Anomalous Ferromagnetism of quasiparticle doped holes in cuprate heterostructures revealed using resonant soft X-ray magnetic scattering.

We report strong ferromagnetism of quasiparticle doped holes both within the ab-plane and along the c-axis of Cu-O planes in low-dimensional Au/d-La1.8Ba0.2CuO4/LaAlO3(001) heterostructures (d = 4, 8 and 12 unit-cells) using resonant soft X-ray and magnetic scattering together with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Interestingly, ferromagnetism is stronger at a hole doped peak and at an upper Hubbard band of O with spin-polarization degree as high as 40%, revealing strong ferromagnetism of Mottness. For in-ab-plane spin-polarizations, the spin of doped holes in O2p-Cu3d-O2p is a triplet state yielding strong ferromagnetism. For out-of-ab-plane spin-polarization, while the spins of doped holes in both O2p-O2p and Cu3d-Cu3d are triplet states, the spin of doped holes in Cu3d-O2p is a singlet state yielding ferrimagnetism. A ferromagnetic-(002) Bragg-peak of the doped holes is observed and enhanced as a function of d revealing strong ferromagnetism coupling between Cu-O layers along the c-axis.

AIDS in position to ravage India.

PIP: The Joint UN Program on AIDS reports that India has more than 3 million adults infected with HIV, more HIV-infected adults than any other country in the world. By the year 2005, India will have more people infected with HIV than does Africa. Having sex with a Bombay housewife today is at least twice as risky as it was to have sex with a prostitute in the city's red light district in 1988. 2-3% of all women in the city are infected with HIV. There is ignorance, apathy, corruption, and lack of commitment at all levels with regard to HIV/AIDS. Accordingly, India's lackluster campaign against AIDS launched 10 years ago has lost momentum just as the epidemic is exploding and at a time when traditional beliefs about cultural barriers and the sexual behavior of Indian males are being called into question. Considerable homosexual behavior occurs in India. However, the most important factor contributing to the spread of HIV throughout India is the virus' spread from urban areas into small villages, often through migrant laborers. Ignorance, illiteracy, and poverty in villages will make AIDS prevention especially difficult. Indian government policy forbidding the distribution of condoms in prisons, needles to injectable-drug users, and free drugs to AIDS patients further contributes to the spread of HIV.^ieng

Indian state plans compulsory HIV testing, segregation and branding.

PIP: Health officials in the Indian state of Maharashtra have ordered the compulsory testing of all girls 12 years and older who live in designated "destitute homes." The officials also plan to tattoo a symbol on the thighs of all HIV-positive prostitutes. By April 1998, this December 1997 order had resulted in the compulsory testing of women living in 50 boarding houses and the transfer of several found to be HIV-positive to a separate institution 200 miles from the state capital. Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) have mounted a protest over this statute, but state governments in India are free to enact their own health laws. The Maharashtran government is also seeking to legalize prostitution and to force prostitutes to register with a Board that will be able to order compulsory HIV tests and tattooing. Women with HIV who continue to engage in prostitution will be quarantined, and their clients will be jailed. In response, prostitutes in the capital city of Mumbai have threatened to release a list of their client's names to the press. The only recourse available to NGOs who oppose this action is to generate a large enough public outcry to stop it. A Mumbai-based attorney noted that many private companies are also requiring HIV testing and dismissing those who test positive.^ieng

World Bank will lend more money to India for AIDS.

PIP: This article discusses the World Bank's plans to lend India money that will be used in part to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and control. The loan amounts to about US$200 million, of which 25% would be directed to research and development for HIV/AIDS. The loan is a 5-year extension of support that ended March 1999. The loan will cover the cost of blood safety programs, hospital and community care plans, and medical drugs for treating opportunistic infections. According to the Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Council of Medical Research, research and development money will be split between indigenous AIDS vaccine programs and assessment of local production of HIV diagnostic kits and development of vaginal microbicides. The government will support clinical trials of more than herbal medicines for treating tuberculosis. Funding will also support evaluation research on cost of patient care and the HIV/AIDS impact on the work force. A major focus will be on the high risk population of women and children. The World Bank requires that 50% of the loans go to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). However, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) of India lost government financial funding and will not be able to fund NGO efforts directly. NACO must channel funding through state governments. There is fear that the AIDS control program will suffer due to the restructuring of operations and shortages of manpower. The AIDS program funding could be halted by the Bank due to India's nuclear testing.^ieng

India to develop its own AIDS vaccine.

PIP: UNAIDS believes that more than 3 million Indians are infected with HIV, approximately 200,000 of which have AIDS. Failing in its attempt to check the spread of HIV/AIDS through disease prevention messages and the promotion of condom use, the government of India has launched a program to develop a vaccine against HIV/AIDS. Some see the development of a vaccine as the only viable course of action against HIV/AIDS in India, for educational campaigns have failed and AIDS drugs are unaffordable even for wealthy Indians. Interest in producing an indigenous vaccine stems from concern that vaccines being developed in the West may not be effective in India due to differences in HIV subtypes. A 5-year extension of an existing Indo-US program started in 1987 to develop vaccines against a range of infectious diseases was signed in December 1997, with AIDS added to the list of original program diseases. This revised agreement includes collaboration with US vaccine research groups and possible US funding, but details of the terms have yet to be disclosed. The following Indian teams are working on the project: the government Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (New Delhi), Christian Medical College (Vellore), and the National AIDS Research Institute (Pune). The DBT argues that there will be enough funding even without a US contribution. Indian scientists plan to develop a DNA vaccine mixture containing the desired gene sequences of the HIV subtypes which are prevalent in India.^ieng

Ammonia volatilization loss from surface applied livestock manure.

Ammonia (NH(3)) emission from livestock manures used in agriculture reduces N uptake by crops and negatively impacts air quality. This laboratory study was conducted to evaluate NH(3)emission from different livestock manures applied to two soils: Candler fins sand (CFS; light-textured soil, pH 6.8 and field capacity soil water content of 70 g kg(-1)) from Lake Alfred, Florida and Ogeechee loamy sand (OLS; medium-textured soil, pH 5.2 and field capacity soil water content of 140 g kg(-1)) from Savannah, Georgia. Poultry litter (PL) collected from a poultry farm near Douglas, Georgia, and fresh solid separate of swine manure (SM) collected from a farm near Clinton, North Carolina were used. Each of the soil was weighed in 100 g sub samples and amended with either PL or SM at rates equivalent to either 0, 2.24, 5.60, 11.20, or 22.40 Mg ha(-1) in 1L Mason jars and incubated in the laboratory at field capacity soil water content for 19 days to monitor NH(3) volatilization. Results indicated a greater NH(3) loss from soils amended with SM compared to that with PL. The cumulative NH(3)volatilization loss over 19 days ranged from 4 to 27% and 14 to 32% of total N applied as PL and SM, respectively. Volatilization of NH(3) was greater from light-textured CFS than that from medium-textured OLS. Volatilization loss increased with increasing rates of manure application. Ammonia volatilization was lower at night time than that during the day time. Differences in major factors such as soil water content, temperature, soil type and live stock manure type influenced the diurnal variation in volatilization loss of NH(3) from soils. A significant portion (> 50%) of cumulative NH(3) emission over 19 d occurred during the first 5-7 d following the application of livestock manures. Results of this study demonstrate that application of low rates of livestock manure (< or = 5.60 Mg ha(-1)) is recommended to minimize NH(3) emissions.