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

Hormonal modulation of reproduction-specific thiamin carrier protein in the rat

The hormonal modulation of thiamin carrier protein in the plasma and uterine luminal secretion during the normal reproductive phases of the animal (estrous cycle and pregnancy) as well as during experimental estrogenisation was investigated in the rat using a specific and sensitive homologous radioimmunoassay procedure developed for this purpose. Following a single injection of estrogen to immature male rats, thiamin carrier protein rapidly accumulated in plasma attaining peak concentration at 48 h and declining thereafter. A 1.5-fold amplification of the inductive response was observed on secondary stimulation with the hormone. The magnitude of the response exhibited a clear dependency on the dose of the steroid hormone, whereas the time at which peak levels of thiamin carrier protein production was remained unaltered in the concentration range of the steroid tested. The inductive effect of estrogen was severely curtailed by the antiestrogens,viz., En- and Zu-clomiphene citrates, while progesterone was incapable of either modulating the estrogen-induced response or eliciting an induction by itself. Cycloheximide drastically blocked the response to estrogen. Evidence for the ability of uterus to serve as yet another independent site of thiamin carrier protein synthesis was obtained by in vitro incorporation of radioactive amino acids into immunoprecipitable thiamin carrier protein in the tissue explants of estrogenised female rats. The levels of thiamin carrier protein in uterine luminal fluid measured during estrous cycle, pregnancy and experimental estrogenisation exhibited remarkable similarity to the plasma thiamin carrier protein profiles

Copper undercoats on the corrosion resistance of bright nickel-chromium and of nickel-iron-chromium electrodeposits on steel substrates

The present paper deals with the testing of the newly developed nickel-iron plating process with regard to the corrosion performance of coatings produced. Aceticacid saltspray method he6 been used as the test method.The results show that mild steel plated with nickel iron-chromium systems with iron contents up to 35 %are suitable for indoor applications though slightly inferior to nickelchromium systems. Uterature reports suggest that nickelchromium systems for outdoor applications are to be modified by inducing microporosity in the chromium top layer and by giving suitable undercoats. The use of a microporous chromium topcoat in improving the performance of nickel and nickel iron coatings are tested. The effect of copper undercoats on the corrosion performance of nickel and nickel iron-chromium systems are compared and it is concluded that a copper undercoat is more beneficial for a nickel ironchromium system than a ni~ekhromium system

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

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

Utilization Of Steel Slag In Concrete As A Partial Replacement Material for Fine Aggregates

Abstract: As a construction material, concrete is the largest production of all other materials. Aggregates are the important constituents in concrete. They give body to the concrete, reduce shrinkage and effect economy. The increase in demand for the ingredients of concrete is met by partial replacement of materials by the waste materials which is obtained by means of various industries. Slag is a byproduct of metal smelting and hundreds of tons of it are produced every year all over the world in the process of refining metals and making alloys. Like other industrial byproducts, slag actually has many uses, and rarely goes to waste. It appears in concrete, aggregate road materials, as ballast, and is sometimes used as a component of phosphate fertilizer. In appearance, slag looks like a loose collection of aggregate, with lumps of varying sizes. It is also sometimes referred to as cinder, in a reference to its sometimes dark and crumbly appearance. This substance is produced during the smelting process in several ways. Firstly, slag represents undesired impurities in the metals, which float to the top during the smelting process. Secondly, metals start to oxidize as they are smelted, and slag forms a protective crust of oxides on the top of the metal being smelted, protecting the liquid metal underneath. When the metal is smelted to satisfaction, the slag is skimmed from the top and disposed of in a slag heap to age. Aging material is an important part of the process, as it needs to be exposed to the weather and allowed to break down slightly before it can be used. In this experimental investigation an attempt is made to study the effect of partial replacement of fine aggregate by steel slag in the mechanical properties of M 20 grade concrete

2-Chloro-N-[2-(2-fluoro­benzo­yl)-4-nitro­phen­yl]-N-methyl­acetamide

The title compound, C16H12ClFN2O4, crystallizes with two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit in which the dihedral angles between the mean planes of the two benzene rings are 65.1 (7) and 65.6 (6)°. In each mol­ecule, the nitro group displays rotational disorder over two orientations in a 0.503 (11):0.497 (11) ratio and the Cl atom is disordered in a 0.432 (5):0.568 (5) ratio. In one mol­ecule, the F atoms is statistically disordered over two positions. The crystal packing features weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Cl inter­actions, which form a layered network