2,215 research outputs found
Maximising Figshare usage with a small team
No full textRecording of presentation given by Aamir Hussain from De Montfort University at Figshare Fest 2023 at Manchester Museum on the 11th of May, 2023. </p
Pioneers of Library Movement in Pakistan
No full textThe paper aims to describe in brief the contribution of seven leaders of Pakistan librarianship, viz. K.B. Khalifa M. Asadullah, Prof. Dr. Abdul Moid, Dr. Abdus Subuh Qasimi, Muhammad Shafi, Fazal Elahi, Khawaja Nur Elahi and S. V. Hussain. The early library developments are given for better understanding of the role of these leaders
Using Figshare for non-traditional research outputs and assessment: featuring De Montfort University’s Aamir Hussain
No full textRecording of a Figshare webinar held on May 11th, 2021.</p
TAIWAN DILEMMA: A FLASHPOINT FOR THE GLOBAL PEACE
No full textWith its multilayered complexities, Taiwan is not just a contentious issue but a potential flashpoint for war between China and the United States (US). Since 1949, Taiwan’s politics has oscillated between its unique status of UNSC’s permanent membership and veto power to its present status of de facto sovereignty. Despite losing its UN membership in 1971, Taiwan maintains a de facto sovereign status, which can lead to conflict at any moment. China, the US, and Taiwan maintain conflicting views over the future status and resolution of the Taiwan issue. Taiwanese prefer independent and separate identity. China demands Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland. The US pursues an unclear policy of whether, in case of aggression from China on Taiwan, the US would defend Taiwan or not. While there has been relative peace, China’s rapid rise, Taiwan’s preference against unification, declining US deterrence, and ongoing Sino-US major power rivalry increase the likelihood of forceful unification. The US policy of “Strategic Ambiguity”—an acknowledgement of the One-China policy and commitment to Taiwan’s defence—further exacerbates the risk of war over Taiwan.
Bibliography Entry
Khan, Aamir Hussain. 2024. "Taiwan Dilemma: A Flashpoint for the Global Peace." Margalla Papers 28 (1): 123-140
TAIWAN DILEMMA: A FLASHPOINT FOR THE GLOBAL PEACE
No full textWith its multilayered complexities, Taiwan is not just a contentious issue but a potential flashpoint for war between China and the United States (US). Since 1949, Taiwan’s politics has oscillated between its unique status of UNSC’s permanent membership and veto power to its present status of de facto sovereignty. Despite losing its UN membership in 1971, Taiwan maintains a de facto sovereign status, which can lead to conflict at any moment. China, the US, and Taiwan maintain conflicting views over the future status and resolution of the Taiwan issue. Taiwanese prefer independent and separate identity. China demands Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland. The US pursues an unclear policy of whether, in case of aggression from China on Taiwan, the US would defend Taiwan or not. While there has been relative peace, China’s rapid rise, Taiwan’s preference against unification, declining US deterrence, and ongoing Sino-US major power rivalry increase the likelihood of forceful unification. The US policy of “Strategic Ambiguity”—an acknowledgement of the One-China policy and commitment to Taiwan’s defence—further exacerbates the risk of war over Taiwan.
Bibliography Entry
Khan, Aamir Hussain. 2024. "Taiwan Dilemma: A Flashpoint for the Global Peace." Margalla Papers 28 (1): 123-140
The Historical personalities in the novels of Abdullah Hussain
No full textAbdullah Hussain is one of the most celebrated authors of Pakistani history. His novels are not only literary pieces but a complete panorama of 20th century. People illustrated in his novels are mostly not only realistic but even real.People accounted in his writings are either real or inspired by real persons, who have played important role in creation and turning tides of Sub-continent's history. His novels are a magnificent prospect of all the socio-political happenings of Pre-Partition era. He has kept his focus on registering the facts and urges his readers to also do so. This article cast a glance at his realistic approach towards characters in his novels.
Refrences
Aamir Sohail, Udas Naslain Kuch nay Khayal, Abdullah Hussain aik mutalia, Lahore: Beacon books, 2016, pg:16
Abdullah Hussain, Udas Naslain, Lahore: Sang-i-meel publications, 2013, pg:22
As above
As above, pg:28
Abdullah Hussain, Nadar Log, Lahore: Sang-i-meel publications, 2014, pg:383
As above, pg:387
As above, pg:246
As above, pg:248
Abdullah Hussain, Udas Naslain, pg:455
As above, pg:303
As above, pg:30
Mediapipe based Preprocessed VGGFace2 Dataset
No full textVGGFace2 Dataset and Face Mesh PreprocessingIntroductionThe VGGFace2 dataset is a large-scale face recognition dataset containing over 3.31 million images of 9,131 identities, with an average of 362 images per identity. The dataset is designed to include extensive variations in pose, age, illumination, ethnicity, and profession, making it one of the most diverse and challenging face recognition datasets available. For more details, please refer to the original publication:VGGFace2: A dataset for recognizing faces across pose and age - DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.1710.08092
Preprocessing Using MediaPipe 3D Face MeshOn this dataset, we applied the MediaPipe-based 3D face mesh algorithm to accurately detect faces while removing all background elements, including hair. Our preprocessing strictly retained facial landmarks, ensuring that only the essential facial features were preserved. This approach significantly enhanced the accuracy and generalization of our model, as the model was trained exclusively on landmark-based facial data.
Training and PerformanceThe preprocessed data was utilized to train Xception model, which resulted in remarkably accurate outcomes due to the strictly landmark-based facial representation. The model demonstrated robust performance including explainable-AI, proving that eliminating unnecessary background elements contributed positively to its efficiency and reliability.
CitationIf you use this dataset or the preprocessed version in your work, please cite both of the following:
VGGFace2 Dataset:
@article{Cao2018VGGFace2, title={VGGFace2: A dataset for recognizing faces across pose and age}, author={Cao, Qiong and Shen, Li and Xie, Weidi and Parkhi, Omkar M and Zisserman, Andrew}, journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:1710.08092}, year={2018}}
DOI: [10.48550/arXiv.1710.08092](https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1710.08092) Preprocessed Dataset using MediaPipe:@dataset{Shah2025_MediaPipe_FaceMesh, title={MediaPipe-based 3D Face Mesh Preprocessed VGGFace2 Dataset}, author={Shah, Syed Taimoor Hussain and Shah, Syed Adil Hussain and Zamir, Ammara and Qayyum, Kainat and Shah, Syed Baqir Hussain and Fatima, Syeda Maryam and Deriu, Marco Agostino}, year={2025}, doi={10.5281/zenodo.15078557}} DOI: [10.5281/zenodo.15078557](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15078557)
ContactFor any questions or further details, please feel free to contact us.Syed Taimoor Hussain ShahPolitoBIOMed Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, ItalyEmail: [email protected]: 0000-0002-6010-677
Biochar : A Sustainable Approach
No full textThis book highlights the latest research on biochar, a low-cost carbonaceous material produced from biomass, and is regarded as an economical substitute to the activated carbon. The book describes the production and the characteristics of biochar through various techniques/methods such as pyrolysis, gasification, torrefaction, and hydrothermal carbonization of carbonaceous biomass, such as agricultural residues, algal biomass, forest residues, manures, activated sludge, energy crops, digestate at high temperature (300–900 °C) and under O2-limiting conditions. The book also highlights the several unique properties of biochar such as an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly material for diverse contaminants removal. The variability in physicochemical properties (e.g., surface area, micro-porosity, and pH) provides an avenue for biochar to maximize its efficacy to targeted applications. This book interests academics working in the development of green and sustainable technology in agricultural engineering, material science, chemical engineering, and environmental science
INDO-US STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT IN THE INDO-PACIFIC: CHALLENGES AND CHOICES FOR PAKISTAN
No full textThis article examines the implications of the Indo-US strategic partnership for Pakistan\u27s security and foreign policy choices. Because of their shared security interests, the United States and India have aligned to contain China\u27s rise in the Indo-Pacific Region (IPR). This partnership raises India’s power, status, and overall influence in the region compared to Pakistan. Considering the long rivalry between India and Pakistan—rooted in ideological, historical, and territorial disputes—this partnership raises the prospects of conflict in South Asia. Additionally, Pakistan-China-India and Pakistan-China-US triangulated relationships add layers of complexity, further diminishing the prospects for cooperation and peace, as a bilateral conflict between any two countries tends to involve the third. The complexities of the first triangle create a security dilemma, mutual distrust, and rivalry among the three regional powers, which, in turn, complicate the relationships within the second triangle. It is argued that the Indo-US partnership complicates Pakistan\u27s security dilemma, heightens the arms race, raises the prospects of conflicts, and encourages Pakistan to align with China closely.
Bibliography Entry
Khan, Aamir Hussain and Muhammad Arif Khan 2025. "Indo-US Strategic Alignment in the Indo-Pacific: Challenges and Choices for Pakistan." Margalla Papers 29 (2): 1-16
SAUDI-IRAN RAPPROCHEMENT AND CHALLENGES FOR PAKISTAN
No full textSaudi-Iran relations have been continuously evolving, with regional and global implications. Though religious differences make up a large part of this relationship, it is not all. Multiethnicity, Arab versus Persian domination, and divergence of interests of regional and extra-regional players are also significant. The two regional heavyweights have driven the neighbouring states towards alliances of varying natures. It has repercussions for Pakistan due to its security, economic concerns, and religious and sectarian fault lines. Opportunely, the current political environment is developing prospects to rebuild relations. After unfinished rapprochement efforts by Pakistan, Iraq has recently made the latest endeavour of arbitration. This paper analyses the effects of the Saudi-Iran contention on Pakistan and the scope and implications of the current rapprochement effort. Primarily, the qualitative method has been used, and it has been established that due to the complexities of a relationship, achieving peace is not as easy as it appears. Also, from Pakistan’s perspective, escalation levels should ideally remain below the threshold of a dispute necessitating precise positions and above a minimum threshold of complete peace to keep Pakistan’s security-related relevance. Therefore, diplomatic efforts should be limited to de-escalating conflicts rather than mediating them.
Bibliography Entry
Saleem, Aamir, and Syed Mussawar Hussain Bukhari. 2022. "Saudi-Iran Rapprochement and Challenges for Pakistan." Margalla Papers 26 (1): 98-107
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