• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.1230-1236
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• 2016

This study aims to determine the effect of fly ash with a high replacing ratio of clay on the radiation shielding properties of bricks. Some interaction parameters (mass attenuation coefficients, half value layer, effective atomic number, effective electron density, and absorption efficiency) of clay fly ash bricks were measured with a NaI(Tl) detector at 661.6 keV, 1,173.2 keV, and 1,332.5 keV. For the investigation of their shielding behavior, fly ash bricks were molded using an admixture to clay. A narrow beam transmission geometry condition was used for the measurements. The measured values of these parameters were found in good agreement with the theoretical calculations. The elemental compositions of the clay fly ash bricks were analyzed by using an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. At selected energies the values of the effective atomic numbers and effective electron densities showed a very modest variation with the composition of the fly ash. This seems to be due to the similarity of their elemental compositions. The obtained results were also compared with concrete, in order to study the effect of fly ash content on the radiation shielding properties of clay fly ash bricks. The clay fly ash bricks showed good shielding properties for moderate energy gamma rays. Therefore, these bricks are feasible and eco-friendly compared with traditional clay bricks used for construction.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제34권10호
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• pp.3005-3012
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• 2013

The effect of Mn-promotion on high surface area Al-pillared montmorillonite (AlMMT) supported Co nanoparticles prepared by hydrothermal method have been investigated. A series of different weight% Mn-promoted Co nanoparticles were prepared and characterized by XRD, TPR, TGA, BET and SEM techniques. An increase in the surface area of MMT is observed with Al-pillaring. Fischer-Tropsch catalytic activity of the as prepared catalysts was studied in a fixed bed micro reactor at $225^{\circ}C$, $H_2/CO$ = 2 and at 1 atm pressure. The data showed that by the addition of Mn the selectivity of $C_1$ dropped drastically while that of $C_2-C_{12}$ hydrocarbons increased significantly over all the Mn-promoted Co/AlMMT catalysts. The $C_{13}-C_{20}$ hydrocarbons remained almost same for all the catalysts while the selectivity of $C_{21+}$ long chain hydrocarbons decreased considerably with the addition of Mn. The catalyst with 3.5%Mn showed lowest $C_{21+}$ and highest $C_2-C_{12}$ hydrocarbons selectivity due to cracking of long chain hydrocarbons over acidic sites of MMT.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.152-155
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• 2000

The contents of various capsaicinoids viz. nordihydrocapsaicin (NDC), capsaicin (CAP), and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) were determined in different parts of fruits (placenta, pericarps, seeds, and whole fruits) at different developmental stages after flowering and compared with the capsaicinoid synthetase (CS) activity. The capsaicinoid contents were very low up to 24 days after flowering (DAF), and there was a significant increase at 36 DAF in all parts of fruits. The enzyme activity of placenta increased to maximum at 24 DAF, and thereafter it gradually decreased. There were no significant amounts of enzyme activities in other parts of the fruits. In Subicho (inbred line) the content of DHC was slightly higher than CAP in all parts. of the fruits throughout the development stages of fruits, whereas in Chung Yang the CAP content was higher compared to the DHC content. The contents of total capsaicinoids in Chung Yang were also higher than Subicho. However, the crude enzyme extract obtained from Chung Yang led to the synthesis of DHC almost exclusively when the substrate, 8-methyl nonanoic acid, was added to the reaction mixture. Our results suggest that the composition of individual analogue of capsaicinoids depends upon the substrate available in the fruits.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.6-20
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• 2016

Scholarly communication plays a significant role in the development and dissemination of research outputs in library and information science (LIS). This study presents findings from a survey which examines the key attributes that characterize the publishing by Pakistani LIS scholars, i.e. academics and professionals, in national journals. A pilot-tested, electronic questionnaire was used to collect the data from the target population. 104 respondents (or 69.3% of target) provided feedback on areas such as number of articles published, number of citations, and the nature of any collaboration with other authors. The findings of this survey revealed that, among the various designated regions of Pakistan, the Punjab region was the most highly represented. In articles published in national journals, there was a clear preference among all respondents to collaborate with at least one other author. The citation metrics for LIS articles in national journals were relatively low (30.22%), which aligns with Scimago’s Journal and Country Rankings. The uptake of social scholarly networks mirrors international trends. Respondents were asked to score factors which could impact negatively on their ability to undertake research and/or publish the results. The study recommends that concerned stakeholders work together, as appropriate, to address concerns. In addition, it recommends that further research be undertaken to define patterns of Pakistani co-authorship in the social sciences.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.48-61
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• 2017

This paper uses 601 cited papers of Pakistani LIS researchers with the purpose to examine the individual performance of these Library and Information Science (LIS) researchers in terms of their research output and its impact on the LIS (national/international) literature by using various bibliometric indicators. A list of 139 authors was compiled with the help of the Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and some other sources. Data were collected from Google Scholar and SPSS version 20 was utilized in order to identify the relationship between self-citations and various performance indices of the authors. The average citations received per paper vary from 1.80 to 10.08. About half of the papers were single-authored whereas less than one-fifth were by three or more authors. The authors who worked in collaboration produced more papers and received more citations. The h-index, g-index, hI-index, hI-norm, and e-index were used to determine the rank for each author. The intra-group citations grid revealed the volume of self-citations and a small group who cite each other more due to close academic and social relationships. The correlations between self-citations and the impact indices used revealed significant differences. Findings are useful for concerned institutions regarding award, promotions, etc. Further, future research should seriously consider the self-citations and social networking of authors while examining their citations-based research performance.

• 한국음향학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국음향학회 1994년도 FIFTH WESTERN PACIFIC REGIONAL ACOUSTICS CONFERENCE SEOUL KOREA
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• pp.662-667
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• 1994

This paper presents the design and construction details of a soundproof enclosure for housing 20 KVA diesel generator-set. As the generator had to be installed close to the hospital building, it was desirable to reduce the transmission of noise by housing the generator in such an enclosure. The diesel engine being an air cooled one, it was essential to supply fresh air into the enclosure for its cooling. Forced inflow of air is provided through an inlet duct located in such a way that the incoming fresh air is thrown close to the inlet of cooling fan of the engine. The high velocity air stream, which heats up while passing over the engine head, escapes to the atmosphere through a rectangular outlet duct with enlarges inlet that receives hot air from the engine. The air ducts were designed specially and have been provided with acoustic lining for sound absorption. The masonary enclosure has been provided with double glazed fixed windows and double doors. The exhaust pipe of the engine fitted with a muffler has been taken out through the enclosure wall facing away from the hospital. Acoustic performance studies conducted in terms of attenuation provided by the enclosure at different frequencies have also been presented and discussed. The noise control measures adopted for building the sound-proof enclosure have been found to be quite effective as the noise levels inside the hospital building are now within the acceptable limits.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.17-29
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• 2017

Geopolymer concrete is environmentally friendly and could be considered as a construction material to promote the sustainable development. In this paper fly ash based geopolymer concretes with different percentages of alccofine were made by mixing sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate as an alkaline activator and cured at ambient as well as heat environment in an electric oven at $90^{\circ}C$. Effects of various parameters such as the percentage of alccofine, curing temperature, a period of curing, fly ash content, was studied on compressive strength as well as workability of geopolymer concrete. The study concludes that the presence of alccofine improves the properties of geopolymer concrete during a fresh and hardened state of concrete. Geopolymer concrete in the presence of alccofine can be used for the general purpose of concrete as required compressive strength can be achieved even at ambient temperature. The 28 days compressive strength of 73 MPa, when cured at 90-degree Celsius, confirmed that it is also very suitable for precast concrete components.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.31-38
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• 2021

Purpose: This paper uses the resource-dependency theory to present the case of the Pakistan sugar industry to highlight how the industry uses a strategic alliance to gain a powerful bargaining position over its critical dependencies. The case of the Pakistan sugar industry is well-known and it is common knowledge that the alliance or the cartel within it is responsible for frequent price hikes and sugar supply shortages in the country. Research design, data and methodology: We use a case study, qualitative document analysis design to trace how the alliance overcomes its various dependencies, and in doing so, how does it harm various stakeholder interests. Results: This paper finds that the sugar industry alliance maintains its bargaining power by manipulating sugar supply through horizontal alliances, political affiliations, underselling and under-reporting sugar stocks, purchasing sugarcane from the black market, and by gaining billions of rupees in export subsidies by hoarding stock and using its political connections. Conclusion: The paper concludes by providing a summary of the measures which the government has taken to curb this anticompetitive conduct; the most important of which is the removal of protectionist measures for sugar trade and allowing market forces to control the demand and supply of sugar in the local market.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권10호
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• pp.207-218
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• 2021

The present research intends to examine the herding aspect during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study is conducted to achieve specific objectives, so the underlying sampling technique is purposive sampling. The considered data source is the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Daily stock prices of 528 listed companies in PSX have been taken from the official website of PSX from 1998 to 2021. The current study envisions investigating the herding aspects for pre-pandemic and the time covering the pandemic period. The study has also targeted ten sectors of PSX. The present study's motive is to investigate investors' herding prospects before and during the pandemic in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) and its selected sectors. Daily closing stock prices of listed companies have been collected from the official website of PSX to calculate the stock returns. The Cross-Sectional Absolute Deviation (CSAD) has been used as a herding measure. Findings revealed that herding has not been observed in PSX during both time spans and even not during the bullish and bearish trends. However, robust sectoral evidence has been observed during the pandemic. It implies that investors in PSX tend to follow the crowd irrespective of making their own decisions to avoid further losses.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권5호
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• pp.639-648
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• 2021

The study aims to examine the role of financial risk management in predicting the financial performance of commercial banks in Pakistan over the period of 2006-2017. For this purpose, risk management is measured through credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk, while financial performance is measured through ROA, ROE, and ROI. For this purpose, the dynamic panel model and two step GMM panel estimators are used to test the hypothesis empirically. The annual secondary data has been taken from the published financial reports of commercial banks of Pakistan. The results show that financial risk management significantly decreases the financial performance of commercial banks in Pakistan. Overall, the results are conclusive across the alternative measures of financial risk management in predicting the financial performance of the banking sector in Pakistan. The study suggested that managers should adopt risk management and risk hedging strategies to manage commercial banks' financial risks in Pakistan. They should hold extra cash while using the trade credit facilities. Previous studies mostly used a static model, but this study used a dynamic panel model. This study is among the first that focused on the various factors affecting the banks' performance in Pakistan.