Showing papers by "Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research published in 1994"

Chemical mass balance model for source apportionment of aerosols in Bombay

Abstract: Aerosol samples collected within an industrial region of Bombay were analyzed for elemental concentrations using inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy, ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Nineteen elements were selected as tracers of identified sources of aerosol in the region. The U.S. EPA chemical mass balance model was employed for source apportionment. Seven major source types were identified and the performance of the model was evaluated at different sampling locations. Model results were unsatisfactory at highly polluted sites in the study regions. It was found that U.S. EPA source profiles are not suitable for such regions in India and site-specific source profiles should be used in the application of chemical mass balance for source apportionment.

Further insight into the mechanism of biosorption of heavy metals by Ganoderma lucidum

Abstract: The mechanism of biosorption of heavy metals by Ganoderma lucidum was investigated using a combination of biochemical and instrumentation methods. The mechanism evolved to be one of ion exchange with calcium ions originally present in the structural core of the fungi. The site appeared to be oxygen dominant as showed by a marked preference to oxygen seeking elements.

A Stochastic Bottleneck Transportation Problem

Abstract: In this paper, a stochastic bottleneck transportation problem, which aims at minimizing the transportation time target subject to a chance constraint, is formulated and an algorithm based on a parametric programming approach is developed to solve it. Further, assuming the transportation costs to be deterministic, a trade-off analysis between the transportation time target and the total cost is given. In addition, methods are developed which give the whole spectrum of optimal solutions to the problems mentioned above. The algorithms are illustrated by numerical examples. The computational complexity of the algorithms is also discussed.

The Linear Complementarity Problem with Exact Order Matrices

Abstract: Dedicated to Professor K. G. Ramamurthy on the occasion of his 60th birthday. A real n by n matrix A is called an NP-matrix of exact order k if the principal minors of A of order 1 through n + k are negative positive and n-k + 1 through n are positive negative. In this paper the properties of exact order 1 and 2 matrices are investigated, using the linear complementarity problem LCPq, A for each q ∈ Rn. A complete characterization of the class of exact order 1 based on the number of solutions to the LCPq, A for each q ∈ Rn is presented. In the last season we consider the problem of computing a solution to the LCPq, A when A is a matrix of exact order 1 or 2.

Operational Planning of Power System: An Integrated Approach

Abstract: Power system operational planning to utilize the existing capacity in the best possible manner is of prime importance and is particularly relevant in a developing economy. This modeling exercise presents an integrated approach for the multiarea short-term operational planning of the power system. It considers various related activities like coal mining, transportation, generating unit maintenance and generation scheduling, demand-side management options, and unmet energy distribution among different areas in case of inadequate system capacity. The power system operations are required to meet multiple objectives, namely minimizing the total costs, minimizing the total emissions, and maximizing the generating system reliability (minimizing the loss of load expectation). A compromise programming approach is adopted to arrive at the best compromise among these noncompensatory objectives. Thus it is a systems approach to power system planning that uses a multiobjective framework to integrate all relat...

Informal Gold Mining and Mercury Pollution in Brazil

Abstract: The case for index funds is predicated on the observed inability of active managers to outperform market indexes over long periods. Agency conflicts between investors and fund managers are another important motivation, as index funds benefit from simple, unambiguous accountability. The rise of index funds over the past 25 years has been a remarkable phenomenon. The traditional rationale for the success of index funds is market efficiency, net of transaction costs. Shah and Fernandes also focus on the role of agency conflicts between fund managers and investors, which are hard to resolve, given the low power of statistical tests of performance. Most of the empirical evidence about the superiority of index funds comes from the United States. Shah and Fernandes discuss issues associated with the application of index funds in developing countries, as well as policy issues in the financial sector that affect the enabling market infrastructure for index funds. They also apply these ideas to thinking about the relevance of index funds for pension investment. The equity premium provides powerful motivation for equity investment by pension funds. Index funds make it possible to sidestep the complexities of forming contracts and monitoring institutions to govern fund managers. In developing countries that seek to use index funds in pension investment, there are avenues through which policymakers can make index funds more viable. In many countries there are significant avenues for improving construction of the market index as well as market mechanisms used in the equity market. This paper - a product of Finance, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to study the promotion of pension funds.

Tax Policy and Human Capital Accumulation in a Resource Constrained Growing Dual Economy

Abstract: This paper examines the role tax policy can play in fostering human capital accumulation in a resource constrained dual economy whose population is growing The study shows how human capital accumulation, in turn, affects intersectoral terms of trade and the economic growth process of a dual economy The dual economy is assumed to consist of two basic sectors, agriculture and manufacturing Production in agriculture requires unskilled labor and capital whereas production in the manufacturing sector requires skilled and unskilled labor and capital Schooling facilities are limited and access is rationed by the government Moreover, schooling requires an investment of time The paper demonstrates the existence of a unique short run equilibrium It also demonstrates that the steady state equilibrium is unique and locally stable Comparative steady state analysis suggests that a balanced budget increase in public investment in education (financed by a tax increase on capital income and/or incomes of skilled workers), alters the terms trade between agriculture and manufacturing sectors and favorably affects the economic growth process

Patterns of Causality between Public Expenditure and Growth of Money and National Income in India

Abstract: We use the argument of Lutkepohl (1982), and Ahsan, Kwan, and Sahni (1992) to model causal relation between public expenditure and national income growth in India during the period 1951-1989. The "omitted" variable considered is the rate of growth of Ml. It is revealed that the pattern of causality is affected by the inclusion of the "omitted" variable. Several empirical hypotheses of significance with regard to these macro/fiscal variables are tested. Implications for policy are also drawn.