Kinetics of invertase synthesis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in synthetic medium

Present investigation deals with optimization of appropriate substrate concentration and incubation temperature both for growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and invertase production. Submerged fermentation technique was employed in the present study. The maximal production of invertase during the course of study was achieved after 48 h of incubation using initial sucrose concentration, 15.0 g l-1. The sugar consumption and dry cell mass were also examined. Data was subjected to kinetic analysis and on the basis of kinetic parameters such as Yp/x (amount of enzyme produced mg-1 cell mass), Yp/s (amount of enzyme produced mg-1 sugar consumed), Yx/s (mg cells mg-1 substrate consumed), Ys/x (mg sugar consumed mg-1 cell mass produced), qp (Amount of enzyme produced mg-1 sugar consumed h-1), qs (mg mg-1 cells h-1), qx (mg cells mg-1 sugar consumed h-1), µ (mg cells produced h-1), it was found that temperature had a direct influence both on substrate consumption and synthesis of enzyme. Similarly, higher concentrations of sucrose in fermentation medium induced catabolite repression of yeast invertase

Joint Development Agreements: Towards Protecting the Marine Environment under International Law

Utilization of the marine natural resources without protecting the marine environment may disseminate hazardous effects on the marine life. Under the United Nations Convention on law of the Sea (UNCLOS), state parties bear general obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. Responsibility of protecting the marine environment has also been imposed by a number of international environmental and human rights conventions, mandated by the United Nations. Therefore, states are collectively responsible to safeguard the marine environment. Inclusion of environmental protection provisions, into the Joint Development Agreements (JDAs), was previously being neglected by the states, but as to the up-to-date practice, various states have been showing their commitments to protect and preserve the marine environment by including environmental protection provisions into the Joint Development Agreements. However, some states are still reluctant to include environmental protection provisions into their JDAs. This paper tries to examine the efforts made by different state parties regarding the protection and preservation of marine environment under the scope of joint development agreements. Moreover, this paper draws the attention of costal sates towards the best practices set by various countries in their joint development cooperation mechanisms aimed at protecting aquatic environment in disputed waters. Keywords: Joint Development, environmental protection, marine

Death Penalty Suspension Approach in Pakistan with Chinese Characteristics

Since the death penalty abolition campaign started, Pakistan is lagging behind to do any substantive reforms in the penal system. The reason for retention of death penalty is rooted in the Islamic injunctions which Pakistan being Islamic Republic cannot ignore. Any contradictory provision will be declared null and void and unconstitutional as the preamble of Constitution of Pakistan 1973 expressly mention it. Keeping in mind the case of Pakistan where complete abolition seems difficult but is willing to reduce it to maximum extent. The article doing a comparative analysis of penal system of Pakistan and China, bring a suitable model that can help reduce the death penalty. Pertaining to the situation of China which is also ambitious to reduce the execution but not convinced yet to complete abolition, the Chinese model of “suspended death penalty” which is well recognized and practical to reduce the executions can serve as a good model for Pakistan to follow. The article will provide the analysis of situation of Pakistan penal system and the compatibility of Chinese model as a perfect extension for reducing the number of executions though not complete abolition. It also narrates the working mechanism of suspended death penalty of China and its effectivity regarding civilizing death penalty regime. Keywords: Death penalty, suspended death penalty, abolition, China, Pakistan penal code

A Comparative study of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms: The case of China and Pakistan Ф

Disputes between foreign investors and host state are most complex and crucial being one is a private investor and other an independent state and the ostensible purpose of investor-state dispute settlement is to protect foreign investors from economic damages arising by the host-government policies or actions. The present work is based on the comparative study, which determined how domestic and international investment laws are involved in resolving investor-state disputes in China and Pakistan, and enlightens the latest legislative developments regarding investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms. Keywords: Comparative study, Investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, China, Pakistan, ICSID, BITs, and FTA

Effect of glass powder on the rheological and mechanical properties of slag-based mechanochemical activation geopolymer grout

This article discusses the effects of glass powder (GP) replacements and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) molarity on the rheological, fresh, mechanical and microstructure characteristics of slag-based mechanochemical geopolymer (MG) grout. A conventionally activated geopolymer grout and an ordinary Portland cement (OPC) grout were also investigated for comparison. Four glass powder replacement ratios were used (0%, 10%, 20% and 30% by the total precursor weight) to prepare slag-based mechanochemical geopolymer at three NaOH concentrations (1.25, 2.5 and 3.75 molars). The experimental results showed that the rheological behaviour of MG grouts was considerably reduced, whereas the setting time and the bleeding capacity value increased when slag was substituted with 0%–30% GP. However, after 28 days, the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) improved by 2%–13% when 10%–20% GP was used as a slag replacement, then dropped by 4% when 30% GP was substituted. The results confirmed that both geopolymer grouts irrespective of the activation method had shorter setting time and more stable bleeding capacity than OPC grout. The results also revealed that the UCS of geopolymer grout is enhanced by 18% when the source materials are activated by the mechanochemical method compared to the conventional activation of geopolymer grout. The microstructure results revealed that the activation method had a considerable effect on the microstructure of geopolymer grout because the ball milling process increased the surface area and reduced the particle size of slag compared to conventionally activated geopolymer grout. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Us vs Them: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Nadeem Aslam’ Novel ‘The Golden Legend’

The paper explores the unequal power relationships between the two religious groups (Muslim majority and Christian minority) in Pakistan. The discourse in Nadeem Aslam’s novel “The Golden Legend’ is critically analyzed to discover the unequal relationships and power imbalance between the majority and the minority. The discursive patterns in literary discourse are analyzed using Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach and ideological squaring. The purpose is to reveal how opposing concepts are linked to the participants through discourse structures using multiple strategies. The text shows the positive representation of Muslims and the negative representation of Christians which ultimately results in ‘the powerful’ and ‘the powerless’. Keywords: Critcal Discourse Analysis, Ideological Squaring, Novels DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/98-06 Publication date:September 30th 202

Analysis of user-generated content from online social communities to characterize and predict depression degree

The identification of a mental disorder at its early stages is a challenging task because it requires clinical interventions that may not be feasible in many cases. Social media such as online communities and blog posts have shown some promising features to help detect and characterise mental disorder at an early stage. In this work, we make use of user-generated content to identify depression and further characterise its degree of severity. We used the user-generated post contents and its associated mood tag to understand and differentiate the linguistic style and sentiments of the user content. We applied machine learning and statistical analysis methods to discriminate the depressive posts and communities from non-depressive ones. The depression degree of a depressed post is identified using variations of valence values based on the mood tag. The proposed methodology achieved 90%, 95% and 92% accuracy for the classification of depressive posts, depressive communities and depression degree, respectively. </jats:p

Discrimination in Nationality Laws: A case study of Pakistan

Citizenship is one of the fundamental human rights mentioned in Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Pakistan ratified the declaration in 1948. However, Pakistan is still lagging behind in achieving the objectives of the Convention on Human Rights and gender-based discrimination persists in the Pakistan Citizenship Act. Under section 10 of Citizenship Act 1951, a married Pakistani man is allowed to obtain Pakistani citizenship for his foreigner wife, but there is no parallel provision for the female citizen of Pakistan to transfer her nationality to her foreigner spouse. Pakistan ratified also the convention on the elimination of all kind of discrimination against women in 1996, but there is not satisfactory implementation in terms of equal rights. The researcher aims to highlight the legal protection of women's rights in Pakistan and to identify the area of ​​inequality and discrimination in the Pakistan Citizenship Act. The article analyzes that many political, social, cultural and religious factors are contributing to this situation and, with such complexities, the fabricated right involved is also partial to grant equal rights to women. The research shows that the less number of women legislators, lack of awareness, low status of women in Pakistan, stereotypical division of labor, misinterpretation of the teachings of Islam and Koran, nationalist ideologies and interests, are some of the factors responsible for the promulgation of discriminatory laws in the country. The study is qualitative in nature and the reference cases and judgments involved have been taken to highlight the situation of victims to analyze the effects of such laws on female citizens. At the end, this study proposes some recommendations for legislatures to ensure equality and repeal or amend discriminating laws against women in Pakistan. Key words: Pakistan, Gender discrimination, Nationality law, Equalit

Perceived Justice, Perceived Price Fairness, and Perceived Severity Effecting Switching Intention: A Moderation by Switching Cost in Pakistan Telecom Industry

The study investigated the association between perceived justice, perceived price fairness, and severity of service failure on customer's intention to switch telecommunication services in southern Punjab, Pakistan. The study used the Push-Pull-Mooring model and Justice Theory as a framework. The data was collected through a survey questionnaire using convenience sampling and analyzed using SPSS and Smart (PLS). Results showed that perceived justice and switching cost were the most significant predictors of switching intention. Perceived price fairness and severity of service failure had no significant impact. Switching cost successfully moderated the association between perceived justice and switching intention. The study concluded that telecommunication agencies in Pakistan must focus on perceived justice to prevent customers from switching. The study offers theoretical and practical recommendations for future research. &nbsp

A Timbuktu manuscript expressing the mystical thoughts of Yusuf-ibn-Said

This article is based on a Timbuktu manuscript listed in a digital form on the Library of Congress – Global Gateway. The authors of this article were involved in the translation and exegesis of the manuscript. Of significance, aside from the translation, is the exegetical analysis of the manuscript which was translated and written simultaneously in a poetic form so as to bring forth the intended beauty of the author of the manuscript. From the eighty-eight lines, eighty-three are dedicated to theosophical ethical thoughts as well as to the spiritual sarcasm of the author. The context addresses a reciprocal relationship between God and humanity and how humanity can experience the highest form of happiness in this world and the hereafter. Therefore this manuscript is not only a mystical text but also contributes to Islamic ethics. In the exegesis of the translated work, Qur’anic verses were incorporated to lend support to the text where necessary.http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jsram2017Science of Religion and Missiolog