Demand for Foreign Exchange Reserves in India: A Co-integration Approach

Using cointegraion and vector error correction approach, we estimate India’s demand for foreign exchange reserves over the period 1983:1-2005:1. Our results establish that the ratio imports to GDP, the ratio of broad money to GDP,exchange rate flexibility and interest rate differential determine India’s long-run reserves demand function. Our empirical results show that reserve accumulation in India is highly sensitive to capital account vulnerability and less sensitive to its opportunity cost. The speed of adjustment coefficient of vector error correction model suggests that Reserve Bank of India has to engage in more active reserve management practices.foreign exchange reserves; capital account vulnerability; current account vulnerability; cointegration

MICROWAVE SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES BY POLYOL METHOD AND TESTING THEIR SYNERGISTIC ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY IN THE PRESENCE OF VANCOMYCIN

Objective: The aim of this study is to prepare silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and nanorods using polyol under microwave heating method. Methods: The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible, infrared spectral studies (Fourier-transform infrared [FTIR]), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, the antibacterial activity of polyethylene glycol (PEG) protected AgNPs, against a series of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, was studied. Results: From UV-visible spectroscopy studies, the growth rate of AgNPs was confirmed by measuring the change in absorbance of plasmon peak shape at different time intervals. FTIR spectroscopy studies showed the changes in the metal and the capping agents. SEM and TEM images revealed that very stable colloidal solutions of AgNPs with almost spherical and rod shape along with high monodispersity can be obtained with PEG protected AgNPs. Finally, the antibacterial activity of PEG protected AgNPs was investigated, which showed a synergistic role for the AgNPs along with vancomycin. Conclusion: Uniform and stable polymer protected AgNPs were synthesized using ethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, and PEG as reducing agent in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone

Insights from within activity based learning (ABL) classrooms in Tamil Nadu, India: Teachers perspectives and practices

Quality has been an Education for All (EFA) goal since the 2000 Dakar framework positioned it ‘at the heart of education’ as a fundamental determinant of student enrolment, retention and achievement. Over the years, classroom pedagogy has been consistently regarded as ‘the crucial variable for improving learning outcomes’ (e.g., Hattie, 2009) and is thus seen as critical to reforms aimed at improving educational quality (UNESCO, 2005 p.152). The quality of teacher–pupil classroom interaction remains of central importance, rather research evidence (e.g., Borich, 1996) suggests that it is the single most important factor accounting for wide variation in the learning attainments of students who have used the same curriculum materials and purportedly experienced similar teaching methods. Other more recent studies (e.g., Aslam and Kingdon, 2011) have also reported that teacher ‘process’ variables have a more significant impact on student achievement than standard background characteristics. In the current era of the ‘global learning crisis’ (UNESCO, 2014) many developing economies have embarked on major pedagogical reforms. In India, the notion of energising schools and transforming classrooms has received unprecedented attention in the last 15 years. A number of programmes have been introduced in various states to provide meaningful access (Jandhyala and Ramachandran, 2007). The Activity Based Learning (ABL) Programme is one such effort to change the nature of teaching and learning in mainstream classrooms. In a national context, where there are innumerable on-going efforts aimed at pedagogical reform, ABL is hailed as a success story in terms of replication of a small model to a grand scale. From modest beginnings in 2003 in 13 Chennai (the capital city of Tamil Nadu) schools, ABL was rolled out in a phased manner across the entire state of Tamil Nadu for all children in classes 1–4, in all government and aided schools. The last few years have witnessed its adaptation under various guises in several other Indian states, such as Ekalavya in Madhya Pradesh, Digantar in Rajasthan and Nali Kali in Karnataka. Efforts to promote it internationally in other parts of the developing world, such as Ghana, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Mozambique (Fennell and Shanmugam, 2016)have also been made. Though as Nudzor et al., 2015 note it has been met with mixed success in the case of Ghana. Nonetheless, ABL is an interesting programme to examine given its rapid growth and international outreach.The project was funded by Department for International Development (DFID, India)

Efficient Storage and Processing Of High Volume Network Monitoring Data

No Abstrac

Line Parameters including Temperature Dependences of Air- and Self-broadened Line Shapes of (CO2)-C-12-O-16: 2.06-mu m Region

This study reports the results from analyzing a number of high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectra in the 2.06-μm spectral region for pure CO2 and mixtures of CO2 in dry air. A multispectrum nonlinear least squares curve fitting technique has been used to retrieve the various spectral line parameters. The dataset includes 27 spectra: ten pure CO2, two 99% 13C-enriched CO2 and fifteen spectra of mixtures of 12C-enriched CO2 in dry air. The spectra were recorded at various gas sample temperatures between 170 and 297 K. The absorption path lengths range from 0.347 to 49 m. The sample pressures for the pure CO2 spectra varied from 1.1 to 594 Torr; for the two 13CO2 spectra the pressures were ∼10 and 146 Torr. For the air-broadened spectra, the pressures of the gas mixtures varied between 200 and 711 Torr with CO2 volume mixing ratios ranging from 0.014% to 0.203%. The multispectrum fitting technique was applied to fit simultaneously all these spectra to retrieve consistent set of line positions, intensities, and line shape parameters including their temperature dependences; for this, the Voigt line shape was modified to include line mixing (via the relaxation matrix formalism) and quadratic speed dependence. The new results are compared to select published values, including recent ab initio calculations. These results are required to retrieve the column averaged dry air mole fraction (XCO2) from space-based observations, such as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite mission that NASA launched in July 2014

In vitro and in silico studies on the biochemistry and anti-cancer activity of phytochemicals from Plumbago zeylanica

272-283Plumbago zeylanica is an effective medicinal plant and a potent herb for various diseases. The leaves of P. zeylanica were subjected to crude extraction using Ethyl acetate. Chromatographic analysis of the crude extracts of P. zeylanica were studied in thin layer chromatography on a silica gel matrix. Further the extracts were purified in column chromatography and the fractions were eluted in Ethyl acetate, Chloroform solvent system. The molecules eluted in the fractions were checked in UV-spectroscopy and further characterised by GC-MS analysis. Phenol, 2,4, bis (1,1-dimethyl ethyl)-(7311) highlighted from the chromatographic studies was studied for in silico anticancer effect on matrix metalloproteins, whose dysfunction cause oral squamous cell carcinoma

Multispectrum Analysis of the Oxygen A-band

Retrievals of atmospheric composition from near-infrared measurements require measurements of airmass to better than the desired precision of the composition. The oxygen bands are obvious choices to quantify airmass since the mixing ratio of oxygen is fixed over the full range of atmospheric conditions. The OCO-2 mission is currently retrieving carbon dioxide concentration using the oxygen A-band for airmass normalization. The 0.25% accuracy desired for the carbon dioxide concentration has pushed the required state-of-the-art for oxygen spectroscopy. To measure 02 A-band cross-sections with such accuracy through the full range of atmospheric pressure requires a sophisticated line shape model (Rautian or Speed-Dependent Voigt) with line mixing (LM) and collision induced absorption (CIA). Models of each of these phenomena exist, however, this work presents an integrated self-consistent model developed to ensure the best accuracy. It is also important to consider multiple sources of spectroscopic data for such a study in order to improve the dynamic range of the model and to minimize effects of instrumentation and associated systematic errors. The techniques of Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTS) and Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) allow complimentary information for such an analysis. We utilize multispectrum fitting software to generate a comprehensive new database with improved accuracy based on these datasets. The extensive information will be made available as a multi-dimensional cross-section (ABSCO) table and the parameterization will be offered for inclusion in the HITRANonline database

Atmospheric validation of high accuracy CO2 absorption coefficients for the OCO-2 mission

We describe atmospheric validation of 1.61 mu m and 2.06 mu m CO2 absorption coefficient databases for use by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2). The OCO-2 mission will collect the measurements needed to estimate column-averaged CO2 similar to dry air mole fraction within 1 ppm accuracy without the region- or airmass-dependent biases that would significantly degrade efforts to understand carbon sources and sinks on a global scale. To accomplish this, the forward radiative transfer model used to generate synthetic atmospheric spectra for retrievals must achieve unprecedented spectroscopic fidelity within the short wave infrared CO2 bands sampled by the sensors. The failure of Voigt line shapes and conventional line mixing formulations for such objectives has motivated significant revisions to line shape models used to generate the gas absorption cross sections for the OCO-2 forward model. In this paper, we test line mixing and speed dependent line shapes combined with improved experimental line parameters. We evaluate pre-computed absorption coefficients in the two spectral regions of CO2 absorbtion using high resolution FT-IR laboratory spectra, atmospheric spectra from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), and medium resolution soundings from the space-based Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The HITRAN2012 molecular spectroscopic database

This paper describes the status of the 2012 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic compilation. The new edition replaces the previous HITRAN edition of 2008 and its updates during the intervening years. The HITRAN molecular absorption compilation is comprised of six major components structured into folders that are freely accessible on the internet. These folders consist of the traditional line-by-line spectroscopic parameters required for high-resolution radiative-transfer codes, infrared absorption cross-sections for molecules not yet amenable to representation in a line-by-line form, ultraviolet spectroscopic parameters, aerosol indices of refraction, ision-induced absorption data, and general tables such as partition sums that apply globally to the data. The new HITRAN is greatly extended in terms of accuracy, spectral coverage, additional absorption phenomena, and validity. Molecules and isotopologues have been added that address the issues of atmospheres beyond the Earth. Also discussed is a new initiative that casts HITRAN into a relational database format that offers many advantages over the long-standing sequential text-based structure that has existed since the initial release of HITRAN in the early 1970s. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Demand for Foreign Exchange Reserves in India: A Co-integration Approach

Using cointegraion and vector error correction approach, we estimate India’s demand for foreign exchange reserves over the period 1983:1-2005:1. Our results establish that the ratio imports to GDP, the ratio of broad money to GDP,exchange rate flexibility and interest rate differential determine India’s long-run reserves demand function. Our empirical results show that reserve accumulation in India is highly sensitive to capital account vulnerability and less sensitive to its opportunity cost. The speed of adjustment coefficient of vector error correction model suggests that Reserve Bank of India has to engage in more active reserve management practices