28 research outputs found
Methyl ester synthesis of Pistacia khinjuk seed oil by ultrasonic-assisted cavitation system
No full textSynthesis of biodiesel from a non-edible source as Pistacia khinjuk seed oil via ultrasonic cavitation (UC) system is reported in this study. A heterogeneous catalyst sulphated tin oxide impregnated with silicon dioxide (SO42-/SnO2-SiO2) was employed during the transesterification reaction in an UC reactor. Parametric optimisation results revealed the maximum Pistacia khinjuk methyl ester (PiKME) yield was 88 wt.% at reaction time of 50 min, amplitude of 50%, catalyst amount of 3.5 wt.% and molar ratio of 13:1 (alcohol:oil). Performance of UC at optimised values was compared with mechanical stirring (MS). UC proved advantageous over MS with 3 times more time efficient. Hence, the superiority of UC over MS was established. About 3.2 fold higher reaction rate constant using UC (0.029 min(-1)) compared to MS (0.009 min(-1)). PiKME production via UC can potentially subsidise the overall cost of production by having 3.2 fold higher reaction rate constant than MS. PiKME met most of the fuel properties enlisted in EN14214 and ASTM D6751 standards
Theory of Optimal Taxation and Current Tax Policy in Pakistan’s Agriculture
Get PDFpublic finance into the mould of classical welfare economics by emphasising minimisation of dead weight losses resulting from the imposition of a tax or faulty tax structure. As such, these modern theories have much in common with the traditional approach in terms of efficiency and equity. In spite of this, however, the differences remain. For example, the former theories adhere strictly to the norms of classical welfare economics which treats individual consumers as utility maximisers where improvements in welfare involve change that makes one individual better-off without making someone else worse-off [Stern (1987)]. In contrast to the emphasis of traditional theories on lump-sum taxes, the optimum tax literature is concerned with the implication of using non-lump-sum taxes which have a wider range and therefore more useful to the policy-maker. The recent work on normative tax theory looks at the impact of taxation on individual decisions and the trade off between raising revenues or redistributing tax burdens and the efficiency losses [Atkinson (1987)]. Finally, the optimal tax literature may be more pragmatic in its approach than traditional works as it realistically deals with government objectives and constraints and combines them into models that are sufficiently rich to allow for differences between people regarding income and expenditure patterns.
The Constitution of Pakistan Issues: Challenges and Options
No full textOn August 14th, 1947, Pakistan was carved out on the map of the world for the Muslims of India in order so that they could live in peace and harmony, according to the principles of Islam, free to pursue all spiritual and worldly endeavours in a homeland of their own. Though full of hope and nationalistic fervour; the people of Pakistan were unable to fully realize the dream of their own personalized utopian state because of a variety of devastating crises plaguing the newly born state. From the pro9blems of the refugees to the crippling water and food shortage to the failing healthy of the father of the nation and a serious lack of capable political leaders at the helm of the state, the resultant ominous delay in constitution-making caused serious issues that were to plague Pakistan for the year to come. The lack of consensus between the two wings of the state in all matters ranging from the relationship between Islam and the state to the issue of selecting the national language causes Pakistan to be without a constitution for nearly nine years and in a state of perpetual political chaos and instability. Two constitutions and numerous heads of state later, in 1973 a constitution was formulated that had been the product of a democratically elected legislature. However, it failed to create a balance of power between the various branches of government and especially the balance between the powers of the army and the government. Numerous such issues and the challenges faced by the constitution today are discussed in the following pages and several thought provoking options have also been suggested with particular emphasis of strengthening the legislature and making the parliamentthe true sovereign body it needs to be
Vacuum Distilled Post Blend Crude Palm and Rubber Seed Oil Methyl Esters: Optimisation and Parametric Studies
No full textAbstractOptimisation studies on post blended crude palm and rubber seed oil methyl esters were investigated. Post blended characteristics of methyl esters have been studied before and after vacuum distillation. The fuel properties of methyl esters met the international criteria of EN 14214 and ASTM D6751. Influential parameters that effects transesterification reaction have been analysed and optimised by response surface methodology. Catalyst loading and reaction temperature are the most influential variables which effects the methyl esters conversion. The optimised values were found to be alcohol to oil ratio of 6:1, catalyst loading of 1 wt%, reaction temperature of 65oC and reaction time of 2.5h
Design and Implementation of IoT-Enabled Intelligent Fire Detection System Using Neural Networks
No full text12th International Conference on AI and Mobile Services, AIMS 2023 -- 23 September 2023 through 26 September 2023 -- Hawaii -- 302359Fire detection systems are considered an integral part of any building. However, most fire detection systems use a single passive sensor that usually faces some unavoidable problems, especially with the use of simple processing systems using threshold and trend algorithms. Although more than a single sensor and fire information are used in some existing systems, the real-time fire information and firefighting forecasting are not monitored. Such information facilitates good decision making in firefighting and rescue operations. This paper develops a fast and smart fire detection and monitoring system that can detect and monitor fire incidents with low probability of detection error. The system involves IoT sensors that detect all necessary fire information including heating release rate smoke level, and CO2 level. Moreover, a fire detection and monitoring model based on artificial neural networks is developed to identify fire information in real-time. The proposed system was tested in a chamber box with around 20 experiments. The positive fire detection rate was high with fast fire detection rate. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Exploring Novel Inhibitory Compounds Against Phosphatase Gamma 2: A Therapeutic Target for Male Contraceptives
No full textMen have limited options for contraception, despite the widely accepted public health benefits of it, placing the contraceptive burden solely on women. The current study focuses on inhibiting the PP1γ2 enzyme, which plays a role in sperm maturation and motility. The study considered three top compounds based on the findings of molecular docking. The three compounds exhibited a good interaction profile with a binding affinity score of D751-0223 (−8.7 kcal/mol), D751-014 (−8.1 kcal/mol), and N117-0087 (−8 kcal/mol) measured in kcal/mol. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) were performed on the PP1γ2–ligand complexes along with the Apo form. The results suggested that all the complexes were stable with no major deviations observed compared to Apo. The average RMSDs for PP1γ2-D751-0223, D751-014, and Apo were 1.27 Å, 1.73 Å, 1.39 Å, and 1.69 Å, respectively. The PP1γ2–ligand complexes were observed with unique salt bridge interactions such as Glu133-Arg137, Asp4-Lys107, Asp188-Arg116, and Glu120-Arg90. The principal component analysis (PCA) findings indicated that every complex had a distinctive motion state. Furthermore, the net MM/PBSA scores for D751-0223, D751-0143, and N117-0087 were −80.01 kcal/mol, −72.18 kcal/mol, and −64.26 kcal/mol, respectively, while the MM/GBSA and MM/PBSA values were −82, −73.07,−67.26 and −80.01, −72.18, −64.26, measured in kcal/mol, respectively. The WaterSwap energy estimation was performed to validate the former technique, and the findings demonstrated that PP1γ2-D751-0223 is a stable complex, with a value of −51.05 kcal/mol. This work provides a baseline to researchers for the identification of novel therapeutic approaches for non-hormonal male contraceptives
Carbohydrate reserves of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) at various environmental factors under growth chamber experiments
No full textApril, 1974.On cover: Grassland Biome, Ecosystem analysis studies, U.S. International Biological Program.Includes bibliographical references (pages 32-33)
The effects of environmental stresses on growth of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) in environmental control growth chambers
No full textUnpublished material prepared primarily for internal use in the US-IBPGrassland Biome program.July 1973.On cover: Grassland Biome, Ecosystem analysis studies, U.S. International Biological Program
Varying occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase bacteria among three produce types
No full textA monitoring effort that spanned across 1.5 years was conducted to examine three types of produce-associated microbiota. The average amount of antibiotic-resistant bacteria recovered from lettuce, tomato, and cucumber was 1.02 × 1010, 2.05 × 107, and 4.78 × 109 cells per 50 g of each produce, respectively. A total of 480 bacterial isolates were obtained and identified from their 16S rRNA genes, revealing isolates that were ubiquitously recovered from all three types of produce. However, sporadic presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii was detected on lettuce and cucumbers but not tomatoes. End-point PCR revealed that the K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii isolates were positive for genes encoding extended spectrum beta-lactamase. Whole genome sequencing of two of the K. pneumoniae isolates further suggested the presence of the blaCTX-M-15 gene in a conjugative plasmid, as well as other antibiotic resistance genes and virulence-associated traits in either conjugative plasmids or the chromosomal genome. Quantitative microbial risk assessment indicated varying levels of ingestion risk associated with different types of produce. In particular, the risk arising from ESBL-positive K. pneumoniae in lettuce, but not in cucumbers or tomatoes, was higher than the acceptable annual risk of 10−4.
Practical applications
Three types of vegetables were sampled and evaluated over 1.5 years to determine differences in their associated bacterial isolates. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying pathogenic strains that were positive for extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Quantitative estimates of the microbial risk associated with the ESBL-positive pathogens showed that different produce types may incur varying levels of ingestion risk. Most of the currently reported ESBL-positive bacterial isolates have been identified in nosocomial environments. However, the carriage of such drug-resistant bacteria in vegetables suggests a possible connection between our daily diet and human health.The authors would like to thank Ms. Alaa Ragab and the students of EnSE314 Public Health Microbiology Spring 2015 for processing some of the samples. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous respondents who took part in the survey that provided information on dietary consumption rates of the different produce. This work is funded by KAUST Baseline funding BAS/1/1033–01-01 awarded to P.-Y. Hong
Basic sample collection and handling procedures for the grassland biome, 1972 season
No full textJune 1972
