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BRICS: Advancing Cooperation and Strengthening Regionalism
In the era of regional international relations and more interdependence, organisations like the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) can play a meaningful role in international level as well as regional in years to come. The recent summit of the BRICS reiterates that more cooperation is needed at various levels. In Delhi declaration, it is called for a more representative international financial architecture, with an increase in the voice and representation of developing countries and the establishment and improvement of a just international monetary system that can serve the interests of all countries and support the development of emerging and developing economies. Moreover, these economies having experienced broad-based growth are now significant contributors to global recovery. This is true. One must acknowledge the fact that the roles of the BRICS countries are composed of various political systems, various subcontinent, but in the changed context, all these countries are coming under the purview of the developing countries in broader terms. That makes the BRICS beyond the regional boundaries to set a benchmark in the regional cooperation. Chinas permanent status in the United Nations makes the BRICS more strategically oriented and pragmatic aspects of foreign policy engagement in the twenty-first century. The political leadership and vision is equally important with economic engagement. The four major theories of the international relations (IR) are striking in this respect which includes liberalism, realism, constructivism and Marxism. Theoretical framework relevant to regionalism in focusing on IR theories is also analysed in this article. The main argument of the article is that there is no prescribed regional model and BRICS has to tune to the member countries regional and political frameworks to engage with. Therefore, the framework of analysis is more or less critical about the Western engagement and it is region focused. 2012 Indian Council of World Affairs. -
Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanospheres from hydrocarbon soot
Foreseeing the upcoming era of the carbon nanomaterials and their revolutionary applications, we have identified and explored the structural parameters of five effective precursors of the same-carbon black, soot obtained by the thermal decomposition of kerosene, diesel, paraffin wax and lubricant oil. Micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy, Electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental analysis are employed for the structural and morphological characterization of the nanomaterials formed. The average lateral size (La), stacking height (Lc) and interlayer spacing (d002) of the crystallite structures calculated from the X-ray intensities are found to be ranging from 4.3-5.9 nm, 0.63-2.40 nm and 3.10- 3.68 respectively. La values determined by Raman and XRD analysis are in very good agreement thereby reinforcing the nanocrystalline structure of the samples. The very low I20/I26 ratio obtained reveals a relatively low amount of disorder in the nanostructures. Nanomaterials formed have the morphology of non-uniform nanospheres with diameter varying between 26-100 nm. EDS and elemental analysis confirms the absence of metal impurities. FTIR spectra of the samples shows the presence of stretching vibrations of -OH bonds, aliphatic -CH, -CH2 and -CH3 absorptions, C=C and -CH absorptions of aromatic structures. 2012 by ESG. -
True and fair financial reporting: A tool for better corporate governance
Purpose - Transparency of financial information promotes corporate growth. The purpose of this paper is to concentrate on the need for strengthening the law governing true and fair corporate accounting. The first part of the paper concentrates on nexus between the importance of transparency in accounting embodied under the provisions of the Companies Act in India and in the UK. Second, the paper focuses on the board of director's duty to prevent corporate fraud through proper financial reporting. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology for this study is analytical. Comparative study of the law governing accounting provisions in India and UK is also looked into. Findings - The law governing financial transparancy envisaged under the Companies Act in India makes it obligatory on the part of the companies to disclose the material information relevant to the investors. However, the directors of the company often show an unreal picture of the financial position of the company, so as to retain the existing shareholders and to attract more investors. This can be avoided if the composition of audit committees in the companies includes a few representatives of shareholders who are competent to asses the true and fair view of the company accounts prepared by the auditors. Research limitations/implications - The focus of this research paper is mainly on the legal regimes and the accounting and auditing provisions of India and the UK. Originality/value - The paper shows that the Companies Act in India should strengthen the accounting provisions and it should mandate the compulsory observance of accounting standards. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. -
Biological elimination of minerals from high ash coal by Aspergillus-like fungi
Efficiency of filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus niger on the bio-liquefaction of low rank Indian coals, its chemical composition, surface characteristics of the products and the microbial mechanisms of coal conversion were studied. Virgin and bio-liquefied/solubilized coal samples were characterized using FT-IR, Scanning electron microscopy and CHNS and proximate analysis. The micrographs were bright field and reveal several features correspond to the mineral grains comprising of aluminium, silicates and calcites. The absence of some morphological features corresponds to inorganic elements in residual samples which confirm demineralisation with the possible formation of respective Aluminum and Silicate complexes. The change in absorption of mineral matter functional group of these coal samples were studied using Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR). From the proximate analysis it was found that the ash content decreased by 76% when treated with fungal culture. Global Science Publications. -
Study of candidate Be stars in the Magellanic Clouds using near-infrared photometry and optical spectroscopy
Mennickent et al. and Sabogal et al. identified a large number of classical Be (CBe) candidates (?3500) in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) based on their photometric variability using the OGLEII data base. They classified these stars into four different groups based on the appearance of their variability. In order to refine and understand the nature of this large number of stars, we studied the infrared properties of the sample and the spectroscopic properties of a subsample. We cross-correlated the optical sample with the IRSF-MCPS catalogue to obtain the J, H, K s magnitudes of all the four types of stars (?2500) in the LMC and SMC. Spectra of 120 stars belonging to the types 1, 2 and 3 were analysed to study their spectral properties. Among the four types, the type 4 stars are the dominant group, with ?60 and ?65 per cent of the total sample in the LMC and SMC, respectively. The near-infrared (NIR) colour-colour diagrams suggest that the type 4 stars in the LMC have a subclass, which is not found in our Galaxy or in the SMC. This subclass is ?18 per cent of the type 4 sample. The main type 4 sample which is ?49 per cent of the total sample has NIR properties similar to the Galactic CBe stars and the SMC type 4 stars. Though the new subclass of type 4 stars have high E(B-V) ? 0.75, they are not located close to regions with high reddening. The type 3 stars (?6 per cent and 7.3 per cent in the LMC and SMC) are found to have large H? equivalent width (EW) in the SMC and some are found to have large NIR excess. This small fraction of stars are unlikely to be CBe stars. Three stars among the type 3 stars in the LMC are found to be double periodic variables. The type 2 stars are found in larger fraction in the SMC (?14.5 per cent), when compared to the LMC (?6 per cent). The spectroscopic and the NIR properties suggest that these could be CBe stars. The type 1 stars are relatively more in the LMC (?24 per cent) when compared to the SMC (?13 per cent). The SMC type 1 stars have relatively large H? EW and this class has properties similar to CBe stars. The spectroscopic sample of type 1 stars which show H? in emission and are confirmed as CBe stars are more abundant in the SMC by a factor of 2.6. If the effect of metallicity is to cause more CBe stars in the SMC, when compared to the LMC, then type 1, type 2 and type 4 stars follow this rule, with an enhancement of 2.6, 2.4 and 1.3, respectively. 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2012 RAS. -
Gender differences in social capital and job search methods in the information technology industry in bangalore
The existence of transaction costs in recruitments and information asymmetry in the labour markets could lead to a preference for informal methods of job search for potential employees and referral-based recruitments for employers. This preference is explicit in the Information Technology (IT) industry, which promotes an incentive-based referral recruitment system. However, such a system raises questions as to whether a level playing field is available for men and women alike to compete for available jobs in the industry. The paper aims at shedding light on the differences in social capital characteristics of men and women, in their job search choices between formal and informal methods, and the implications of the same in the labour market through a gendered perspective. Additionally, the paper explores the association between the strength of ties in informal networks, on one hand, and income and job satisfaction in jobs found through these networks, on the other. The study finds that there are considerable differences in the social capital characteristics of male and female IT employees. The relationship between the strength of ties in informal contacts used to find the current job and job satisfaction are consistent with the existing theoretical insights. However, there is no statistically significant relationship between the strength of ties and income. 2017, Springer India. All rights reserved. -
6-Bromo-2-(3-phenylallylidene)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-1-one
molecules of the title compound, C21H16BrNO, are linked through pairs of N-H?O intermolecular hydrogen bonds into centrosymmetric R2 2(10) dimers. One of the C atoms of the cyclohex-2-enone ring is disordered with refined occupancies of 0.61 (2) and 0.39 (2). -
Visual Culture, Spectatorship and Humanitarian Disaster: Vanni Eli and the Representation of the Sri Lankan Civil War
This article examines the dialogic encounter between the spectator and the spectacle in the context of war crimes and humanitarian disasters (in this context, the Sri Lankan civil war) in Vanni Eli, a short film by a Sri Lankan Tamizh diasporic filmmaker Tamiliam Subhas. The narrative introduces us not only to the military disaster that is war but also to the humanitarian disasters effected through war. The article studies the role of the spectator who 'witnesses' the torture, and thus complicates the ethics of both the act of torture and the viewing of it.By looking closely at the ingenious ways of narrating torture the article argues that the creative representation of war and disaster implicates within its discourse not merely the participants and the victims of the war alone but also the 'peripheral' subjects like the mice (the film's lead 'actors'), and by extension, the spectators participating in the discursive construction of the victimized. Despite the symbolic disembodiment and effacement of the tortured, their suffering is recognized as a humanitarian disaster with the shared grammar of suffering common to all. 2012 Mudra Institute of Communications. -
Characterization of diesel soot from the combustion in engine by X-ray and spectroscopic techniques
Carbon nanomaterials formed during the combustion of Diesel inside engine is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and spectroscopic techniques. The soot are collected from the Engine and washed with Acetone. Carbon Nanomaterials produced from diesel soot show the morphology of carbon nanospheres mixed with carbon nanotubes. X-ray diffraction investigation shows the presence of carbon nanotubes in association with amorphous nanomaterial. EDS analysis of Diesel soot indicates that the soot particles to be composed of primarily carbon and oxygen along with hydrogen. NMR spectrum of the soot reveals significant aliphatic component with predominance of methyl and methylene groups on ? and ? positions to aromatic rings. There is significant fraction of hydrogen on the ? position at 0.864 ppm, which suggests the existence of large aliphatic chains or saturated rings joined to aromatic rings. The IR spectrum shows characteristic signals in the region 1700-1000 cm -1, where the most important one correspond to C=O stretching of carboxylic acids at 1639 cm -1, C=C stretching of aromatic groups at 1533 cm -1, and aliphatic C-H plane deformation of CH 2/CH 3 groups at 1380 cm -1 and 1445 cm -1 respectively. 2012 by ESG. -
Spherulitic crystallization of ?-In2Te3 by physical vapour deposition
Different morphologies of indium telluride (In2Te3) including novel spherulites were crystallized using the physical vapour deposition (PVD) method, by varying the difference in the growth and source zone temperature (?T) of a dual zone horizontal furnace assembled indigenously. Whiskers and kinked needles of In2Te3were grown at ?T = 250 K and 300 K respectively, maintaining the growth zone at 500 C. At high supersaturation (? T = 400 K), spherulitic crystals were obtained. The stoichiometric composition of these crystals has been confirmed using energy dispersive analysis by x-rays (EDAX). The structure of ?-In2Te3 spherulitic crystals is identified as zinc blende with lattice parameter a = 6.159 from x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed the radial structure of the grown spherulites. The growth mechanism for the spherulitic crystallization of ?-In2Te3 crystals has been discussed based on the theoretical models. Copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. -
Exploring loneliness in relation to attributional styles in children with locomotor disabilities
The concept of loneliness, as an experience with both cognitive and emotional components, has been scientifically extended to the child population only recently. With indications that loneliness can be reported by children as young as 5-7 years, it becomes relevant to examine this topic in children of specific populations. In this case, children with locomotor disabilities are examined. In addition, loneliness has been associated theoretically with the attributional style of an individual, wherein it is proposed that an internal-stable-global attributional style combines with other factors to predict greater loneliness. This research aimed at examining loneliness in relation to attributional styles in children with locomotor disabilities, studying in inclusive or integrated education settings in Bangalore. 30 children with locomotor disabilities were compared on scores of loneliness and attributional styles to 30 children without disabilities, using the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire and the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire - Revised. These scores were also analysed and results indicated that there was no significant difference in loneliness between children with locomotor disabilities and nondisabled peers. There was a significant difference in attributional styles between the two groups, and a negative correlation was found between loneliness and attributional styles in the children with locomotor disabilities. The implications of the research include the argument for attributional retraining to address loneliness Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology. -
Examining women's purchase pattern of casual footwear in accordance with their attitudes and interests
Purpose: The present study examines the association between the choices of casual footwear attributes of women in accordance with their behavioral pattern. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data was collected from 2365 women through a questionnaire that comprised of two sections. The first section comprised of 50 AIO statements based on which the respondents were profiled according to their behavioural patterns. The second section comprised of selected footwear and store attributes. The consumers were profiled into eleven clusters using factor analysis. The regression scores were used to assign the respondents to the respective components that were extracted through factor analysis. Reliability Test and KMO Test were conducted to check the reliability and adequacy of the sample size. Further, only those variables that qualified the collinearity test were alone subject to regression analysis. Through ANOVA test, it was observed that significant differences existed among the consumers within the clusters. Therefore, the AIO statements were considered as independent variables that were regressed against ten selected footwear attributes. Findings: The Results indicated that consumers with different behaviors had varied preferences towards footwear attributes. Practical Implications: The results of the study indicate that the manufacturers in the footwear sector should revisit their existing strategies and target the consumers on the basis of their behavior as the proliferation of the unorganized sector is very high in this sector. Original Value: There are innumerable literatures that focus on trade policies followed in the footwear market in international countries, treatment of workers in the footwear industry, therapeutic use of footwear, supply chain patterns etc., but hardly any significant study that explores the consumers' behaviour and their association towards their footwear preferences has been conducted. Behavioral segmentation has been used in many other products like apparels, insurance, real estate etc., but not in the footwear sector. The present study is an attempt to fill this gap. -
The red terror and a state of uncertainty: United Nations' role In the Indian maoist struggle
In this paper, the authors argue that the long drawn armed conflict between the Maoists and the Indian State has acquired the status of a non-international armed conflict due to the organized nature of the Maoists and the scale of violence arising out of the conflict. The systematic human rights abuses by both parties and forceful displacement of civilians is a tangible threat to international peace and security in the region. In light of the deadlock between the parties, the authors make a case for United Nations' intervention in mediating an end to the conflict and restoring peace and security in the region. Drawing inspiration from the role played by the UN in ending civil wars across the globe, this paper argues for a similar intervention in the non-international armed conflict in India. The authors argue that the UN should venture to exert pressure on the State to eliminate any further abuses of human rights, and remove the impasse between both the parties to facilitate a constructive dialogue. Copyright 2012 De Gruyter. All rights reserved. -
Modified ceria as a substitute for sulfuric acid in the liquid phase nitration of toluene
Ceria, sulfated ceria, ceria-zirconia and sulfated ceria-zirconia catalysts were prepared via the co-precipitation method and calcined at 823 K. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET surface area, FTIR, TGA and EDAX. The acidity of the catalysts was studied by pyridine adsorbed FTIR. All the peaks in XRD correspond to the cubic fluorite structure of ceria. The crystallite size of the catalysts was found to be 4-8 nm. Incorporation of zirconia stabilizes the surface sulfate species and thus increases the sulfate content. Sulfation decreases the surface area, but increases the acidity, leading to enhanced catalytic activity. All the catalysts were found to be stable up to 923 K. Catalytic activities were tested towards the liquid phase nitration of toluene. A maximum conversion of about 34 % is achievable for the nitration of toluene to dinitrotoluene. Solid acids effectively play the role of sulfuric acid in the reaction, assisting the formation of nitronium species. 2012 Akadiai Kiad Budapest, Hungary. -
Highly selective derivative spectrophotometric determination of palladium(II) in hydrogenation catalysts and alloy samples
A simple, selective and sensitive derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of palladium(II) using a newly synthesised reagent diacetylmonoxime-(p-anisyl)-thiosemicarbazone in acetic acid medium. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of the coloured species are 3.8 104 L mol-1 cm-1 and 2.8 ng cm-2, respectively. Beer's law is obeyed between 0.2-2.0 ?g mL-1 of Pd(II) at 440 nm. The stoichiometry of the complex is found to be 1:2 (metal:ligand). Calibration graph for the first order derivative spectrophotometric determination of palladium(II) is derived by measuring derivative amplitudes at 480 nm with a linear range 0.15-2.6 ?g mL-1. The metal ions, which are normally associated with palladium in mineral and alloy samples, do not interfere. The proposed method has been successfully applied for the trace level determination of palladium in hydrogenation catalysts and some synthetic mixtures. -
Hand ability and practice in congenitally blind children
The assumption that blind children will improve in ability with practice in spatial tasks was tested in a group of 90 congenitally blind and blindfolded sighted children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. All the children were tested for hand preference. The children were then pre-tested and post-tested on four tasks that measured various hand skills with their left and right hands. The period of practice between the pre and post-test was four months. Results indicated a percentage gain with practice during development for the left and the right hands of the blind children. The left and right hands of both groups of children did not differ in percentage gain, indicating little or no relationship between hand preference and hand ability. The effects of practice showed gains for the blind children compared to the sighted blindfolded children in the post-test. Results are discussed with a view that use of self- referent cues can improve spatial ability in blind children. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009. -
Do futures and options trading increase spot market volatility in India? the case of S&P CNX Nifty
The exponential generalised autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) model followed by standard GARCH (1, 1) model were employed to investigate the impact of introduction of futures and options trading on the volatility of the underlying spot market in India. The empirical analysis was conducted for the daily closing price returns of S&P CNX Nifty spot index from 1st January, 1996 through 31st October, 2008. The empirical results reveal that the spot market volatility has been declined after the introduction of futures and options trading in India. Besides, the empirical results indicate that the impact of recent news has a greater impact on the spot market changes following the onset of futures/options trading. At the same time, the persistence of volatility shocks has been declined in the post-derivatives scenario indicating increased efficiency of the Indian spot market. Hence, the present study suggests that the introduction of futures and options trading have improved the speed and quality of information flowing in the spot market. This enhances the overall market depth, increases market liquidity and ultimately reduces informational asymmetries and therefore compresses spot market volatility in India. Copyright 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. -
6-Bromo-2-[(E)-thiophen-2-ylmethylidene]-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-carbazol-1- one
In the title compound, C17H12BrNOS, the cyclohexene ring deviates only slightly from planarity (r.m.s. deviation for non-H atoms = 0.047 . In the crystal, the molecules are linked into centrosymmetric R2 2(10) dimers via pairs of N-H?O hydrogen bonds. The thio-phene ring is disordered over two positions rotated by 180and with a site-occupation factor of 0.843 (4) for the major occupied site. -
Chemical leaching of an Indian bituminous coal and characterization of the products by vibrational spectroscopic techniques
High volatile bituminous coal was demineralized by a chemical method. The vibrations of the "aromatics" structure of graphite, crystalline or non-crystalline, were observed in the spectra at the 1600 cm -1 region. The band at 1477 cm -1 is assigned as VR band, the band at 1392 cm -1 as VL band and the band at 1540 cm -1 as GR band. Graphite structure remains after chemical leaching liberates oxygenated functional groups and mineral groups. The silicate bands between 1010 and 1100 cm -1 are active in the infrared (IR) spectrum but inactive in the Raman spectrum. Absorption arising from C-H stretching in alkenes occurs in the region of 3000 to 2840 cm -1. Raman bands because of symmetric stretch of water molecules were also observed in the spectrum at 3250 cm -1 and 3450 cm -1. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of a graphite layer on the surface. Leaching of the sample with hydrofluoric acid decreases the mineral phase and increases the carbon content. The ash content is reduced by 84.5wt% with leaching from its initial value by mainly removing aluminum and silicate containing minerals. University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012. -
Scientific basis for the preparation and characterization of iron based traditional drug annabhedi sindooram: A materialistic approach
Iron based traditional Ayurvedic drug Annabhedi Sindooram is used therapeutically for the treatment of diseases like Anaemia, Leucoderma, Prolapse of rectum and uterus, Spleenic disorders. The preparation method of iron based Indian traditional drug Annabhedi Sindooram involves conversion of a pure metal into its mixed oxide by drying and incineration. Commercially available ferrous sulphate is used as the source of iron for the preparation of Annabhedi. The structural and textural properties of the starting materials and the prepared drug were characterized systematically by different characterization techniques like PXRD, Zeta Potential Analysis, particle analysis, FTIR, ICP -AES, SEM and BET surface area analysis. The results obtained by characterization of the samples clearly explain the formation of Fe2O3, reduction in particle size, modification of surface energy and formation of metal complex with organic moieties. The strict post and pre preparation conditions followed play an important role in the morphology and medicinal activity of the drug Annabhedi Sindooram.