Performance Evaluation of Modified Bitumen with Replaced Percentage of Waste Cooking Oil & Tire Rubber with Bagasse Ash as Modifier

Flexible pavements are the major type of pavement use in recent days. Bitumen is the main constituent’s part of flexible pavement. Bitumen is the by-produce of petroleum. The depleting reserve of petroleum led researcher to look for alternative binder. This research work explicitly aim at replacing certain percentage of bitumen with Tire Rubber powder (TR), Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) in the presence of Bagasse Ash (BA) as a modifier. Physical test were performed to determine optimum percentages of TR, WCO and BA that can be used as a percentage replacement in bitumen. Result shows that up to 20 % of bitumen can be successfully replaced without affecting performance of bitumen. Performance Tests such as Dynamic Shear Rheometer, Rotatory thin film oven, Pressure aging Vessel and Bending Beam Rheometer were performed on modified samples for its physical and rheological properties. Modified bitumen showed good resistance against rutting, skidding and low temperature cracking. The research work directly contribute in developments of alternative binder for flexible pavement which is a leading research trend these days and environmental friendly initiative

The User-Education Programs in the University Libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Quantitative Study

This study evaluated the User Education Programs (UEPs) in the Public Sector Universities’ libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This study aimed to explore the overall scenario of the user’s education, to probe how much time is allotted for UEPs, what methods and approaches of UEPs are in practice and to suggest the measures for improving user education programs in the libraries. The data from the target sample was collected through questionnaire which was then analyzed as per the objectives of the study. The study identified 34 central and departmental libraries in the six universities of the Southern Part of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All the universities’ central and departmental libraries offered users education programs to their users. The UEPs were conducted by the library staff and the faculty members of the respective departments. The most adopted methods or approaches for user education programs were lecture library tours and demonstration. Most of the respondents suggested that there should be a written policy for UEPs, the instruction sessions should be conducted on regular basis, and the UEPs should be organized at the departmental level

Ensuring Redd+ Safeguards For Socioeconomic Sustainability Of Forest Dependent Mountain Communities (A Case Study Of Private Forests Of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan)

Pakistan has joined UN-REDD program and started REDD+ initiatives in 2010. Darel and Tangir valleys in Gilgit Baltistan have been selected as one of the potential sites identified for REDD+ demonstration in the country. However, the implementation of REDD+ seems challenging as the forests in Darel and Tangir are owned by communities and their important livelihoods are dependent on these forests. The efficient pre-planning, therefore, requires special focus on social and economic safeguards. The main purpose of this study was to identify the potential REDD+ safeguards associated with livelihoods, forest land tenure and access rights and the local community participation in the private forests located in dry temperate mountain areas. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the current forest resource based livelihoods and their relationship with the overall well being status of the mountain communities living in private forests (ii) to explore the current forest land tenure systems and access rights of the dependent communities and (iii) to identify the potential safeguards related to livelihoods, land tenure and access rights as well as community participation. The areas selected for this study were private forests of Darel and Tangir Valleys situated in the Northern Province i.e. Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. A Case study approach was adopted for this study and a total of 128 households were randomly selected from ten village of both the valleys targeted at three groups i.e. religious leaders, members of village organization and local community. The data was analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics

Xenopus NM23-X4 regulates retinal gliogenesis through interaction with p27Xic1

Background. In Xenopus retinogenesis, p27Xic1, a Xenopus cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, functions as a cell fate determinant in both gliogenesis and neurogenesis in a context dependent manner. This activity is essential for co-ordination of determination and cell cycle regulation. However, very little is known about the mechanism regulating the context dependent choice between gliogenesis versus neurogenesis. Results. We have identified NM23-X4, a NM23 family member, as a binding partner of p27Xic1. NM23-X4 is expressed at the periphery of the ciliary marginal zone of the Xenopus retina and the expression overlaps with p27Xic1 at the central side. Our in vivo functional analysis in Xenopus retina has shown that knockdown of NM23-X4 activates gliogenesis. Furthermore, co-overexpression of NM23-X4 with p27Xic1 results in the inhibition of p27Xic1-mediated gliogenesis, through direct interaction of NM23-X4 with the amino-terminal side of p27Xic1. This inhibitory effect on gliogenesis requires serine-150 and histidine-148, which correspond to the important residues for the kinase activities of NM23 family members. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that NM23-X4 functions as an inhibitor of p27Xic1-mediated gliogenesis in Xenopus retina and suggests that this activity contributes to the proper spatio-temporal regulation of gliogenesis

Unsteady axisymmetric flow and heat transfer over time-dependent radially stretching sheet

AbstractThis article address the boundary layer flow and heat transfer of unsteady and incompressible viscous fluid over an unsteady stretching permeable surface. First of all modeled nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed to a system of ordinary differential equations by using similarity transformations. Analytic solution of the reduced problem is constructed by using homotopy analysis method (HAM). To validate the constructed series solution a numerical counterpart is developed using shooting algorithm based on Runge-Kutta method. Both schemes are in an excellent agreement. The effects of the pertinent parameters on the velocity and energy profile are shown graphically and examined in detail

Improving the Aging Resistance of Asphalt by Addition of Polyethylene and Sulphur

With the increase in demand of flexible pavements, due to their various advantages over rigid pavements, there is a need to improve the aging properties of the bitumen in order to enhance its resistance against different types of distresses such as rutting, fatigue cracking. This research focus on the use of one polymeric additive Polyethylene (PE) and one non polymeric additive Sulphur (S) to enhance the aging resistance of asphalt. These modifiers are evaluated for their effect on the aging mechanism in comparison with the unmodified bitumen. Aging of the original and modified bitumen is realized by the Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO) and Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV). Physical properties of the aged and unaged asphalt binders are evaluated through empirical testing like penetration, ductility and softening point test. Optimum content of the modifiers is obtained by comparing the results of conventional properties before and after aging. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) are performed to bring out the chemical and morphological changes in the modified binder. Rheological properties of modified asphalt are evaluated with the help of a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). Results indicate improvement in physical properties of the modified asphalt even after the aging. Penetration index increased which shows less temperature susceptibility of the modified binders. Carbonyl and sulfoxide index are used as aging indicators which shows reduction in case of modified samples. Decrease in the sulfoxide and carbonyl index indicates better oxidation resistance of the modified samples. Morphological analysis proves good compatibility of the modifiers with asphalt binders. DSR results indicate improved viscoelastic properties of the modified binders. Hence it can be concluded that Polyethylene and Sulphur are good options to improve the aging resistance of asphalt in terms of their cost effectiveness and environment friendly nature

Correlation of Cervical Vertebral Maturation and Tooth Mineralization of Mandibular Second Molar

OBJECTIVES To determine the correlation between skeletal maturity and mandibular second molar calcification. METHODOLOGY A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Saidu College of Dentistry from 15th January to 30th October 2022. One hundred participants of Pakistani descent, aged 8-16 years (both genders), with ANB greater than 50 and presence of all permanent teeth excluding 3rd  molars, were included. Medically compromised, syndromic patients, those who had undergone previous orthodontic treatment, and cases with extracted permanent teeth were excluded. Skeletal maturity was determined by analyzing the cervical vertebrae maturation index (CVMI) on lateral cephalogram according to Baccetti et al. and mandibular second molar calcification according to the Demijian Index from panoramic radiographs. The Spearman correlation test was run for correlation assessment.RESULTSThe mean age was 11.81±1.62 years. There were 49 (49%) males and 51 (51%) females. A perfect correlation (100%) was found between CVM stage I and dental stage C. The concordance between CVM stage II and dental stage D was found in 21 (91.30%). The correlation between tooth mineralization and CVM stages was very high and statistically significant (r=0.97, p<0.001). Similarly, the correlation between CVM and chronological age was also high and statistically significant (r=0.8, p<0.001). The correlation was also significantly increased in males and females (r=0.97, p<0.001). CONCLUSION The tooth mineralization stages of the mandibular second molar can be used to assess growth as an alternative to cervical maturation staging

Leadership and Educational Excellence through Mediating Role of Total Quality Management Implementation: An Empirical Evidence from Higher Education Institutes

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leadership and educational excellence with the mediating effect of total quality management. The data was collected from the private sector higher education institutes of Lahore. Questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data from 150 respondents comprising of students’, teachers’ and non-academic administration from six private sectors higher educational institutes of Lahore. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that leadership positively influences educational excellence in the higher education institutes whereas, this mechanism is partially supported considering total quality management as the mediating variable. This study is novel and has implications for the higher education institution

Youth in Pakistan: Priorities, realities and policy responses

Youth is a pivotal stage during which the right policies and interventions in the health, social, educational, and economic sectors can protect young people against risks, and turn the trajectories of their lives toward a safe and productive path of growth. This report explores some of the key issues facing youth in Pakistan, in the main spheres marking their transition to adult roles. It also presents the results of an age-based segmentation analysis capturing where youth in Pakistan stand in terms of school enrollment, work force participation, and marriage, with a view to identifying the broad developmental priorities for each cohort. This is followed by a brief look at current policies and strategies, and the interventions of government and nongovernmental stakeholders for youth development. The report concludes with remarks about the adequacy of current arrangements for affording our youth healthy transitions to adulthood, and preliminary suggestions for future research and action

THE EFFECTS OF DEMUTUALIZATION ON EXPANSION OF STOCK MARKET GROWTH: EVIDENCES FROM INDIAN STOCK MARKET AND LESSON FOR PAKISTAN STOCK EXCHANGE (PSX)

The decision to transform an exchange’s governance andownership structure is influenced by globalized market trend whichallows exchanges to gain from the benefits of internationalizationand integration. This article examines the impact ofdemutualization on stock market indicators. Bombay StockExchange and National Stock Exchange of India were taken asstatistical frame. Wilcoxon sign rank test, Pair sample T-test, andMANOVA were used as statistical techniques. Pre-Post researchdesign was used and data (4 years before and 4years after thedemutualization) were collected from the website of the worldfederation of the exchanges. The result of Wilcoxon sign rank testand Pair sample T-test indicates significant differences in stockindex, market capitalization, value of share trading and the numberof listed companies before and after the demutualization of Indianstock exchanges. Likewise, the results of MANOVA elucidatessignificant influence of demutualization on stock market indicators,and conclude that demutualization leveraged Indian stockexchanges to a great extant