Lupeol supplementation improves the developmental competence of bovine embryos <i>in vitro</i>

Khan, Imran,Chowdhury, M.M.R.,Song, Seok-Hwan,Mesalam, Ayman,Zhang, Shimin,Khan Khalil, Atif Ali,Jung, Eun-Hee,Kim, Ju-Boong,Jafri, Laila,Mirza, Bushra,Kong, Il-Keun Elsevier 2018 Theriogenology Vol.107 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Lupeol is a triterpene with various pharmacological properties. This study investigated the effect of lupeol on the <I>in vitro</I> development of bovine embryos. Oocytes <B>(</B>270 per group, 1620 in total<B>)</B> obtained from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries were matured and fertilized <I>in vitro</I> and then cultured for 8 days in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO<SUB>2</SUB> in air at 38.5 °C. The <I>in vitro</I> maturation medium was supplemented with 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 μM lupeol. Treatment with 2.0 μM lupeol significantly (<I>P</I> < 0.05) improved blastocyst development. Hoechst 33342 staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling showed that treatment with 2.0 μM lupeol improved blastocyst quality by increasing the total cell number and reducing the apoptotic cell number. Confocal microscopy confirmed that treatment with 2.0 μM lupeol significantly (<I>P</I> < 0.05) reduced the level of 8-oxoguanine, an indicator of reactive oxygen species. Lupeol treatment also significantly attenuated protein expression of nuclear factor-kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1), cyclooxygenase (COX) 2, and CASP3. Real-time PCR analysis of <I>nitric oxide synthase 2</I>, <I>NFKB1</I>, <I>COX2</I>, <I>CASP3</I>, and <I>BCL2-associated X protein</I> supported the immunofluorescence data. In conclusion, lupeol is a potent antioxidant that improves bovine embryo development <I>in vitro</I>.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Lupeol is a potent antioxidant and it significantly improves the cleavage and blastocyst developmental potentials <I>in vitro</I>. </LI> <LI> Lupeol protects oocytes against oxidative stress in in <I>vitro</I>-culture system. </LI> <LI> Lupeol improves the embryo quality by increasing the total cell numbers and decreasing the apoptotic nuclei of embryo. </LI> <LI> Lupeol down regulates the NF-kB pathway and improves the bovine embryo quality <I>in vitro</I>. </LI> </UL> </P>

Robustness and Performance Parameterization of Smooth Second Order Sliding Mode Control

Imran Khan,Aamer Iqbal Bhatti,Ali Arshad,Qudrat Khan 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2016 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.14 No.3

Novel robustness and performance parameters are established for Smooth Super Twisting Algorithm(SSTA). The stability of SSTA is well established for arbitrary gains using homogeneity approach. The designand tuning of the controller parameters is a major issue and no analytic design method is available so far. Anovel Lyapunov function is proposed and by the virtue of stability analysis, the stability bounds for a certain classof uncertainties are determined. In addition, the issue of finite time convergence is also explored, resulting indetermination of the settling time as a function of the controller parameters. The proposed settling time formulationsuggests a methodical approach to SSTA design in contrast to the available rules of thumb. Unlike the literatureavailable for Higher Order Sliding Mode (HOSM) controllers, the proposed design framework is validated againsta challenging problem of the Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) process control. Like the other process controlproblems the chosen problem is nonlinear and contains significant uncertainties.

Neonatal Intracranial Ischemia and Hemorrhage : Role of Cranial Sonography and CT Scanning

Khan, Imran Ahmad,Wahab, Shagufta,Khan, Rizwan Ahmad,Ullah, Kkram,Ali, Manazir The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2010 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.47 No.2

Objective : To evaluate the role of cranial sonography and computed tomography in the diagnosis of neonatal intracranial hemorrhage and hypoxic-ischemic injury in an Indian set-up. Methods : The study included 100 neonates who underwent cranial sonography and computed tomography (CT) in the first month of life for suspected intracranial ischemia and hemorrhage. Two observers rated the images for possible intracranial lesions and a kappa statistic for interobserver agreement was calculated. Results : There was no significant difference in the kappa values of CT and ultrasonography (USG) for the diagnosis of germinal matrix hemorrhage/intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH/IVH) and periventricular leucomalacia (PVL) and both showed good interobserver agreement. USG, however detected more cases of GMH/IVH (24 cases) and PVL (19) cases than CT (22 cases and 16 cases of IVH and PVL, respectively). CT had significantly better interobserver agreement for the diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic injury (HII) in term infants and also detected more cases (33) as compared to USG (18). CT also detected 6 cases of extraaxial hemorrhages as compared to 1 detected by USG. Conclusion : USG is better modality for imaging preterm neonates with suspected IVH or PVL. However, USG is unreliable in the imaging of term newborns with suspected HII where CT or magnetic resonance image scan is a better modality.

Does Gender Influence Investment Choice? A Psychosomatic Study of GCC Entrepreneurs

Mohammed Abdul Imran KHAN,Syed Ahsan JAMIL,Shahebaz Sarfaraz KHAN,Meer Mazhar ALI 한국유통과학회 2022 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.9 No.4

Entrepreneurs with behavioral finance biases are more likely to make irrational or financially detrimental decisions. Understanding financial behavior biases can assist in making sound financial decisions. Behavioral finance is a new topic that can assist researchers in better understanding investor behavior and preferences while purchasing and selling stocks. Using measures such as independent t-tests and average Likert five-point scale scores, this study seeks to determine how entrepreneurs make investment decisions and whether gender makes a difference. The study is empirical, and data from 1000 entrepreneurs were collected through convenience sampling. The study’s main findings show that there are numerous factors to consider while investing in stocks, including family planning, children’s education, investment security, and recurring income. Both men and women attempt to invest in many asset classes, but certain investments are extremely risky, while others are low risk. As a result, investors should assess risk based on their age and experience rather than their gender; this indicates that an investment in venture capital has nothing to do with gender but everything to do with the investor’s age.

Personalization of wellness recommendations using contextual interpretation

Afzal, Muhammad,Ali, Syed Imran,Ali, Rahman,Hussain, Maqbool,Ali, Taqdir,Khan, Wajahat Ali,Amin, Muhammad Bilal,Kang, Byeong Ho,Lee, Sungyoung Elsevier 2018 expert systems with applications Vol.96 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>A huge array of personalized healthcare and wellness systems are introduced into the portfolio of digital health and quantified-self movement in recent years. These systems share common capabilities including self-tracking/monitoring and self-quantifications, based on the raw sensory data. These capabilities provide solid ground for the users to be more aware of their health; however, such measures are inefficient for changing the unhealthy habits of the users. In order to induce healthy habits in the users, a system must be capable of generating context-aware personalized recommendations. The main obstacle in this regard is the contextual interpretation of recommendations based on user's current context and contextual preferences. To resolve these issues, we propose a methodology of cross-context interpretation of recommendations (CCIR) for personalized health and wellness services. The CCIR method adds additional capabilities to the traditional reasoning methods and builds advanced form of the reasoning with the incorporation of contextual factors in the process of interpretations of the recommendations. With CCIR, the self-quantification systems can be enhanced to generate personalized recommendations in addition to tracking, quantifying, and monitoring user activities. In order to validate the proposed CCIR methodology, a set of 40 contextual scenarios and corresponding recommendations are presented for the evaluation collected from 40 different end users and 10 domain experts. Using chi-square test evaluation, the results demonstrated acceptable “goodness of fit” indices for the system developed on proposed CCIR methodology with respect to the end users’ opinion. Also from the statistical observation, it is found that there exists a higher level agreement towards the system between the participants of both end users and experts.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> A method for cross-context interpretations of health and wellness recommendations. </LI> <LI> A mechanism of refining generalized recommendations to personalized recommendations. </LI> <LI> The contextual interpretations are made for increasing the user acceptability of a system. </LI> </UL> </P>

헬스 및 웰니스 플랫폼

Muhammad Bilal Amin,Wajahat Ali Khan,Bilal Ali Rizvi,방재훈(Jaehun Bang),Taqdir Ali,허태호(Taeho Hur),Shujaat Hussain,Imran Ali,김도형(Dohyeong Kim),이승룡(Sungyoung Lee) 한국정보과학회 2017 정보과학회지 Vol.35 No.7

In-vitro assessment of food consumption, utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.), on okra crop

Ahmad Nawaz,Habib Ali,Muhammad Sufyan,Muhammad Dildar Gogi,Muhammad Jalal Arif,Abid Ali,Muhammad Qasim,Waqar Islam,Noman Ali,Imran Bodla,Madiha Zaynab,Khalid Ali Khan,Hamed A. Ghramh 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.1

The lepidopteran insect pests have significant importance in vegetable production. The present study was performed to investigate the baseline studies about the assessment of feeding and consumption potential, utilization indices and losses promises of leafworm, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) on Okra. The data regarding feeding potential, food utilization and consumption indices as well as losses of different larval instars were recorded and subjected to appropriate statistical analysis. The results showed that, in the beginning, the approximate digestibility of various instars was increase, e.g. third instar (51.36%–64.03%), fourth instar (63.42%–69.45%) and fifth instar (70.25%–76.10%). However, after a certain period, the digestibility was decreased and efficiency to convert the ingested food into biomass varied significantly. The consumption index values increased with an increase in time but the consumption and growth rate was declined of fourth instar larvae. The ingestion and digestion increased of third (10.01–13.06, 8.32–11.91 mg), fourth (11.27–17.28, 10.96–14.03 mg) and fifth (12.60–19.40, 11.93–15.28 mg) larval instars. The corrected weight of consumed leaves increased with a gain in body weight. However, in the third instar, a decline was observed on the last day of feeding. Maximum leaf area was consumed by fifth instar larvae (44.66 cm 2 ) followed by fourth (35.41 cm 2 ) and third (27.98 cm 2 ) instars. In conclusion, all the dependent parameters, including food utilization potential, consumption indices and losses were higher for fifth instar larvae than others. These results emphasized the re-establishment of fundamental (economic threshold level: ETL, economic injury level: EIL) integrated pest management concepts.

A Survey on RF Energy Harvesting System with High Efficiency RF-DC Converters

Khan, Danial,Basim, Muhammad,Ali, Imran,Pu, YoungGun,Hwang, Keum Cheol,Yang, Youngoo,Kim, Dong In,Lee, Kang-Yoon The Institute of Semiconductor Engineers 2020 Journal of semiconductor engineering Vol.1 No.1

Radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting technology have become a reliable and promising alternative to extend the lifetime of power-constrained wireless networks by eliminating the need for batteries. This emerging technology enables the low-power wireless devices to be self-sustaining and eco-friendly by scavenging RF energy from ambient environment or dedicated energy sources. These attributes make RF energy harvesting technology feasible and attractive to an extended range of applications. However, despite being the most reliable energy harvesting technology, there are several challenges (especially power conversion efficiency, output DC voltage and sensitivity) poised for the implementation of RF energy harvesting systems. In this article, a detailed literature on RF energy harvesting technology has been surveyed to provide guidance for RF energy harvesters design. Since signal strength of the received RF power is limited and weak, high efficiency state-of-the-art RF energy harvesters are required to design for providing sufficient DC supply voltage to wireless networks. Therefore, various designs and their trade-offs with comprehensive analysis for RF energy harvesters have been discussed. This paper can serve as a good reference for the researchers to catch new research topics in the field of RF energy harvesting.

Diversity in Betasatellites Associated with Cotton Leaf Curl Disease During Source-To-Sink Movement Through a Resistant Host

Khan, Iftikhar Ali,Akhtar, Khalid Pervaiz,Akbar, Fazal,Hassan, Ishtiaq,Amin, Imran,Saeed, Muhammad,Mansoor, Shahid The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2016 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.32 No.1

Cotton leaf curl is devastating disease of cotton characterized by leaf curling, vein darkening and enations. The disease symptoms are induced by DNA satellite known as Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB), dominant betasatellite in cotton but another betasatellite known as Chili leaf curl betasatellite (ChLCB) is also found associated with the disease. Grafting experiment was performed to determine if host plant resistance is determinant of dominant population of betasatellite in cotton (several distinct strains of CLCuMuB are associated with the disease). Infected scion of Gossypium hirsutum collected from field (the source) was grafted on G. arboreum, a diploid cotton species, resistant to the disease. A healthy scion of G. hirsutum (sink) was grafted at the top of G. arboreum to determine the movement of virus/betasatellite to upper susceptible scion of G. hirsutum. Symptoms of disease appeared in the upper scion and presence of virus/betasatellite in the upper scion was confirmed via molecular techniques, showing that virus/betasatellite was able to move to upper scion through resistant G. arboreum. However, no symptoms appeared on G. arboreum. Betasatelites were cloned and sequenced from lower scion, upper scion and G. arboreum which show that the lower scion contained both CLCuMuB and ChLCB, however only ChLCB was found in G. arboreum. The upper scion contained CLCuMuB with a deletion of 78 nucleotides (nt) in the non-coding region between Arich sequence and ${\beta}C1$ gene and insertion of 27 nt in the middle of ${\beta}C1$ ORF. This study may help in investigating molecular basis of resistance in G. arboreum.

Corrigendum to "Building a text collection for Urdu information retrieval"

Rasheed, Imran,Banka, Haider,Khan, Hamaid M.,Daud, Ali Electronics and Telecommunications Research Instit 2022 ETRI Journal Vol.44 No.1