Why pharmaceutical crops? Trends and Future prospects

Amna Parveen,Minsun Jeong,Sun Yeou Kim 한국작물학회 2017 한국작물학회 학술발표대회 논문집 Vol.2017 No.-

Gum Arabic Supplementation Suppresses Colonic Fibrosis After Acute Colitis by Reducing Transforming Growth Factor β1 Expression

Amna Al-Araimi,Ishraq A. Al Kindi,Asma Bani Oraba,Amira AlKharusi,Badreldin H. Ali,Shadia Al Sinawi,Ibrahim Al-Haddabi,Fahad Zadjali 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.12

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the colonic mucosa. Gum Arabic (GA) has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic activity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of GA on disease activity in an experimental model of colitis. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) was used to induce colitis in C57BL/6 mice and the animals were then switched to normal drinking water to monitor recovery. Mice received 140 g/L GA before (pre-GA group) or after (post-GA group) induction of colitis. Disease activity and recovery were assessed by changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), and histological assessment. Gene expression of proinflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and fibrotic markers was measured in colonic tissues. Mice in the pre-GA group showed an increase in body weight, with no differences in DAI scores, during the recovery phase and had lower histological colitis scores than mice in the post-GA group, which showed higher DAI and histological scores during the recovery phase. During the recovery phase, mice in the pre-GA group showed increased expression of proinflammatory markers, while gene expression of the fibrotic markers, transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and procollagen I, was reduced. The reduced fibrotic marker expression was associated with reduced collagen staining and increased epithelial cell proliferation. Administration of GA had protective and alleviative effects on the severity of DSS-induced colitis, with a reduction in colonic fibrosis and TGFβ1 expression. These data warrant further in vitro and in vivo investigations on the effect of GA on fibroblast activity.

An Automated Object Retrieval System for Warehouses

Amna Khan,Abdul Rehman Sair,Anas Ekram,Saad Malik,Muhammad Raheel Afzal,Ali Bin Junaid,Amre Eizad 제어로봇시스템학회 2015 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2015 No.10

The transport of objects in a warehouse is an indispensible but time consuming task, and is therefore the focus of extensive research. This paper presents a system that autonomously retrieves boxes placed in shelves according to the part number fed in the system by the user. The system utilizes a modified implementation of the A<SUP>*</SUP> algorithm to determine the shortest path for retrieving the objects. A maximum of three objects can be retrieved in one round by the robot. After retrieval, the objects are delivered to a delivery station. Line tracking sensors are used for robot navigation. Telescoping arms mounted on the robot are used to retrieve objects from the shelves. The guidance algorithm and Graphic User Interface (GUI) have been implemented using MATLAB® and the robot has been designed using SolidWorks®.

Electrospun Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ hybrid nanofibers and their in vitro biocompatibility: Prospective matrix for satellite cell adhesion and cultivation

Amna, T.,Hassan, M.S.,Van Ba, H.,Khil, M.S.,Lee, H.K.,Hwang, I.H. Elsevier 2013 Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for Vol.33 No.2

We report the fabrication of novel Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> hybrid nanofibers with the improved cellular response for potential tissue engineering applications. In this study, Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> hybrid nanofibers were prepared by facile sol-gel electrospinning using titanium isopropoxide and iron(III) nitrate nonahydrate as precursors. The obtained electrospun nanofibers were vacuum dried at 80<SUP>o</SUP>C and then calcined at 500<SUP>o</SUP>C. The physicochemical characterization of the synthesized composite nanofibers was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction pattern. To examine the in vitro cytotoxicity, satellite cells were treated with as-prepared Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> and the viability of cells was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay at regular time intervals. The morphological features of unexposed satellite cells and exposed to Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> composite were examined with a phase contrast microscope whereas the quantification of cell viability was carried out via confocal laser scanning microscopy. The morphology of the cells attached to hybrid matrix was observed by Bio-SEM. Cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the satellite cells could attach to the Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> composite nanofibers after being cultured. We observed that Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>-TiO<SUB>2</SUB> composite nanofibers could support cell adhesion and growth. Results from this study therefore suggest that Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> composite scaffold with small diameters (approximately 200nm) can mimic the natural extracellular matrix well and provide possibilities for diverse applications in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Virgin olive oil blended polyurethane micro/nanofibers ornamented with copper oxide nanocrystals for biomedical applications

Amna, Touseef,Hassan, M Shamshi,Yang, Jieun,Khil, Myung-Seob,Song, Ki-Duk,Oh, Jae-Don,Hwang, Inho Dove Medical Press 2014 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE Vol.9 No.-

<P>Recently, substantial interest has been generated in using electrospun biomimetic nanofibers of hybrids, particularly organic/inorganic, to engineer different tissues. The present work, for the first time, introduced a unique natural and synthetic hybrid micronanofiber wound dressing, composed of virgin olive oil/copper oxide nanocrystals and polyurethane (PU), developed via facile electrospinning. The as-spun organic/inorganic hybrid micronanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The interaction of cells with scaffold was studied by culturing NIH 3T3 fibroblasts on an as-spun hybrid micronanofibrous mat, and viability, proliferation, and growth were assessed. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay results and SEM observation showed that the hybrid micronanofibrous scaffold was noncytotoxic to fibroblast cell culture and was found to benefit cell attachment and proliferation. Hence our results suggest the potential utilization of as-spun micronanoscaffolds for tissue engineering. Copper oxide–olive oil/PU wound dressing may exert its positive beneficial effects at every stage during wound-healing progression, and these micronanofibers may serve diverse biomedical applications, such as tissue regeneration, damaged skin treatment, wound healing applications, etc. Conclusively, the fabricated olive oil–copper oxide/PU micronanofibers combine the benefits of virgin olive oil and copper oxide, and therefore hold great promise for biomedical applications in the near future.</P>

Electrospun antimicrobial hybrid mats: Innovative packaging material for meat and meat-products

Amna, Touseef,Yang, Jieun,Ryu, Kyeong-Seon,Hwang, I. H. Springer-Verlag 2015 Journal of food science and technology Vol.52 No.7

베이지안 규칙을 사용한 비즈니스 프로세스 관리 시스템에서의 인적 자원 배정

Amna Shifia Nisafani,Arif Wibisono,김승(Seung Kim),배혜림(Hyerim Bae) 한국전자거래학회 2012 한국전자거래학회지 Vol.17 No.1

본 연구에서는 비즈니스 프로세스 관리(Business Process Management, BPM) 환경에서 자원의 성능에 영향을 미치게 되는 여러 요소를 고려하여 인적자원을 선택하는 방법론을 개발한다. 스케줄링에 있어서 자원의 선택 문제는 작업 수행도에 직접적인 영향을 미치기 때문에 중요한 문제로 인식되어져 왔다. 비록 많은 문제에 있어서 전통적인 자원선택 방법론이 의미를 가져왔으나, 인적자원을 다루는데 있어서는 가장 좋은 방법론이라고 볼 수 없다. 인적자원은 작업부하, 작업소요시간, 작업간 시간 등의 다양한 요소에 의해서 영향을 받는 특이한 요소이며 본 연구는 이러한 다양한 요소를 고려하여 작업자를 선택하는 방법론을 제시한다. 이를 위해서 베이지안 네트워크를 사용하며, 앞서 기술한 여러 요소들을 한꺼번에 고려하기 위한 베이지안 선택규칙(Bayesian Selection Rule, BSR)을 도입하였다. 또한, 시뮬레이션을 통해서 본 연구에서 개발된 방법론이 대기시간, 작업수행시간과 사이클 타임을 줄일 수 있음을 보였다. This study developed a method for selection of available human resources for incoming-job allocation that considers factors affecting resource performance in the business process management (BPM) environment. For many years, resource selection has been treated as a very important issue in scheduling due to its direct influence on the speed and quality of task accomplishment. Even though traditional resource selection can work well in many situations, it might not be the best choice when dealing with human resources. Human-resource performance is easily affected by several factors such as workload, queue, working hours, inter-arrival time, and others. The resource-selection rule developed in the present study considers factors that affect human resource performance. We used a Bayesian Network (BN) to incorporate those factors into a single model, which we have called the Bayesian Selection Rule (BSR). Our simulation results show that the BSR can reduce waiting time, completion time and cycle time.

Contribution of pupillary light reflex assessment to Glasgow Coma Scale for prognostication in patients with traumatic brain injury

Amna A. Butt,Folefac D. Atem,Sonja E. Stutzman,Venkatesh Aiyagari,Aardhra M. Venkatachalam,DaiWai M. Olson,Shoji Yokobori 대한신경집중치료학회 2021 대한신경집중치료학회지 Vol.14 No.1

Background: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the pupillary light reflex (PLR) are important prognostic tools for traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study compared the predictability of GCS, GCS plus manual PLR (GCS-P), GCS plus Neurological Pupil index (GCS-NPi), and average NPi (avgNPi) in predicting discharge outcome in patients diagnosed with TBI. Methods: Data were obtained from a multicenter prospective registry that included 175 subjects with TBI. A nonlinear mixed model (NLMIXED) approach was used to determine which of the following independent variables (GCS, GCS-P, GCS-NPi, and avgNPi) is a better predictor of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge by fitting four predictive models for comparison. Results: The NLMIXED model for longitudinal data determined that GCS, GCS-P, GCS-NPi, and avgNPi were all significant predictors of mRS at discharge (P<0.001). Age was a significant predictor of the discharge mRS (P<0.001). There was a strong significant correlation between the four predicting variables (P<0.05). The maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of GCS was –0.17 (P<0.001), MLE of GCS-P was –0.17 (P<0.001), MLE of GCS-NPi was –0.17 (P<0.001), and the MLE of avgNPi was –0.39 (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that any of the four variables (GCS, GCS-P, GCS-NPi, and avgNPi) could be used as a potential predictor of discharge mRS in a patient with TBI. This warrants future investigations to explore the combination of pupillary reactivity scores and NPi with GCS for prognostication in patients with TBI.

Classy non-wovens based on animate L. gasseri-inanimate poly(vinyl alcohol): upstream application in food engineering

Amna, Touseef,Hassan, M. Shamshi,Pandeya, Dipendra Raj,Khil, Myung-Seob,Hwang, I.H. Springer-Verlag 2013 Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol.97 No.10

<P>We explored electrospinning as a feasible and practicable mode for encapsulation and stabilization of Lactobacillus gasseri. The utilized nanocomposite was prepared using sol-gel composed of animate L. gasseri and inanimate PVA. The objective was to examine the ability of electrospinning method to protect functional properties of probiotic L. gasseri. The PVA was used as an encapsulation matrix as it is biocompatible and hydrophilic in nature thus facilitate an easy revival of bacteria. The characterization of as-spun bioproduct was done by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, SEM, and TEM, whereas thermal behavior was analyzed by thermogravimetry. The viability was confirmed by traditional pour plate method and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, to test whether the functionality of L. gasseri was affected, the encapsulated L. gasseri were fed to mouse for colonization. Our results pointed out that encapsulated bacteria were viable for months, and their metabolism was not affected by immobilization; thus, they could be used in food engineering and trade.</P>

Inter-Process Correlation Model based Hybrid Framework for Fault Diagnosis in Wireless Sensor Networks

( Amna Zafar ),( Ali Hammad Akbar ),( Beenish Ayesha Akram ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2019 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.13 No.2

Soft faults are inherent in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) due to external and internal errors. The failure of processes in a protocol stack are caused by errors on various layers. In this work, impact of errors and channel misbehavior on process execution is investigated to provide an error classification mechanism. Considering implementation of WSN protocol stack, inter-process correlations of stacked and peer layer processes are modeled. The proposed model is realized through local and global decision trees for fault diagnosis. A hybrid framework is proposed to implement local decision tree on sensor nodes and global decision tree on diagnostic cluster head. Local decision tree is employed to diagnose critical failures due to errors in stacked processes at node level. Global decision tree, diagnoses critical failures due to errors in peer layer processes at network level. The proposed model has been analyzed using fault tree analysis. The framework implementation has been done in Castalia. Simulation results validate the inter-process correlation model-based fault diagnosis. The hybrid framework distributes processing load on sensor nodes and diagnostic cluster head in a decentralized way, reducing communication overhead.