fluxes and travel different distances, possibly substantially different distances, before becoming arrested at the point where plume inflow balances basal draining. Our model predicts these associated run-out lengths and the transient approach thereto. Predictions are validated with measurements from similitude laboratory experiments, in which the upper and lower layers are comprised of glass beads of different diameters. Experiments are conducted for a range of inclination angles and also a range of plume source conditions. The experimental data suggest a complicated structure for the gravity currents, whose boundaries are blurred by dispersion in a manner not captured by our (sharp interface) model. This observation has particular significance in predicting the lateral spread of contaminated fluid through real geological formations, particularly in instances where for example groundwater contamination is of particular concern.

For the first time, we report the identification of NUV bright red clump (RC) stars and the extension of RC stars over two magnitudes both in color and magnitude axis in NUV vs (NUV – optical) color magnitude diagram. We find that the extension of RC is not due to photometric uncertainties. We suggest that the extension could be an effect of field star contamination. We also suggest that if it is an intrinsic property of the cluster then age and/or metallicity spread within the cluster could be the possible reasons for extended RC.

In this paper, theoretical/simulation study of specific absorption rate (SAR) and/or temperature distributions in a bi-layered bio-media (fat and muscle)/realistic tri-layered bio-media (skin, fat, and muscle layers) in direct contact with water-loaded metal diagonal horn (MDH) designed at 915 MHz are investigated. The effects of fat thickness on the input reflection coefficient, reflection coefficient at the interface between the MDH and the bi-layered bio-media, and the SAR distribution in the bi-layered bio-media are also studied through simulation and theoretically at 915 MHz. Further, the SAR parameters such as penetration depth and effective field size inside the bi-layered bio-media due to the MDH are evaluated theoretically and the theoretical results are compared with the corresponding simulation results. Finally, SAR and temperature distributions in tri-layered bio-media without and with embedded irregular/oval-shaped tumor are provided for demonstrating the hyperthermia performance of the MDH applicator.

The interaction between droplet dispersion and evaporation in an acetone spray evaporating under ambient conditions is experimentally studied with an aim to understand the physics behind the spatial correlation between the local vapour mass fraction and droplets. The influence of gas-phase turbulence and droplet–gas slip velocity of such correlations is examined, while the focus is on the consequence of droplet clustering on collective evaporation of droplet clouds. Simultaneous and planar measurements of droplet size, velocity and number density, and vapour mass fraction around the droplets, were obtained by combining the interferometric laser imaging for droplet sizing and planar laser induced fluorescence techniques (Sahu et al., Exp. Fluids, vol. 55, 1673, 2014b, pp. 1–21). Comparison with droplet measurements in a non-evaporating water spray under the same flow conditions showed that droplet evaporation leads to higher fluctuations of droplet number density and velocity relative to the respective mean values. While the mean droplet–gas slip velocity was found to be negligibly small, the vaporization Damköhler number ( $Da_{v}$ ) was approximately ‘one’, which means the droplet evaporation time and the characteristic time scale of large eddies are of the same order. Thus, the influence of the convective effect on droplet evaporation is not expected to be significant in comparison to the instantaneous fluctuations of slip velocity, which refers to the direct effect of turbulence. An overall linearly increasing trend was observed in the scatter plot of the instantaneous values of droplet number density ( $N$ ) and vapour mass fraction ( $Y_{F}$ ). Accordingly, the correlation coefficient of fluctuations of vapour mass fraction and droplet number density ( $R_{n\ast y}$ ) was relatively high ( ${\approx}0.5$ ) implying moderately high correlation. However, considerable spread of the $N$ versus $Y_{F}$ scatter plot along both coordinates demonstrated the influence on droplet evaporation due to turbulent droplet dispersion, which leads to droplet clustering. The presence of droplet clustering was confirmed by the measurement of spatial correlation coefficient of the fluctuations of droplet number density for different size classes ( $R_{n\ast n}$ ) and the radial distribution function (RDF) of the droplets. Also, the tendency of the droplets to form clusters was higher for the acetone spray than the water spray, indicating that droplet evaporation promoted droplet grouping in the spray. The instantaneous group evaporation number ( $G$ ) was evaluated from the measured length scale of droplet clusters (by the RDF) and the average droplet size and spacing in instantaneous clusters. The mean value of $G$ suggests an internal group evaporation mode of the droplet clouds near the spray centre, while single droplet evaporation prevails near the spray boundary. However, the large fluctuations in the magnitude of instantaneous values of $G$ at all measurement locations implied temporal variations in the mode of droplet cloud evaporation.

Using the data obtained from Kepler satellite, we have analyzed an F-type ultra-fast rotator KIC 6791060. We derive a rotational period of 0.34365±0.00004 d. Multiple periodicity with a period separation of ~0.00016 d was detected, which appears to be a result of the relative velocity between the multiple spot-groups in different stellar latitudes due to the surface differential rotation. Modeling of the surface inhomogeneities using the light curve of 3899 epochs shows the evidence of single active longitude region. The active longitude is found to drift along the longitude at a rate similar to the detected period separation of the F-type star. The surface coverage of cool spots is found to be in the range of ~0.07–0.44%. The low value of the spottedness can be interpreted probably due to the thinner convection zone on the F-type star.

The effect of entrained air turbulence on dispersion of droplets (with Stokes number based on the Kolmogorov time scale, $St_{{\it\eta}}$, of the order of 1) in a polydispersed spray is experimentally studied through simultaneous and planar measurements of droplet size, velocity and gas flow velocity (Hardalupas et al., Exp. Fluids, vol. 49, 2010, pp. 417–434). The preferential accumulation of droplets at various measurement locations in the spray was examined by two independent methods viz. counting droplets on images by dividing the image in to boxes of different sizes, and by estimating the radial distribution function (RDF). The dimension of droplet clusters (obtained by both approaches) was of the order of Kolmogorov’s length scale of the fluid flow, implying the significant influence of viscous scales of the fluid flow on cluster formation. The RDF of different size classes indicated an increase in cluster dimension for larger droplets (higher $St_{{\it\eta}}$). The length scales of droplet clusters increased towards the outer spray regions, where the gravitational influence on droplets is stronger compared to the central spray locations. The correlation between fluctuations of droplet concentration and droplet and gas velocities were estimated and found to be negative near the spray edge, while it was close to zero at other locations. The probability density function of slip between fluctuating droplet velocity and gas velocity ‘seen’ by the droplets signified presence of considerable instantaneous slip velocity, which is crucial for droplet–gas momentum exchange. In order to investigate different mechanisms of turbulence modulation of the carrier phase, the three correlation terms in the turbulent kinetic energy equation for particle-laden flows (Chen & Wood, Can. J. Chem. Engng, vol. 65, 1985, pp. 349–360) are evaluated conditional on droplet size classes. Based on the comparison of the correlation terms, it is recognized that although the interphase energy transfer due to fluctuations of droplet concentration is low compared to the energy exchange only due to droplet drag (the magnitude of which is controlled by average droplet mass loading), the former cannot be considered negligible, and should be accounted in two phase flow modelling.

We present a multi-wavelength study of a nearby radio loud elliptical galaxy NGC 708, selected from the Bologna B2 sample of radio galaxies. We obtained optical broad band and narrow images from IGO 2m telescope (Pune, India). We supplement the multi-wavelength coverage of the observation by using X-ray data from Chandra, infrared data from 2MASS, Spitzer and WISE and optical image from DSS and HST. In order to investigate properties of interstellar medium, we have generated unsharp-masked, color, residual, quotient, dust extinction, Hα emission maps. From the derived maps it is evident that cool gas, dust, warm ionized Hα and hot X-ray gas are spatially associated with each other. We investigate the inner and outer photometric and kinematic properties of the galaxy using surface brightness profiles. From X-ray 2d beta model, unsharp masking, surface brightness profiles techniques, it is evident that pair of X-ray cavities are present in this system and which are ~5.6 Kpc away from the central X-ray source.

This paper discusses the interaction between droplets and entrained turbulent air flow in the far-downstream locations of a confined polydispersed isothermal spray. Simultaneous and planar measurements of droplet and gas velocities in the spray along with droplet size are obtained with the application of a novel experimental technique, developed by Hardalupas et al. (Exp. Fluids, vol. 49, 2010, pp. 417–434), which combines interferometric laser imaging for droplet sizing (ILIDS) with particle image velocimetry (PIV). These measurements quantified the spatial correlation coefficients of droplet–gas velocity fluctuations ($R_{dg}$) and droplet–droplet velocity fluctuations ($R_{dd}$) conditional on droplet size classes, for various separation distances, and for axial and cross-stream velocity components. At the measurement location close to the spray edge, with increasing droplet size, $R_{dg}$ was found to increase in axial direction and decrease in cross-stream direction. This suggests that as the gas-phase turbulence becomes more anisotropic away from the spray axis, the gravitational influence on droplet–gas correlated motion tends to increase. The effective length scales of the correlated droplet–gas motion were evaluated and compared with that for gas and droplet motion. The role of different turbulent eddies of the gas flow on the droplet–gas interaction was examined. The flow structures were extracted using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the instantaneous gas velocity data, and their contribution on the spatial droplet–gas velocity correlation was evaluated, which quantified the momentum transfer between the two phases at different length scales of the gas flow. The droplets were observed to augment turbulence for the first three POD modes (larger scales) and attenuate it for the rest of the modes (smaller scales). It has been realized that apart from droplet Stokes number and mass loading, the dynamic range of length scales of the gas flow and the relative turbulent kinetic energy content of the flow structures (POD modes) must be considered in order to conclude if the droplets enhance or reduce the carrier-phase turbulence especially at the lower wavenumbers.

We present multiwavelength study of a sample of radio loud early-type galaxies chosen from the B2 sample. We performed surface photometry in BVR broad band filters and Hα narrow band filter on CCD images of sample galaxies using IGO 2m telescope, Pune (INDIA), to get radial profiles of various photometric and geometrical parameters that describe elliptical isophotes fitted to the 2D light distribution of the galaxies. The analysis of radial profiles of quantities such as the (local) surface brightness, the ellipticity, and the deviations from elliptical isophotes parametrized by the Fourier coefficients are main focus of our study. We generated color maps, residual maps, and dust extinction maps, Hα emission maps of the galaxies to study the morphology of the dust and ionized gas content present in the galaxies. We carried out detailed analysis of the properties of the dust present in our sample galaxies. Additionaly, we investigated properties of the dust in the central ~10 arcsec region of our sample galaxies using optical images available from the HST (WFPC2) data archive. We estimated mass and temperature of the dust, molecular gas mass, in the sample galaxies using FIR fluxes of the galaxies obtained from IRAS.

We used spectroscopic data available from the SDSS (DR7) to get an estimate of the mass of the central super massive black-hole for B2 1257+28 (NGC 4874). We plotted rotation curve for coma cluster (Abell 1656), which indicates the presence of dark matter halo around the galaxy B2 1257+28.

We report on the effect of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium's (INICC) multidimensional approach for the reduction of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in adult patients hospitalized in 21 intensive-care units (ICUs), from 14 hospitals in 10 Indian cities. A quasi-experimental study was conducted, which was divided into baseline and intervention periods. During baseline, prospective surveillance of VAP was performed applying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network definitions and INICC methods. During intervention, our approach in each ICU included a bundle of interventions, education, outcome and process surveillance, and feedback of VAP rates and performance. Crude stratified rates were calculated, and by using random-effects Poisson regression to allow for clustering by ICU, the incidence rate ratio for each time period compared with the 3-month baseline was determined. The VAP rate was 17·43/1000 mechanical ventilator days during baseline, and 10·81 for intervention, showing a 38% VAP rate reduction (relative risk 0·62, 95% confidence interval 0·5–0·78, P = 0·0001).

The UBVRI photometric follow-up of SN 2011fu has been initiated a few days after the explosion, shows a rise followed by steep decay in all bands and shares properties very similar to that seen in case of SN 1993J, with a possible detection of the adiabatic cooling phase at very early epochs. The spectral modeling performed with SYNOW suggests that the early-phase line velocities for H and Fe ii features were ~ 16000 km s−1 and ~ 14000 km s−1, respectively. Studies of rare class of type IIb SNe are important to understand the evolution of the possible progenitors of core-collapse SNe in more details.

PLANET, the Probing Lensing Anomaly NETwork, is an international teamconducting observations of on-going gravitational microlensingevents from five sites in the southern hemisphere. Our primary goal is todetect or to put constraints on sub-stellar companions of M dwarfs from the galactic disk. We report the current status and discuss the future prospects.A 2 m robotic telescope at Dome C which would benefit from continuous coverage and dream like seeing (median of 0.27 arcsec) is currently the best option for aground based aggressive search for Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone.

Due to their extremely small luminosity compared to the stars they orbit, planets outside our own Solar System are extraordinarily difficult to detect directly in optical light. Careful photometric monitoring of distant stars, however, can reveal the presence of exoplanets via the microlensing or eclipsing effects they induce. The international PLANET collaboration is performing such monitoring using a cadre of semi-dedicated telescopes around the world. Their results constrain the number of gas giants orbiting 1–7 AU from the most typical stars in the Galaxy. Upgrades in the program are opening regions of “exoplanet discovery space” – toward smaller masses and larger orbital radii – that are inaccessible to the Doppler velocity technique.