Irfan Ullah - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Irfan Ullah

Journal of the chemical society of pakistan

The aim of the current study was to evaluate various fractions of Monotheca buxifolia fruit chemi... more The aim of the current study was to evaluate various fractions of Monotheca buxifolia fruit chemically using GC-MS and in vitro antibacterial, antifungal, and leishmanicidal potentials in order to provide scientific evidences for its folk uses. A variety of pharmacologically active compounds were identified including hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, vaccinic acid, and pthanlic acid. All the tested samples were found fairly effective in antibacterial assay, P. aeruginosa was found more susceptible to ethyl acetate fraction with inhibition of 69.5 %, while B. subtilis was found completely resistant. Similarly the growth of M. canis and F. solani were moderately inhibited by M. buxifolia. The maximum (50%) antifungal effect was observed in case of ethyl acetate fraction against F. solani, While no leishmanicidal activity was found in the entire tested samples. Yet the use of this plant can be validated in the management of different bacterial and fungal infections.

The protection of traditional crafts represents one of the goals of Intangible cultural heritage ... more The protection of traditional crafts represents one of the goals of Intangible cultural heritage to be safeguarded, as defined in the UNESCO 2003 Convention. In the field of architecture, traditional carving is embodied in construction techniques in the interior decoration and ornamentation of historic buildings. The architectural and artistic value of the historic objects means protection of their intangible aspect which is to be kept and nurtured for future generations. Wood carving has been an important craft in the dialect architecture practiced by Malay craftsmen in Peninsular Malaysia as early as the 14th century. One of the famous components or items in the vernacular buildings are an ornamental component and it is prominent in traditional buildings. The Carved component also found one of elements with architectural identity for traditional houses in the northeastern region of Peninsular Malaysia. Today the methods are changing regarding the traditional ways of carving the wo...

Sarhad Journal of Agriculture

This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of agricultural land parcels and identify... more This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of agricultural land parcels and identify important determinants of their prices in Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For this purpose, a sample of 79 land parcels, having transaction record for the year 2015-2017, was selected from 10 randomly chosen villages. Data were collected on their prices and their physical, agricultural and location characteristics. Descriptive statistical tools were used to summarize data on agricultural land characteristics. A linear Hedonic Pricing Model (HPM) was used to estimate agricultural land prices based on physical, location and agricultural characteristics. Results show that agricultural land parcels in Central Swabi district have comparatively high prices, and this is due to their high residential and commercial potential. Developmental projects for roads, hospitals, universities and gas supply infrastructure in the surroundings of Swabi city are resulting human influx from rural areas, and are increasing demand for residential and commercial units in the suburbs. This high demand is pulling land prices and causing utilization of fertile agricultural land for residential and commercial units' construction. Around 50% of the sampled agricultural lands were used for residential and commercial purposes. Results from HPM reveal that agricultural characteristics, such as land fertility and irrigation water availability, were the significant determinates and have positive effects on land prices. Location characteristics, such as road distance, city distance, distance to nearby houses and distance to agricultural market are the important determinants of land prices. These findings imply that agricultural land prices depends on agricultural and location attributes and this is consistent with the Ricardian's Land 'Rent' and Von Thunan's 'Land Location' theories. Based on these findings, the study recommends that agricultural land must be protected through laws from residential and commercial encroachments. Investment in development of agricultural infrastructure and provision of subsidized on important inputs could raise farmers' returns from agriculture and could change their perception to favor using land for agriculture.

Chemistry – A European Journal

The sluggish kinetics and demand of high anodic potential are the bottlenecks for OER that severe... more The sluggish kinetics and demand of high anodic potential are the bottlenecks for OER that severely hamper the deployment of water splitting modules for H 2 production. Although transition metal oxides based electrocatalysts have been envisioned as potential contender in this quest, but their low conductivity, instability and limited number of active sites are among the common impediments that need to be addressed to enhance their inherent catalytic potential for enhanced OER activity. Herein, we report the controlled assembly of transition metal oxides i.e., Cu@CuO x nanoclusters (NCs, ≈ 2nm) and Co@CoO x beaded nanoclusters (BNCs, ≈2nm) on thiol-functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets as novel and highly efficient electrocatalysts for OER. Thiol functionality was incorporated via selective epoxidation reaction on the surface of graphene oxide to achieve chemically exfoliated nanosheets to enhance its conductivity and trapping ability for metal oxides NCs. During electrocatalytic reaction, an overpotential of 290 mV and 310 mV is required to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm 2 for BNCs and NCs respectively, while exhibiting long-term stability (≈50 h) in alkaline medium (1 M KOH) with no dissolution. Moreover, the smaller Tafel slopes (54 mV/dec for BNCs and 66 mV/dec for NCs), and a Faradic efficiency of ≈96 % indicate not only the selectivity but also the tailored heterogeneous electrons transfer rate that is essentially required for fast electrode kinetics.

Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies

The study focuses on the marketing mix and market orientation on export performance due to the si... more The study focuses on the marketing mix and market orientation on export performance due to the significance of foreign businesses. Theory posits that marketing mix and market orientation have a positive impact on export performance. Although the paper is conceptual base and the model proposed is required to check their reliability that firm with size, information system, and commitment with availability of market mix and market orientation formally. However, with the modification of technology enhances the export performance in a better way. The authors concluded that the practical implementation of exportâ€™s marketing strategies identically facilitated the companies for future success.

Medical Laboratory Journal

Background and Objectives: The emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Shigel... more Background and Objectives: The emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Shigella spp. is becoming a health concern worldwide. This study aimed to investigate antibiotic resistance pattern and frequency of blaCTX-M, blaSHV, and blaTEM genes among Shigella isolates from patients in hospitals of Tehran, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 52 non-repeated Shigella strains were isolated from hospitalized patients in Milad, Emam Khomeini and Shariati hospitals in Tehran (Iran) from November 2015 to December 2016. Bacterial identification, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed according to the standard guidelines. The blaCTX-M, blaSHV, and blaTEM resistance genes were identified using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Results: Among 52 Shigella isolates, S. sonnei (44.2%) was the predominant species, followed by S. flexneri and S. dysenteriae (23%). Over 67% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. The highest rates of resistance were observed against cefalotin (67.3%), tetracycline (67.3%), amikacin (63.5%), trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (48.1), and ampicillin (42.3%). The lowest resistance rate was against ciprofloxacin (1.9%). We detected the blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes in 61.5% and 19.2% of the isolates, respectively. However, the blaSHV gene was not detected in any of the isolates. In addition, 16.4% of the isolates harbored the blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes simultaneously. Ciprofloxacin was the most effective antibiotics according to the ESBL genes distribution. Conclusion: Our findings indicate the high prevalence of multidrug resistance and ESBL genes in Shigella isolates, which elucidates the need for appropriate infection control measures for limiting the spread of resistant strains.

Journal of Human Genetics

Sinoatrial node dysfunction and deafness (SANDD) syndrome is rare and characterized by a low hear... more Sinoatrial node dysfunction and deafness (SANDD) syndrome is rare and characterized by a low heart beat and severe-to-profound deafness. Additional features include fatigue, dizziness, and episodic syncope. The sinoatrial node (SAN) drives heart automaticity and continuously regulates heart rate. The CACNA1D gene encoding the Ca1.3 protein expressed in inner hair cells, atria and SAN, induces loss-of-function in channel activity and underlies SANDD. To date, only one variant c.1208_1209insGGG:p.(G403_V404insG) has been reported for SANDD syndrome. We studied five Pakistani families with SANDD and characterized a new missense variant p.(A376V) in CACNA1D in one family, and further characterized the founder variant p.(G403_V404insG) in four additional pedigrees. We show that affected individuals in the four families which segregate p.(G403_V404insG) share a 1.03 MB haplotype on 3p21.1 suggesting they share a common distant ancestor. In conclusion, we identified new and known variants in CACNA1D in five Pakistani families with SANDD. This study is of clinical importance as the CACNA1D founder variant is only observed in families from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, in Pakistan. Therefore, screening patients with congenital deafness for SAN dysfunction in this province could ensure adequate follow-up and prevent cardiac failure associated with SAN.

International Journal of Communication Systems, 2016

Economics Research International, 2014

This study aims to find dynamic interaction between domestic investment, foreign direct investmen... more This study aims to find dynamic interaction between domestic investment, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in Pakistan for the period 1976–2010. Phillips and Perron (PP) test is used to assess unit root in the concerned data series. Johansen cointegration approach applied to examine the long run relationship and Toda-Yamamoto causality approach is exercised to evaluate causal linkages. Besides foreign direct investment inflow to Pakistan and domestic investments variables, this study also used GDP as a third variable in order to avoid misspecification problems in the model and also to know the interrelationship between the variables. The empirical findings of this study reveal the existence of long run relationship between domestic investments, foreign direct investment, and economic growth, further supported by Toda-Yamamoto causality, and bidirectional causality has been found between FDI and domestic investment implying that both domestic investment and FDI cause eac...

Procedia Computer Science, 2011

The ubiquity of the multimedia has raised a need for the system that can store, manage, structure... more The ubiquity of the multimedia has raised a need for the system that can store, manage, structured the multimedia data in such a way that it can be retrieved intelligently. One of the current issues in media management or data mining research is ranking of retrieved documents. ...

Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research, 2009

A quantitative characterization of seeds from 34 pea (Pisum sativum L.) accessions was performed ... more A quantitative characterization of seeds from 34 pea (Pisum sativum L.) accessions was performed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to explore the level of genetic variation in pea. SDS-PAGE results showed significant variations in minor ...

There has been a recent problem in achieving smooth sun light at a destination deep inside the bu... more There has been a recent problem in achieving smooth sun light at a destination deep inside the building. A system is presented here to achieve smooth and high beam sunlight into the building by using reflectors and optical fibers. Two parabolic reflectors are used; concave reflector concentrates light rays into small area and convex reflector reflects light rays to the