Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

About: Indian Institute of Technology Ropar is a education organization based out in Ropar, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Computer science. The organization has 1014 authors who have published 2878 publications receiving 35715 citations.

Effects of Drought and Flood on Farmer Suicides in Indian States: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract: The study examines the effects of drought and flood on farmer suicides using state-level panel data from 17 Indian states for the period 1995–2011. The empirical estimates based on unconditional fixed effect Negative Binomial model show that while drought significantly increases farmer suicides, flood has no direct impact on the same. The results also show that incidence of farmer suicides is higher in cotton producing states of India because these states experience frequent drought conditions. Furthermore, our findings reveal that states with high levels of rural poverty experience a higher number of farmer suicides as a result of frequent occurrence of droughts and moderate floods. To obtain robust results, fixed effect Poisson model has been used in the study. Overall, the findings are consistent with unconditional fixed effect Negative Binomial model. Hence, in light of the results obtained by this study, it is important for the government to devise suitable policies such as loan waiver for poor farmers, compulsory crop insurance scheme, improving farm income through revamping of agricultural marketing policies, creating public awareness among farmers and providing micro-irrigation facilities as well as introducing alternative cropping pattern in the drought prone areas in order to reduce the occurrence of farmer suicides.

Three Dimensional Nano “Langmuir Trough” for Lipid Studies

Abstract: A three-dimensional-phospholipid monolayer with tunable molecular structure was created on the surface of oil nanodroplets from a mixture of phospholipids, oil, and water. This simple nanoemulsion preparation technique generates an in situ prepared membrane model system with controllable molecular surface properties that resembles a lipid droplet. The molecular interfacial structure of such a nanoscopic system composed of hexadecane, 1,2-dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), and water was determined using vibrational sum frequency scattering and second harmonic scattering techniques. The droplet surface structure of DPPC can be tuned from a tightly packed liquid condensed phase like monolayer to a more dilute one that resembles the liquid condensed/liquid expanded coexistence phase by varying the DPPC/oil/water ratio. The tunability of the chemical structure, the high surface-to-volume ratio, and the small sample volume make this system an ideal model membrane for biochemical research.

Synthesis of zeolite Beta, MFI, and MTW using imidazole, piperidine, and pyridine based quaternary ammonium salts as structure directing agents

Abstract: The synthesis of zeolites is investigated using a variety of quaternary ammonium salts of imidazole, piperidine, and pyridine based structure directing agents. The materials were characterized by a complementary combination of X-ray diffraction, N2-adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Only suitable quaternary ammonium salts were able to form zeolites Beta, MFI, and MTW. Zeolites (especially Beta) obtained using these quaternary ammonium salts are nanocrystalline in nature and exhibited high surface area and pore volume compared to conventional zeolites. Experimental evidence and density functional theory studies suggest that a limited conformational freedom, provided by the cyclic structure of the quaternary ammonium salts, is an important prerequisite and acts as a structure directing agent for the synthesis of zeolites.