Faheem Ali | Sindh University Jamshoro (original) (raw)

Papers by Faheem Ali

The organotin complexes of the general formulae R 2 SnL 2 , R 2 SnLCl and R 3 SnL where R = C 4 H... more The organotin complexes of the general formulae R 2 SnL 2 , R 2 SnLCl and R 3 SnL where R = C 4 H 9 , C 6 H 5 , and C 7 H 7 and L = 2-[(2,6-dichlorodiphenyl)amino]benzene acetate, were subjected to thermal decomposition by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The decomposition of these compounds occurs mostly in two steps. Kinetic parameters such as order of reaction (n), activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (∆H ‡ ) and entropy (∆S ‡ ) of activation were calculated by using the Coats and Horowitz methods. The calculated values are in good agreement with observed TG values that confirm the structural integrity of the complexes.

The influence of coating thickness on the formability and ductility of hot-dip-aluminized steel h... more The influence of coating thickness on the formability and ductility of hot-dip-aluminized steel has been determined using a 3-point bend test and optical metallography. The ductility / formability was estimated from the 3-point bend test wherein the angle of bend at which the cracks start to appear on the surface of the aluminized sheet during bending, was taken as an index of the formability / ductility. It was observed that as the amount of silicon in the aluminizing melt was gradually increased the measured ductility of the sheet sample also increased. Metallographic examination has shown that as the amount of silicon in the aluminizing melt was increased the thickness of the intermediate compound layer, between the outer aluminum coat and the substrate steel, decreased. It was thus indicated from these experiments that the formability / ductility of the sheet was inversely related to the thickness of the interlayer.

Reproduction Fertility and Development, 2010

Materials Science and Engineering B-advanced Functional Solid-state Materials, 2011

We report here highly dense and pure metallic cadmium (Cd) multifarious prismatic microcrystals (... more We report here highly dense and pure metallic cadmium (Cd) multifarious prismatic microcrystals (CMPMCs) fabricated by thermal decomposition of cadmium oxide (CdO) powder at 700 °C for 60 min under NH3 gas ambient inside horizontal tube furnace. CMPMCs were observed to be 1–1.5 μm in size with interesting morphologies of various cross sections such as triangular, trapezoidal, pentagonal and hexagonal etc. having solid, hollow/semi-hollow appearances. The as-synthesized CMPMCS were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum for Cd metal microcrystals exhibited a prominent emission band at 365 along with a shoulder peak at 404 nm. The UV main emission band is ascribed to radiative recombination of the electrons in the s, p conduction band near the Fermi surface and holes in the d bands generated under xenon light excitation whereas shoulder peak may be owing to surface oxidation effects or induced defects. This study shows the potential of CMPMCs for applications in optical devices. Based on vapour–solid (VS) process, growth mechanism for the formation of CMPMCs is also proposed and discussed briefly.► Cd prismatic microcrystals are prepared by thermal reduction of CdO under NH3 gas. ► Vapour-solid (VS) process based growth mechanism governs the formation of CMPMCs. ► PL spectrum for CMPMCs exhibits UV band at 365 nm and visible emission at 404 nm. ► This study shows the potential of CMPMCs for applications in optical devices.

Materials Letters, 2011

Highly pure and large-scale single crystalline cadmium (Cd) metal hexagonal nanosheets with 10–12... more Highly pure and large-scale single crystalline cadmium (Cd) metal hexagonal nanosheets with 10–12 nm thickness were obtained by catalyst-free thermal decomposition of cadmium oxide (CdO) powder under nitrogen gas at 1000 °C. The as-prepared product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum for Cd nanosheets exhibited three very distinct emission bands at 360 nm, 402 nm and 426 nm. UV emission band at 360 nm is attributed to radiative recombination of electrons in the s, p conduction band near the Fermi surface and the holes in the d bands generated by xenon light excitation whereas visible emission bands at 402 nm and 426 nm may be due to surface oxidation effects or induced defects in the nanosheets. The growth mechanism for the formation of Cd metal hexagonal nanosheets is also proposed and discussed briefly.► High yield Cd hexagonal nanosheets are prepared by thermal decomposition of CdO. ► Vapor-solid mechanism mainly governs the formation of Cd hexagonal nanosheets. ► PL spectrum for Cd nanosheets exhibits one UV and two visible emission bands.

Journal of Systems and Software, 2007

A good fit between the person and the organization is essential in a better organizational perfor... more A good fit between the person and the organization is essential in a better organizational performance. This is even more crucial in case of institutionalization of a software product line practice within an organization. Employees' participation, organizational behavior and management contemplation play a vital role in successfully institutionalizing software product lines in a company. Organizational dimension has been weighted as one of the critical dimensions in software product line theory and practice. A comprehensive empirical investigation to study the impact of some organizational factors on the performance of software product line practice is presented in this work. This is the first study to empirically investigate and demonstrate the relationships between some of the key organizational factors and software product line performance of an organization. The results of this investigation provide empirical evidence and further support the theoretical foundations that in order to institutionalize software product lines within an organization, organizational factors play an important role.

SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector forms as much as 99% of business entities around the wo... more SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector forms as much as 99% of business entities around the world. While SMEs in developed economies are getting fair attention of policy makers, those in developing economies, particularly in South Asia, are yet to get such attention. Being the primary suppliers to most exporting rms, or being exporters themselves, the performance of SMEs can

Engineering Failure Analysis, 2008

Large diameter butt-weld tee-joints (30-in. × 18-in.) on high-pressure gas-transmission pipeline ... more Large diameter butt-weld tee-joints (30-in. × 18-in.) on high-pressure gas-transmission pipeline exhibited leakage during the hydrostatic testing that was carried out to testify the integrity of the pipeline after its commissioning. The leakage-failure comprised the formation of small cracks at the neck-region of the tee-joints. A detailed examination showed that the cracking was preceded by plastic yielding, and that at these locations the wall-thickness was lower than even the minimum specified. A further examination of selected sections obtained from the failed-tees revealed that the tees had actually been ‘fabricated’ by butt-welding a small length of 18-in. diameter pipe onto a partially-formed neck on the 30-in. diameter pipe. And also, that the weld-filling of this butt-weld was then ground-off to smooth-out the curvature at the neck-region, or more likely, to conceal the weld and thereby the ‘faulty’ manufacturing procedure. An outcome of this procedure was that the wall-thickness at the neck-region which was lower (even to start with) than the minimum specified, had been further reduced by the grinding of the weld-filling. It was also concluded that a tee-joint of the required/specified design and dimensions could not be possibly produced by this method of ‘fabrication’.

Software (OSS) have emerged as successful modes of developing software. There is an increased int... more Software (OSS) have emerged as successful modes of developing software. There is an increased interest in developing suitable approaches for combining the promised advantages of SPL and OSS. Researchers and practitioners have been emphasizing the need of exploiting the ever growing repositories of OSS components for developing SPLs. However, there is no conceptual model for guiding the process of developing OSS-based SPLs. In this paper, we propose a model for developing software product line using open source software. This paper identifies and elaborates the essential phases and activities of the proposed model of developing OSS-based SPLs. This model emphasizes the vital role of software architecture and asserts that software architectures of OSS can be exploited to establish a SPL. To demonstrate this, we have evaluated Eclipse's architecture for its potential to support different flavors of a system.

The organotin complexes of the general formulae R 2 SnL 2 , R 2 SnLCl and R 3 SnL where R = C 4 H... more The organotin complexes of the general formulae R 2 SnL 2 , R 2 SnLCl and R 3 SnL where R = C 4 H 9 , C 6 H 5 , and C 7 H 7 and L = 2-[(2,6-dichlorodiphenyl)amino]benzene acetate, were subjected to thermal decomposition by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The decomposition of these compounds occurs mostly in two steps. Kinetic parameters such as order of reaction (n), activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (∆H ‡ ) and entropy (∆S ‡ ) of activation were calculated by using the Coats and Horowitz methods. The calculated values are in good agreement with observed TG values that confirm the structural integrity of the complexes.

The influence of coating thickness on the formability and ductility of hot-dip-aluminized steel h... more The influence of coating thickness on the formability and ductility of hot-dip-aluminized steel has been determined using a 3-point bend test and optical metallography. The ductility / formability was estimated from the 3-point bend test wherein the angle of bend at which the cracks start to appear on the surface of the aluminized sheet during bending, was taken as an index of the formability / ductility. It was observed that as the amount of silicon in the aluminizing melt was gradually increased the measured ductility of the sheet sample also increased. Metallographic examination has shown that as the amount of silicon in the aluminizing melt was increased the thickness of the intermediate compound layer, between the outer aluminum coat and the substrate steel, decreased. It was thus indicated from these experiments that the formability / ductility of the sheet was inversely related to the thickness of the interlayer.

Reproduction Fertility and Development, 2010

Materials Science and Engineering B-advanced Functional Solid-state Materials, 2011

We report here highly dense and pure metallic cadmium (Cd) multifarious prismatic microcrystals (... more We report here highly dense and pure metallic cadmium (Cd) multifarious prismatic microcrystals (CMPMCs) fabricated by thermal decomposition of cadmium oxide (CdO) powder at 700 °C for 60 min under NH3 gas ambient inside horizontal tube furnace. CMPMCs were observed to be 1–1.5 μm in size with interesting morphologies of various cross sections such as triangular, trapezoidal, pentagonal and hexagonal etc. having solid, hollow/semi-hollow appearances. The as-synthesized CMPMCS were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum for Cd metal microcrystals exhibited a prominent emission band at 365 along with a shoulder peak at 404 nm. The UV main emission band is ascribed to radiative recombination of the electrons in the s, p conduction band near the Fermi surface and holes in the d bands generated under xenon light excitation whereas shoulder peak may be owing to surface oxidation effects or induced defects. This study shows the potential of CMPMCs for applications in optical devices. Based on vapour–solid (VS) process, growth mechanism for the formation of CMPMCs is also proposed and discussed briefly.► Cd prismatic microcrystals are prepared by thermal reduction of CdO under NH3 gas. ► Vapour-solid (VS) process based growth mechanism governs the formation of CMPMCs. ► PL spectrum for CMPMCs exhibits UV band at 365 nm and visible emission at 404 nm. ► This study shows the potential of CMPMCs for applications in optical devices.

Materials Letters, 2011

Highly pure and large-scale single crystalline cadmium (Cd) metal hexagonal nanosheets with 10–12... more Highly pure and large-scale single crystalline cadmium (Cd) metal hexagonal nanosheets with 10–12 nm thickness were obtained by catalyst-free thermal decomposition of cadmium oxide (CdO) powder under nitrogen gas at 1000 °C. The as-prepared product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum for Cd nanosheets exhibited three very distinct emission bands at 360 nm, 402 nm and 426 nm. UV emission band at 360 nm is attributed to radiative recombination of electrons in the s, p conduction band near the Fermi surface and the holes in the d bands generated by xenon light excitation whereas visible emission bands at 402 nm and 426 nm may be due to surface oxidation effects or induced defects in the nanosheets. The growth mechanism for the formation of Cd metal hexagonal nanosheets is also proposed and discussed briefly.► High yield Cd hexagonal nanosheets are prepared by thermal decomposition of CdO. ► Vapor-solid mechanism mainly governs the formation of Cd hexagonal nanosheets. ► PL spectrum for Cd nanosheets exhibits one UV and two visible emission bands.

Journal of Systems and Software, 2007

A good fit between the person and the organization is essential in a better organizational perfor... more A good fit between the person and the organization is essential in a better organizational performance. This is even more crucial in case of institutionalization of a software product line practice within an organization. Employees' participation, organizational behavior and management contemplation play a vital role in successfully institutionalizing software product lines in a company. Organizational dimension has been weighted as one of the critical dimensions in software product line theory and practice. A comprehensive empirical investigation to study the impact of some organizational factors on the performance of software product line practice is presented in this work. This is the first study to empirically investigate and demonstrate the relationships between some of the key organizational factors and software product line performance of an organization. The results of this investigation provide empirical evidence and further support the theoretical foundations that in order to institutionalize software product lines within an organization, organizational factors play an important role.

SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector forms as much as 99% of business entities around the wo... more SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector forms as much as 99% of business entities around the world. While SMEs in developed economies are getting fair attention of policy makers, those in developing economies, particularly in South Asia, are yet to get such attention. Being the primary suppliers to most exporting rms, or being exporters themselves, the performance of SMEs can

Engineering Failure Analysis, 2008

Large diameter butt-weld tee-joints (30-in. × 18-in.) on high-pressure gas-transmission pipeline ... more Large diameter butt-weld tee-joints (30-in. × 18-in.) on high-pressure gas-transmission pipeline exhibited leakage during the hydrostatic testing that was carried out to testify the integrity of the pipeline after its commissioning. The leakage-failure comprised the formation of small cracks at the neck-region of the tee-joints. A detailed examination showed that the cracking was preceded by plastic yielding, and that at these locations the wall-thickness was lower than even the minimum specified. A further examination of selected sections obtained from the failed-tees revealed that the tees had actually been ‘fabricated’ by butt-welding a small length of 18-in. diameter pipe onto a partially-formed neck on the 30-in. diameter pipe. And also, that the weld-filling of this butt-weld was then ground-off to smooth-out the curvature at the neck-region, or more likely, to conceal the weld and thereby the ‘faulty’ manufacturing procedure. An outcome of this procedure was that the wall-thickness at the neck-region which was lower (even to start with) than the minimum specified, had been further reduced by the grinding of the weld-filling. It was also concluded that a tee-joint of the required/specified design and dimensions could not be possibly produced by this method of ‘fabrication’.

Software (OSS) have emerged as successful modes of developing software. There is an increased int... more Software (OSS) have emerged as successful modes of developing software. There is an increased interest in developing suitable approaches for combining the promised advantages of SPL and OSS. Researchers and practitioners have been emphasizing the need of exploiting the ever growing repositories of OSS components for developing SPLs. However, there is no conceptual model for guiding the process of developing OSS-based SPLs. In this paper, we propose a model for developing software product line using open source software. This paper identifies and elaborates the essential phases and activities of the proposed model of developing OSS-based SPLs. This model emphasizes the vital role of software architecture and asserts that software architectures of OSS can be exploited to establish a SPL. To demonstrate this, we have evaluated Eclipse's architecture for its potential to support different flavors of a system.