Sharif Digital Repository

The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 has amplified debate on the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has persisted for more than a century. This article dissects the legitimacy and ethical implications of Israel’s military actions in Palestine and argues that the thin line between self-defence and aggression has been excessively surpassed by Israel’s actions against the Palestinians. to the analysis of this article is the application of Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and also an assessment of the implication of genocide in light of Israel’s actions. This article presents a scrutiny of ramifications of Israel’s invocation of self-defence in the... 

The deployment of drones for targeted killings in recent years has sparked intense debates regarding the ethical and legal implications of their deployment in contemporary conflicts. Through an examination of the complexities surrounding the application of fundamental international humanitarian law (IHL) principles - such as differentiating targets and ensuring a proportionate response - and their deployment, the article aims to illuminate the potential legal ramifications of using drones in targeted killing. It also highlights challenges arising from the ambiguous distinction between combatants and non-combatants, compounded by the remote nature of drone missions. The inclusion of a few... 

Gender-based discrimination remains a pervasive issue despite gender equality being recognised as a fundamental human right. In Southeast Asia, where over two hundred and forty million Muslims reside, the challenge of gender discrimination continues to affect women, although Islam serves as the predominant religion. This study examines the policy and legal reforms adopted by Islamic nations in Southeast Asia—Specifically Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand (Southern Thailand), and the Philippines—in their effort to combat gender discrimination. This research mainly aims to assess the effectiveness of these reforms in addressing both legal frameworks and cultural practices that contribute... 

In this study, a nonlinear absorber that works with a negative stiffness mechanism is suggested to mitigate vibration, and its effect on the reduction of vibration is investigated. The negative stiffness, which is inherently nonlinear, creates internal resonance; therefore, the vibration energy can be transmitted from low-frequency to high-frequency vibrating modes, causing vibration suppression. The nonlinear absorber is added to the primary nonlinear system, and when the main system is subjected to external resonance due to harmonic excitation, the negative stiffness parameter of absorber is so adjusted that autoparametric resonance occurs and vibration is reduced. First, the mathematical... 

In this study, a nonlinear absorber that works with a negative stiffness mechanism is suggested to mitigate vibration, and its effect on the reduction of vibration is investigated. The negative stiffness, which is inherently nonlinear, creates internal resonance; therefore, the vibration energy can be transmitted from low-frequency to high-frequency vibrating modes, causing vibration suppression. The nonlinear absorber is added to the primary nonlinear system, and when the main system is subjected to external resonance due to harmonic excitation, the negative stiffness parameter of absorber is so adjusted that autoparametric resonance occurs and vibration is reduced. First, the mathematical... 

This paper investigates the static and dynamic buckling of an anchored cylindrical steel tank subjected to horizontal and vertical ground acceleration. The buckling capacity of the tank is estimated using static pushover (SPO) and incremental dynamic analyses (IDA). Appropriate load patterns due to the horizontal and vertical components of ground excitations are utilized for SPO analyses. The buckling capacity curves and critical buckling loads computed using SPO analyses are compared to those obtained from IDA. A proper vertical to horizontal acceleration ratio (av/ah) for SPO analysis is proposed that leads to good agreement between SPO and IDA results. © 2017  

In the current work, the results of full-scale laboratory testing of 114.3 and 168.3 mm in diameter steel gas distribution pipes buried at different depths and in two different soil types under a reverse fault offset of 0.6 m are presented and discussed in terms of longitudinal strain distribution, pipe deformation, and cross-section distortion. Results show that the pipe deformation and accordingly its failure mode, and soil failure planes change with increasing burial depth. It was also found that severe cross-section distortion occurs at about 2.3 times the strain limit for onset of wrinkling suggested by various guidelines. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC  

In the current work, the results of full-scale laboratory testing of 114.3 and 168.3 mm in diameter steel gas distribution pipes buried at different depths and in two different soil types under a reverse fault offset of 0.6 m are presented and discussed in terms of longitudinal strain distribution, pipe deformation, and cross-section distortion. Results show that the pipe deformation and accordingly its failure mode, and soil failure planes change with increasing burial depth. It was also found that severe cross-section distortion occurs at about 2.3 times the strain limit for onset of wrinkling suggested by various guidelines. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC  

Mental health is a sensitive and culturally significant issue, with stigma often hindering recovery and raising concerns about justice for offenders with mental disorders, especially in Muslim-majority communities like Brunei. Recent statistics show a rise in individuals seeking mental health care, with 13,246 reported cases, indicating a growing crisis. The relationship between mental illness and criminality is intensely debated, with legal concepts like “legal sanity” central to criminal law. Mental health conditions can lead to human rights violations, threatening civil liberties, access to education, housing, and employment. Stigma and misconceptions exacerbate these issues, obstructing... 

Single phase Ca-substituted W-type hexaferrites Sr1-xCaxZn2Fe16O27(x = 0.00(0.25)1.00) have successfully been synthesized by using sol–gel self-combustion at 1300°C. These hexaferrites are investigated by x-ray difrractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and vector network analysis. XRD analysis confirms the formation of a single W-type hexaferrites phase. The DC electrical resistivity increases with incrementing Ca contents. The morphology of all the hexaferrites shows hexagonal platelet-like structure. The prepared ferrites depict soft magnetic nature with high saturation... 

This study sought to explore the effect of the administration of long-term, exogenous oxytocin on buffalo milk. In this study, newly-calved postpartum buffaloes (Nili-Ravi) (n = 24) were divided equally into three groups: (control without oxytocin – CON, 10 i.u. oxytocin – LOW, 30 i.u. oxytocin – HIGH). Oxytocin was injected twice a day before each 154-day milking. Milk production, milk composition, somatic cell counts, and progesterone (P4) were evaluated daily, weekly, and fortnightly, respectively. Results revealed that the HIGH group produced high milk production and pH values, but lower milk density than the CON and LOW groups. The HIGH group and LOW group had higher milk fat and... 

The major objectives of this study are to analytically and experimentally determine the residual resistance factor in the fractured medium based on the polymer solution properties and operational conditions. The parameters considered in this study are the polymer concentration, power law constitutive equation parameter, and salt concentration, sulfonation content of polymer, temperature, and molecular weight of the water soluble polymers which are used in polymer flooding for enhanced oil recovery. The results indicated that residual resistance factor in fractured medium is dependent on the coil overlap parameter and power law equation parameter of polymer. The coil overlap parameter is a... 

Permanent ground displacement (PGD) caused by surface faulting is considered as one of the most significant hazards affecting buried pipelines. Pipelines crossing reverse-slip faults are subjected to compressive actions (stresses and strains) which can result in buckling of the pipe. In current work, the results obtained from the full-scale laboratory testing and finite element analyses of 4″ (114.3 mm) and 6″ (168.3 mm) steel gas pipes (without internal pressure) buried inside a split box and subjected to a reverse faulting of 0.6 m (pure dip-slip) are presented. These pipes are commonly used in gas distribution lines and networks. The experimental setup, procedure and instrumentation as... 

In this work, Sr-substituted samples of single-phase spinel monoferrites with chemical formula Ba1-xSrxFe2O4 (x = 0.00, 0.33, 0.67, 1.00) were synthesized using sol-gel auto-combustion method. In order to confirm the single-phase formation of these samples, a sample (x = 0.00) was chosen for heat treatment at different temperatures (100, 300, 400, 600 and 700°C) for 4 h. The heat treated sample was then investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and results showed that a single-phase sample can be successfully synthesized at a temperature of 600°C, which is much lower than that reported in earlier literature for synthesis of same structured samples. All the synthesized samples were... 

Pushover analysis is a simplified nonlinear analysis technique that can be used to estimate the dynamic demands imposed on a structure under earthquake excitations. One of the first steps taken in this approximate solution is to assess the maximum roof displacement, known as target displacement, using the base shear versus roof displacement diagram. That could be done by the socalled dynamic pushover analysis, i.e. a dynamic time history analysis of an equivalent single degree of freedom model of the original system, as well as other available approximate static methods. In this paper, a number of load patterns, including a new approach, are considered to construct the related pushover... 

Nonlinear static methods are simplified procedures in which the problem of evaluating the maximum expected response of a MDOF system for a specified level of earthquake motion is replaced by response evaluation of its equivalent SDOF system. The common features of these procedures are the use of pushover analysis to characterize the structural system. In pushover analysis both the force distribution and the target displacement are based on the assumptions that the response is controlled by the fundamental mode and that the mode shape remains unchanged after the structure yields. Therefore the invariant force distributions does not account for the change of load patterns caused by the plastic... 

This article presents, for the first time, a comparative analysis of two different solution methodologies for the numerical investigation of flow and thermal behavior of Casson fluid through a channel having linearly extending lower wall while the upper wall is kept at rest. MHD Casson fluid boundary layer flow is supposed to be steady, laminar, viscous, and incompressible. We have taken into account the mixed convection effects, whereas the usual no slip condition has been imposed on both walls. The Navier–Stokes equations for the proposed model have been converted into nonlinear and coupled system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by employing similarity variables, which are then... 

Performance evaluation of drilling fluids is essential for a successful drilling project, as they not only remove drill cuttings but also prevent undesired penetration or outflow of formation fluids by sealing off wellbore walls. However, concerns have been raised about the use of chemical additives in drilling fluids due to their toxicity and non-biodegradability. To this end, agricultural waste materials are recognized as a promising alternative as they are cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and can be used as a substitute for lost circulation materials. Rice husk ash (RHA) has become popular as an additive due to its renewable characteristics, including its large surface area,... 

A numerical study is carried out on buried steel and high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines subjected to oblique-reverse faulting. The components of the oblique-reverse offset along the horizontal and normal directions in the fault plane are determined using well-known empirical equations. The numerical model is validated using the experimental results and detailed finite element model of a 114.3 mm (4==) steel gas pipe subjected to a reverse fault offset up to 0.6 m along the faulting direction. Different parameters such as the pipe material, the burial depth to the pipe diameter ratio (H/D), the pipe diameter to wall thickness ratio (D/t), and the fault–pipe crossing angle are...