ms180400019 SHAKIL AHMAD ANJUM | Virtual University Of Pakistan (original) (raw)

Papers by ms180400019 SHAKIL AHMAD ANJUM

PURPOSE: The article has as a main purpose to show the need of solving some current problems of H... more PURPOSE: The article has as a main purpose to show the need of solving some current problems of Human Resources Management in Bulgarian administration. METHODS: Observation of the work and the documents in public administration in last years. RESULTS: There are some important problems to solve in public administration including in Human Resources Management area in contemporary society. CONCLUSION: The article underlines the importance of Human Resources Management as the central priority in modern government management. We can see that the process of modernization of the administrative activities requires concerted efforts to create conditions for professional and career development of government officials in public administration and establishment of new administrative culture oriented to the citizens of Bulgarian society.

International journal of molecular sciences, Jan 28, 2016

Previously, we showed that lipocalin2 (LCN2) serum levels increased after liver irradiation and d... more Previously, we showed that lipocalin2 (LCN2) serum levels increased after liver irradiation and during acute-phase conditions. Here, we evaluate LCN2 expression and serum levels after single-dose lung irradiation with 25 Gy, percutaneously administered to the lung of randomly-paired male Wistar rats. Due to the concave anatomy of the lung recesses, the irradiation field included the upper part of the liver. No rat died due to irradiation. In control tissue, lung immunohistochemistry showed a high constitutive expression of LCN2+ granulocytes. LCN2 mRNA levels in lung tissue increased up to 24 h (9 ± 2.3-fold) after irradiation. However, serum LCN2 levels remained undetectable after lung irradiation. LCN2 expression in the upper part of the liver increased up to 4.2-fold after lung irradiation, but the lower liver showed an early decrease. Acute-phase cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) showed a significant increase on transcript level in both lung and upper liver, whilst the lower liver did...

Nitric Oxide, 2015

INTRODUCTION: Fetal growth restriction (FGR), which causes perinatal morbidity and mortality, is ... more INTRODUCTION: Fetal growth restriction (FGR), which causes perinatal morbidity and mortality, is characterized by birth weight and body mass being below 10th percentile for gestational age. FGR babies are prone to develop cardiovascular diseases later in life. Inadequate placental transfer of nutrients from mother to fetus due to placental insufficiency is considered the underlying cause of FGR. Recently, we demonstrated that blockade of cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) activity induces preeclampsia-like condition in pregnant mice. We hypothesized that defect in cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) / H2S pathway may promote FGR. METHODS: Placental CBS expressions were determined in women with FGR (n=9) and normal controls (n=14) by Western blotting and real-time qPCR. ELISA was used to determine angiogenic factors levels in plasma and first-trimester (8–12 weeks gestation) human placental explants. Time pregnant mice were treated with CBS inhibitor, aminooxyacetic acid (AOA). Mean arterial blood pressure (MBP), histological assessments of placenta and embryos were performed. RESULTS: Placental CBS expressions were significantly reduced in women with FGR. Inhibition of CBS activity by AOA reduced PlGF production from first-trimester human placental explants, Administration of AOA to pregnant mice had no effects on blood pressure, but caused fetal growth restriction, which was associated with reduced placental PlGF production. Histological analysis revealed a reduction in the placental junction zone, within which trophoblast giant cells and glycogen cells were less prominent in CBS inhibitor-treated animals. Furthermore, H2S donor GYY4137 treatment restored fetal growth in pregnant mice exposed to high level of sFlt-1. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that placental CBS is required for placental development and that dysregulation of CBS activity may contribute to the pathogenesis of FGR but not preeclampsia opening up the therapeutic potentials of H2S therapy in this condition.

Water

Levee breaches are some of the most common hazards in the world and cause the loss of lives, live... more Levee breaches are some of the most common hazards in the world and cause the loss of lives, livelihoods, and property destruction. During the 2010 flood in Pakistan, the most devastating breach occurred at Tori Levee on the right bank of the Indus River, downstream of the Guddu Barrage, which caused residual floods in northern Sindh and the adjoining regions of the Balochistan province. In this study, 2D unsteady flow modeling performed for Tori Levee breach computed residual flood inundation by coupling a HEC-RAS (Hydrological Engineering Centre—River Analysis System) 2D hydraulic model with remote sensing and Geographic Information System techniques. The model performance was judged by comparing the observed and simulated water levels (stage) during peak flow at seven different gauging stations located within the Indus River reach and daily flood extents and multi-day composites. The quantitative values for the calibration and validation of the HEC-RAS model showed good performan...

International Journal of Climatology

Publications

Bibliometric methods are used to access various elements in any data set. Similarly, this study u... more Bibliometric methods are used to access various elements in any data set. Similarly, this study uses a bibliometric method to evaluate the research performance of the University of the Punjab (PU), the oldest university of Pakistan. A peer university from a neighboring country, India, has been selected in this study along with three state-owned universities of Pakistan. The research yield of selected universities was analyzed since their establishment until 2019. The data were retrieved from the Scopus database in February 2020. The guidelines of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education were used to select the peer universities. It has been analyzed that steady progress in research productivity was observed during the 20th century and in the last few years of the 19th century. A focus shift was observed with the onset of the 21st century and a rapid increase in research publications was observed in Pakistani universities. Around 92% of research studies of the ...

Journal of Scientometric Research

Objective: This paper investigated the possibility of advocating usage of SCImago Journal Rank (S... more Objective: This paper investigated the possibility of advocating usage of SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Eigenfactor Score and H5 index indicators as alternative to the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) for quality assessment in the field of mechanical engineering. Researchers and librarians concerns of methods of scientific journal ranking regarding publication language, analysis time and self-citation impact amongst other factors are addressed through suggested alternatives. Method: The SJR, ES, H5 index and JIF scores and ranking order of mechanical engineering journals were downloaded from the relevant websites. Pearson and Spear man's correlation coefficients were calculated to test linear and monotonic hypotheses for association between different journal quality metrics. Selected coefficients were adopted for assessing linear and monotonic relationships of chosen variables and ranking values, respectively. Result: A very strong positive correlation was found between the scores and ranking order based on the SJR, ES, H5 and JIF of selected journals. Hence, academics and researchers in mechanical engineering are encouraged to use the SJR, ES and H5 indicator as an alternative to JIF for evaluation and judgment of scientific journals in the area.

Journal of Bioresource Management

Wild plants have always held economic, nutritional and medicinal value for human beings. Present ... more Wild plants have always held economic, nutritional and medicinal value for human beings. Present work is the study of local information of some wild plants being used for remedial purposes in District Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The indigenous knowledge of local conventional uses was collected through survey and personal interviews during field trips. A total of 50 plant species were identified by taxonomic description using field guides and locally by medicinal knowledge of people living in the area. About 150 informers were interviewed randomly to record local names and ethno-medicinal uses of different plant species.

COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management

The main objective of this research work is to assess the impact and visibility of Indian journal... more The main objective of this research work is to assess the impact and visibility of Indian journals, estimate presently published (2017) scientific journal quality mostly adopted bibliometric indicators: Journal Impact Factor (JIF), Eigenfactor Score (ES), SCImago Journal Rank indicator (SJR) and H5. Indian journals were picked from their class from Web of Science. JIFs and ESs are obtained from Journal Citation Report and the SJR from the SCImago Journal and country rank website. The 106 Indian journals taken, analyzed and documented with conjoined required data retrieved from primary and original sites in linking JIF, SJR, ES and H5 quality indexes for quality ranking. Correlations among indicators were described by means of Pearson’s and Spearman’s statistical correlations through the use of SPSS software. All graphed journals are indexed in noticeable and respected databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. Bivariate correlation between the selected indicators (JIF, ES, SJR and H5) for ranking of the selected Indian journals revealed that there is a high Pearson’s (r) statistical correlation between JIF and H5 indicators.

Journal of Clinical Oncology

e13039 Background: Lipocalin-2 is a pleiotropic protein synthesized under acute phase conditions.... more e13039 Background: Lipocalin-2 is a pleiotropic protein synthesized under acute phase conditions. The source of increased serum levels and the major organ responsible for its production are still unknown. The aim of our study was to prospectively evaluate the Lipocalin-2 (LCN-2) expression in rat liver exposed to single dose x-irradiation. Methods: A single dose of 25 Gy was administered percutaneously to the liver of randomly paired rats after a planning CT scan. Male Wistar rats were sacrificed 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after irradiation along with sham irradiated control. Blood was taken for ELISA of LCN-2, and organs were removed and deep-frozen for RT-PCR and Western Blot or prepared for immunostaining. Furthermore, hepatocytes, myofibroblasts and Kupffer cells were isolated from the liver of healthy rats and irradiated with 2 Gy ex-vivo. Results: LCN-2 serum levels increased significantly (2.5 mg/ml) within 24 hours after direct liver irradiation. In the liver, LCN-2 specif...

SAGE Open

Research discovers new knowledge, ideas, and technologies essential in driving the future of soci... more Research discovers new knowledge, ideas, and technologies essential in driving the future of society and humanity. Without research, a relevant and modern country cannot exist. Similarly, the research output of universities and degree-awarding institutes (DAIs) plays a significant role in higher education and development of any country. Research fosters professional excellence in faculty, important for delivering outstanding student education and training. Therefore, this research is an evaluation of the research output of higher education DAIs in the capital of Pakistan. This research was conducted in four steps: (a) data collection: where the data were extracted from Scopus for the years 2008–2017; (b) data cleansing and labeling: which included removal of nonrequired contents and labeling of nonnumeric data to meaningful classes; (c) feature selection: useful features according to proposed research questions were selected; and (d) data analysis: data were analyzed according to re...

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objective: Women with preeclampsia have elevated circulating levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine ... more Objective: Women with preeclampsia have elevated circulating levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1). Statins can reduce sFlt-1 from cultured cells and improve pregnancy outcome in animals with a preeclampsia-like syndrome. We investigated the effect of pravastatin on plasma sFlt-1 levels during preeclampsia. Design: Blinded (clinician and participant), proof of principle, placebo-controlled trial Setting: 15 UK maternity units. Population: We used a minimization algorithm to assign 62 women with early-onset preeclampsia (24 +0-31 +6 weeks' gestation) to receive pravastatin 40mg daily (n=30) or matched placebo (n=32), from randomization to childbirth. Primary outcome: Difference in mean plasma sFlt-1 levels over the first three days following randomization. Results: The difference in the mean maternal plasma sFlt-1 levels over the first three days after randomisation between the pravastatin (n=27) and placebo (n=29) groups was 292pg/mL (95%CI:-1175-592; p=0.5), and over days 1-14 was 48pg/ml (95% CI-1009 to 913; p=0.9). Women who received pravastatin had a similar length of pregnancy following randomization compared with those who received placebo (Hazard ratio 0.84; 95%CI: 0.50-1.40; p=0.6). The median time from randomization to childbirth was 9 days (IQR 5-14 days) for the pravastatin group and 7 days (IQR 4-11 days) for the placebo group. There were 3 perinatal deaths in the placebo-treated group and no deaths or serious adverse events attributable to pravastatin. Conclusions: We found no evidence that pravastatin lowered maternal plasma sFlt-1 levels once early onset preeclampsia had developed. Pravastatin appears to have no adverse perinatal effects.

SRELS Journal of Information Management

Aim of this research study is to predict the correlation, if any, between the journal impact fact... more Aim of this research study is to predict the correlation, if any, between the journal impact factor, SCImago ranking, Eigenfactor score and H-index of Analytical chemistry journals and quality of these journals. JIF is considered a good parameter for evaluation of scientific journals but has been criticized on many counts such as self-citation, limitation to English language etc. Seventy five (75) analytical chemistry journals indexed in WoS and Scopus databases were selected in this research for comparison of various indices. Correlations between indices (JIF, ES, SJR, and H-index) were evaluated using Pearson and Spearson's correlation. Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry was at the top with JIF of 8.0 and the lowest for American Laboratory journal with JIF of 0.028. In case of SCImago ranking, Eigenfactor score and H-index, highest valued journals were reported as Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry (SJR = 3.078), Analytical Chemistry (ES = 0.1588) and Analytical Chemistry (H-index = 109). Lowest valued journals were reported as American Laboratory journal (SJR = 0.106), Archeosciences-Revue D Archeometrie (ES = 0.0001) and Instrumentation Science and Technology (H-index = 0). Throughout the study, none of the journals had the same ranking to compare different indicators. Pearson's correlation between JIF and SJR values reached a high value (0.936) as compared to either ES (0.558) or H5 (0.567).

Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Introduction: Radiochemical purity (RCP) is a routine quality control test carried out at nuclear... more Introduction: Radiochemical purity (RCP) is a routine quality control test carried out at nuclear medicine to determine the concentration of various chemical species present in the radiopharmaceuticals (RPs). The present work describes three years of experience in a single institute for the measurement of these impurities in the RPs preparations. Methods: The RCP of different cold kit preparations were performed by chromatographic methods. Specifically, a small drop of the aliquot was spotted on the specific paper acting as the stationary phase and then developed in different solvents as mobile phases. The developed chromatograms were then quantified for various chemical species by Mini TLC scanner or well type counter. Results: The retention factor (Rf) values for the different chemical species in the labeling of RP were measured by using single, double or triple solvent systems. It was observed that 2.70% of the kits had RCP less than the acceptable limit whereas 97.30% kits were ...

Free Radical Biology and Medicine

European Journal of Operational Research

Evaluating the quality of academic journal is becoming increasing important within the context of... more Evaluating the quality of academic journal is becoming increasing important within the context of research performance evaluation. Traditionally, journals have been ranked by peer review lists such as that of the Association of Business Schools (UK) or though their journal impact factor (JIF). However, several new indicators have been developed, such as the h-index, SJR, SNIP and the Eigenfactor which take into account different factors and therefore have their own particular biases. In this paper we evaluate these metrics both theoretically and also through an empirical study of a large set of business and management journals. We show that even though the indicators appear highly correlated in fact they lead to large differences in journal rankings. We contextualise our results in terms of the UK's large scale research assessment exercise (the RAE/REF) and particularly the ABS journal ranking list. We conclude that no one indicator is superior but that the h-index (which includes the productivity of a journal) and SNIP (which aims to normalize for field effects) may be the most effective at the moment.

Cardiovascular research, Jan 20, 2018

In heart failure, enhanced persistent Na+ current (INaL) exerts detrimental effects on cellular e... more In heart failure, enhanced persistent Na+ current (INaL) exerts detrimental effects on cellular electrophysiology and can induce arrhythmias. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Our aim was to potentially investigate the regulation and electrophysiological contribution of neuronal sodium channel Nav1.8 in failing human heart and eventually to reveal a novel anti-arrhythmic therapy. By Western blot, we found that Nav1.8 protein expression is significantly upregulated while of the predominant cardiac isoform Nav1.5 is inversely reduced in human heart failure. Furthermore, to investigate the relation of Nav1.8 regulation with the cellular proarrhythmic events, we performed comprehensive electrophysiology recordings and explore the effect of Nav1.8 on INaL, action potential duration (APD), Ca2+ spark frequency and arrhythmia induction in human failing cardiomyocytes. Nav1.8 inhibition with the specific blockers A-803467 and PF-01247324 decreased INaL, abbreviat...

Journal of patient safety, Jan 17, 2018

Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is the public primary health care provider in Qatar. Havin... more Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is the public primary health care provider in Qatar. Having a patient safety culture (PSC) is the keystone to enabling a continuous process to improve the quality of services and to reduce errors. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of accreditation, quality improvement trainings, and patient safety (PS) trainings on the improvement of the PSC at the PHCC in Qatar. The Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used in 2012 and 2015 to assess the culture of PS and health care quality in the 21 health centers. The results of the two surveys were compared using the χ test. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Out of 2689 staff working in the 21 health centers, 1810 (67.3%) completed the survey in 2012, and 2616 (70.0%) of 3735 completed the survey in 2015. The comparison between 2012 and 2015 survey's results showed a statistically significant imp...