Department of Basic Sciences
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Item Video summarization sports highlights generation(University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan., 2013) Muhammad Ehsan Anjum; Syed Farooq Ali; Tahir Hassan; Muhammad AdnanThe mechanism to recognize highlights from videos is basic and fundamental problem for indexing and retrieval applications. In this paper we propose techniques to generate sports highlights from cricket video using techniques of optical character recognition. First the score bar is extracted from the frames then the character recognition techniques are used to extract information for events like sixes, fours and wickets. A short video summary is synthesized that includes the frames for the aforementioned significant events termed as Highlights. The process of sports highlights generation is automated resulting in a condensed summary for the viewer that reduces the time and space requirements.Item Human fall detection(3rd International Conference UMT, Lahore, 2013) Syed Farooq Ali; Alizaa Fatima; Noman Nazar; Muhammad Muaz; Fatima IdreesFall-induced injuries are common in the elderly population. Delay or lack of medical care after the occurrence of a fall often results in injuries, sometimes severe, and can also lead to death in some cases. Falls, therefore, are critical occurrences for the elderly. Detecting falls automatically, as they occur, can lead to better timed medical care which can in turn reduce the subsequent medical complications. In this paper we describe an effective fall detection system based on videos dataset generated using multiple cameras. Approach proposed in this paper outperforms in accuracy as compared to the other existing approach. It uses several images descriptors or features which are fed to a number of classifiers to detect falls.Item In vitro assessment of antibacterial, enzyme inhibition and oxidative stress activities of various fractions of ranunculus sceleratus(2013) Sammia ShahidThe aims of the present investigation were to assess the enzyme inhibition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of various fractions of. Ranunculus sceleratus Linn. The methanolic extract of plant was partitioned sequentially with solvents of increasing polarity. Enzyme inhibition studies were done against four enzymes i.e. α-glucosidase, butyrylcholinesterase, acetylcholinesterase and lipoxygenase. It was observed from the results that n-butanol fraction possessed very good activity (77.49±0.94 % inhibition at 0.1 mg/ml) against α-glucosidase, as compared with quercetin, a reference standard drug. Its IC50 value was calculated as 35.69±0.93 μg/ml as compared to quercetin (IC50 value 16.47±0.39 μg/ml). Antibacterial activity was checked against five bacterial strains by 96-wells microplate assay using ciprofloxacin, a standard antibiotic, as positive control. Chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions showed excellent activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (MIC at 7.09, 7.82, 5.62 and 5.26 respectively) which is greater then standard antibiotic ciprofloxacin (MIC 10.03). Ethyl acetate n-butanol and aqueous fraction also showed good activity against Escherichia coli (MIC at 10.56, 10.88 and 10.74 respectively). The antioxidant potential of all the fractions was evaluated by different methods. The results revealed that ethyl acetate soluble fraction exhibited highest percent inhibition of DPPH radical as compared to other fractions. It showed 80.9±1.23% inhibition of DPPH radical at a concentration of 30 μg/ml. The IC50 value of this fraction was 44.07±0.76 μg/ml, relative to ascorbic acid, having IC50 58.90± 1.76 μg/ml. It also showed highest total antioxidant activity (1.04±0.03) as well as highest FRAP value (238.5±1.12 TE μM/ml), highest total phenolic contents (97.08±1.03 GAE mg/g) and highest value of inhibition of lipid peroxidation (53.70±1.59%) as compared to the other studied fractions. The results obtained from this study suggest that Ranunculus sceleratus is a valuable herb, which due to the presence of larger quantities of enzyme inhibition, antibacterial and antioxidant compounds inhibits the oxidative stress mechanism that lead to degenerative diseases.Item Screening of natural herb(2013) Sammia ShahidPhytochemical studies on the aerial parts of Abutilon muticum resulted in the isolation of eight new source compounds, which had not been isolated so far from this investigated source. The compounds isolated were: 3,4′,5,6,7-pentahydroxy flavone, 3, 3′, 4′, 5, 7-penta hydroxy flavone-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 3, 3′, 4′, 5, 7-pentahydroxy flavone, stigmasterol, benzoic acid, 1-tricosanol, cholesterol and triacontyl palmitate. Aerial parts of A. muticum were subjected to proximate analysis. The results obtained were; moisture (8.23%), ash (17.29 %), crude fiber (23.46 %), crude protein (16.13 %) and crude carbohydrate (32.04 %). The ash was also analyzed for its mineral contents which were found to be (mg/100g); aluminium (5.16), cadmium (0.02), calcium (395.23), iron (3.21), lead (0.02), magnesium (193.42), phosphorus (327.13), potassium (443.01) and zinc (21.05). In addition hepatoprotective activity of A. muticumwas evaluated against hepatic damage in rabbits [Table 1]. The substantially elevated enzyme levels were restored towards normalization by the extracts.Item Assessment of relief to oxidative stress by different fractions of mazus(2013) Sammia ShahidThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of Mazus pumilus (Burm. f.) Steenis. Methanolic extract of the whole powdered plant was obtained on soxhlet apparatus, dissolved in distilled water and partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol sequentially. The antioxidant potential of all these fractions and remaining aqueous fraction was evaluated by four methods: 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity, Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and ferric thiocyanate assay along with determination of their total phenolics. The results revealed that n-butanol fraction exhibited highest percent inhibition of DPPH radical as compared to other fractions. It showed 80.42±1.68% inhibition of DPPH radical at a concentration of 60 μg/ml. The IC50 value of this fraction was 28.79±1.35 μg/ml, relative to ascorbic acid, having IC50 58.84± 0.89 μg/mL. It also showed highest total antioxidant activity (1.01±0.08) as well as highest FRAP value (626.83±0.39 TE μM/mL), highest total phenolic contents (88.30±1.09 GAE mg/g) and highest value of inhibition of lipid peroxidation (53.91±1.21%) as compared to the other studied fractions. Ethyl acetate soluble fraction also showed good results.Item Screening of Abutilon muticum for Bioactive Constituents, Mineral Contents, Antioxidants and Hepatoprotective activity(2013) Sammia ShahidThe genus Abutilon belongs to the family Malvaceae and has about 150 species distributed throughout the Mediterranean to central Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan. Several species of this genus have been used in folk medicines as analgesic and for the treatment of digestive disorders, toothache, arthritis and so forth. Abutilon muticum, a species of genus Abutilon occurs in plains throughout Pakistan especially more common in Sindh and abundant in the deserts of Cholistan, Bahawalpur. Abutilon muticum is traditionally used for analgesic, anthelmintic, hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic properties.Item In vitro assessment of protection from oxidative stress by various fractions of mazus pumilus(Chemical Society of Pakistan, 2013) Sammia Shahid; Tauhed Riaz; Muhammad Athar Abbasi; Farah Khalid; Muhammad Nadeem AsgharBioactive compounds in food have been shown to maintain human health. Therefore the aim of this investigation was to evaluate antioxidant potential of an edible herb Mazus pumilus (Burm. f.) Steenis by spectrophotometric methods. Methanolic extract of the herb was obtained on Soxhlet apparatus, and sequentially fractionized with organic solvents of increasing polarity. The antioxidant potential of all these fractions was evaluated by four methods: 1,1-Diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity, Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and ferric thiocyanate assay along with determination of their total phenolics. The results revealed that n-butanol fraction exhibited highest percent inhibition of DPPH radical as compared to other fractions. It showed 80.42±1.68 inhibition level, % of DPPH radical at a concentration of 60 μg ml-1. The IC50 value of this fraction was 28.79±1.35 μg ml-1, relative to ascorbic acid, having IC50 58.84±0.89 μg ml-1. It also showed highest total antioxidant activity (1.01±0.08) as well as highest FRAP value (626.83±0.39 TE / μM ml-1), highest total phenolic contents (88.30±1.09 GAE / mg g-1) and highest value of inhibition of lipid peroxidation (53.91±1.21 %) as compared to the other studied fractions. The results obtained from this study suggest that Mazus pumilus is a valuable herb, which due to the presence of larger quantities of antioxidant compounds inhibits the oxidative stress mechanism that lead to degenerative diseases.Item Natural Products: Bioactivity, Biochemistry, and Biological Effects in Cancer and Disease Therapy(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2013) Chang, Hsueh-Wei; Chuang, Li-Yeh; Guleria, Sanjay; Sammia YasminThe drug discovery for chemoprevention and chemotherapy remains a challenge. Natural products-derived extracts and compounds are frequently reported to discover therapeutic agents for disease and cancer. The overall scenario of this special issue ofThe Scientific World Journal presents the recent advances in biological function of selected natural products for cancer and disease therapy in terms of crude extracts and components. Some studies describe the bioinformatics tool to help to investigate the field of natural products.The papers by S. Guleria et al. and C.-C. Lee et al. provide the essential oil and/or extracts of herb Zanthoxylum alatum and Zingiber officinale for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, respectively. O. O. Igbinosa et al. and C.-C. Lee et al. provide the animal experiments using extractsfrom Jatropha curcas (Linn) leaf and from supercritical carbon dioxide extracted ginger, respectively. Three studies (F. M. Al-Jasass and M. S. Al-Jasser, X.-W. Chen et al., and C.-Y. Lo et al.) focus on biological functions of the compounds fromSaudiArabia herbs, Chinese herbHuang Lian (Rhizoma coptidis), and fromAlpinia galangal, respectively. Further, C.- Y. Yen et al. provide the toxicological study for cardiotoxin III in growth inhibition of oral cancer. C.-Y. Lin et al. provide a review article for the chemoprevention of cytochrome P450 in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) patients in terms of betel quid metabolism. S.-S. Liang et al. introduce the novel technique for onlinemonitoring oxidative products andmetabolites of nicotine based on tandem mass spectrometry. S ome papers introduce the bioinformatics methods or resources to study or review the natural products-related studies. L. Wang et al. introduce the gene ontology (GO) network for the systems-theoretical analysis of human hepatocellular carcinoma. Y.-C. Lin et al. provide the database (TIPdb) for anticancer, antiplatelet, and antituberculosis phytochemicals from indigenous plants in Taiwan. Three papers (W.-H. Huang et al. and J.-Y. Tang et al.) provide the drug discovery for cancer and disease therapy in terms of RNA editing, alternative splicing, and long noncoding RNAs as well as the summary for their bioinformatics resources.Item Preparation, characterization and antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles on broad spectrum of microorganisms.(Acta chimica Slovenica, 2013-02-22) Sumera Siddique; Zaheer Hussain; Sammia Shahid; Farida YasminNano particles have received increased attention regarding their potential utility in biomedicine. In this study, we have investigated the antibacterial activity of ZnO nano particles with various particle sizes. ZnO nano particles were synthesized by conventional precipitation method using zinc sulphate and sodium hydroxide as precursors followed by the calcinations of precipitates at 350 °C for 6 h (sample A) and 550 °C for 2 h (sample B). The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and morphology of the particles was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial activities against four different microorganisms were evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and zones of inhibitions using different concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity was directly proportional to the concentration and inversely proportional to the particle size in all the microorganisms; moreover Gram positive bacteria were generally more affected than Gram negative bacteria. The stability of ZnO nanoparticles combined with potent antibacterial properties favours their application as antibacterials against broad spectrum of microorganisms.Item Gc-ms and antioxidant capacity analyses of cowpea seeds oils(Emerald, 2013) Muhammad Nadeem Asghar; Muhammad Shafiq; Iram Nadeem; Muhammad Ashfaq; Sammia ShahidPurpose – The cowpea plant, being affordable and protein-rich, is considered poor man’s meat. The aim of this paper is to undertake a detailed investigation regarding in vitro total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and chemical constituents of the vegetable oils from seeds of this plant, taking its nutritional value into consideration. Design/methodology/approach – Vegetable oils of different indigenous cowpea varieties were obtained using soxhelt extraction assembly and subjected to GC-MS analyses and various antioxidant assays including 2,20-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulpohonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging, ferr, 2.20-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging, total phenolic contents (TPC), lipid peroxidation inhibition, and iron chelation activity. Findings – Various chemical constituents including different hydrocarbons, tocopherols, ketones, fatty esters, estragole and cedrene were identified. TPCs were found to be 5.439, 5.7279, 7.6126, 6.7573 and 10.0591 mg/L gallic acid equivalent for S.A. Dandy, Elite, White Star, CP-386 and FBD Rawan varieties, respectively. Employing ABTS radical decoloration assay a significant linear correlation (R 2 ¼ 0.997, 0.996, 0.997, 0.996 and 0.997 for S.A. Dandy, Elite, White Star, CP-386 and FBD Rawan varieties, respectively) was found between the percent inhibition of ABTS radical cation and the amount of vegetable oils. The percent inhibition of the Fe(II)-Ferrozine complex formation was found to be 29.45, 53.76, 82.91, 86.59 and 57.87 for the same varieties, respectively. Originality/value – GC-MS and standard in vitro antioxidative capacity analyses data clearly demonstrated the potency of the cowpea as antioxidant and radical scavenger plant which may be used as a good source of natural antioxidants. The plant seeds may prove a better and cost-effective substitute of expensive food items.Item On the determination of refractive index and thickness of thin dielectric films from measurement of transmittance(World Scientific Publishing Company, 2012) Zaheer Hussain Shah; Imtiaz Ahmad; Q. A. Tahir; Ehsan Ellahi KhawajaRefractive index and thickness of a transparent ¯lm (ZnS) on a transparent substrate (BK-7 glass) have been determined from measurement of normal incidence transmittance, using di®erent methods. Some of the methods considered here are most widely used, as is apparent from the literature. The outcome of this study could help a researcher in selecting an appropriate method for such an application. The values of the refractive indices determined by di®erent methods were found to be close to each other (within 0.5%). However, large (up to 4.4%) di®erences existed in the values of the thickness determined by di®erent methods.Item Effect of syngas and coal composition on performance of solid oxide fuel cell(2012) Ayesha Mohy-Ud-Din; Mehwish Mujahid; Muhammad Hassan Qayyum KhanGasification technology includes the conversion of fossil fuels into either combustible gas or synthesis gas (syngas) for subsequent utilization. It finds its applications in the production of clean power as well as chemicals. Coal is one of the world's important sources of energy fueling around 40% of the power stations around the world. It is commonly agreed that coal pits will be mined more intensively and in more numbers in the coming years and that lignite and hard coals will be the major energy suppliers until 2100. Integrated gasification fuel cell hybrid power generation system is a promising system for coal utilization. It combines clean coal gasification technology with high efficient fuel cell technology. In this paper, effect of syngas and coal composition on performance of solid oxide fuel cell was studied. It was observed that different ratios of H2 and CO affect the current and voltage of fuel cell. With higher molar fraction of H2 the better output voltage was obtained under the same working conditions. The trace species in coal also affect the performance of solid oxide fuel cell. Ni, Be, Cr, K and Na trace species present in coal also affect the performance to some extent.Item In vitro total antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of organic extracts from leaves, stem and inflorescence of cannabis sativa l.(Asian Journal of Chemistry, 2012) Iram Nadeem; Asad Ullah Khan; Muhammad Nadeem Asghar; Muhammad Ashfaq; Sammia Shahid; Dildar AhmedThe in vitro total antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of organic extracts from leaves, stem and inflorescence of male and female plants of Cannabis sativa were studied using 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging, total phenolic conents (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, lipid peroxidation inhibition and metal chelating activity assays. The stem, leaves and inflorescence of male (MS, ML and MI, respectively) and female (FS, FL and FI, respectively) plants were initially extracted in methanol and subsequently partitioned in n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and 1-butanol, successively. Employing ABTS radical scavenging activity assay the fractions obtained in polar solvents exhibited high ABTS scavenging activity. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values obtained for various extracts of different parts of C. sativa ranged from 144.46- 1.47 mM trolox equivalents for 1-butanol fraction of FI and chloroform fraction of FS, respectively. Total phenolic contents using Folin- Ciocalteu's method ranged from 3.562-0.339 mg/L gallic acid equivalent for 1-butanol fraction of FS and chloroform fraction of MI, respectively. A direct relationship between Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and total phenolic contents values was not observed for the extracts except for MS indicating that only phenolic compounds were not responsible for the total antioxidant activity of the fractions. The rate of scavenging of DPPH radical for these extracts reflected the presence of a diverse nature of antioxidative components. Using ammonium thiocyanate method, all the extracts of both the genders demonstrated significant lipid peroxidation inhibition activity. The per cent chelating activity using ferrozine as reference chelator ranged from 9.46-84.94 for ethyl acetate fraction of ML and methanol fraction of FL, respectively. A poor correlation of ferrous ion chelating activity with total phenolic conents of the extracts was observed and this indicates that phenolic compounds might not be the main chelators of iron ions.Item Chemical constituents, proximate composition and hepatoprotective activity of abutilon muticum(Asian Journal of Chemistry, 2012) Sammia Shahid; Muhammad Akram Kashmiri; A Adnan; B AliPhytochemical studies of the aerial parts of Abutilon muticum resulted in the isolation of eight new source compounds, which had not been isolated so far from this investigated source. The compounds isolated were: 3,4',5,6,7-pentahydroxy flavones; 3,3',4',5,7-penta hydroxy flavone-8-O-b-D-glucopyranoside, 3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxy flavones; stigmasterol, benzoic acid, 1-tricosanol, cholesterol and triacontyl palmitate. Proximate composition of A. muticum revealed that the protein content was appreciable (23.5 %) and similar to that of cotton (28.72 %). As far as human nutritional aspects are concerned A. muticum had significant mineral contents. Potassium is most abundant (443.01 mg/100 g), followed by calcium (395.23 mg/100 g), phosphorus (327.13 mg/100 g) and magnesium (193.42 mg/100 g). In addition hepatoprotective activity of A. muticum was evaluated against hepatic damage in rabbits. The substantially elevated enzyme levels were restored towards normalization significantly by the extracts. The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of rabbit liver sections. These findings reveal A. muticum, indigenous to Pakistan to be potentially valuable herb for minerals, delivery of drugs and liver diseases.Item Screening of aerial parts of abutilon bidentatum for hepatoprotective activity in rabbits(Academic Journals, 2011-02-04) Sammia Yasmin; Akram Kashmiri, Muhammad; Kalsoom AnwarThe objective of this investigation was to study the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous methanolic extracts of aerial parts of Abutilon bidentatum on carbon tetra chloride (CCl4) and paracetamol induced liver damage in rabbits. The extracts at different dosages, administered orally for three days, significantly decrease serum enzymes; Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase (SGPT), Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate (SGOT), Alkaline Phosphate (ALKP), and direct bilirubin. Silymarin was used as a standard hepatoprotective agent. The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of rabbit liver sections. The results of this study strongly indicated that aerial parts of A. bidentatum had potent hepatoprotective action against CCl4 and paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rabbits. These findings revealed A. bidentatum an indigenous plant to be a potentially valuable herb for liver diseases.Item Dielectric properties of vegetable oils(Journal of Scientific Research Publications, 2011) Zaheer Hussain Shah; Q. A TahirIn search of PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) free mineral oil used in transformer, we have carried out the detailed study on dielectric properties of some vegetable oils, such as corn oil and cottonseed oil. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss factor have been determined for corn oil, cotton seed oil, and PCB free mineral transformer oil having International Electrotechnical Commission number IEC-60296 in the frequency range 330 Hz to 3 MHz and in temperature range 250C to 700C. The dielectric data of the vegetable oils is critically compared with that of the transformer oil and appropriate causes for similarities and differences have been discussed. Owing to comparable results in the vegetable oils and transformer oil studied, it is suggested that vegetable oils may also be used as transformer oil.Item Filament temperature of low power incandesecent lamps: stefan-boltzmann law(2010) Imtiaz Ahmad; Sidra Khalid; Ehsan KhawajaAn undergraduate experiment using commercially available low power incandescent lamps was performed. The results obtained, for higher temperature of the filament (say above 1000 K), were compared with those calculated using a simple model, based on transfer of electric power predominantly into Planck’s radiation channel through Stefan- Boltzmann law. The agreement between the results and the theory was quite satisfactory. Measurement of filament temperature to confirm theoretical results, included in the present work, is expected to give a student more confidence in the theory.