Present status of the geochronology of the early Precambrian of South India

The present status of Precambrian geochronology of South India was summarized. Support was offered for Raith's conclusion of an extensive 3.3 to 3.4-Ga tonalite-forming event. Evidence that the Sargur supracrustal sequence predates this event, however, remains equivocal. The only reliably dated supracrustal rocks are the similar to 3.0-Ga Chitradurga acid volcanics, and these are separated from the older Bababudan supracrustals by a major gneiss-forming event. A major unsolved problem relates to the timing of the Sargur supracrustals in relation to the basal units of the Dharwar succession. An appeal was made for more geochronological work on South Indian samples

Assessing the information content of the technology achievement index in the presence of the human development index

This paper supports the proposition that the indexes of technological achievement and of human development exhibit similar information validity and similar country rankings, thus questioning the need for the existence of two indexes rather than one.human development index

Investment Bank Market Share and the Performance of Acquiring Companies: Canadian Evidence

This study examines the relationship between the investment bank market share and the performance of the companies in Canada that sought their advice as an acquirer in a merger transaction. We investigate the validity of two alternative hypotheses proposed by Rau (2000): Superior deal hypothesis and Deal completion hypothesis. The former posits that managers seek top investment advisors because of their ability to recognise the added value in their investments where as the latter have their ability to complete the deal quicker. Tobin’s Q is used as a performance measure to find out if the top quality investment banks delivered greater value to their clients compared to low quality banks. We examine the effects of time on deal performance by measuring change in Q at two different points in time – one and two years after the merger respectively. Then we investigate the effect of past performance and past market share on the current market share of a particular investment bank

New Brunswick model of shared risk pension plan: human resource implications in an academic setting

The province of New Brunswick has introduced changes to the Pension Benefit Act that facilitates the conversion of Defined Benefit Plans to a shared Risk Plan. This paper highlights the implications of one of the key provisions, career average pension, for recruitment retention and other aspects of human resource management in a university setting

Molecular characterization of a novel tobamovirus infecting hibiscus

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Aluminum-26 in calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and chondrules from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites

In order to investigate the distribution of ^(26)A1 in chondrites, we measured aluminum-magnesium systematics in four calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) and eleven aluminum-rich chondrules from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs). All four CAIs were found to contain radiogenic ^(26)Mg (^(26)Mg^*) from the decay of ^(26)A1. The inferred initial ^(26)Al/^(27)Al ratios for these objects ((^(26)Al/^(27)Al)_0 ≅ 5 × 10^(−5)) are indistinguishable from the (^(26)Al/^(27)Al)_0 ratios found in most CAIs from carbonaceous chondrites. These observations, together with the similarities in mineralogy and oxygen isotopic compositions of the two sets of CAIs, imply that CAIs in UOCs and carbonaceous chondrites formed by similar processes from similar (or the same) isotopic reservoirs, or perhaps in a single location in the solar system. We also found ^(26)Mg^* in two of eleven aluminum-rich chondrules. The (^(26)Al/^(27)Al)_0 ratio inferred for both of these chondrules is ∼1 × 10^(−5), clearly distinct from most CAIs but consistent with the values found in chondrules from type 3.0–3.1 UOCs and for aluminum-rich chondrules from lightly metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites (∼0.5 × 10^(−5) to ∼2 × 10^(−5)). The consistency of the (^(26)Al/^(27)Al)_0 ratios for CAIs and chondrules in primitive chondrites, independent of meteorite class, implies broad-scale nebular homogeneity with respect to ^(26)Al and indicates that the differences in initial ratios can be interpreted in terms of formation time. A timeline based on ^(26)Al indicates that chondrules began to form 1 to 2 Ma after most CAIs formed, that accretion of meteorite parent bodies was essentially complete by 4 Ma after CAIs, and that metamorphism was essentially over in type 4 chondrite parent bodies by 5 to 6 Ma after CAIs formed. Type 6 chondrites apparently did not cool until more than 7 Ma after CAIs formed. This timeline is consistent with ^(26)Al as a principal heat source for melting and metamorphism

Critical current density of a sample of melt grown Y<SUB>1&#183;2</SUB>Ba<SUB>1&#183;8</SUB>Cu<SUB>2&#183;4</SUB>O<SUB>x</SUB>

Melt grown samples of Y1&#183;2Ba1&#183;8Cu2&#183;4Ox have been prepared and studied for their current carrying capacity. The composition was chosen to include Y2BaCuO5 (211) particles in the YBa2Cu3Ox (123) phase. The critical current density (Jc) of these samples was studied as a function of magnetic field using magnetization technique. The micrographic investigation shows well aligned grains in this material. The magnetic hysteresis measurements were done using a MPMS SQUID magnetometer up to the fields of 5.5 T. The Jc was estimated from the remanent magnetization using Bean model. Isothermal magnetization hysteresis loops at low fields reveal the presence of only one kind of hysteresis loops (corresponding to intragrain magnetizations). This is a valid proof that the weak links are greatly eliminated in these samples prepared by MG process. The Jc behaviour as a function of magnetic field has two components, a rapidly decaying exponential function of field and the other component that predominates at higher fields. This could be explained if we assume that the sample contains two phases of superconductors, one having a low Hc2 becoming normal at fairly medium fields of the order of a few kilogauss will act as pinning centres for the other phase having higher Hc2 and hence higher Jc at high fields

Foreign Exchange Transaction Exposure in a Newsvendor Setting

Abstract In the global supply chain where there is a time lag between arrival of the shipment and the sale, the purchase price to the buyer may, on the day of settlement be different from that on the day of the order if the buyer is to pay in the supplier&apos;s currency. Either the supplier or the buyer is exposed to the loss due to exchange rate fluctuations. The key questions that arise then are: Does it matter who bears the risk? What aspect of exchange rate fluctuation affects the decisions of the supply chain partners? In this note related to Transaction Exposure, we show that in a classical newsvendor setting where the supplier has full information, the optimal policies are independent of which one of the two bears the risk. Numerical examples are presented to highlight model. This paper provides good scenarios in the case of risk management for manufacturer and retailer

HIV reverse transcriptase: Structural interpretation of drug resistant genetic variants from India

The reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme is the prime target of nucleoside/ nucleotide (NRTI) and non-nucleoside (NNRTI) reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Here we investigate the structural basis of effects of drug-resistance mutations in clade C RT using three-dimensional structural modeling. Apropos the expectation was for unique mechanisms in clade C based on interactions with amino acids of p66 subunit in RT molecule. 3-D structures of RT with mutations found in sequences from 2 treatment naïve, 8 failed and one reference clade C have been modeled and analyzed. Models were generated by computational mutation of available crystal structures of drug bound homologous RT. Energy minimization of the models and the structural analyses were carried out using standard methods. Mutations at positions 75,101,118,190,230,238 and 318 known to confer drug resistance were investigated. Different mutations produced different effects such as alteration of geometry of the drugbinding pocket, structural changes at the site of entry of the drug (into the active site), repositioning the template bases or by discriminating the inhibitors from their natural substrates. For the mutations analyzed, NRTI resistance was mediated mainly by the ability to discriminate between inhibitors and natural substrate, whereas, NNRTI resistance affected either the drug entry or the geometry of the active site. Our analysis suggests that different mutations result in different structural effects affecting the ability of a given drug to bind to the RT. Our studies will help in the development of newer drugs taking into account the presence of these mutations and the structural basis of drug resistance