In-process Weld Quality Monitoring by the Multi-layer Perceptron Neural Network in Ultrasonic Metal Welding

Muhammad Bilal Shahid,Dong-Sam Park(박동삼) 한국기계가공학회 2022 한국기계가공학회지 Vol.21 No.6

Ultrasonic metal welding has been widely used for joining lithium-ion battery tabs. Weld quality monitoring has been an important issue in lithium-ion battery manufacturing. This study focuses on the weld quality monitoring in ultrasonic metal welding with the longitudinal-torsional vibration mode horn developed newly. As the quality of ultrasonic welding depends on welding parameters like pressure, time, and amplitude, the suitable values of these parameters were selected for experimentation. The welds were tested via tensile testing machine and weld strengths were investigated. The dataset collected for performance test was used to train the multi-layer perceptron neural network. The three layer neural network was used for the study and the optimum number of neurons in the first and second hidden layers were selected based on performances of each models. The best models were selected for the horn and then tested to see their performances on an unseen dataset. The neural network models for the longitudinal-torsional mode horn attained test accuracy of 90%. This result implies that proposed models has potential for the weld quality monitoring.

A Review of Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Copper Nanoparticles Using Green Method

Muhammad Rafique,Ahson J. Shaikh,Reena Rasheed,Muhammad Bilal Tahir,Hafiz FaiqBakhat,MUHAMMAD SHAHID RAFIQUE,Faiz Rabbani 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2017 NANO Vol.12 No.4

To address accosts of this modern age, the synthesis of metal nanoparticles is more important than ever. Copper has been recognized as a nontoxic, safe inorganic material, cheaper antibacterial/antifungal agent, and has high potential in a wide range of biological, catalytic and sensors applications more particularly in the form of nanoparticles. This resulted in the development of numerous methods for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles. As conventional methods like chemical and physical methods have several limitations so there is need to an alternate method. Due to nontoxic and eco-friendly nature, it has recently been shifted toward green synthesis of copper nanoparticles over conventional methods. Additionally, characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles is essential for their use in various applications. This review gives an overview of environment friendly synthesis method of copper nanoparticles and their applications on the basis of their potential selectivity and preferences in a number of fields like material sciences and biomedicine.

Torque Error Based Auto-tuning of Weighting Factor in Model Predictive Torque Control of Induction Motor Drive

Shahid Muhammad Bilal,Jin Weidong,Abbasi Muhammad Abbas,Husain Abdul Rashid,Hassan Mannan 대한전기학회 2023 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.18 No.3

Weighting factor design is considered a challenging and tedious task in finite control set model predictive torque control (FCS-MPTC) for induction motor drives. The complexity involved in designing the weighting factor occurs due to the presence of different quantities in the cost function. In the absence of an accurate design method, a constant weighting factor is used for entire operating range of the drive which does not guarantee optimal performance. To improve the performance of the MPTC, an online tuning method for the weighting factor is proposed in this work. The tuning process is achieved by comparing torque error to predefined threshold value at any given sampling instant. If the error is larger than the threshold limit, weighting factor is increased to bring the error within the acceptable limit and vice versa. In each sampling interval, the cost function is optimized with the tuned weighting factor and optimal voltage vector is chosen. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated experimentally for a two level three-phase inverter-fed induction motor drive on dSpace DS1104 controller board. The performance of the proposed method is compared to the conventional MPTC with fixed weighting factor and an online weighting factor tuning method based on the principle of coefficient-of-variation (CV-MPTC). It is concluded that the proposed method not only improves dynamic performance of the drive as compared to both methods but also offers computational advantages over CV-MPTC.

Arsenic removal by natural and chemically modified water melon rind in aqueous solutions and groundwater

Shakoor, Muhammad Bilal,Niazi, Nabeel Khan,Bibi, Irshad,Shahid, Muhammad,Sharif, Fakhra,Bashir, Safdar,Shaheen, Sabry M.,Wang, Hailong,Tsang, Daniel C.W.,Ok, Yong Sik,Rinklebe, Jö,rg Elsevier 2018 The Science of the total environment Vol.645 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Contamination of groundwater with toxic arsenic (As) has become an emerging health and environmental problem around the world, which has seen significant attention amongst the scientists for development of new sorbents to remediate As-contaminated water. Here, we explored the arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) sorption to natural water melon rind (WMR), xanthated WMR and citric acid-modified WMR in aqueous solutions, and determined potential of the most potent sorbent for As removal in groundwater. Xanthated WMR (X-WMR) showed relatively higher As(V) and As(III) removal than the citric acid modified WMR (CA-WMR) and natural WMR. The maximum As(III) (99%) and As(V) (98%) removal was obtained at pH 8.2 and 4.6, respectively, by X-WMR at 4 mg L<SUP>−1</SUP> initial As(V) and As(III) concentrations and sorbent dose of 1 g L<SUP>−1</SUP>. Langmuir isotherm model best fitted (<I>R</I> <SUP> <I>2</I> </SUP> of up to 0.96) the data both for As(III) and As(V) sorption to X-WMR. Sorption kinetics of As(V) and As(III) was well described (<I>R</I> <SUP> <I>2</I> </SUP> of up to 0.99) by the pseudo second-order model on surface of the X-WMR. Thermodynamic investigations revealed that As(V) and As(III) sorption was endothermic and spontaneous. The FTIR spectroscopy depicted the presence of different surface function groups (OH, COOH, S-bearing (C=S, S=O and S–S)) which were involved in As(V) and As(III) sequestration on the sorbents examined here. Significantly, X-WMR showed (up to 49%) greater As(III) and As(V) sorption than that of natural WMR. Our results demonstrated that X-WMR efficiently removed 94%–100% (<I>n</I> = 16) of As from As-contaminated drinking well water which possessed detectable concentrations of some anions (e.g., SO<SUB>4</SUB>, CO<SUB>3</SUB>, HCO<SUB>3</SUB>). This study highlights that the X-WMR has potential to remove As, notably As(III), from solutions and drinking water, and might be utilized as a reactive medium for the treatment of As-contaminated water.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Water melon rind (WMR) was tested for arsenic removal potential from water. </LI> <LI> Xanthated WMR removed up to 99% of As(III)/As(V) in solutions. </LI> <LI> Langmuir and pseudo second-order models provided the best fits for As(III) and As(V). </LI> <LI> FTIR spectra showed arsenic sequestration with surface functional groups of sorbents. </LI> <LI> Xanthated WMR successfully removed 94–100% arsenic from drinking well water. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Remediation of arsenic-contaminated water using agricultural wastes as biosorbents

Shakoor, Muhammad Bilal,Niazi, Nabeel Khan,Bibi, Irshad,Murtaza, Ghulam,Kunhikrishnan, Anitha,Seshadri, Balaji,Shahid, Muhammad,Ali, Shafaqat,Bolan, Nanthi S.,Ok, Yong Sik,Abid, Muhammad,Ali, Fawad Informa UK (TaylorFrancis) 2016 Critical reviews in environmental science and tech Vol.46 No.5

<P>Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater reservoirs is a global environmental and health issue given to its toxic and carcinogenic nature. Over 170 million people have been affected by As due to the ingestion of As-contaminated groundwater. Conventional methods such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and electrodialysis are commonly used for the remediation of As-contaminated water; however, the high cost and sludge production put limitations on their application to remove As from water. This review critically addresses the use of various agricultural waste materials (e.g., sugarcane bagasse, peels of various fruits, wheat straw) as biosorbents, thereby offering an eco-friendly and low-cost solution for the removal of As from contaminated water supplies. The effect of solution chemistry such as solution pH, cations, anions, organic ligands, and various other factors (e.g., temperature, contact time, sorbent dose) on As biosorption, and safe disposal methods for As-loaded biosorbents to reduce secondary As contamination are also discussed.</P>

In-vitro evaluation of antimicrobial, antioxidant, alpha-amylase inhibition and cytotoxicity properties of Cannabis sativa

Shah Syed Bilal,Sartaj Lubna,Hussain Shahid,Ullah Nabi,Idrees Muhammad,Shaheen Asma,Javed Muhammad Sufyan,Aslam Muhammad Kashif 경희대학교 융합한의과학연구소 2020 Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine Vol.20 No.2

Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) is a widespread medicinal plant used for humans and cattles infectious diseases. The current study is carried out to assess phytochemical, antimicrobial, antioxidant, α-amylase inhibition and cytotoxic activity of the Cannabis sativa plant. An appropriate amount of phytochemicals like tannins, flavonoids, lycopene, and β-carotenes is found in C. sativa plant during the phytochemical screening. Among these phytochemicals of C. sativa plant, tannin shows outstanding activity. The plant extracts are assessed for antimicrobial activity against different seven bacterial strains. Notably, the stem part of C. sativa is found to exhibit higher antimicrobial potential than root and leaf. Among the extracts, the antioxidant assays (evaluated through % inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation assessment) of n-hexane extract of leaf part was highest (80.70%) compared to the others. The plant also contains a potent α-amylase inhibitory potential, the root extract shows maximum inhibition of α-amylase. The cytotoxic effect [evaluated through hemolytic activity as (%) lysis of RBCs against human erythrocytes] of the plant extracts is found insignificant ranging from 1.97 to 5.88. The plant C. sativa keeps a significant amount of bioactive phenolic combinations accompanied by high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

A UML-based Approach towards Test Case Generation and Optimization

Shahid Saleem,Saif U. R. Malik,Bilal Mehboob,Roobaea Alroobaea,Sultan Algarni,Abdullah M. Baqasah,Naveed Ahmad,Muhammad Hasnain 한국인터넷정보학회 2024 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.18 No.3

Software testing is an important phase as it ensures the software quality. The software testing process comprises of three steps: generation, execution, and evaluation of test cases. Literature claims the usage of single and multiple 'Unified Modeling Language' (UML) diagrams to generate test cases. Using multiple UML diagrams increases test case coverage. However, the existing approaches show limitations in test case generation from UML diagrams. Therefore, in this research study, we propose an approach to generate the test cases using UML State Chart Diagram (SCD), Activity Diagram (AD), and Sequence Diagram (SD). The proposed approach transforms UML diagrams into intermediate forms: SCD Graph, AD Graph, and SD Graph respectively. Furthermore, by integrating these three graphs, a System Testing Graph (STG) is formed. Finally, test cases are identified from STG by using a traversal algorithm such as Depth First Search (DFS) that is an optimization method. The results show that the proposed approach is better compared to existing approaches in terms of coverage and performance. Moreover, the generated test cases have the ability to detect faults at the unit level, integration, and system level testing.

Linking Emotional Brand Attachment and Sales Promotion to Post-Purchase Cognitive Dissonance: The Mediating Role of Impulse Buying Behavior

Muhammad Imad Ud Din AKBAR,Bilal AHMAD,Mirza Huzaifa ASIF,Shahid Ali SIDDIQUI 한국유통과학회 2020 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.7 No.11

The primary objective of this research is to develop a better understanding of consumer’s post-purchase psychological state by examining the influence of sales promotion and emotional brand attachment on post-purchase cognitive dissonance, taking into account the mediating role of impulse buying behavior. The current study addresses several gaps in literature. Firstly, it is hard to find the direct impact of sales promotion and emotional brand attachment on post-purchase cognitive dissonance. Secondly, to the best of our knowledge, few studies have investigated the mediating role of impulse buying behavior in consumer research. A sample of 256 respondents was collected from Pakistani retail consumers. The statistical findings of this study show that sales promotion has a significant positive effect on the impulse buying behavior and post-purchase cognitive dissonance. Furthermore, results indicate that emotional brand attachment has a negative influence on impulse buying behavior but has a significant positive impact on post-purchase cognitive dissonance. Meanwhile, impulse buying behavior is a potential mediator between sales promotion, emotional brand attachment, and post-purchase cognitive dissonance relationships. The moderating role of Gender describes that the positive relationship between sales promotion and post-purchase cognitive dissonance will be stronger for women as compared to men at a higher level of sales promotion.

Safety and efficacy of esophageal stents for esophageal anastomotic strictures: A 10-year single-center experience

Sundus Bilal,Saad Muhammad Saeed,Zeeshan Siddique,Muhammad Saqib,Shahana Shahid,Muhammed Aasim Yusuf 소화기인터벤션의학회 2022 International journal of gastrointestinal interven Vol.11 No.2

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether esophageal stent placement in recurrent and refractory post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures improves clinical outcomes and prolongs the intervals between re-interventions. Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-center study analyzed data from all patients who underwent esophageal stent placement for symptomatic benign post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures from 2009 to 2019. The primary outcome was technical and clinical success. The secondary outcomes were stent-related complications and re-intervention duration and rates. Results: Twenty-eight patients underwent esophageal stent placement for post-esophagectomy benign anastomotic strictures. The technical success rate was 96.4%. The clinical success rates at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 1 year were 100%, 69.23%, and 72.72%, respectively. Serious stent-related complications occurred in two patients (7.1%), while minor adverse events were noted in 11 patients (39.28%). The rate of stricture recurrence with a mean dysphagia-free interval of 17 weeks after stent placement was 64.28%. The rate of luminal patency with a stent was 73.33% at 12 months. Conclusion: Stent insertion is an effective and safe treatment modality for anastomotic esophageal strictures. Long-term remission of the stricture, more luminal patency, and an improved dysphagia score were observed, but the findings need to be confirmed through multivariate analysis.

Safety and efficacy of esophageal stents for esophageal anastomotic strictures: A 10-year single-center experience

Sundus Bilal,Saad Muhammad Saeed,Zeeshan Siddique,Muhammad Saqib,Shahana Shahid,Muhammed Aasim Yusuf 소화기인터벤션의학회 2022 Gastrointestinal Intervention Vol.11 No.2

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether esophageal stent placement in recurrent and refractory post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures improves clinical outcomes and prolongs the intervals between re-interventions. Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-center study analyzed data from all patients who underwent esophageal stent placement for symptomatic benign post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures from 2009 to 2019. The primary outcome was technical and clinical success. The secondary outcomes were stent-related complications and re-intervention duration and rates. Results: Twenty-eight patients underwent esophageal stent placement for post-esophagectomy benign anastomotic strictures. The technical success rate was 96.4%. The clinical success rates at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 1 year were 100%, 69.23%, and 72.72%, respectively. Serious stent-related complications occurred in two patients (7.1%), while minor adverse events were noted in 11 patients (39.28%). The rate of stricture recurrence with a mean dysphagia-free interval of 17 weeks after stent placement was 64.28%. The rate of luminal patency with a stent was 73.33% at 12 months. Conclusion: Stent insertion is an effective and safe treatment modality for anastomotic esophageal strictures. Long-term remission of the stricture, more luminal patency, and an improved dysphagia score were observed, but the findings need to be confirmed through multivariate analysis.