National Defence University, Pakistan

About: National Defence University, Pakistan is a education organization based out in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Decision support system. The organization has 802 authors who have published 816 publications receiving 3701 citations. The organization is also known as: National Defence University of Pakistan & National Defence University Islamabad.

Understanding the electronic transition of normal spinel structure of Co3O4 using GGA+U calculations

Abstract: The normal spinel cobalt oxide Co3O4 is considered as a magnetic semiconducting material comprising of cobalt ions with two oxidation states of Co2+ and Co3+. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation are employed to generate the structural, electronic and optical properties using Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) function. The Perdew-Burke-Ernzerh for solids (PBEsol) exchange-correlation functional approach successfully predict the semiconductor behaviour of Co3O4 but severely underestimates the band gap in relation to the experimental value. The GGA+U is performed in order to treat the Co-3d states and achieve the band gap of 1.26eV which agrees with the experimental results. For optical studies, here we unveil the predicted three assumed electron transition occurring in Co3O4 for O(2p)→Co2+(t2g), O(2p)→Co3+(eg) and Co3+(t2g)→Co2+(t2g).

Improvement of high velocity impact performance of carbon nanotube and lead reinforced magnesium alloy

Abstract: This paper presented the effect of strain rate changes due to Carbon Nanotube (CNT) and Lead addition in Magnesium Alloy, AZ31B on high velocity impact performance. This metal is normally used to fabricate armored vehicle panel. The changing strain will affect the strain rate and had been widely used in automotive applications to accommodate high velocity impact. High strain rate material was applied on the armored vehicle to withstand the impact of the projectile. AZ31B alloy was reinforced with CNT and Lead using Disintegrated Melt Deposition (DMD) method. AZ31B ingots were melted at a temperature of 660 oC and produced the reinforcement of CNT and Lead during the melting process. Mixed materials were completely inserted into the mold for further process. Microstructure analysis was performed to observe the variance structure of samples. The high velocity impact experiment was performed using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar machine. The diameter of the sample was 18 mm with 12.5 mm thickness. The addition of materials such as CNT and Lead into AZ31B had increased the material strain rate. The effect of increasing the strain rate was in line with the increase of energy absorption. The result showed that the strain rate had increased about 30% from the original material, AZ31B and consequently also increased the energy absorption. Thus, the addition of CNT and Lead would increase the strain rate of the original material of magnesium alloy and hence increase the energy absorption capability during impact.

Assessment of academic/non‑academic factors and extracurricular activities influencing performance of medical students of Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia

Abstract: Background: Physical and mental comfort is known to have a crucial influence on health and performance amongst medical students. Very often, medical students suffer from poor quality of life (QOL) related to the work-life balance due to the lack of sleep, nutritional and dietary disorders and low physical activity, resulting in a negative impact on their academic performance. This study aims to determine the potential academic/non-academic factors and extra-curricular activities influencing the performance of medical students in Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, UniSZA, Terengganu, Malaysia. A sample size of 300 respondents were recruited from Year I to V medical students. The questionnaire was adopted, modified and validated from a similar study in Saudi Arabia. Results: Majority of the students enjoy medical education are self-motivated, have a good command of English, non-smokers and have a sufficient sleep. Conclusion: University medical students possess good QOL within the optimum educational environment.

Statistical analysis for validating ACO-KNN algorithm as feature selection in sentiment analysis

Abstract: This research paper aims to propose a hybrid of ant colony optimization (ACO) and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms as feature selections for selecting and choosing relevant features from customer review datasets. Information gain (IG), genetic algorithm (GA), and rough set attribute reduction (RSAR) were used as baseline algorithms in a performance comparison with the proposed algorithm. This paper will also discuss the significance test, which was used to evaluate the performance differences between the ACO-KNN, IG-GA, and IG-RSAR algorithms. This study evaluated the performance of the ACO-KNN algorithm using precision, recall, and F-score, which were validated using the parametric statistical significance tests. The evaluation process has statistically proven that this ACO-KNN algorithm has been significantly improved compared to the baseline algorithms. The evaluation process has statistically proven that this ACO-KNN algorithm has been significantly improved compared to the baseline algorithms. In ...

Fiscal decentralization and poverty alleviation: A case study of Pakistan

Abstract: According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic is going to exacerbate the situation of poverty. It predicts that the poverty rate could rise by 0.3 to 0.7 percentage points, to around 9% in 2020. This study aims at providing insights into poverty in Pakistan and analyzes the impact of fiscal decentralization on poverty alleviation. According to the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan houses roughly 210 million poor people. This study follows the data between 1975 and 2018, applying a unit root test to station this data. The statistical models are developed with a view to the autoregressive distributed lag co-integration technique for estimation. The findings of the study conclude that fiscal decentralization has a direct and indirect impact in eradicating poverty. We thus conclude that the government should provide autonomy to the provinces in Pakistan, as the central government alone cannot tackle and understand the local problems. Therefore, the government must adopt a fiscal decentralization policy. This study further suggests that the government should effectively utilize the progressive taxation strategy to maximize revenues and cater to poverty alleviation. © 2021 Policy Studies Organization.