Boundary layer flow of a Walter’s B fluid due to a stretching cylinder with temperature dependent viscosity

AbstractThe present investigation consists of an analytical treatment of a steady boundary layer flow of a Walter’s B fluid due to a stretching cylinder with temperature dependent variable viscosity. The heat transfer analysis is also considered. With the help of usual similarity transformations the governing equations have been transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations and are solved by a powerful technique homotopy analysis method. Two models of variable viscosity, namely, Reynolds and Vogel’s models are taken into account. The convergence is checked by plotting h-curves. The emerging parameters are discussed through graphs

The Effective Use of Information Technology and Interactive Activities to Improve Learner Engagement

Student engagement in the learning process is the key to successful delivery of teaching and learning. Teachers face several challenges to engage learners in different disciplines, including computer science. This research conducts a review of BSc (Computer Science) programmes and introduces interactive activities to enhance learner engagement. The study was conducted using a repeated measure design involving 24 participants. The findings revealed that the use of technology, and collaborative and interactive activities in groups may positively influence learner engagement. The participants’ feedback before and after introduction of group tasks and interactive activities showed a significant (p < 0.001) and increasing trend in response to questions-related learner engagement. The participants agreed that their learning experience and engagement enhanced with the use of technology and interactive and collaborative activities

Classification of Arrhythmia by Using Deep Learning with 2-D ECG Spectral Image Representation

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the most extensively employed signals used in the diagnosis and prediction of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The ECG signals can capture the heart's rhythmic irregularities, commonly known as arrhythmias. A careful study of ECG signals is crucial for precise diagnoses of patients' acute and chronic heart conditions. In this study, we propose a two-dimensional (2-D) convolutional neural network (CNN) model for the classification of ECG signals into eight classes; namely, normal beat, premature ventricular contraction beat, paced beat, right bundle branch block beat, left bundle branch block beat, atrial premature contraction beat, ventricular flutter wave beat, and ventricular escape beat. The one-dimensional ECG time series signals are transformed into 2-D spectrograms through short-time Fourier transform. The 2-D CNN model consisting of four convolutional layers and four pooling layers is designed for extracting robust features from the input spectrograms. Our proposed methodology is evaluated on a publicly available MIT-BIH arrhythmia dataset. We achieved a state-of-the-art average classification accuracy of 99.11\%, which is better than those of recently reported results in classifying similar types of arrhythmias. The performance is significant in other indices as well, including sensitivity and specificity, which indicates the success of the proposed method.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted for future publication in Remote Sensing MDPI Journa

Pharmacodynamic evaluation of Terminalia bellerica for its antihypertensive effect.

Terminalia bellerica has been used as a folk medicine in a variety of ailments including hypertension. Our aim was to investigate the possible mechanism of its blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect. The crude extract of Terminalia bellerica fruit (Tb.Cr) which tested positive for flavonoids, sterols and tannins induced a dose-dependent (10-100 mg/kg) fall in the arterial BP of rats under anaesthesia. In isolated guinea-pig atria, Tb.Cr inhibited the force and rate of atrial contractions. In rabbit thoracic aorta, Tb.Cr relaxed the phenylephrine (PE, 1 μM) and K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions as well as suppressed the PE (1 μM) control peaks in the Ca++-free medium, similar to that caused by verapamil. The vasodilator effect of Tb.Cr was endothelium-independent as it was not opposed by Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester in endothelium-intact rat aortic preparations and it occurred at the similar concentration in the endothelium-denuded tissues. These results indicate that Terminalia bellerica lowers BP through Ca++ antagonist mechanism and thus provides a sound mechanistic background for its medicinal use in hypertensio

Airways and cardiovascular inhibitory effects of Olea europea and Terminalia bellerica aqueous fractions

This study describes the bronchodilatory, vaso-relaxant and cardiac inhibitory effects of aqueous fractions of Olea europea (Oe.Aq) and Terminalia bellerica (Tb.Aq) fruits. In guinea-pig tracheal preparations, Oe.Aq and Tb.Aq caused concentrationdependent (0.03-5 mg/mL) relaxation of carbachol (CCh, 1 μM) and high potassium (80 mM)-induced contractions. When tested on rabbit aortic rings, against phenylephrine (PE, 1 μM) and potassium (K+)-induced contractions, Oe.Aq and Tb.Aq caused non-specific inhibition of the induced contractions. In isolated guinea-pig atria, Oe.Aq and Tb.Aq exhibited a suppressive effect on the atrial force and the rate of contractions. These data indicate that Olea europea and Terminalia bellerica aqueous fractions possess airways and cardiovascular inhibitory activities, via calcium antagonism like verapamil

The role of rhizospheric Aspergillus flavus in standing maize crop contamination in different ecological zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Soil and un-husked maize samples were collected from 29 different locations belonging to three distinct ecological zones (Swat, Hazara and Peshawar) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The samples were evaluated for the incidence of aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus. The soil samples collected from Peshawar (100%) and Hazara (66%), and grain samples collected from Swat (64%) and Peshawar (55%) were severely infected with aflatoxigenic strains of A. flavus. The strains isolated from maize kernels of Manyar, Jalala (Swat zone), Palosi and Takkar (Peshawar zone) produced the highest amount of aflatoxin B1 (324 to 514 μg g-1) and B2 (23 to 486 μg g-1). Similarly, the strains isolated from soils of Bannu (Peshawar) and Huripur (Hazara) were prominent in B1 (662 to 1323 μg g-1) and B2 (145 to 826 μg g-1). Microbial analysis of the surface sterilized grains showed that the strains isolated from Jalala (Swat) and Palosi (Peshawar) samples were high in B1 (62 to 79 μg g-1) and B2 (21 to 36 μg g-1). It was concluded, therefore, that A. flavus from soil might contaminate maize crop, but not directly from the same field. The most probable contamination occurred through air borne spores. It is thus recommended that protection from air borne spore should be devised.Keywords: Aspergillus flavus, aflatoxin, ecology, maize crop, field, soil toxicolog

Antisecretory and analgesic activities of Terminalia bellerica

This study describes the antisecretory and analgesic activities of the crude extract of Terminalia bellerica (Tb.Cr). T. bellerica extract inhibited the castor oil-induced intestinal fluid secretion in mice at the dose range of 300 - 1000 mg/kg. The extract also dose-dependently (50 - 100 mg/kg) reduced the numbers of acetic acid-mediated writhes in mice. These results indicate that T. bellerica exhibit antisecretory and anti-nociceptive effects, hence justifying its medicinal use in diarrhea and pain

Collaborative Research in Economics in Pakistan: The Case of Pakistan Development Review from 1973 to 2009

ABSTRACT The pattern of collaborative authorship (extent of international collaboration and degree of collaboration) and institutional affiliation in the papers of the Pakistan Development Review were determined by using bibliometric techniques. The sample used was the papers published during 1973-2009. Of the 1627 papers, 723 (44.44%) were the result of collaborative effort. International collaboration was observed only in 94 papers. The degree of collaboration was 0.44 as a whole and the year-wise calculated degree ranged between 0.13 and 0.76. The year 2009 was the most productive year in terms of collaborative research

Anterior Cervical Corpectomy with Cage Fixation for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Objective:  This study aimed to report the clinical outcome of anterior cervical corpectomy with cage fixation in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Material and Methods:  This observational retrospective study included 36 patients from the Neurosurgery department of Lady Ready Hospital MTI, Peshawar from 2014 January to 2015 December. After performing surgery, the patients were followed up for six months for neurological outcome and various post-operative complications such as infection, transient recurrent laryngeal palsy, screw displacement and improvements in paresthesias and gait ataxia. Results:  Most of the patients have no post-operative complications. Seventy-five percent (n = 27) of patients reported an immediate improvement in paresthesia and fine hand movements and gait. The major reported complications were implant failure (5.55%) and recurrent laryngeal nerve transient palsy in two patients (5.55%) each. Conclusion:  In patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, with anterior compression, cervical corpectomy with cage fixation is less invasive and an effective procedure with acceptable outcomes