Implications of India-Asean Fta on India’s fisheries sector

India and ASEAN signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in trade in goods which came to effect from 1st January 2010. There were apprehensions on the likely impact of this RTA on some sensitive sectors of India such as agriculture, fisheries and plantation crop as large number of people depend on these sectors for their livelihood. India is a large consumer of marine products and export also export part of the catch to international markets (1.7 percent in total world export in 2007). Some of the ASEAN partners of India namely Thailand (5.82%), Vietnam (3.86) and Indonesia (2.14%) have larger presence in international fisheries trade and there is a possibility that they can export these products in to India in the post FTA period. In this context the paper looked in to the various provisions of India ASEAN FTA on fisheries sector and calculated trade complementarity and similarity using different trade indices. The paper found that India has taken adequate precaution to protect its marine sector from large scale dumping. The apprehension that India-ASEAN FTA will lead to substantial import of marine products in to India is unfounded

Trade Compatibility Between India And Asean Countries

The post WTO world trading system is witnessing proliferation of large number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). The slow pace of multilateral negotiations and lack of consensus among members on major trade issues is undermining the role of WTO and hastening the regionalism process. Realising the importance of East Asia in the emerging global economic order, India signed a FTA with ASEAN which will come in to force from 1st January 2010. For any Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) to be successful, it is imperative on partner countries to have favourable trade structure between them. In this context, the paper looked in to the trade structure of India and ASEAN countries to identify complementary sectors and product groups for enhanced trade cooperation. Trade indices such as Trade Intensity Index (TII) and Revealed Comparative Index (RCA) are constructed at product group, HS-2 and HS-4 levels to get trade complementarity and Similarity. From the analysis it is revealed that there are complementary sectors and products available between India and ASEAN for greater cooperation.Regional Trade Agreement, Revealed Comparative Advantage, India, ASEAN

Crashworthiness assessment considering the dynamic damage and failure of a dual phase automotive steel

Analyzing crash worthiness of the automotive parts has been posing a great challenge in the sheet metal and automotive industry since several decades. The present contribution will focus on one of the most urging challenges of the crash worthiness simulations, namely, an enhanced constitutive formulation to predict the failure and cracking of structural parts made from high strength steel sheets under impact. A hybrid extended Modified Bai Wierzbicki damage plasticity model is devised to this end. The material model calibrated using the experimental data covering high strain rate deformation, damage and failure successfully predicted the instability and subsequent response of the crash box under impact. Simulation results provide the deformation shape and deformation energy in order to predict and evaluate the vehicle crashworthiness. The simulations further helped in discovering the irrefutable impact of strain rate and stress state on the impact response of the auto-body structure. The strain rate is found to adequately affect the energy absorption capacity of the crash box structure both in terms of impact load and fold formation whereas the complex stress state has a direct association to the development of instability within the structure and early damage appearance within the folds

WHY DO COUNTRIES FORM REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS – INSIGHTS FROM THE LITERATURE

The world trading system witnessed rapid rise in the formation ofRegional Trade Agreements (RTAs)particularly in the post WTO period. Despite large number of studies conducted on this area by the trade economists, there are divergent views on the outcome of RTAs on world trade as well as there is no unanimity on the desirable mechanism of trade liberalization. The paper looks in to various theoretical arguments and empirical explanations that supports or opposes RTAs. Careful review of the studies identified the underlying conditions that are required for the successful functioning of the RTAs.Even though regionalism is discriminatory in nature, it enjoys as a preferred method of trade liberalisation among nations as it provides immediate results to the trade policy initiatives. The paper concludes that for the successful functioning of the RTAs it should be carefully calibrated by identifying trade creating partners and accommodating the interests of the local stakeholders. Also successful regional cooperation agreements should stimulate multilateral initiatives

Inverse modelling with integrated digital image correlation and finite element method for estimation of static and dynamic fracture parameters

Classical material testing techniques experience limitations for material model parameter identification especially when heterogeneous strain fields occur. Indeed, when only global test parameters such as force and elongation are used to calculate material parameters, significant discrepancies are often observed between finite element simulations of the test and the actual test. These discrepancies can be attributed to inconsistencies in sample machining, material variations and testing conditions, however, also to the material parameter determination based on global data. Major improvements can be obtained when full field comparison of the test data with finite element analysis is considered to calculate the constitutive model parameters. In this study, a coupled numerical- experimental technique has been developed to estimate the fracture parameters of both ductile and brittle materials. The approach is applied to a set of smooth and notched specimens of a dual phase steel targeting at specific stress states and tested in tension at dynamic rates to extract the fracture parameters. Additionally, the method is utilized to find the model parameters from dynamic tensile tests on basalt epoxy composite. The parameter identification is based on an iterative finite element model update procedure in which the results obtained by the numerical simulation are compared with full field deformation measurements using a digital image correlation (DIC) technique. A least square cost function is used to assess the gap between the inhomogeneous displacement or strain fields obtained from measurements and the simulated fields. Minimization of the cost function is ensured by the Levenburg- Marquardt algorithm. Generally, the influence of a parameter on the displacement field is of the order of the image acquisition noise. The tight integration between mechanical model and digital image correlation enables direct identification of unknown parameters while regularizing the displacement field with a set of interpolation functions chosen to span local zones of interest thereby increasing the noise robustness. Through this method, the versatility of the finite element method is translated to the experimental realm, simplifying the existing experiments and creating new experimental possibilities. Moreover, to demonstrate the general applicability of the proposed method, the integrated approach is also coupled with contour plots so as to quantify the effect of radial inertia and end friction in static and dynamic compression tests

Awareness, Perceived Difficulties and Economic Impact of Laadli Laxmi Scheme (LLS) in Goa.

Government of Goa introduced Laadli Laxmi Scheme in the State in 2012 to improve the condition of girl child in terms of their socio-economic status and quality of life. The paper is an attempt to understand the level of awareness about the Laadli Laxmi Scheme amongst the targeted people and the difficulties faced by the beneficiaries in availing the scheme. A survey was carried out to understand the economic impact of Ladle Laxmi Scheme on the households of the beneficiaries so as to make suggestions for the improvement of the scheme in future. The study found that majority of the beneficiaries are happy with the scheme and it can be made much more effective with some improvements in the implementation

Formulation and evaluation of analgesic activity of polysorbate 80-coated loperamide liposomes in mice

Purpose: To deliver loperamide (Lp) into mice brain using polysorbate 80 (PS80)-coated liposomes that inhibits P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux.Method: Lp loaded liposomes were prepared by reverse phase evaporation technique using lecithin (Lec) and cholesterol (Ch). The efficacy of PS80-coated Lp liposomes (PLs) in mice was evaluated using central analgesic models (Eddy’s hot plate method and tail immersion test) and peripheral analgesic model (acetic acid-induced writhing).Results: PLs showed maximum possible response (MPR) of 58.33 % at 60 min in Eddy’s hot plate study. In the tail immersion test, PLs showed MPR of 67.64 and 69.24 % at 60 and 90 min, respectively, relative to control group. This confirms the potential of PLs to deliver Lp to the brain by inhibiting P-gp efflux. Dose response study using tail flick method confirmed the minimum Lp dose (25 μg/kg, i.v) required to achieve central analgesic activity using PLs.Conclusion: PS80-coated Lp loaded liposomes (PLs) possess a good potential to inhibit P-gp efflux of Lp from brain, and also exhibit both central and peripheral analgesic activity.Keywords: Loperamide, Polysorbate 80, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), Analgesic activit

Trade Impact of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA): An Augmented Gravity Model Analysis.

India signed a FTA with ASEAN in the year 2009 came into effect on 1 January 2010. The paper looks in to the trade impact of India ASEAN Free Trade Agreement using an augmented Gravity model using a panel data framework. The study used a balanced panel data set of 11050 bilateral trade for 650 country pair for 17 years. Different panel data estimation techniques such as Pooled OLS method (POLS), Maximum likelihood Estimation Method (MLE), Fixed Effect with Vector Disintegration (FEVD), Between Effect (BE) and Random Effect Method (RE) are applied to the dataset to arrive at appropriate modeling method. Fixed Effect with Vector Decomposition (FEVD) was found suitable for explaining the trade flow. The results show the possibility of greater trade between India and ASEAN countries through RTA. Since the initial tariff levels are higher in India compared to ASEAN, ASEAN is likely to gain more in the short term. For India to exploit the trade potential with ASEAN the FTA should be operationalized in the services and investment domain

Trade Complementarity and Similarity Between India and Asean Countries in the context of the RTA

The post WTO world trading system is witnessing proliferation of large number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). Regionalism versus Multilateralism debate is not resolved decisively as there are divergent views on the methodology of trade liberalization. The slow pace of multilateral negotiations and lack of consensus among members on major trade issues is undermining the role of WTO and hastening the regionalism process. India after its initial reluctance, exploring the path of regionalism to improve trade performance and to acquire leadership role on regional issues. Realising the importance of East Asia in the emerging global economic order, India signed a FTA with ASEAN which will come in to force from 1st January 2010. For any Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) to be successful, it is imperative on partner countries to have favourable trade structure between them. In this context, the paper looked in to the trade structure of India and ASEAN countries to identify complementary sectors and product groups for enhanced trade cooperation. Trade indices such as Trade Intensity Index (TII) and Revealed Comparative Index (RCA) are constructed for 16 product group to get trade complementarity and Similarity. From the analysis it is revealed that there are complementary sectors and products available between India and ASEAN for greater cooperation. While India got comparative advantage in Food grains, Minerals, Chemicals, Jems and Jewellery and manufactured products, ASEAN countries are in an advantageous position in Electrical goods, electronic products, vegetable oils, rubber products and agricultural products

Trade Compatibility Between India And Asean Countries

The post WTO world trading system is witnessing proliferation of large number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). The slow pace of multilateral negotiations and lack of consensus among members on major trade issues is undermining the role of WTO and hastening the regionalism process. Realising the importance of East Asia in the emerging global economic order, India signed a FTA with ASEAN which will come in to force from 1st January 2010. For any Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) to be successful, it is imperative on partner countries to have favourable trade structure between them. In this context, the paper looked in to the trade structure of India and ASEAN countries to identify complementary sectors and product groups for enhanced trade cooperation. Trade indices such as Trade Intensity Index (TII) and Revealed Comparative Index (RCA) are constructed at product group, HS-2 and HS-4 levels to get trade complementarity and Similarity. From the analysis it is revealed that there are complementary sectors and products available between India and ASEAN for greater cooperation