QUANTUM CHEMICAL MODELLING OF ION-MOLECULE COLLISIONS: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

In the theoretical study of ion-molecule collisions accurate construction of adiabatic potential and non-adiabatic coupling matrix elements plays central role and the accuracy of semi-classical methods (like eikonal method), quantum mechanical methods and simulation techniques like surface hopping dynamics solely depend on the accuracy of the calculated potentials and coupling matrix elements. In this paper we briefly describe various quantum chemical techniques adopted to construct the potential energy surface and coupling matrix elements with high accuracy

Patient reported burden of asthma on resource use and productivity across 11 countries in europe

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sponsorship for this study and article processing charges were funded by Mundipharma International Limited (Cambridge, UK). All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval to the version to be published. We thank Emily Taylor, Incite Marketing Planning Limited (London, UK) for assistance in data analysis and Caoimhe McKerr (Adelphi Values, Bollington, UK) for editorial assistance. Support for this assistance was funded by Mundipharma International Limited. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae on Nutrient Content and Seedling Quality of Important Fodder Tree Species of Central India

Acacia nilotica, Albizia procera, Dalbergia sissoo and Leucaena leucocephala are important multipurpose tree species (MPTs). These are being utilized in agroforestry systems at ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute (ICARCAFRI), Jhansi and are also being utilized in reforestation programme in Central India. The success of any agroforestry model and/or reforestation programme depends upon the quality seedling materials. Nursery-produced seedlings can be an effective means of ensuring successful establishment of agroforestry models and/or reforestation programme. However, such seedlings sometimes fail to establish themselves in the fields. The poor performance of planted seedlings is often associated with transplant shocks and low seedling quality. The preconditioning of young seedlings with efficient arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), an important soil microorganism improves plant health and helps in their establishment in fields (Jha et al., 2014). However, before utilizing these fungi for inoculation purpose, the suitable AMF species must be identified. Therefore, to find out the efficient AMF species for inoculations of above mentioned plant species, present study was carried out

Analysis of agricultural credit in India

The relevance of agricultural credit is augmented in the context of the increasing emphasis on rural development and mitigation of poverty. This study aims to examine certain important facets connected with agricultural credit in India. It is a macro analysis at the National and State levels. Data from Reserve Bank of India's surveys for 1951-52, 1961-62 and 1971-72 have been primarily used. Despite the plethora of credit institutions established in recent years, the bulk of agricultural credit still comes from non-formal sources. Examination of credit disbursement in different States by institutional agencies suggests their competitiveness rather than complementarity and indicates a widening of the existing inter-regional disparities. Better institutional credit arrangements and a high level of literacy, satisfactory performance in implementation of land reforms, use of irrigation particularly well irrigation, use of chemical fertilizers, progress in rural electrification and development of marketing facilities are significantly correlated. The analysis shows that credit inadequacy is quantitative as well as qualitative. However, contrary to the widely held view, the quantitative shortfall cannot be explained by low interest rates in the agricultural sector. Qualitatively, accessibility of credit to small farmers continues to be impeded, although its importance is recognised. Arguments, such as high default rates, generally advanced to explain insufficient small farmer credit, do not stand the test of close scrutiny. The view that interest rates be raised to expand small farmer credit has little merit and in fact analysis indicates that there is scope for adopting differential rates of interest in favour of small farmers. The policy prescriptions suggested include a revamping of management of credit institutions to increase credit supply in the agricultural sector. It is recommended that a separate credit channel exclusively for small farmers be established. This should function in close association with Small Farmers' Development Agencies so that the benefits of effective supervised credit become available to small farmers

Nanoparticles of complex metal oxides synthesized using the reverse-micellar and polymeric precursor routes

Current interest in the properties of materials having grains in the nanometer regime has led to the investigation of the size-dependent properties of various dielectric and magnetic materials. We discuss two chemical methods, namely the reverse-micellar route and the polymeric citrate precursor route used to obtain homogeneous and monophasic nanoparticles of several dielectric oxides like BaTiO3, Ba2TiO4, SrTiO3, PbTiO3, PbZrO3 etc. In addition we also discuss the synthesis of some transition metal (Mn and Cu) oxalate nanorods using the reverse-micellar route. These nanorods on decomposition provide a facile route to the synthesis of transition metal oxide nanoparticles. We discuss the size dependence of the dielectric and magnetic properties in some of the above oxides

Assessment of inhalation technique and predictors of incorrect performance among patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma

Background: Poor inhalation technique is responsible for decreasing the efficacy of topical drug therapy in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary                 disease (COPD). Certain steps of the inhalation technique are erred most often and if ascertained, can be rectified leading to an overall improvement in the technique. The predictors for poor use can also be marked.Methods: Inhaler technique for pressurised metered dose inhalers (pMDI), pressurised metered dose inhaler with spacer and dry powder inhaler (DPI) was assessed in one hundred and five patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study. Inhaler technique was assessed using an ERAS/ISAM Task force report based scores and the lung function using pulmonary function test (PFT).The technique was re-assessed and scored after a period of three months along with the assessment of the lung function by PFT.Results: The mean of ERS/ISAM task force report based score for evaluation of the techniques of inhalation increased from 5.79±2.58 to 8.23±2.41 (p<0.0001) after intervention. The most commonly committed error in the inhalation technique was in step number eight, ten and four by patients using pMDI, pMDI with spacer and DPI, respectively. The faulty technique being the dependent variable/outcome could be explained 16% by the type of inhaler used (r2 = 0.1607) and this is statistically significant (p<0.0001), thus the type of inhaler used was a predictor of poor use.Conclusions: Inhaler techniques improved with systematic training and there was a trend towards improvement in lung function, hence the clinical condition

Physico-chemical investigations on the sintering behaviour of red mud - flue dust composites

Two industrial waste products namely red mud and flue dust have been utilised to form composites and their sintering behaviour was investigated in this study. It has been observed that red mud alone can be sintered around 1250°C. Addition of flue dust can reduce the sintering temperature and bring it in the range of 1150 - 1200°C depending on the extent of flue dust addition (10-30%). The sintering kinetics initially follows the Johnson - Mehl model of nucleation and grain growth and subsequently beyond fractional conversion of 0.7. follows the three dimensional contracting geometry model. XRD studies reveal that there are at least 6-8 phases in the sintered product. Some of these are Fe,O, Ca,Fe,Si,Ofz, SiO,. NaAlSiO4, FeT(O,, 710, and Na,Si,O, EPMA studies show that apart from the above phases, smaller amounts of ZrSiO, and a few other rare earth compounds were also present in the sintered product. The silicate phases are essentially present in the grain boundaries of other non-silicate phases and these phases are responsible for reduction in the sintering temperature. These glassy phases are also responsible for inter-particle bonding in the composites. This conclusion has also been verified through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sintering temperature and fraction of the flue dust in the composites have been optimised at 1200°C and 20% respectively