668 research outputs found
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
Irisin in the primate hypothalamus and its effect on GnRH in vitro
No full textIrisin, encoded by the
FNDC5
gene, is a recently discovered endocrine factor mainly secreted as a myokine and adipokine. However, irisin/
FNDC5
expression has also been reported in different other organs including components of the reproductive axis. Yet, there is the scarcity of data on
FNDC5
/irisin expression, regulation and its reproductive effects, particularly in primates. Here, we report the expression of
FNDC5
/irisin, along with
PGC1A
(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha) and
ERRA
(estrogen-related receptor alpha), in components of the reproductive axis of marmoset monkeys. Hypothalamic
FNDC5
and
ERRA
transcript levels are developmentally regulated in both male and female. We further uncovered sex-specific differences in
FNDC5
,
ERRA
and
PGC1A
expression in muscle and the reproductive axis. Moreover, irisin and ERRα co-localize in the marmoset hypothalamus. Additionally, in the arcuate nucleus of rhesus monkeys, the number of irisin+ cells was significantly increased in short-term fasted monkeys as compared to
ad libitum
-fed monkeys. More importantly, we observed putative interaction of irisin-immunoreactive fibers and few GnRH
-
immunoreactive cell bodies in the mediobasal hypothalamus of the rhesus monkeys. Functionally, we noted a stimulatory effect of irisin on GnRH synthesis and release in mouse hypothalamic neuronal GT1-7 cells. In summary, our findings show that
FNDC5
and irisin are developmentally, metabolic-status dependently and sex-specifically expressed in the primate hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and exert a stimulatory effect on GnRH expression and release in mouse hypothalamic cells. Further studies are required to confirm the reproductive effects of irisin
in vivo
and to illuminate the mechanisms of its regulation
Changes in the Responsiveness of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis to Kisspeptin-10 Administration during Pubertal Transition in Boys
No full textIn human, no studies are available regarding changes in kisspeptin1 receptor (KISS1R) sensitivity during pubertal transition. In this study, healthy boys were classified into 5 Tanner stages of puberty (n=5/stage). Human kisspeptin-10 was administered to boys at each Tanner stage and to adult men (n=5) as an IV bolus for comparison. Serial blood samples were collected for 30 min pre- and 120 min post-kisspeptin injection periods at 30 min interval for measuring plasma LH and testosterone levels. There was insignificant effect of kisspeptin on LH and testosterone levels in boys of Tanner stages I–III. At Tanner stage IV, the effect of kisspeptin on plasma LH was insignificant. However, a paired t-test on a log-transformed data showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in mean peak post-kisspeptin testosterone level. In Tanner stage V, a significant (P<0.05) increase was observed in mean post-kisspeptin peak LH level as compared to the mean basal LH value. Post-kisspeptin plasma testosterone levels were also significantly (P<0.05) increased as compared to the pre-kisspeptin level in Tanner stage V. Our data suggest that sensitivity of KISS1R on GnRH neurons with reference to LH stimulation in boys develops during the later part of puberty reaching to adult level at Tanner stage V. This trial is registered with WHO International Clinical Trial Registration ID NCT03286517
Hydraulic simulations to evaluate and predict design and operation of the Chashma Right Bank Canal
No full textIrrigation systems / Irrigation canals / Flow control / Velocity / Canal regulation techniques / Hydraulics / Simulation models / Design / Operations / Crop-based irrigation / Distributary canals / Water delivery / Policy / Protective irrigation / Water allocation / Water requirements / Sedimentation / Water distribution / Equity / Water conveyance / Pakistan / Chashma Right Bank Canal
Tobset: a New Tobacco Crop and Weeds Image Dataset and Its Utilization for Vision-Based Spraying by Agricultural Robots
No full textAlam, Muhammad Shahab/0000-0002-5653-2503; Gunes, Ahmet/0000-0003-1663-0368; Khan, Muhammad/0000-0002-9195-3477; Tufail, Muhammad/0000-0002-0287-3900; , bashir/0000-0001-5254-7698; saleem, waqas/0000-0003-3991-0127; Alam, Mansoor/0000-0003-1732-205XSelective agrochemical spraying is a highly intricate task in precision agriculture. It requires spraying equipment to distinguish between crop (plants) and weeds and perform spray operations in real-time accordingly. The study presented in this paper entails the development of two convolutional neural networks (CNNs)-based vision frameworks, i.e., Faster R-CNN and YOLOv5, for the detection and classification of tobacco crops/weeds in real time. An essential requirement for CNN is to pre-train it well on a large dataset to distinguish crops from weeds, lately the same trained network can be utilized in real fields. We present an open access image dataset (TobSet) of tobacco plants and weeds acquired from local fields at different growth stages and varying lighting conditions. The TobSet comprises 7000 images of tobacco plants and 1000 images of weeds and bare soil, taken manually with digital cameras periodically over two months. Both vision frameworks are trained and then tested using this dataset. The Faster R-CNN-based vision framework manifested supremacy over the YOLOv5-based vision framework in terms of accuracy and robustness, whereas the YOLOv5-based vision framework demonstrated faster inference. Experimental evaluation of the system is performed in tobacco fields via a four-wheeled mobile robot sprayer controlled using a computer equipped with NVIDIA GTX 1650 GPU. The results demonstrate that Faster R-CNN and YOLOv5-based vision systems can analyze plants at 10 and 16 frames per second (fps) with a classification accuracy of 98% and 94%, respectively. Moreover, the precise smart application of pesticides with the proposed system offered a 52% reduction in pesticide usage by spotting the targets only, i.e., tobacco plants.King Saud University, Saudi Arabia [RSP-2021/145]This study received funding from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, through researchers supporting project number (RSP-2021/145). The APCs were funded by King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, through researchers supporting project number (RSP-2021/145)
SARAY'S SILVER DANGS OF JUCHID KHAN OF 15-th CENTURY WITH NAME MUHAMMAD
No full textProgress has been achieved in recent decades in the study of the coins of the Golden Horde
at the final stage of its existence. However, the late emissions of Juchid coin of 15-th century are
still insufficiently studied. This prevents the full use of numismatic sources for the adequate
reconstruction of political events of that turbulent time.
The paper is aimed at the publication and preliminary analysis of the main types of Saray’s
silver dangs of Juchid khan of 15-th century with name Muhammad.
These issues are very poorly represented in scientific articles: of nine types analyzed in the
paper only one was properly published with graphic reconstruction of dies.
For the first time dangs, which are the subject of this article, were mentioned (without
graphic reconstructions) in the famous work of Hh.M. Frähn “Recensio numorum
Muhammedanorum”, published in 1826. In A.K. Markov’s “Inventory Catalog of Muslim Coins of
the Imperial Hermitage” (1896) there is no mention of the Saray’s dangs of either Ulugh-
Muhammad or Muhammad b. Timur. In 2004 V.P.Lebedev and V.B. Klokov had information
about 8 coins, which are the subject of this article, and attributed these dangs to the issues of
Ulugh-Muhammad.
Enlarged photographic images of silver coins with metrology (most of which are first
introduced into scientific circulation) of Juchid khan of 15-th century with name Muhammad are
presented in the article.
Nine types of late Juchid silver dangs with the name and titles of khan Muhammad on the
obverse and the designation of mint on the reverse as Saray, Saray al-Jadida, Saray al-Mahrusa are
published. Reconstruction and translation of monetary legends, as well as preliminary analysis of
emissions, are given.
The place of issue on the coins is indicated as a Saray (without the epithet or with al-Jadida
or al-Mahrusa). But this fact alone does not allow to state with complete confidence that these
dangs were minted there. With regard to the silver emissions of the XIV century, it is proved that
the coins in some cases weren’t minted where it is written on their reverses. A similar situation
could have take place in the XV century. According to the information reported to the author, the
coins published in the paper were unearthed on vast spaces that once were the territory of the
Golden Horde – from Moldova to Siberia without any apparent concentration in one region, which
may not be surprising paying attention to the rarity of the coins. At the present level of our
knowledge, the place of minting of these coins can not be reliably established.
It can be affirmed that most of the silver dangs, that are the subject of this paper, have a
weight in the range from 0.66 to 0.96 g.
None of the published coins carries the date, which creates the problem of dating these
issues. Taking into account all facts, the author thinks that it is possible to date most of the
reproduced dangs as 822-the mid of 830-s AH.
Who was that Muhammad-khan, on whose behalf the published coins were issued?
Historiography was dominated until recently by the viewpoint formulated by V.P. Lebedev and
V.P. Klokov, that in the case of different Muhammads an understanding was already reached on
the issue how they called themselves on coins: Ulugh-Muhammad – simply Muhammad, Boraq –
Muhammad-Boraq, Küchük-Muhammad – Muhammad b. Timur. It was established on the
numismatic material by Yuriy Zayonchkovskiy that on dangs of Küchük-Muhammad his name
can be written as Muhammad b. Timur or simply as Muhammad. Thus, the absence of nasab on a
coin is not a sufficient basis for classifying a coin for Ulugh-Mukhammad. In view of what has
been said, it can be stated that published dangs can’t be automatically attributed to Ulugh-
Mukhamad’s emissions.
The proposed article is an important step to make attribution of published coins more precise.
The author hopes that a full introduction of these interesting dangs into the scientific study can
activate the discovery and research of relevant numismatic sources, will allow to find the missing
answers and, if necessary, to specify (and possibly correct) the theses presented in the paper
THE effects of ageing on driving related performance
No full textAccording to one estimate, about 40 percent of the driving population will be over the age of 60by the year 2020 in the UK and currently, several hundred thousand drivers with dementia holddriving licenses. The number of motor vehicle crashes per unit distance of automobile travel is“U”-shaped, with risk increasing slightly between the ages of 55 and 60, but risk increasing witheach successive five-year interval. Some individuals who have mild dementia possess sufficientdriving skills to be designated as fit drivers. The most challenging assessment and decision for thephysician/licensing authority as regards fitness to drive lies in drivers who are questionablydemented or are in a state of very mild dementia.In the absence of a reliable standard protocol, some clinicians make judgment based on selfreporting,which has risks associated with it as lack of insight and judgment are potential commontraits of the population experiencing cognitive decline. Seldom is recourse made by healthprofessionals to on-road assessment as a first alternative as it requires a fee and such testingcenters are not readily available everywhere. This research addresses this issue of theidentification of cognitive tests that can be used to assess an individual’s ability to drive andespecially of those individuals that are questionably demented and are the most difficult toidentify. A younger and an older group consisting of 56 drivers in total were administered ninedifferent cognitive tests and two drives (Drive-I and Drive-II) on the STISIM driving simulator.The cognitive test ufov3 (involving the identification of a central target and simultaneously theradial localization of a peripheral target embedded in distracter triangles), which is the thirdsubtest of the UFOV (Useful Field of View) test showed the highest discriminating ability inseparating “poor-drivers” from “not-poor-drivers”, with 92.86 % of the drivers correctlyclassified. The next best discriminating ability in decreasing order of strength was that of dichoticlistening test, trail making test, rey-copy test and paper folding test. Also, age was found to be anexcellent discriminator of “poor-drivers” and “not-poor-drivers” with 91.07 % of the driverscorrectly classified. A composite cognitive measure consisting of the sum of all nine cognitivetests was not a better predictor than the ufov3 test alone; overall it was still an excellentdiscriminator, classifying 89.29 % of drivers correctly. The commonly recommended ClockDrawing test and the Trail Making test did not emerge as significant predictors of driving ability.A general driving skills linear model for prediction purposes was derived that explained 59 % ofthe variation in a general driving performance index with the ufov3 test, the dichotic listening testand the rey-recall test as significant predictors. Recommendations are made as to how this testshould be used to screen potentially at risk drivers
Study of Pakistan pilot project farmer-leaders to Nepal
No full textFarmer participation / Irrigation management / Farmer managed irrigation systems / Irrigated farming / Sustainable agriculture / Institution building / Pakistan
Elastomeric grating sensor for multifunctional optofluidic biosensing
No full textOptical sensing techniques are being employed in widespread applications
ranging from aerospace to electronics, process control and medicine. Optical
biosensors are desirable in various clinical applications for their greater
sensitivity, electrical passivity, wide dynamic range and high spatial resolution.
Optical biosensors such as laser interferometers and optical fiber sensors can be
incorporated for the real time measurement of biofluid parameters.
Various applications in medicine such as blood monitoring in
hemodialysis require the monitoring of multiple biofluid parameters. As multiple
monitors are needed for sensing, the sensor becomes bulky and costly. Miniature
optical sensors based on elastomers are best suited for this purpose. Sensors
based on deformable elastomeric materials have several benefits such as greater
sensitivity, high spatial resolution, reliability and low cost.
The Multifunctional Elastomeric Grating Sensor (EGS) presented in this
thesis is fabricated using elastomeric materials. The EGS is made by integrating
a two-dimensional (2D) diffraction grating inside a hemispherical chamber. The
sensing mechanism of the EGS is based on the diffraction of light. The laser
beam passing through the 2D grating and the fluid inside the chamber is
diffracted. The diffraction angle and the power of diffraction orders are used to
compute the biofluid parameters. This sensor can be used for real time
monitoring of glucose concentration, refractive index, pressure and opacity of the
fluid.
In future, the EGS will also be useful in highly sensitive temperature
measurements. This device is being tested for more advanced biological
experiments such as DNA hybridization and enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay (ELISA). This simple, compact and low cost device has an enormous
potential for future use in various clinical applications such as blood monitoring
in hemodialysis.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I only', the embargo will last until 2017-05-01The student, Muhammad Khan, accepted the attached license on 2015-04-12 at 18:13.The student, Muhammad Khan, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2015-04-12 at 18:22.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2015-04-13 at 13:28.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #7823 on 2015-07-22 at 14:17:41Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-22T22:33:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Relationship between work environment support for training and organizational commitment: The moderating role of trainees’ characteristics and mediating role of training transfer
No full textThe student, Muhammad Khan, accepted the attached license on 2019-04-11 at 11:00.The student, Muhammad Khan, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2019-04-11 at 11:13.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2019-04-18 at 15:16.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13561 on 2019-08-22 at 16:21:02Made available in DSpace on 2019-08-23T20:44:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2019-04-18Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 112299
Lift date: 2021-08-23T20:44:50Z
Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemDespite the importance of work environment support for training variables (training opportunities, supervisory support for training, peer support for training and opportunity to use training), there is limited understanding of how these variables influence employees' organizational commitment. This study aims to explore the relationship between work environment support for training and employees' organizational commitment in Pakistan’s banking sector. Social Exchange Theory (SET) was utilized as a framework where work environment support for training is considered as a favor from organization and organizational commitment was considered as a reciprocal attitude of employees. The study also explored whether training transfer mediates a relationship between work environment support for training and organizational commitment. Furthermore, the study explored whether the trainees’ characteristics such as training self-efficacy, training motivation, perceived utility of training, and training retention moderates the relationship between work environment support for training and organizational commitment. An online survey based on validated instruments used to collect data from the employees (n=334) working in one of the largest banks of Pakistan. Multiple regression analysis, among other statistical techniques, was used to test the hypotheses and determine significant relationships. The results showed that banking employees in Pakistan were not found to experience affective commitment; that is, no significant relationship was found between work environment support for training variables and affective commitment. Rather, the study found a positive relationship between (i) training opportunities and continuance commitment, (ii) opportunity to use training and continuance commitment, and (iii) supervisory support for training and normative commitment. All four trainee characteristic—e.g., training self-efficacy, training motivation, perceived utility of training and training retention—were found to moderate the relationship between training opportunities and continuance commitment. Training motivation also moderated the relationship between peer support for training and normative commitment. Several implications of these findings, limitations, and future research suggestions are discussed.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2021-05-01Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 112299
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