How should emerging economies manage their foreign exchange reserves?

Asia has emerged as the balancing wheel of global finance. The countries of Asia now account for 70 per cent of global foreign exchange reserves, compared to only 30 percent in 1990 and 21 per cent in the early 1970s. This paper explores theoretical interpretations for the relatively high demand for international reserves by developing countries especially in the Far East. This paper provides calculations of the minimal necessary level of international reserves based on benchmarks proposed by Wijnholds and Kapteyn, as well as a discussion of costs of reserves’ holding. It therefore provides empirical proof that exchange reserve levels for many of the developing countries have far exceeded the desirable levels. Paper then discusses the steps that central banks in these developing countries can take for an effective reserve management.Foreign exchange ; emerging economies; reserves; reserve level; east asia

Synthesis of Iron Oxide Pigment by Planetary Milling

In the present work, nanostructured Fe2O3 powders was prepared by mechanical milling in high energy planetary ball mill for different milling time (0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour) and BPR (6:1 and 10:1). Particle size analysis was carried out to study the size reduction of particles as a function of milling time and BPR and it has been found that particle size decreases with increase in milling time and BPR. X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out to study the change in peak intensity and width of the peak with milling time. Scanning electron microscopy was done to get brief idea about the agglomeration behaviour of the nanostructured Fe2O3 powder and variation in reactivity of powder with change in BPR. The crystallite size and lattice strain was determined using Williamson-Hall method. The crystallite size of Fe2O3 powder changes from 445nm to 199nm in case of BPR 6:1 and from 445nm to 146nm in case of BPR 10:1 after 1 hour of milling. The lattice strain continuously increases with milling time in both cases. Zeta potential analysis of prepared iron oxide nanoparticle dispersed in double distilled water was done. It was observed to be higher when milled at BPR 10:1 than that at BPR 6:1 at pH4 of the solution because of uniform dispersion of the finer particles due to increase in surface energy of the particles. The surface plasmon resonance peak in absorption spectra of Fe2O3 nanoparticle (milled at BPR 10:1 for 1 hour) was observed by an absorption maximum at 430nm. Also the absorption peak was observed to shift to longer wavelength with decrease in crystallite size of the nanoparticle

Remote preconditioning by aortic constriction: affords cardioprotection as classical or other remote ischemic preconditioning? Role of iNOS

Dose remote preconditioning by aortic constriction (RPAC) affords cardioprotection similar to classical or other remote ischemic preconditioning stimulus? Moreover study was also designed to investigate role of inducible nitric oxide synthase in remote preconditioning by aortic constriction. There are sufficient evidences that "ischemic preconditioning" has surgical applications and afford clinically relevant cardioprotection. Transient occlusion of circumflex artery, renal artery, limb artery or mesenteric artery preconditions the myocardium against ischemia reperfusion injury in case of ischemic heart disease leading to myocardial infraction. Here abdominal aorta was selected to produce RPAC. Four episodes of Ischemia-reperfusion of 5 min each to abdominal aorta produced RPAC by assessment of infract size, LDH and CK. These studies suggest RPAC produced acute (FWOP) and delayed (SWOP) cardioprotective effect. RPAC demonstrated a significant decrease in Ischemia-reperfusion induced release of LDH, CK and extent of myocardial infract size. L-NAME (10 mg/Kg i.v.), Aminoguanidine (150 mg/Kg s.c.), Aminoguanidine (300 mg/Kg s.c.), S-methyl isothiourea (3 mg/Kg i.v.), 1400W (1 mg/Kg i.v.) administered 10 min. before global ischemia reperfusion produced no marked effect. Aminoguanidine (150 mg/Kg s.c.), Aminoguanidine (300 mg/Kg s.c.), S-methyl isothiourea (3 mg/Kg i.v.), 1400W (1 mg/Kg i.v.) pretreatment after RPAC produced no significant effect on acute RPAC induced decrease in LDH, CK and infract size, whereas L-NAME (10 mg/Kg i.v.) increased RPAC induced decrease in LDH, CK and infract size. Most interesting observation is in delayed RPAC, where all NOS inhibitors pretreatment attenuate RPAC induced decrease in LDH, CK and infract size. In conclusions, "Remote preconditioning by aortic constriction" (RPAC) affords cardioprotection similar to classical or other remote ischemic preconditioning stimulus. Moreover, late or delayed phase of RPAC has been mediated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) whereas it has not involved in acute RPAC

Integrative Study of Traditional Medicinal Flora in Jorhat West

The project examines the various use of these traditional medicinal plants in different fields and societies. For centuries, these plants have been used in traditional medicine, which is strongly influenced by cultural heritage, to heal various illnesses. These plants are essential for the primary healthcare systems in several parts of the world, particularly in countries such as India, Africa, and China. The research emphasizes how ethnobotany combines traditional knowledge with modern science, demonstrating its interdisciplinary nature and providing understanding on the creation of innovative pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, it explores the cultural importance and conservation of indigenous herbal remedies, stressing the need to uphold this ancestral knowledge for upcoming generations. For centuries, medicinal plants from traditional sources have been essential in healthcare for various cultures, serving as both remedies and key elements of cultural identity. These plants play a crucial role in the customs of native medicinal traditions such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and African traditional medicine. Preserving and documenting this knowledge is crucial, as it helps with biodiversity conservation and protecting cultural heritage. &nbsp

Decoding Sanjeevani: An Ethnobotanical, Pharmacological, and Historical Perspective on its Potential

Sanjeevani, the revered medicinal plant of great heritage in Indian mythology and traditional medicine, has fascinated herbalists and scientists alike for many centuries. In spite of much controversy regarding botanical classification, several plant species including Selaginella bryopteris and Cressa cretica have been nominated as likely possibilities. The current study investigates Sanjeevani from ethnobotanical, pharmacological, and historical perspectives in order to determine its therapeutic prospect. Ethnobotanical research has shown that a number of plants connected with Sanjeevani are used in Ayurveda and folk medicine for their healing, adaptogenic, and wound-healing action. Pharmacological studies have shown that these plants have bioactive phytochemicals with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activity, which may justify their traditional use for their potential to heal. There is limited scientific evidence, and further clinical trials are required. Sanjeevani has always been considered a miraculous drug, and most noticeably is mentioned in the Ramayana for reviving unconscious warriors. The article tries to analyze ancient texts, myths, and modern perceptions in an effort to close the gap between legend and science. Employing an interdisciplinary strategy, the research in this study hopes to enlighten on the medicinal importance of Sanjeevani by highlighting serious pharmacological evaluations, conservation practices, and merging local knowledge with modern medicine. Through the translation of Sanjeevani’s ancient heritage, this research adds to the understanding of medicinal plants in whole-healing medication and what they can do in modern medicine

Sensor Fusion for Navigation of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Using Kalman Filtering

An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a robot that can travel underwater without requiring any intervention from the operator. As opposed to AUV, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is an underwater robot which requires manual control through a tethered wire connected to a base ship or a station. AUV finds tremendous applications in the field of defense, underwater mine detection, study of ocean floor, repair of undersea cables and is also pursued as a hobby. For an automated vehicle to travel from point A to point B, requires three interrelated technologies: Navigation, Guidance and Control. This thesis mainly focuses on the Navigation aspect of the AUV. Inertial Navigation System (INS) use accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure acceleration and attitude (orientation) rates respectively to estimate position, velocity and attitude in three orthogonal directions. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) uses a cluster of satellites to estimate the position of GNSS receiver close to the surface of the earth. INS gives accurate short term navigation solutions yet its accuracy diminishes overthe long run because of accumulation of errors. The precision of GNSS navigation solution is not so good when contrasted with INS but they don't corrupt over the long run. When these two navigation systems are fused or integrated using a Kalman filter, the subsequent system performs better than either of the individualsystems even when sensors of lower cost and lower performance are used. One disadvantage of using GNSS is that the GNSS signals are lost whenever the AUV dives inside the water. But by using an integrated GNSS/INS system, an INS is allowed to navigate with improved initial error even when GNSS signals are lost, thus achieving the desired standalone performance. Moreover, whenever the GNSS signals are available, the system utilizes the INS data to decrease the signal reacquisition time for GNSS. Thus each system supports the other system to achieve the desired performance. The thesis focuses on the design and implementation of Kalman filters for these applications. First of all, dynamic model and sensor error model for strapdown INS has been developed. The effectiveness of the model was studied using Schuler oscillation test, bias error test and stationary INS test. Next, an error model for GNSS has been developed. Subsequently, various vi types of vehicle dynamic model for GNSS receivers has been developed and its error characteristics were compared using a simulated Figure‐8 track (track in the shape of 8). Finally, performance analysis of INS, GNSS and integrated GNSS/INS is studied on a Figure‐8 simulated track. Effect of loss of GNSS signals on the performance is also studied

Advancements in Infiltration Growth of Bulk Ternary LRE-B2Cu3Oy Superconductors: Comprehensive Investigations on Growth Mechanisms, Microstructure, and Superconducting Properties

芝浦工業大学博士（学術）2024年度doctoral thesi

Study of body mass index (BMI) and serum lipid profile of patients at a tertiary hospital: a cross sectional study

Background: Sedentary lifestyle have an impact on the prevalence and incidence of obesity related disorders and leads to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias and metabolic disorders that aggravate the risk in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).Methods: In our study, data of 220 subjects belonging to age group of 25 to 55 years were collected. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Subjects were categorized into two groups (BMI <25 and BMI ≥25). Serum was separated by centrifuging blood at 3000 rpm for 10 min and analyzed for lipid profile on Erba Chem 7 semi-auto analyzer.Results: In our present hospital based study we estimated the Lipid Profile in individuals categorized into two groups. (Group 1 BMI <25) and (Group 2 BMI ≥25), We found the values of Triglycerides, LDL and VLDL in Group 1 are lower as compared to Group 2.Conclusions: Our study showed positive correlation between lipid profile and obesity. Obesity is said to predispose individuals to metabolic syndrome associated diseases