Densities and Excess Molar Volume for the Ternary Systems (1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulphate + Nitromethane + Methanol or Ethanol or 1-Propanol) at T = (303.15 and 313.15) K

The densities of the ternary systems containing the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methyl sulphate ([BMIM]+[MeSO4]-) were determined. The ternary systems studied were ([BMIM]+[MeSO4]-+ nitromethane + methanol or ethanol or 1-propanol) at the temperatures (303.15 and 313.15) K. The ternary excess molar volumes were calculated from the experimental densities at each temperature, being negative for all mole fractions of the ionic liquid. The minimum ternary excess molar volumes increase with an increase in temperature for the systems ([BMIM]+[MeSO4]- + nitromethane + methanol or ethanol), and decrease for the system ([BMIM]+ [MeSO4]-+ nitromethane + 1-propanol). The results are interpreted in terms of the alcohol chain length and the intermolecular interactions.KEYWORDS Density, excess molar volume, ionic liquid, alcohol, nitromethane

Commercialization of agriculture in the Himalayas

Increased market integration and commercialization of traditional agriculture in the Himalayas is part of a development strategy towards growth and better standard of living. More than 97 percent households depend upon agricultural and allied activities for livelihood which constitutes 30 percent of the household income. Given the importance of commercialization of agriculture to improve the productivity, per capita income and thereby the standard of living in the Himalayas, we examine the factors affecting the commercialization of agriculture on the basis of primary survey data. The results reveal that the land size, gender of the household head, livestock assets, ethnicity, education and location are important determinants of commercialization. Although commercialization of agriculture is considered as stimulated private-sector activity, public policy is essential to facilitate driving forces viz., trade and market reforms, rural infrastructure, and the institutional framework for legal and contractual arrangements between farmers and processors.Agriculture, Agricultural policy, Rural societies, Market, Household, India, Himalaya, Commercialization, Rural, Poverty, Production

Performance of financial institutions in Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in South Asia, located in the eastern Himalayas, and bordered by India and China. Bhutan is a small and fragile economy with a population of about 687,000. Nevertheless, its banking system plays an essential role in the growth and development of the country. This paper analyzes the financial performance, the development and growth of bank and non-bank financial institutions of Bhutan for the period 1999-2008 using both traditional and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The DEA analysis shows that financial institutions in are efficient and Bhutan National Bank has been the most efficient one. Overall, the paper finds that the ROE of the financial institutions in Bhutan are comparable to the international banks.Bhutan, Financial institutions, Performance, Deposit, Net income

Zone Melting Studies of Organic Eutectic Mixtures: Naphthalene-Catechol & Naphthalene-p-Chloronitrobenzene Systems

819-82

Two quantum analogues of Fisher information from a large deviation viewpoint of quantum estimation

We discuss two quantum analogues of Fisher information, symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) Fisher information and Kubo-Mori-Bogoljubov (KMB) Fisher information from a large deviation viewpoint of quantum estimation and prove that the former gives the true bound and the latter gives the bound of consistent superefficient estimators. In another comparison, it is shown that the difference between them is characterized by the change of the order of limits.Comment: LaTeX with iopart.cls, iopart12.clo, iopams.st

Unexplored photoluminescence from bulk and mechanically exfoliated few layers of Bi2Te3

We report the exotic photoluminescence (PL) behaviour of 3D topological insulator Bi2Te3 single crystals grown by customized self-flux method and mechanically exfoliated few layers (18 plus minus 2 nm)/thin flakes obtained by standard scotch tape method from as grown Bi2Te3 crystals.The experimental PL studies on bulk single crystal and mechanically exfoliated few layers of Bi2Te3 evidenced a broad red emission in the visible region. These findings are in good agreement with our theoretical results obtained using the ab initio density functional theory framework.Comment: Main MS (17 Pages text including 4 Figs): Suppl. info. (4 pages); Accepted Scientific Report

Evaluation of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device in terms of awareness, acceptance and expulsion

Introduction: Immediate postpartum period is when women are receptive to family planning counselling. Pregnancy within a year of the last delivery increases maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) is one method which is safe and effective method for spacing and also for limiting pregnancy. This study was done to evaluate PPIUCD insertion for its awareness, acceptance, and expulsion. Materials and methods: All pregnant women were counselled regarding PPIUCD, and those willing were included in the study. Intrauterine contraceptive device used in this study was Cu-T 380A. It was inserted after delivery of the placenta after vaginal delivery and after caesarean section using sponge-holding forceps. They were asked to follow up after 6 weeks and 6 months of insertion. Data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS V22 software, and results were drawn. Results: From 1602 deliveries, 456 (28.46%) women accepted PPIUCD, and 36.32% (n=582) were aware of this method. 60.08% (n=274) had PPIUCD insertion after vaginal delivery and 39.91% (n=182) after caesarean section. The main reason for refusal was fear of bleeding (n=280) (26.81%). The most common complication seen was lower abdominal pain (11.62%). No case was reported with uterine perforation. Conclusion: This method has shown to be a very safe, effective and economical method for contraception. In India, where there is very little access to contraception during interval period and women do not return to the hospital for a postnatal check-up and contraceptive advice, this PPIUCD method is most beneficial

Discovery of Lorentz-violating Weyl fermion semimetal state in LaAlGe materials

We report theoretical and experimental discovery of Lorentz-violating Weyl fermion semimetal type-II state in the LaAlGe class of materials. Previously type-II Weyl state was predicted in WTe2 materials which remains unrealized in surface experiments. We show theoretically and experimentally that LaAlGe class of materials are the robust platforms for the study of type-II Weyl physics.Comment: This paper reports theoretical prediction and experimental discovery together. A detailed theoretical paper describing the topology of the full family of X(Lanthanides)AlGe materials will follow. Other related papers can be found at http://physics.princeton.edu/zahidhasangroup/index_WS.htm

Inconsistency of the MLE for the joint distribution of interval censored survival times and continuous marks

This paper considers the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for the joint distribution function of an interval censored survival time and a continuous mark variable. We provide a new explicit formula for the MLE in this problem. We use this formula and the mark specific cumulative hazard function of Huang and Louis (1998) to obtain the almost sure limit of the MLE. This result leads to necessary and sufficient conditions for consistency of the MLE which imply that the MLE is inconsistent in general. We show that the inconsistency can be repaired by discretizing the marks. Our theoretical results are supported by simulations.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure

Experimental, numerical and field study investigating a heritage structure collapse after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake

This paper presents an investigation of the collapse of a 325-year-old multi-tiered heritage temple during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal. The research comprises a reconnaissance survey followed by a geotechnical investigation and numerical back-analysis carried out to understand the potential causes of the collapse. The assessment of the structural configuration of the temple indicated seismic vulnerability in the design due to the presence of discontinuous columns over the height of the temple and age-weakened bonding in the masonry walls. The geotechnical investigation revealed the presence of competent soil strata at the location, assisting the survey which indicated no differential or excessive settlement in the foundation. A series of cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on samples recovered during the geotechnical investigation to determine dynamic behaviour of the soil. Further, dynamic analysis of the plinth of the temple under the recorded acceleration–time history indicated a maximum drift percentage of 1.4% and residual relative displacement of 32 mm suggesting the potential reason behind the collapse. The output of this research will support seismic rehabilitation of ancient structures within World Heritage sites across Nepal and effective action plans to safeguard them against future earthquake hazard