314 research outputs found
Computational chemistry and molecular modeling : principles and applications / K.I. Ramachandran, G. Deepa, K. Namboori.
No full text"An exclusive URL (http://www.amrita.edu/cen/ccmm/) for this book with the required support materials has been provided for readers ..."--Preface.pharmacy bookfair2015Includes bibliographical references and index.xxi, 397 pages
Micro-raman spectroscopy of caries lesion formation in dental enamel
No full textCaries lesions form by a complex process of chemical interactions between dental enamel and its environment. They can cause cavities and pain, and are expensive to fix. Lesions form by slow demineralization over many months, even years. It is hard to characterize in vivo as a result of environmental factors and remineralization by ions in the oral cavity. In this thesis the process of demineralization was carried out in vitro and micro-Raman spectroscopy used to investigate and characterize the lesion's chemistry. Demineralization occurs by diffusion across the depth of the lesion of mineral ions via interstitial spaces in the dental enamel. Hydroxyl ions are initially lost by acidic attack, which increases the interstitial space. The demineralization is retarded by diffusion processes in the opposite direction, and a balance in the charges of the ions must be maintained. Having multiple ions diffusing simultaneously is termed “coupled diffusion”. A subsurface highly demineralized region is formed, but this can be remineralized.
Micro-Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying material composition by exciting chemical bonds in the sample. Using micro-Raman to characterize the chemical composition of lesions may help in developing preventative measures to stop their formation. Raman (λ=785 nm) was used to characterize lesions grown over 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14 days. The amide I peak at ~1605 cm-1, which has not been observed previously, was seen in the maturing lesions. The extreme demineralization in these lesions enables the organic peaks to be seen rather than the normally stronger mineral peaks. Analysis of crystallinity shows that there is always a reduction in mineral content with distance below the enamel surface, but this becomes magnified as the lesion matures. Type B carbonate substitution for phosphate ions can also be examined with Raman. Correcting for crystallinity shows that both carbonate and phosphate ions are lost at the same rate during demineralization.
In summary, micro-Raman is an effective and relatively easy tool to use in lesion characterization. It also has the advantage that it can be used to identify changes in both the mineral and protein phases of enamel.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-55)
Preventing terrorism? conflict resolution and nationalist violence in the Basque Country
No full textThis study examines the debates on nationalism, terrorism and conflict resolution, and intends to identify, on the one hand, the reasons why and the instances in which nationalist discourses usurp the notions of political violence and present it as a legitimate option for opposing a State, and on the other, whether there exist circumstances where conflict resolution techniques and approaches can be useful in isolating terrorist discourses from the nationalist ones, without necessarily criminalising the latter. The study employs a critical and discourse analysis approach to explaining ethno-nationalist and terrorist phenomena, arguing that a contextualisation of the nationalist and terrorist objects of study is necessary in order to comprehensively analyse the relationship between the two, and the instances where the former gives rise to the latter. The purpose of the study is to develop a theoretical framework for the understanding of nationalism and terrorism as interconnected practices, and looks into ways in which conflict resolution can intervene and prevent the infusion of the two.
In order to test this framework, the thesis examines the Basque conflict and discusses how the discriminatory practices of the Francoist dictatorship towards the Basques played a catalytic role in their acceptance of violence as a legitimate vehicle of pursuit of the nationalist aim of independence, and how the radicalisation of counter-terrorist practices after the democratic transition further distanced the civil society from both the State and the militant group. The study analyses the role of the Basque civil society, and how it became the primary actor in the transformation of the conflict by rejecting violent practices from both the State and ETA, while at the same time promoting a more civic aspect of the Basque nationalist discourse. This attitude allows the thesis to conclude that, contrary to theories of conflict resolution, the State can combat terrorism most effectively when it allies with civil society in the alteration of perceptions that perpetuate violence, but instead favour a strictly political approach to the pursuit of political objectives, like self-determination
Corrections to “An Improved Harmonics Mitigation Scheme for a Modular Multilevel Converter” [2019 147244-147255]
Get PDFIn the above-named work, T. Deepa should have been listed as the second co-author of the article with the affiliation of (1): School of Electrical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai 600127, India. The author's biography is also provided within this correction. Additionally, the correct zip code of affiliation (1) should be 600127, and the correct statement on financial support acknowledgement should be as follows: "This work was funded by the Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Communications and Networks Engineering, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." It is necessary to mention the nature of funding provided by Prince Sultan University and to note the correction in the spelling of the university in the same statement in the published manuscript
Central bank independence : a critical view
Get PDFWhile expansive literature on central bank independence contains some criticisms to the independent central bank quasi-paradigm, few critical analyses have been undertaken in the years between Friedman (1962) and Posen (1994). The author extends Posen's analysis to developing countries, discussing more broadly and systematically the reasons why merely instituting an independent central bank may not bring about its professed benefits, especially in developing countries. The author argues that widely reported empirical tests that are purported to support the central bank independence proposition are plagued by potential problems of simultaneity, reverse causality, missing variables, and measurement errors. Yet one can not make positive recommendations about institutional arrangements for central banks if causality relations are not well established. Institutions are shaped by a country's record of and preferences for inflation and may have little influence on them. The author also argues that the purported benefits of an independent central bank may be eroded by conflicts between fiscal and monetary policy and by inherent problems of central bank institutional design (especially mechanisms for board appointments, public accountability, and budgetary control). If these institutional problems are not solved, problems of dynamic inconsistency traditionally associated with monetary policy are not eliminated,but merely transformed. The author suggests that the benefits of central bank independence are less likely obtained in less developed countries with shallow financial markets. Accordingly, central bank independence should be granted at a later stage in a country's financial sector development. If a less developed country seeks to establish a low-inflation path, it should concentrate on instituting financial policy reforms (such as liberalization and privatization) that bolster opposition to inflation rather than easily reversible and practically meaningless changes in legal and institutional structures. This will better ensure the sustainability -- and hence the credibility -- of the government's anti-inflation stance. Fiscal policy is often at the root of macroeconomic disturbances in developing countries. Fiscal policy is more deserving of special protection from politics because of fiscal dominance over monetary policy and its greater vulnerability to private interests. The author suggests that the solution might be to make fiscal policy less susceptible to political pressures by creating an independent fiscal board. Tying the fiscal hands of government may seem a far-fetched idea. But would it not make more sense to force discipline on fiscal policy directly rather than indirectly through monetary policy?Economic Theory&Research,National Governance,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Stabilization,Macroeconomic Management
Creating Value Through Design: Company and Country Perspectives from East Asia
No full textFor the final Y.B. Min lecture of the semester, the Center for Asian Business welcomed Deepa Prahalad, an author and business strategist specializing in opportunities at the intersection of consumer experience, technology and strategy. In her presentation, titled “Creating Value through Design: Company and Country Perspectives from East Asia,” Prahalad discussed the role of design in creating value, the ingredients of good design and how this applies to Asian countries in particular.
Prahalad discussed the success of great brands such as Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola and Samsung and how they have created awareness of the value of design to business. Design today is an important source of strategic advantage for entrepreneurs, established companies and countries. Her talk focused on case studies of how companies and countries have used design to build brands and create a sphere of influence.
According to Prahalad, strategic challenges such as co-creation, customer experience, globalization, innovation and new business model creation all require design. Today, we’re seeing a convergence of brand and design. Leading brands such as Nike, Apple, McDonald’s and Mercedes are all identifiable by their logo alone. These brands have a distinct look, feel and experience, and the experience must be valued by the consumers. Prahalad went on to address how emotional connections often lead to business results.
At the conclusion of her lecture, she highlighted the following points: Behavior is as important as income There is a convergence of quantitative and qualitative data Looking at emotions creates obligations for companies A great design still needs a great business model
Passionate about emerging markets and innovation, Prahalad has worked as a management consultant with firms from start-ups to large multinationals. She researched and co-authored the book, Predictable Magic: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform Your Business. Prahalad speaks on design strategy and emerging markets at business schools and at global and government forums on the importance of design as a competitive innovation. Prahalad received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ybminlectureseries/1003/thumbnail.jp
Are there synergies between World Bank partial credit guarantees and private lending?
Get PDFSince 1994, the World Bank has provided partial credit guarantees to private financiers of several large infrastructure projects in developing countries. A major objective of the partial guarantee program is to leverage Bank resources so as to provide developing countries with better private credit terms. A real test of the efficacy of World Bank partial credit guarantees is whether they also lower the interest rate and lengthen the effective maturity of the part of the credit not covered by the World Bank guarantee. On the basis of deals closed so far, the author finds no evidence that guarantees have affected nonguaranteed interest rates favorably, while the duration of the nonguaranteed credits remains relatively short.International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Strategic Debt Management,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Strategic Debt Management,Insurance&Risk Mitigation
Migratory TCP: highly available internet services using connection migration
No full textWe evaluate the feasibility of using Migratory TCP (M-TCP), a reliable connection-oriented transport layer protocol that supports connection migration, for building highly available Internet services. M-TCP can transparently migrate the server endpoint of a live connection and assists server applications in resuming service on migrated connections. M-TCP provides a generic solution for the problem of service continuity and availability in the face of connectivity failures.
We have implemented M-TCP and present results of an experimental evaluation which shows it can efficiently provide support for highly available services. We illustrate the use of M-TCP in two applications. The first is a synthetic generic media streaming server. We show that, when the performance of the current server degrades, M-TCP an sustain throughput lose to the average server behavior by migrating connections to better servers. The second application is a transactional database server in which we have integrated support for migrating client connections. Using our system, a database frontend an continue the execution of a series of transactions submitted by a remote client in a session started with another front-end. The system allows a session to survive adverse conditions by connection migration, while ensuring that ACID semantics are preserved and that the execution is deterministic across migration.Technical report DCS-TR-46
Cooperative computing for distributed embedded systems
No full textDynamically connected. Although these systems will penetrate every possible domain of our daily life, the expectation is that they will operate outside our normal cognizance, requiring far less attention from the human users than the desktop computers today. The networked embedded computing era will challenge our ways of thinking and computing far more than the PC revolution did in the past. The current software and network architectures and their associated programming models were not designed for these scenarios. Traditional parallel and distributed computing models are based on a distribution of tasks across a stable cluster of similar processing units. In networks of embedded systems however, nodes have properties such as location or functionality that make them only partially substitutable in a specific task. Tasks need to execute on specific nodes to achieve prescribed objectives, necessitating the location of target nodes in a manner that allows partial substitution. We propose a computing model and a system architecture for distributed embedded systems where nodes “cooperate” by providing their computing and communication resources to distributed tasks. The system architecture for cooperative computing is based on Smart Messages (SM), which can be viewed as intelligent carriers of data in a network. Smart Messages are collections of code and mobile data that migrate through the network, a single network hop at a time, executing at each step. Smart Messages are responsible for their own routing. To validate the model we have implemented two previously proposed applications, Directed Diffusion and SPIN, for data collection and data dissemination in sensor networks. We have developed a simulator that executes Cooperative Computing applications and allows us to evaluate the performances by measuring both execution and communication time.Technical report DCS-TR-46
Empowerment of Young Women
No full textUsing Higher Education Helps to Build Healthier CommunitiesSpring 2012 PMAccompanied by video fil
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