The phenomenon of proliferation of preferential trade agreements, bilaterally and regionally, was... more The phenomenon of proliferation of preferential trade agreements, bilaterally and regionally, was particularly more pronounced both in the aftermath of the regional financial and economic crisis that affected East Asia in 1997–98 and in the inability of the WTO to yield any substantial outcome to improve growth prospects of the Asian economies. This paper analyses the implications of ASEAN's ongoing FTAs and examines its role in fostering deeper economic integration within ASEAN and in Asia. It analyses the evolution and characteristics of FTA proliferation in ASEAN, identifying major trends. The paper argues that in their present state, if not properly designed and managed, there are valid concerns that these FTAs could end up becoming a stumbling block towards integration efforts. Implementation integrity among FTA members therefore remains a key to its success, and empirical and policy research needs to be much more forthcoming in this area in order to fully understand the economic ramifications of these FTAs.
This paper attempts to examine the politics of the text of three contemporary movements that mode... more This paper attempts to examine the politics of the text of three contemporary movements that modern India has recently witnessed: the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest, the ‘Red Alert: You’ve got a Napkin’ drive, and the ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ protest; and the subsequent political ramifications that have emerged thereafter. With the ascendance of a strong Hindu-Right wing government at the centre and a gradual expansion of a moralist regime, these movements mark an interesting interruption; deploying ‘desire’ as a form of radical dissent the movements have earned the ire of not only the moral brigade of the Hindu Right but also factions of the Left who fail to see its political relevance, dubbing it as exclusivist and elitist. The fractious moment of political modernity witnessed a coming together of two ends of the political spectrum, the Left and the Right, over the question of gender, desire, transgression, eroticism and agency. Tracing the trajectory from ‘Pink Chaddi campaign’ to ‘Suddh Desi Romance’ via ‘Kiss of Love’, this paper seeks to interrogate the following: what does it mean to be ‘political’ in contemporary times? What are the discontentments that equate the Red and the Saffron brigades? Taking the cue from Ranciere and Badiou, I shall examine two distinct aspects: the ‘politics’ of the movement and its ‘political’ relevance and anxiety that it has generated.
Step-wise hydrogenation of benzene, naphthalene and pyrene to yield the corresponding saturated d... more Step-wise hydrogenation of benzene, naphthalene and pyrene to yield the corresponding saturated derivatives has been examined at the AM1/RHF level in order to understand the graphite-diamond conversion in a hydrogen plasma. Hydrogenation of these aromatics proceeds readily with a negligible activation barrier, suggesting that saturation of a graphite surface by interaction with hydrogen atoms is likely to be very facile. Addition of CH3. and C2H. radicals to a partially saturated hydrocarbon is shown to yield adamantane, which can act as the nucleation site for diamond growth, a situation that also obtains with partially hydrogenated graphite.
... Although the reductive perturbation technique of Taniuti & Wei (1968) yields the wave... more ... Although the reductive perturbation technique of Taniuti & Wei (1968) yields the wavespeed (1.1) when & = O(1) and the & = 0 extension by Teymur & Suhubi (1978) can be applied to a restricted class of problems, no general techniques are available when (1.4) holds. ...
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were grown from the condensed phase by thermally post-anne... more Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were grown from the condensed phase by thermally post-annealing of a soot-like material, possibly containing precursors for SWNT growth. The soot-like material was obtained by laser ablation of Ni–Co–graphite composite targets at 550–700 °C. This initial material did not contain any SWNTs but post-annealing treatment inside an electric furnace at 1200 °C under argon flow resulted in SWNTs. The soot-like material prepared at lower temperatures (room temperature to 400 °C did not yield SWNTs even after post-annealing. These results indicate that the precursors for the growth of SWNTs can form only above a certain threshold temperature, about 550 °C. Once these precursors are present, SWNTs can grow by annealing of the metal–carbon mixture. A growth model is proposed based on these results.
Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by laser ablation of Ni–Co-graphite composi... more Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by laser ablation of Ni–Co-graphite composite targets at 1200°C under argon gas. The effects of the temperature gradient near the target and the gas flow rate on the diameter distribution of SWNTs were studied in order to understand their growth dynamics. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the diameter distribution of SWNTs. The flow rate was found to affect the relative yields of SWNTs having different diameters when the temperature gradient around the target was large. Scattering images from the ablated species at different flow rates, recorded by a high-speed video camera, indicated that 10 ms after the ablation the velocities of backward moving species increased with increasing flow rate. These findings are used to estimate the time required for determining the diameter distribution and the growth of SWNTs.
Time evolution of emission by carbon nanoparticles generated with a laser furnace technique was i... more Time evolution of emission by carbon nanoparticles generated with a laser furnace technique was investigated with a high-speed video camera. Assuming blackbody radiation formula for small spherical particle, the internal temperature of these carbon nanoparticles was determined as a function of time delay (Δt) after laser vaporization. It was found that the internal temperature of them drastically decreased at Δt 60 and other higher fullerenes in the soot were found to be high, an increase in the blackbody emission intensity could be recognized for longer wavelength ( 660 t > 400μs. This finding suggests that a certain exothermic process related to the formation of C60 and other higher fullerenes should occur at Δt > 400μs inside the furnace.
We report our high-pressure Raman studies on single-wall carbon nanotube bundles carried out up t... more We report our high-pressure Raman studies on single-wall carbon nanotube bundles carried out up to 25.9 GPa. The intensity of the radial modes decreases more drastically as compared to that of the tangential modes. The former could be followed up in pressure runs to 3 GPa. The most intriguing observation is the anomalous pressure behaviour of the 1594 cm−1 tangential mode between 10 and 16 GPa. This feature, as well as the pressure dependence of intensity, peak position and linewidth, are reversible on decompression. The anomalous pressure dependence is argued to be associated with faceting of the tubes in the bundle, showing their remarkable resilience.
Pyrolysis of organometallic precursors such as metallocenes and iron pentacarbonyl as well as of... more Pyrolysis of organometallic precursors such as metallocenes and iron pentacarbonyl as well as of their mixtures with hydrocarbons such as acetylene or benzene has been carried out under a variety of conditions to synthesize nanotubes. While the use of benzene as a hydrocarbon source generally yields multi-walled nanotubes, it has been possible to obtain single-walled nanotubes (∼1 nm diameter) by pyrolyzing a metallocene or a mixture of metallocenes along with acetylene under a high flow rate of Ar. These experiments show that the organometallic precursor produces small nanoparticles of ∼1 nm diameter which then catalyze the formation of the single-walled nanotubes. Copious quantities of aligned-nanotube bundles have been obtained by the pyrolysis of acetylene in the presence of high concentrations of ferrocene. Nanorods have been produced by the pyrolysis of ferrocene under vacuum. Single walled nanotubes can be filled or decorated by metals.
A few of the recent investigations on carbon nanotubes have been directed toward understanding th... more A few of the recent investigations on carbon nanotubes have been directed toward understanding the mechanism of their growth in the presence of metal particles. 1-4 It seems to be generally accepted that metallic particles act as catalysts for the graphitization of carbon present in ...
Encapsulated and hollow closed-cage onion-like structures of WS2 and MoS2 were prepared by laser ... more Encapsulated and hollow closed-cage onion-like structures of WS2 and MoS2 were prepared by laser ablation of the corresponding layered structures in argon atmosphere at four varied temperatures. A detailed study for WS2 indicates that only metal-filled onion-like structures are produced at temperatures T⩽650°C, whereas a mixture of metal-filled and hollow structures are produced at T⩾850°C. The encapsulated metal is identified to be predominantly the metastable β phase of tungsten. Very short tube-like or elongated polyhedral structures are also obtained at high temperatures.
To determine the reliability of four commonly used tests to confirm the placement of the Veres ne... more To determine the reliability of four commonly used tests to confirm the placement of the Veres needle during closed laparoscopy and their ability to determine other complications of entry.A prospective observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).A university-affiliated teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia.Three hundred forty-five women undergoing closed laparoscopy using Veres needle peritoneal insufflation.The double click test, the hanging drop test, the aspiration test, and the initial five pressures at the time of insufflation following Veres needle placement were assessed for their sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for correct intraperitoneal placement of the needle and the presence or absence of any complication such as preperitoneal insufflation, omental emphysema, or visceral injury.Complications occurred in 65 (18.8%) of 345 women, with preperitoneal insufflation in 19 (5.5%) of the 345, a superficial gastric injury in 1 (0.3%), and omental emphysema in 45 (13%). There was poor sensitivity and positive predictive values for preinsufflation tests. The first five pressures after commencement of insufflation were a sensitive predictor (79%) of complications, particularly preperitoneal insufflation (100% sensitivity for this complication). When two or more passes of the Veres were required, there was a significantly greater chance of preperitoneal insufflation (χ2 = 20.5, p <.0001). Preperitoneal insufflation was not reported when the first five successive insufflation pressures were less than 10 mm Hg.The double click, aspiration, and hanging drop tests provide very little useful information on the placement of the Veres needle at the time of closed laparoscopy. The initial gas pressures provide considerable information on the placement of the Veres needle, in particular the likelihood of preperitoneal insufflation. We conclude that the initial gas pressure is the only valuable measure to reflect correct intraperitoneal Veres needle placement.
This paper analyses trade policies in Southeast Asian countries in their wider Asian and global c... more This paper analyses trade policies in Southeast Asian countries in their wider Asian and global contexts. In essence, it not only compares and contrasts trade policies in individual Southeast Asian countries, but also analyses these policies in the context of regional and global ...
Aligned carbon nanotubes have aroused much interest because of their mechanical properties1,2 as ... more Aligned carbon nanotubes have aroused much interest because of their mechanical properties1,2 as well as their interesting anisotropic optical and other properties.2 Aligned carbon nanotube films have also been considered to be good candidates as electron field ...
Gas-phase pyrolysis of acetylene along with a metallocene or with a binary mixture of metallocene... more Gas-phase pyrolysis of acetylene along with a metallocene or with a binary mixture of metallocenes in flowing Ar or Ar + H2 at 1100°C yields single-walled carbon nanotubes. Pyrolysis of Fe(CO)5-acetylene mixtures in Ar at 1100°C also gives single-walled nanotubes. The diameter of the nanotubes is generally around 1 nm, showing thereby that on pyrolysis under the dilute conditions employed, the organometallic precursors give rise to very fine metal particles essential for the formation of such nanotubes.
The phenomenon of proliferation of preferential trade agreements, bilaterally and regionally, was... more The phenomenon of proliferation of preferential trade agreements, bilaterally and regionally, was particularly more pronounced both in the aftermath of the regional financial and economic crisis that affected East Asia in 1997–98 and in the inability of the WTO to yield any substantial outcome to improve growth prospects of the Asian economies. This paper analyses the implications of ASEAN's ongoing FTAs and examines its role in fostering deeper economic integration within ASEAN and in Asia. It analyses the evolution and characteristics of FTA proliferation in ASEAN, identifying major trends. The paper argues that in their present state, if not properly designed and managed, there are valid concerns that these FTAs could end up becoming a stumbling block towards integration efforts. Implementation integrity among FTA members therefore remains a key to its success, and empirical and policy research needs to be much more forthcoming in this area in order to fully understand the economic ramifications of these FTAs.
This paper attempts to examine the politics of the text of three contemporary movements that mode... more This paper attempts to examine the politics of the text of three contemporary movements that modern India has recently witnessed: the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest, the ‘Red Alert: You’ve got a Napkin’ drive, and the ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ protest; and the subsequent political ramifications that have emerged thereafter. With the ascendance of a strong Hindu-Right wing government at the centre and a gradual expansion of a moralist regime, these movements mark an interesting interruption; deploying ‘desire’ as a form of radical dissent the movements have earned the ire of not only the moral brigade of the Hindu Right but also factions of the Left who fail to see its political relevance, dubbing it as exclusivist and elitist. The fractious moment of political modernity witnessed a coming together of two ends of the political spectrum, the Left and the Right, over the question of gender, desire, transgression, eroticism and agency. Tracing the trajectory from ‘Pink Chaddi campaign’ to ‘Suddh Desi Romance’ via ‘Kiss of Love’, this paper seeks to interrogate the following: what does it mean to be ‘political’ in contemporary times? What are the discontentments that equate the Red and the Saffron brigades? Taking the cue from Ranciere and Badiou, I shall examine two distinct aspects: the ‘politics’ of the movement and its ‘political’ relevance and anxiety that it has generated.
Step-wise hydrogenation of benzene, naphthalene and pyrene to yield the corresponding saturated d... more Step-wise hydrogenation of benzene, naphthalene and pyrene to yield the corresponding saturated derivatives has been examined at the AM1/RHF level in order to understand the graphite-diamond conversion in a hydrogen plasma. Hydrogenation of these aromatics proceeds readily with a negligible activation barrier, suggesting that saturation of a graphite surface by interaction with hydrogen atoms is likely to be very facile. Addition of CH3. and C2H. radicals to a partially saturated hydrocarbon is shown to yield adamantane, which can act as the nucleation site for diamond growth, a situation that also obtains with partially hydrogenated graphite.
... Although the reductive perturbation technique of Taniuti &amp; Wei (1968) yields the wave... more ... Although the reductive perturbation technique of Taniuti &amp; Wei (1968) yields the wavespeed (1.1) when &amp; = O(1) and the &amp; = 0 extension by Teymur &amp; Suhubi (1978) can be applied to a restricted class of problems, no general techniques are available when (1.4) holds. ...
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were grown from the condensed phase by thermally post-anne... more Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were grown from the condensed phase by thermally post-annealing of a soot-like material, possibly containing precursors for SWNT growth. The soot-like material was obtained by laser ablation of Ni–Co–graphite composite targets at 550–700 °C. This initial material did not contain any SWNTs but post-annealing treatment inside an electric furnace at 1200 °C under argon flow resulted in SWNTs. The soot-like material prepared at lower temperatures (room temperature to 400 °C did not yield SWNTs even after post-annealing. These results indicate that the precursors for the growth of SWNTs can form only above a certain threshold temperature, about 550 °C. Once these precursors are present, SWNTs can grow by annealing of the metal–carbon mixture. A growth model is proposed based on these results.
Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by laser ablation of Ni–Co-graphite composi... more Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were synthesized by laser ablation of Ni–Co-graphite composite targets at 1200°C under argon gas. The effects of the temperature gradient near the target and the gas flow rate on the diameter distribution of SWNTs were studied in order to understand their growth dynamics. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the diameter distribution of SWNTs. The flow rate was found to affect the relative yields of SWNTs having different diameters when the temperature gradient around the target was large. Scattering images from the ablated species at different flow rates, recorded by a high-speed video camera, indicated that 10 ms after the ablation the velocities of backward moving species increased with increasing flow rate. These findings are used to estimate the time required for determining the diameter distribution and the growth of SWNTs.
Time evolution of emission by carbon nanoparticles generated with a laser furnace technique was i... more Time evolution of emission by carbon nanoparticles generated with a laser furnace technique was investigated with a high-speed video camera. Assuming blackbody radiation formula for small spherical particle, the internal temperature of these carbon nanoparticles was determined as a function of time delay (Δt) after laser vaporization. It was found that the internal temperature of them drastically decreased at Δt 60 and other higher fullerenes in the soot were found to be high, an increase in the blackbody emission intensity could be recognized for longer wavelength ( 660 t > 400μs. This finding suggests that a certain exothermic process related to the formation of C60 and other higher fullerenes should occur at Δt > 400μs inside the furnace.
We report our high-pressure Raman studies on single-wall carbon nanotube bundles carried out up t... more We report our high-pressure Raman studies on single-wall carbon nanotube bundles carried out up to 25.9 GPa. The intensity of the radial modes decreases more drastically as compared to that of the tangential modes. The former could be followed up in pressure runs to 3 GPa. The most intriguing observation is the anomalous pressure behaviour of the 1594 cm−1 tangential mode between 10 and 16 GPa. This feature, as well as the pressure dependence of intensity, peak position and linewidth, are reversible on decompression. The anomalous pressure dependence is argued to be associated with faceting of the tubes in the bundle, showing their remarkable resilience.
Pyrolysis of organometallic precursors such as metallocenes and iron pentacarbonyl as well as of... more Pyrolysis of organometallic precursors such as metallocenes and iron pentacarbonyl as well as of their mixtures with hydrocarbons such as acetylene or benzene has been carried out under a variety of conditions to synthesize nanotubes. While the use of benzene as a hydrocarbon source generally yields multi-walled nanotubes, it has been possible to obtain single-walled nanotubes (∼1 nm diameter) by pyrolyzing a metallocene or a mixture of metallocenes along with acetylene under a high flow rate of Ar. These experiments show that the organometallic precursor produces small nanoparticles of ∼1 nm diameter which then catalyze the formation of the single-walled nanotubes. Copious quantities of aligned-nanotube bundles have been obtained by the pyrolysis of acetylene in the presence of high concentrations of ferrocene. Nanorods have been produced by the pyrolysis of ferrocene under vacuum. Single walled nanotubes can be filled or decorated by metals.
A few of the recent investigations on carbon nanotubes have been directed toward understanding th... more A few of the recent investigations on carbon nanotubes have been directed toward understanding the mechanism of their growth in the presence of metal particles. 1-4 It seems to be generally accepted that metallic particles act as catalysts for the graphitization of carbon present in ...
Encapsulated and hollow closed-cage onion-like structures of WS2 and MoS2 were prepared by laser ... more Encapsulated and hollow closed-cage onion-like structures of WS2 and MoS2 were prepared by laser ablation of the corresponding layered structures in argon atmosphere at four varied temperatures. A detailed study for WS2 indicates that only metal-filled onion-like structures are produced at temperatures T⩽650°C, whereas a mixture of metal-filled and hollow structures are produced at T⩾850°C. The encapsulated metal is identified to be predominantly the metastable β phase of tungsten. Very short tube-like or elongated polyhedral structures are also obtained at high temperatures.
To determine the reliability of four commonly used tests to confirm the placement of the Veres ne... more To determine the reliability of four commonly used tests to confirm the placement of the Veres needle during closed laparoscopy and their ability to determine other complications of entry.A prospective observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).A university-affiliated teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia.Three hundred forty-five women undergoing closed laparoscopy using Veres needle peritoneal insufflation.The double click test, the hanging drop test, the aspiration test, and the initial five pressures at the time of insufflation following Veres needle placement were assessed for their sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for correct intraperitoneal placement of the needle and the presence or absence of any complication such as preperitoneal insufflation, omental emphysema, or visceral injury.Complications occurred in 65 (18.8%) of 345 women, with preperitoneal insufflation in 19 (5.5%) of the 345, a superficial gastric injury in 1 (0.3%), and omental emphysema in 45 (13%). There was poor sensitivity and positive predictive values for preinsufflation tests. The first five pressures after commencement of insufflation were a sensitive predictor (79%) of complications, particularly preperitoneal insufflation (100% sensitivity for this complication). When two or more passes of the Veres were required, there was a significantly greater chance of preperitoneal insufflation (χ2 = 20.5, p <.0001). Preperitoneal insufflation was not reported when the first five successive insufflation pressures were less than 10 mm Hg.The double click, aspiration, and hanging drop tests provide very little useful information on the placement of the Veres needle at the time of closed laparoscopy. The initial gas pressures provide considerable information on the placement of the Veres needle, in particular the likelihood of preperitoneal insufflation. We conclude that the initial gas pressure is the only valuable measure to reflect correct intraperitoneal Veres needle placement.
This paper analyses trade policies in Southeast Asian countries in their wider Asian and global c... more This paper analyses trade policies in Southeast Asian countries in their wider Asian and global contexts. In essence, it not only compares and contrasts trade policies in individual Southeast Asian countries, but also analyses these policies in the context of regional and global ...
Aligned carbon nanotubes have aroused much interest because of their mechanical properties1,2 as ... more Aligned carbon nanotubes have aroused much interest because of their mechanical properties1,2 as well as their interesting anisotropic optical and other properties.2 Aligned carbon nanotube films have also been considered to be good candidates as electron field ...
Gas-phase pyrolysis of acetylene along with a metallocene or with a binary mixture of metallocene... more Gas-phase pyrolysis of acetylene along with a metallocene or with a binary mixture of metallocenes in flowing Ar or Ar + H2 at 1100°C yields single-walled carbon nanotubes. Pyrolysis of Fe(CO)5-acetylene mixtures in Ar at 1100°C also gives single-walled nanotubes. The diameter of the nanotubes is generally around 1 nm, showing thereby that on pyrolysis under the dilute conditions employed, the organometallic precursors give rise to very fine metal particles essential for the formation of such nanotubes.
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