Book Review of Nuclear Weapons Free Zones: A Comparative Perspective

In 1957, when Adam Rapacki put forth the Rapacki Plan, the first nuclear weapon–free zone (NWFZ) proposal, the world had no idea this proposal would form one of international relations’ most critical subjects. Since then, authors such as Michael Hamel-Green, Ingemar Lindahl, Oluyemi Adeniji, Tad Daley, and Sverre Lodgaard have made scholarly contributions to elucidate the emergence of NWFZs in different regions that cover over 100 countries. Prior to the end of the Cold War, Ramesh Thakur edited a book, Nuclear Weapons Free Zones, that discussed the four NWFZs established before the Central Asian NWFZ. Thakur also organized the different scholars’ assessments of the existing obstacles to establishing four other prospective NWFZs in Northeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the Southern Hemisphere

The Determinants of Food Prices: A Case Study of Pakistan

Controlling prices is one of the major tasks for the macroeconomic policy-makers. The recent oil price hike that shifted the policy towards biofuels and some natural calamities increased food prices around the world. This paper analyses the demand- and supply-side factors that affect food prices in Pakistan. Long-run relationship is analysed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) for the period 1970 to 2008. The result indicates that supplyside factors (subsidies and world food prices) have a significant impact on food prices , whereas demand-side factors, such as money supply, are the main cause of the increase in food prices in the short as well as the long run. The error correction is statistically significant and shows that market forces play an active role to restore the long-run equilibrium.Food Prices, ARDL Approach, Pakistan

Energy band diagram of In2O3/ Si heterojunction

Crystalline In2O3 Thin films have been prepared by flash evaporation. We have studied the crystal structure of as deposited at 303K and annealed at 523K using X-ray diffraction. The Hall Effect measurements confirmed that electrons were predominant charges in the conduction process (i.e n-type).It is found that the absorption coefficient of the prepared films decreases with increasing Ta. The d.c conductivity study showed that the conductivity increase with increasing Ta , whereas the activation energy decreases with increasing Ta. Also we study the barrier tunneling diode for In2O3/Si heterostructure grown by Flash evaporation technique. (capacitance-voltage C-V) spectroscopy measurements were performed at 303 K and at the annealing temperature 523K. The built in voltage has been determined and it depends strongly on the annealing process of the heterojunction. From all above measurements we assumed an energy band diagram for In2O3 /Si(P-type) heterojunction

Synthesis of Substituted 1-Deazapurines via Pd/Cu Catalysed C-H Activation, Substituted Naphthyridines, Quinoxalines, and Trifluoromethyl-Substituted Arenes by Pd(0)-Catalysed Cross-Coupling Reactions

The Pd/Cu catalyzed reactions of 3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines (1-deazapurines) via C-H bond activation provided arylated 1-deazapurines. The arylation took place at position 2 of the 1-deazapurines. Pd(0)-catalysed Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling reactions of 5,7-dichloro-1,6-naphthyridine, 2,6-dichloroquinoxaline and 2,4-dichloro-1-(trifluoromethyl)benzene with different arylboronic acids afforded aryl-substituted naphthyridines, quinoxalines and trifluoromethyl-substituted di- and terphenyls with excellent site-selectivity. The first attack occurred at the more electronically deficient and sterically less hindered position.Die Pd/Cu-katalysierten Reaktionen von 3H-Imidazo[4,5-b]pyridinen (1-Desazapurinen) via C-H-Aktivierung lieferten arylierte 1-Deazapurine. Die Arylierung fand an Position 2 des 1-Desazapurins statt. Suzuki-Miyaura-Kupplungen von 5,7-Dichlor-1,6-naphthyridin, 2,6-Dichlorchinoxalin und 2,4-Dichlor-1-(trifluormethyl)benzol mit verschiedenen Arylboronsäuren ergab arylsubstituierte Naphthyridine, Chinoxaline, Trifluormethyl-substituierte Biphenyle und Terphenyle mit ausgezeichneter Regioselektivität. Der erste Angriff erfolgte an der elektronisch ärmeren und sterisch weniger gehinderten Position

The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Economic Activity: A Regime Dependent Impulse Response Analysis

Asymmetries in fiscal policies cannot be captured by linear time series models. In order to examine the asymmetry responses of output in different phases of the business cycle, Markov Regime Switching (MRS) model is an alternative technique that is used to achieve the objective.  The main objective of this study is to empirically explore the effects of fiscal shocks (spending and taxes) on Pakistan’s overall economic activity GDP while utilizing Markov Switching MS-VAR model. The model is characterized to allow for the variation in mean, coefficients and in error variances. The study results show that the effect of shocks and the size of multiplier varies across regimes confirming the asymmetric behavior of fiscal policy transmission mechanism. Moreover, the impact of positive spending shock has a stronger effect on output in the recession as compared to boom. One surprising result of the study is that the tax shock increases the output both in recession and boom. Lastly, spending and revenue behave a-cyclically. JEL Classification Codes: C11; C32; E6

The Perils of Non-State Actors in Pakistan: Assessing the Risks of Nuclear Safety and Security

Pakistan is facing security problems on multiple fronts, including economic default, social fragmentation, poor civil–military relations, political polarization, and environmental degradation. However, the biggest security threat comes from non-state actors (NSAs) and terrorism. Using empirical evidence, this research paper evaluates the risk of nuclear terrorism by NSAs in Pakistan. It adopts an interpretive approach to examine international concerns regarding nuclear security in Pakistan. The study focuses on the potential for technology and weapon-usable materials to fall into the hands of violent NSAs. It concludes that, despite ongoing security challenges, Pakistan has taken steps to strengthen its legislative and institutional measures to protect its nuclear infrastructure

Prospects & Challenges of Implementing Knowledge Management System in IT Industry

Recent past has seen an epidemic growth in the adoption of strategic information systems. In order to be successful, enterprises are putting in huge investments into implementation of information technology (IT) and knowledge management systems (KMS). KMS implementation in an IT industry has been discussed in this paper. Several challenges including multiple information sources, access control, and employee’s mistrust among others are being identified along with their possible solutions. Later foreseen benefits of KMS implementation including quicker problem identification, faster response time, and cost saving among others are being highlighted. The paper concludes with revealing future research possibilities

Fractional Transport Models for Shale Gas in Tight Porous Media

Modelling the flow of fluid through tight porous media, such as unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, is very challenging and it is a growing sector and must be addressed. Shale gas is found in such tight porous rocks which are characterized by nano-scale size porous networks with ultra-low permeability [1,2]. Please download the full abstract below