Professor Dr. Iftikhar A. Raja assumes the charge as the New Director of CIIT Abbottabad September 2009

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1 Professor Dr. Iftikhar A. Raja assumes the charge as the New Director of CIIT Abbottabad September 2009 Professor Dr. Iftikhar A. Raja has assumed the charge as Director, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad. His competence and invaluable experience in the field of academics and administration makes him the ideal person for the post. He joined CIIT Abbottabad in 2004 as Foreign Professor and had been acting as Campus Incharge in absence of Campus Director. Since 2004 he has been holding various posts including Head & Chairman, Department of Environmental Sciences, Chairman, Departmental Advisory Committee of the Department of Environmental Sciences, Convener, Board of Studies, Chairman, International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESDev 2005, 2007 and 2009), Member, Selection Board, CIIT Abbottabad, Member, Academic Council. CIIT, Member, International Linkages/Collaborations, CIIT, Chairman, Campus Evaluation Committee from 2004 to 2006, Chairman, Campus Graduate Programs from 2004 to 2007 and President, COMSATS Employees Society. More than 100 of his research papers have been published in national and international journals of repute and presented in international conferences. He also wrote a book on Solar Energy Resources of Pakistan. He did his M.Sc. in 1971 from Government Post Graduate College Abbottabad, University of Peshawar, Pakistan, MS in Nuclear Energy from Queen Mary University of London, UK in 1981 and PhD in 1992 from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. Prior to joining CIIT Abbottabad, he worked in various renowned educational institutions and organizations including University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK, Oxford Brookes University Oxford, UK, The Sheffield College, Norton Centre, Sheffield, UK, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan. He also worked in reputable organizations of Libya in different capacities. The CIIT Abbottabad s family wishes him a bright and successful future in his new assignment. July - September

2 Visit of CIIT delegation to Malaysian Universities University Technology Malaysia at Johar Baru, University Malaysia Pahang at Pahang, and Berjaya University College of Hospitality, Kuala Lumpur. The delegation had detailed meetings with the officials of the universities and visited laboratories of selected departments in each campus. The delegation also visited the High Commission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur during their visit. The visits have been regarded highly beneficial for CIIT as all four Malaysian universities have excellent academic programs at undergraduate/graduate levels and research facilities in various disciplines of Engineering sciences, Basic Sciences (Geosciences, Environmental sciences, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry) and Management sciences. The officials of the Malaysian universities showed keen interest in developing long term linkage programs with CIIT and also promised to award scholarships to the students and faculty of the CIIT. Pakistan High Commission in Meeting with Vice Chancellor and officials of Berjaya University College of Hospitality, Kula Lumpur Kuala Lumpur appreciated the initiative of CIIT and assured its full cooperation CIIT in materializing linkages with Malaysian universities. Mr. Waqar Ayub, Commissioner Hazara Division visits CIIT Abbottabad Group Photo with Professors and Deans of University Technology Malaysia at Johar Baru. The purpose of the visit was to explore possibilities of establishing academic and research linkages between CIIT and selected Malaysian universities A high level delegation led by Professor Dr. Raheel Qamar, Dean, Faculty of Sciences, CIIT Islamabad, and comprising Professor Dr. Muhammad Ahmed Farooqui, Chairman of Environmental Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad, CIIT delegation having meeting with officials of the University Technology Petronas Meeting with the Vice Chancellor and Offcials of University Technology Pahang NEWSLETTER Mr. Tahir Naeem, Director P&D, CIIT Islamabad, Dr. Moin ud Din Ghauri, Incharge, Chemical Engineering, CIIT Lahore, Dr. Shahzad A. Malik, Head, Department of Electrical Engineering, CIIT Islamabad and Mr. Shahzad Ahmed, Protocol Officer, International Liaison Office, CIIT Islamabad, visited four Malaysian universities in the first week of August The purpose of the visit was to explore possibilities of establishing academic and research linkages between CIIT and selected Malaysian universities. The delegation visited four institutions namely University Technology Petronas at Ipoh, EVENTS 02 M r. W a q a r A y u b, Commissioner Hazara Division visited CIIT Abbottabad on Wednesday, 8 July He went round the campus and was very appreciative of the overall environment of the campus and the facilities being provided by CIIT Abbottabad to the students. He particularly applauded the efforts of CIIT Abbottabad for establishing the Language Lab. He was of the view that he had been to various reputable and renowned universities but had never seen such a State of the Art Lab in any of those universities. 8 July 2009 During his visit he was apprised of the fact that keeping in view Vision 2020 of CIIT Abbottabad when this Institute will be having 21 Departments with 40 programs and a students strength of approximately 9250, more land would be needed to fulfill all these requirements. Besides, the problem of the accessibility of the road leading to university was also brought in his notice and he was July - September 2009 requested to help CIIT Abbottabad to overcome this problem. He has promised to render all possible help and support to CIIT Abbottabad for achieving the future objectives and overcoming the aforementioned problems. 03

3 Two faculty members of the Department of Computer Science, Mr. Shahzad Ali and Sardar Muhammad Bilal were selected for a 12 day workshop by DAAD Summer Academy on Wireless Communications: New Technologies and Research Challenges at Ilmenau University of Technology, Ilmenau, Germany. The International Graduate School on Mobile Communications invited students of Master's level or beyond to its annual Summer Academy. The Summer Academy took place from 17 to 28 August 2009 at the Ilmenau University of Technology, Ilmenau, Germany. The focus of the workshop was on the following areas: l l l l 12 Day Workshop in Germany on Wireless Communications Basics of mobile communications Radio transmission Mobility management Quality of Service (QoS) Department of Computer Science, August 2009 l l Mobile communication networks Self-organization in mobile communication networks The participants were introduced to the research fields of the Graduate School. The school introduced the current and future research projects in mobile communications besides the current state of the art research projects in this area. Examples included methods for the self-organization of mobile communication systems supporting a quick response to major disasters by autonomously and automatically repairing the infrastructure. This includes radio and antenna systems as well as issues related to network and information management. The lectures were accompanied by hands-on experiments in institute's specialist labs. Agreement between Life Sciences & The Taraqee Foundation Life Sciences Services Center (LiSCENT), 8 September 2009 Life Sciences Services Center (LiSCENT), CIIT Abbottabad and The Taraqee Foundation, Abbottabad signed an agreement on 8 September According to the agreement, LiSCENT will do quality test of 70 samples of potable water provided by Taraqee Foundation. Physical, Chemical and Microbiological parameters will be analyzed by LiSCENT and a detailed report on all tests will also be made by LiSCENT. Physiochemical analysis of water will be done by Rizwana Sarwar (RA), Sadia Nasreen (Ph.D Scholar) and Microbiological analysis of water will be done by Muhammad Awais (RA) and Sohail Akhtar (Lab Assistant) in Microbiology lab. Dr. Qaisar Mahmood, visits Zhejiang University, PR China Department of Environmental Sciences, 2 September 2009 Dr. Qaisar Mahmood, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences was invited to visit Department of Environmental Engineering of Zhejiang University in September The purpose of this visit was to exchange research ideas of mutual interest. The ideas not only benefited research projects on the Treatment of Domestic Wastewater but also promoted cooperation between Zhejiang University and COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan. He also visited some ongoing Wastewater Treatment Projects in Anji, Yiwu and Jinhua cities of Zhejiang Province. Dr. Qaisar Mahmood and his Chinese hosts at Anji Wastewater treatment Engineering. Dr. Taous Khan and Dr. Abdul Jabbar Shah attend Pharmacy Curriculum Review Workshop Department of Pharmacy, 4-5 August 2009 Dr. Taous Khan and Dr. Abdul Jabbar Shah attended Pharmacy Curriculum Review Workshop on 4-5 August The workshop was organized by Department of Pharmacy, Peshawar University, Peshawar in Baragali Summer Campus. Main objective of conducting the workshop was to review the current Pharmacy Curriculum in the light of the new challenges in Pharm-D syllabus with special emphasis on both annual and semester systems of teaching. Pharmacy professionals from all over the country participated in this workshop. Dr. Taous Khan and Dr. Abdul Jabbar Shah delivered a talk on Need for the Revision of Pharmacy Curriculum: Special Focus on Semester System. Many recommendations were given to improve the current Pharm-D curriculum, which were taken into account for further processing to the competent authorities of pharmacy profession in the country. Mr. Hidayat Ullah Chagarmati, Speaker Provincial Assembly, NWFP visits CIIT Abbottabad 29 July 2009 Mr. Hidayat Ullah Chagarmati, Speaker, Provincial Assembly NWFP, visited CIIT Abbottabad on 29 July He went round the campus and was very appreciative of the facilities being provided by CIIT Abbottabad to the students and faculty. He commended the efforts of CIIT Abbottabad in establishing state of the art laboratories. He wished that a campus of CIIT should be established in Peshawar as well. The following committee has been constituted for working on this task: l Dr. Abdur Rehman Khan Chairman l Engr. Nazir Ahmed Secretary l Dr. Khawaja Farooq Member l Dr. Bahadur Nawab Member They will be visiting different sites of Peshawar to identify which places are suitable for the campus. Dr. Haroon Rashid, Director CIIT Abbottabad thanked the Guest for sparing his time and visiting the campus. NEWSLETTER EVENTS 04 July - September

4 UNICEF Awards another Project to CIIT Abbottabad- COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Abbottabad has always been in the forefront in winning all projects that are related to community services and are for the welfare of society. Many projects have been successfully completed by CIIT Abbottabad that have been entrusted by various organizations to it. CIIT Abbottabad has once again been awarded with another project namely, WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND PROMOTION OF HYGIENE (WAQIPH Phase-II) by UNICEF Islamabad, worth Rs. 9.5 million. All this occurred due to the continued excellent services of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, imparted to UNICEF and professional approach in handling two previous projects of Rs. 2.8 million and Rs million (both completed within the stipulated time). This bears testimony to the fact that CIIT Abbottabad has competence, excellence and professionalism to prove itself in front of prestigious international organizations like UNICEF. We are proud of Dr. Abdur Rehman Khan, Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad arranged a seminar on Islamic Banking in Pakistan on 17 September The seminar was meant to highlight the concept of Islamic Banking in Pakistan and its importance for the Pakistani society. Mr. Khawar Waseem, Resident Manager, Meezan Bank was the Guest Speaker of the seminar. The audience of the seminar were the Finance faculty and Finance students of MBA-3, MBA-4, BBA-7 and BBA-8. Mr.Gohar Abbas, Assistant Professor and Departmental Operating Officer, Department of Another Milestone Achieved The continued encouragement and guidance of Dr. Haroon Rashid, Ex-Director, CIIT Abbottabad and Professor Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Raja, the present Director CIIT Abbottabad are highly acknowledged as they spared no efforts in providing guidance, facilitation and encouragement to the team involved in this project. Department of Chemistry, CIIT Abbottabad and his team including Dr. Mohammad Amjad Sabir, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Mr. Adam Zahoor, Program Manager, COMSATS Community Development Unit (CCDU), Miss Absaria Talat Lodhi, Program Officer, CCDU, Mr. Salman Naeem, Field Coordinator, CCDU, Dr Athar Farooq, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Dr. Afsar Khan, all from CIIT Abbottabad. The continued encouragement and guidance of Dr. Haroon Rashid, Ex-Director, CIIT Abbottabad and Professor Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Raja, the present Director CIIT Abbottabad are highly acknowledged as they spared no efforts in providing guidance, facilitation and encouragement to the team involved in this project. The cooperation of Dr. Rehana Rashid, Head and Chairperson, Department of Chemistry is also worth admiring. Heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Abdur Rehman Khan and his team for this great achievement! One Day Seminar on Islamic Banking in Pakistan Department of Management Sciences, 17 September 2009 Management Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad organized the seminar. Dr. Mushtaq Khan Jadoon, Head of Department, Management Sciences welcomed all the guests and thanked the speaker for sparing his precious time and attending the seminar. The session was very interactive and participants, specially students, asked very relevant questions which were highly appreciated by the speaker. Chemistry Day celebrated at CIIT Abbottabad Newly Established Department of Chemistry, CIIT Abbottabad organized Chemistry Day at CIIT Abbottabad on 21 July Main Objectives were: 1. To provide an opportunity to the chemist, community of Hazara division to sit together and share the recent scientific advancements in areas of chemistry and their applications to contribute towards the regional and national development based on modern science and technology. 2. To provide the inspiration, guidance and support to the human brain reservoir of this region to utilize the chemical sciences for the intense national needs of modern, sustainable and selfsustained national development. Dr. Muhammad Riaz, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, CIIT Abbottabad, was the convener of this program. Professor Dr. Iftikhar A. Raja, Head, Department of Environmental Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad, was the Chief Guest of the event. Dr. Rehana Rashid, Chairperson and Head,Chemistry Department, chaired the program. Mr. Ishtiaq Kiani, Secretary Hattar Industrialist Union also participated in the event and expressed his desire to design and conduct joint industrial academic research projects and cooperation. The program was attended by more than 120 chemists of this region. The Chemistry Department of Hazara University overwhelmingly participated under the leadership of Professor Dr. Bukhtiar Muhammad, Chairman Chemistry Department Hazara University together with his Faculty including Professor, Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Dr. Mohsin Nawaz and more than 40 of their MS-chemistry Department of Chemistry, 21 July 2009 The program was attended by more than 120 chemists of the region students. Professor Taj Muhammad from Government PG College Abboattabad-1 and Assistant Professor, Wajid Shah from Government PG College Mansehra also attended the program along with their chemist colleagues serving at various colleges. The program started with the recitation of Holy Quran. The convener, Dr. Muhammad Riaz presented the vision, mission and objective of the Chemistry Department and of the event, the Chemistry Day. This was followed by the presentation by each faculty member of the Department of Chemistry on their ongoing research and future projects at CIIT Abbottabad. ' An open discussion was also conducted in which all participants actively participated to seek their future collaborative scientific work. Guests appreciated the provision of such opportunity to the chemist community of Hazara region to gather and develop improved scientific strategies and plans on the basis of these discussions. Finally, all the guests were given a tour to the chemistry research laboratories, shown various running research project and scientific equipments. Successful Commencement of MS Classes at Department of Chemistry The MS program of Chemistry was successfully launched in September 2009 after the untiring efforts of Dr. Haroon Rashid, the then Director of CIIT Abbottabad, Dr. Iftikhar A. Raja (Director, CIIT Abbottabd) and Dr. Rehana Rashid, Chairperson, Department of Chemistry and all other faculty members of Chemistry Department, CIIT Abbottabad. Efforts of Dr Rubina Farooq, Ex-HOD, Department of Chemistry, CIIT Abbottabad, are also acknowleged for her contributions in the establishment of Chemistry Department. NEWSLETTER EVENTS 06 July - September

5 The Department of Management Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad, arranged Internship Viva and Comprehensive Exam for the graduating students of BBA-8 and MBA-4 on 25, 27 and 28 July For this purpose some external examiners including educationists (PhDs) and bank managers from Abbottabad were requested to visit our campus and evaluate the students' internships for different groups. 123 students appeared for their viva and comprehensive exam. A group photo session was conducted at the entrance of the engineering block to make the last day of the graduating students more memorable and colorful. Comprehensive Workshop Department of Management Sciences, 25, 27 and 28 July Days workshop on Discovery Based Learning at CIIT Abbottabad Department of Computer Science, 3-7 August 2009 Workshop was aimed to further polish teaching skills of the faculty members by identifying the problems of learning and discussing their possible solutions A five days workshop on Discovery Based Learning was organized by the Department of Computer Science, CIIT Abbottabad from 3-7 August The resource person was Professor Dr. Ashraf Iqbal from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) along with Mr. Bilal Ahmad Bajwa, Lecturer at Forman Christian College Lahore. The focus of the workshop was on Discovery Based Learning through algorithms with special emphasis on Graph Theory. Algorithms are the core of Computer Science and a computer scientist is considered to be incomplete without strong a l g o r i t h m development and analysis skills. Algorithm design and development was used as a tool for the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to further polish teaching skills of the faculty members by identifying the problems of learning and discussing their possible solutions. All the participants gave Group Photograph of the Graduating Students of MS department with their teachers. model lectures on various topics related to Graph Theory. These lectures were recorded and analyzed afterwards to give constructive feedback on the strengths and shortcomings of every lecture. Besides, suggestions on how to improve the quality of lectures were also given. Dr. Ashraf Iqbal also delivered lectures on various topics and demonstrated how the students can be guided to develop algorithms without directly getting into mathematical/ implementation details but focusing on intuition and logical thinking instead. 20 Faculty members from the Department of Computer Science, CIIT Abbottabad participated in the workshop. Many faculty members from other campuses of CIIT also participated in this workshop. All participants appreciated the quality of workshop and expressed their satisfaction on the contribution of workshop in improving their quality of teaching. Report on Engineering Resource Center Report by: Mr. Sagheer Ahmad Head, ERC The Engineering Resource Center (ERC) was established on 8 January 2008 according to the vision of Dr. Haroon Rashid, the then Director of CIIT Abbottabad. Since then the center is facilitating the students and faculty to perform various practical tasks and is providing them an opportunity to use the latest equipments, interfacing devices and expensive and most recent modules. Main objectives of ERC include maintenance and optimal utilization of labs, development of new engineering labs, conducting engineering based trainings and managing a component store for students/industrial projects. ERC has undertaken various industrial tasks as well. Physical Infrastructure Following Electrical Engineering Labs are being maintained by ERC: 1. Digital Logic Design / Microprocessor Lab 2. Telecommunication / Digital Signal Processing lab 3. Control Systems Lab 4. Instrumentation / Power Electronics Lab 5. Physics lab 6. Machine Lab 12. High Voltage lab is in establishment phase and will be functional in Spring Indigenous Development / production: Following equipment were designed and developed by ERC: Moving Iron Ampere Meter Trainer power system and instrumentation lab DC Power Supply Trainer power system and power electronics lab 3-Phase AC DC stabilized Power supply unit Trainer Power electronics, power system Single Phase Transformer Trainer Electrical Machine Lab and power system lab Synchronizing Panel Trainer Power System lab Industrial Transformer Trainer - Electrical machines lab Diode Characteristics Apparatus Electronics and physics lab LOGIC Trainer Digital logic Design Lab Variable Speed Drive Power system and Electrical Machines lab Student Tool Kit 7. Power Systems Lab Design and development of the following lab 8. VLSI / Opto Electronics Lab equipment is in progress: 9. Hardware development Lab Microcomputer trainer 10. Project Lab / Workshop Multipurpose bread board trainer Communication Trainer 11. Post Graduate Lab AC Machines Trainer Admissions Fall Another Success Story The office of Students' Affairs/Admissions looks after the whole Admission Process besides working for the welfare of students with respect to every aspect of their stay in the CIIT Abbottabad Campus. The office of the Students' Affairs establishes a liaison between the university's administration and the students. It facilitates the students in addressing their problems pertaining to academics, co-curricular activities, sports, examination, transportation, fees, career planning / counseling and discipline etc. Admissions for session Fall 2009 were conducted with Report by: Student Affairs great success and more than 900 students have been inducted in both graduate and undergraduate programs. Two hundred needy students were interviewed for the award of Taleem Fund and funds were granted as per the availability. Admissions for session Spring 2010 will be announced in November We encourage you to visit the Student Affairs office and our campus web site to learn about who we are and what we do. Visit our campus website: NEWSLETTER EVENTS 08 July - September

6 GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BIOTECHNOLOGY STARTS AT CIIT ABBOTTABAD Successful Completion of Zakat Course at CIIT Abbottabad By COMSATS Information Technology Center (CITC), 5 August 2009 A Project funded by District Zakat Committee Abbottabad Ummara Waheed and Mohammad Maroof Shah Department of Environmental Sciences Biotechnology is one of the most intricate technologies and is the fastest growing economy of the world. Its target areas include biology, agriculture, food, medicine, energy and environment. The concept encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying living things according to human purposes. Historically it is going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and improvements through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization Biotechnology is one of the six priority areas of the science and technology policy of the government of Pakistan that has invested more than one billion rupees in this sector. Still Pakistan lags behind to fully exploit 20 graduates have been awarded admission in Biotechnology program on highly competitive merit genetic engineering in Pakistan l To create a tangible research that will provide solutions to environmental, industrial, agricultural and health problems. The admission in Biotechnology program for the Fall 2009 semester turned out to be very encouraging. A total of 70 applicants were interviewed by the faculty and 20 graduates were awarded admission in the program. The students will be allowed to work in the carefully designed and defined research areas. Major emphasis would be on agriculture, environment and health, with following specific themes : l Mapping genetic diversity in plants and animals l l l l using genome based technologies Understanding genetic mechanism of biotic and abiotic stresses, quality and yield traits in important crop plants Application of in vitro technology and genetic engineering in plants and microbes Genetic understanding of biochemical compounds in medicinal plants Improving agriculture, environment and health through the application of biotechnology techniques. biotechnology for productivity and growth. Therefore, the teaching and research in this field need to be strengthened to address the problems related to health, agriculture and energy in accordance with the progress made in the world. Keeping in view the importance of this field, CIIT Abbottabad has launched the Graduate Program in Biotechnology under the umbrella of Environmental Sciences in order to promote and integrate biotechnology education and research. This programme aims to l Provide high quality education and training to the students to promote excellence in research. l To integrate education in biotechnology and NEWSLETTER Complete skill and hand-on experience was provided to the students in various IT related areas throughout the training CITC contributed towards the local community development by offering free IT training to benefit the deprived community of district Abbottabad. The project was funded by District Zakat Committee Abbottabad. The duration of the course was six months. Complete skill and hand-on experience was provided to the students in various IT related areas throughout the training. Certificates were distributed among the students who completed the training successfully. The Certificate distribution ceremony took place on 5 August 2009 at Azeem Shahzad Memorial Hall, CIIT Abbottabad. Provincial Minister Zakat, Haji Zarshaid Khan graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest. Other guests from the Zakat office included Mr. Tariq Sultan Jadoon (Chairman District Zakat Committee), Mr. Mubashir Raza Zaidi (Zakat Officer Abbottabad) and other Zakat and ANP personnels. The ceremony was a success with more than 250 participants including students and guests. A total of 200 students were invited among whom 20 were awarded certificates on stage while the rest of the certificates were distributed later-on in Azeem Shahzad Memorial Hall. Based on the quality training, and prominent standing of CIIT Abbottabad in academics and research the graduates of this program are expected to be highly competitive in the job market. EVENTS 10 Chief Guest Haji Zarshaid Khan congratulated the students on successful completion of their IT training and applauded the efforts of CIIT Abbottabad for arranging and conducting the training in a very efficient and effective manner. Addressing the audience, he stated that Zakat Committee is ever committed to render all possible support for conducting such useful IT related training courses. He further enlightened the audience about the efforts of Zakat Committee in July - September 2009 We are thankful to CIIT Abbottabad for providing us such a great opportunity to attend the training. We got acquainted with latest IT related functions. The training not only helped us learn unmatched technical knowledge in the field of IT but also provided a platform to learn a lot in terms of personal and professional Development Views of the trainees of Workshop improving its current Zakat and Ushar distribution mechanism. Dr. Bilal Zaka, Head CITC thanked the guests for their participation and congratulated the students on successfully completing their IT training program at CIIT Abbottabad. He said that CITC is feeling immense pleasure and great satisfaction to contribute in such a noble cause. He told the audience that CITC will continue to contribute in such noble causes sponsored or initiated by District Zakat Committee and other organizations for making the community of Pakistan well trained in IT related services and courses. Continuing, he elaborated in detail the importance of IT in today's world and encouraged all students to join the field of IT. While giving interviews to a team of Radio Pakistan, the participating students complimented the importance of this training program and said that the training provided them a life time opportunity to experience high quality environment and thanked all IT Professionals of CIIT Abbottabad for their indefatigable and untiring efforts in accustoming the students to various IT related functions. 11

7 Launch of Hazarascholars.org COMSATS Information Technology Center Enlightening Talk Show held at CIIT Abbottabad 7 August 2009 Hazara Scholars organization conceived by Dr. M. Maroof Shah, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad, is aimed to provide a platform to intellectuals from Hazara region to unify under one platform and exchange ideas for the growth and development of Hazara There is no dedicated platform on the net to allow members from Hazara intellectual community in Pakistan to share and exchange ideas. This region is rich in cultural heritage and is a hub of many social and cultural movements in the past. There are a large number of universities in the region that are creating a talent pool of intellectuals and professionals in various disciplines. With a diverse cultural and social milieu, Hazara offers its contributions for the growth of the country in almost all sectors. This combination of factors makes it necessary to create one platform where all educated people can share their ideas and make contributions for the growth of the region. Hazara Scholars organization was conceived by Dr. M. Maroof Shah, Professor, Department of Environmental Corporate IT Trainings COMSATS Information Technology Center COMSATS IT Center has always played a significant role in promoting education in the local community as well as at national level. In this connection CITC has organized and delivered a number of seminars, workshops and training programs for local as well as national audiences. A link in this chain is the CITC's partnership with District Zakat Committee Abbottabad. After successful conclusion of the First District Zakat Committee training program at CITC, CIIT Abbottabad, CITC is going to launch the training for the second time CITC has a healthy set of technological resources and is becoming a major technology player in the region. Research & Development (R&D) lab at CITC has successfully developed an in-house Visualization Cluster which is under optimization phase. This Viz cluster is capable of handling almost all sorts of Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad. This organization will provide a platform to intellectuals from Hazara region to unify under one platform and exchange ideas for the growth and development of Hazara. The forum is open to intellectuals from Hazara holding MSc and PhD degrees in various disciplines from Pakistani and foreign universities. The forum will develop a pool of participants from the users who show interest in joining the forum. The participants can nominate individuals for various posts such as President, Secretary General, Executive Committee members etc. The organization is aiming to organize events and enable individuals to highlight their contributions in their areas of expertise. This platform will address social, cultural and scientific issues and project's local achievements to the world forum. The website will also allow overseas Pakistanis to share and exchange ideas using various forums on the website. Hazara Forum website will create an online social networking community where users can make friends, share information and images as well as post messages to other members of the community. The site will maintain a list of all scheduled events and post notifications to the subscribers. Technology bite: Visualization Cluster COMSATS Information Technology Center for a longer period offering a wide range of courses to the students. The training program is expected to start in November The training will include two 6- months training programs and a one year Diploma in IT. A total of 200 participants are expected to benefit from this training program. CITC, CIIT Abbottabad also plans to extend its training programs to its neighboring districts of Mansehra and Haripur in near future. visualization needs of those who are looking for a way to visualize high resolution imagery, may it be satellite images, plant cells or RMI images. The visualization cluster developed at CITC currently has four nodes and makes up a 30 inches virtual display which of course can be increased if needed. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad has always provided platforms to the students to discuss various important issues. Continuing the tradition, a Talk Show was organized in CIIT Abbottabad on 7 August 2009 by TV 1 Channel. The topic of discussion was Role of Youth in the Development of Pakistan. The panelists included Dr. Bahadar Nawab, Head, Department of Development Studies, Mr. Aziz- Ullah Sayal, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, Mr. Anjum Naseer, Program Manager, Department of Management Sciences and Ms. Zainab Fakhr, Lecturer, Department of Management Sciences, all from CIIT Abbottabad. A large number of Faculty members and students participated in the show. Mr. Faisal Saleem, the Anchor Person and Host of the show welcomed all the guests and thanked CIIT Abbottabad for providing them an opportunity to come and talk to the faculty and students of CIIT Abbottabad. The show was broadcast on TV 1 Channel on 16, 17 and 18 August He then enlightened the audience about the topic of discussion. This was followed by the introduction of Panelists. The show then proceeded with the views of panelists about the topic under discussion. Dr. Bahadar Nawab said that 1.3 billion population of the world is of youth, most of them are from South Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. He said that education is the pre-requisite for the development of any nation. Only those countries prosper whose youth is well educated. That is the age when a person passes through a lot of transition phases. The young generation is exposed to so many opportunities and challenges in that particular age. If they are not properly educated, the country will not develop. Ms. Zainab Fakhr said that it is very important that women are not discriminated against viz-a-viz the men. She said that she belonged to that privileged and elite class of Pakistan who is lucky enough to get the opportunity to address the audience as most of the Pakistani women don't get the opportunity to express their views in such shows. She stated that education does not only mean getting degree as it grooms the overall personality of a person and teaches him to behave in the right manner. It brings a positive change in ones thinking, his way of living and brings the feeling of responsibility in him. She further stated that it is the duty of teachers to inculcate good moral values in students and polish their personalities so that they become good citizens. She said that the teachers and parents must take extreme care of the fact that the students do not encounter the problems that their teachers faced when they were students. Continuing, she stated that the government should launch more scholarships for the students so that they may get good degrees. She added that more job opportunities should be created for the youth. She said that every one agrees with the fact that Pakistanis are one of the most hardworking and efficient workers outside Pakistan. Reason being that they get employed abroad but do not have job opportunities inside Pakistan which leads them to frustration. We cannot blame them as they get more monetary benefits and rewards while working abroad as compared to Pakistan. NEWSLETTER EVENTS 12 July - September

8 Mr. Anjum Naseer said that education brings positive behavioral change in ones personality. He said that if all young people of Pakistan make themselves good citizens and overcome their negative traits and weaknesses, Pakistan will definitely develop. He was of the view that everyone has expectations from the youth for the reason that they have energy. He said that it is a famous saying that Learning without Interest is a Crime and Teaching without Aptitude is a Sin. So the teachers should fulfill their responsibilities and should try to make the students useful assets of Pakistan. Mr. Aziz-ullah Sayal said that Pakistani youth does not lag behind in any respect form the young generation of the whole world. He added that mothers carry a heavy responsibility on their shoulders as the child learns the most important things from his mother. He said that the reason why most of the students do not succeed in their lives is the fact that they are forced to join the filed their parents want despite the fact that the students themselves have no aptitude for that. Another important reason of not being successful is the societal pressure imposed on the students as they are always told by their parents to find a good job failing which they would not get married. He added that students should be allowed to opt for the subjects which are commensurate with their aptitude and the profession which they want to join after completion of their studies. At the end, question answer session was conducted in which audience asked various questions about the Digital Library Training Workshop at CIIT Abbottabad 4-5 August 2009 Participants were given training to use variety of digital resources available to CIIT through the HEC program. They were further prepared to use advance searching functionality on the resources and to formulate and implement a rigorous search strategy. The participants evaluated the resources in terms of functionality and appropriateness of content. A two days Digital Library Training Workshop was organized in COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Abbottabad from 4-5 August This workshop was launched by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad for the CIIT teaching staff, students and librarians of all CIIT Campuses. The workshop was funded by INASP "International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publication" (UK). The Master Trainer of the training was Raja Muhammad Ibrahim, Senior Librarian, CIIT Islamabad. Other trainers included Syeda Nasreen Sultana, Librarian and Abdur Rehman, Deputy Librarian, both from CIIT Islamabad. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Library is subscribing 32,000 on-line journals (through HEC) giving access to Abstracts, Table of Contents (ToCs), Full Text and Document Delivery Services. These journals are available through world's nine renowned publishers having different databases on Sciences, Technology, Social Science and humanities. As most of the full text material on the web is in Portable Document Format (PDF), the participants were advised to install any PDF reader in their computers like Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing the PDF files. The participants were enlightened about all important resources that are available through Digital Library. They were trained to search electronic journals, scholarly databases and associated online resource. Besides introducing them to the generic techniques and approaches suitable for all systems, they were also informed about the specific approaches and techniques that are required for particular services/packages. All sessions of training went very well and participants came to know about various new things. This training will help participants to search and collect academic and research materials more efficiently and will help to further enhance the teaching/learning standards and research productivity at CIIT. Good News Earth Science Programme on the horizon of CIIT Abbottabad Earth Sciences Program, Department of Environmental Sciences By Mr. Farrukh Inayat And He made the Earth to Reside and made there in Rivers And made Mountains for the Earth and Maintains the barrier Between two Seas. Is there any ALLAH Expect Him? (Al-Quran) An Introduction Earth Science is an out door science with Earth as its laboratory. Earth Sciences primarily inspire our intellectual curiosity and promote a desire to understand, explain and appreciate the world around us. So it is a pure science. On the other hand this discipline makes practical contribution to almost all life forms including human. So it is an Applied Science too. The economy of nations and countries depends on the resources of materials and fuels they own. All such Materials and fuels come from the Earth. Our survival depends on learning and also on how to sustain our Natural Resources. Pakistan is blessed with a variety of valuable geological resources and most of them are still untapped. Within Pakistan, the geographic and geologic location of Abbottabad is very unique as it is a suitable place for the study of earth, research and study of earth related processes. Though the importance of Earth Sciences was well recognized by CIIT Abbottabad and the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 added another cause to offer B.S in Earth Sciences at CIIT Abbottabad, for the Purpose of education and research in geological, environmental and earthquake sciences. The unique location of Abbottabad provides easy access to the most diversified set of geological features that are related to youngest and highest mountains of the World i.e. Himalaya. These include all three types of rocks of different geological ages-ranging form 800 million years to present, Main Plate Boundaries, variety of minerals, gemstone deposits and many geomaorphogical features. Earth Science Program was started in CIIT Abbottabad in Fall 2008 under the umbrella of Environmental Sciences Department. Professor Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Farooqui, a well known geologist of Pakistan has been given the responsibility to establish and run the program. The Present Strength of Earth Science Students is more than 250. All this has been the result of hard work and personal interest of faculty members of Earth Sciences. This is just the Start. Considering and understanding the need of the time, Earth Sciences program of CIIT The Present Strength of Students in the Earth Sciences Program is more than 250 which shows the popularity of the Earth Sciences discipline and hard work of faculty members Abbottabad is looking towards new Ideas and research in the field of Geology. 10 different specializations will be offered in the Seventh and Eight semester of BS Geology, including very important fields of Petroleum Geology, Geophysics, Engineering Geology, Mineralogy/Petrology, Environmental Geology, Hydrogeology, Geo-Chemistry and sedimentology. Specialized Geologist of CIIT Abbottabad will definitely be the precious assets for the betterment of Pakistan and for their own future. 10 different specializations will be offered in the final year of BS Geology which will enable the students to become professional geologists in their respective fields of interest. NEWSLETTER EVENTS 14 July - September

9 During the semester break of August 2009, Sports Club of CIIT Abbottabad arranged friendly cricket matches for the Department of Electrical Engineering, CIIT Abbottabad. Dr. Shahid Khattak, Head, Department of Electrical Engineering, CIIT Abbottabad was the Chief Guest and presented prizes to the winner and runner-up teams of Final match. AZEEM SHAHZAD MEMORIAL CRICKET TOURNAMENT AT CIIT ABBOTTABAD 2 July 2009 Mr. Azeem Shahzad (late), Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad had been an active member of Sports Club of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) Abbottabad. Various sports activities were organized under his guidance. To pay homage to the deceased, various activities have been organized by the Sports Club of CIIT Abbottabad. Azeem Shahzad Memorial Super Six Cricket Tournament is one of them. The final of this cricket series was played on Thursday, 2 July A joint team of Administration and Faculty competed against Student's team in this six overs final match. The tournament was sponsored by ZONG (CM-Pak). The joint team of Administration and Faculty included Mr. Amjad Ali from Store office, Mr. Imran Qureshi from Management Sciences Department, Mr. Irfan Tarar from Computer Sciences Department, Mr. Rao Atif from Management Sciences Department, Mr. Javed from Administration and Mr. Adnan from Student Affairs. Dr. Sajjad Ahmad Madani, Head of Computer Sciences Department was the Chief Guest of the event. The match was won by the Administration and Faculty team and the spectators enjoyed the event a lot. Friendly Cricket Matches Contributed by: Mr. Gulzar Raza (Sports Officer) Name: Bushra Mumtaz Year of Enrollment in CIIT Abbottabad: 2002 Year of Completion of degree:2006 Employer: Pakistan Army Job Title: Computer specialized officer (CSO) Views about CIIT Abbottabad? CIIT Abbottabad is one of the excellent universities of Pakistan. It gives its students the best studying environment and infrastructure. CIIT Abbottabad's staff and faculty are highly qualified and experienced. I have been honored and respected on many occasions in my professional life only because of being a Comsian. I am proud to be a Comsian. What good memories you still cherish of CIIT Abbottabad? I can not even forget a single moment spent at CIIT Abbottabad throughout my life. Students' Week, days spent in hostel of CIIT Abbottabad, trips to different places, greenery and pleasant atmosphere of the campus, friends and gossips, stress of assignments and quizzes and most importantly the great teachers who at that time were harsh and strict about studies but now they all are always in my prayers. ALUMNI S CORNER Editor s Note: The Alumni s Corner reflects the achievements and success of our graduating students. Read out the success stories of the graduating students of third batch of CIIT Abbottabad. language capabilities, specially speaking. Achievements? Immediately after my graduation I got commission in Pakistan Army's pioneer female officer batch as captain (computer Specialized officers) in signal corps. I was a part of Pakistan Army's First ever Batch of Lady Cadets to be the guards of Mazar-e-Quaid on 25 December I designed and developed Pakistan Army Portal and websites for different departments of army including Sports Directorate and Pakistan Military Academy. I am one of the 5 female officers of Pakistan Army who participated and successfully passed Para Gliding Course. How CIIT Abbottabad has been helpful in launching your career? It was CIIT Abbottabad who earned me honor and respect as a competent professional. I was respected even before I showed my professional skills only because I belong to a family (COMSATS) of high standards. COMSATS Abbottabad... THANK YOU! Name: Humair Arshad Amil Year of Enrollment in CIIT Abbottabad: 2002 Year of Completion of degree: 2004 Employer: Joslin Rowe (UK) Job Title: IT Support Analyst Transfer of HoD Mathematics Dr. Tahira Haroon to CIIT Islamabad Professor Dr. Tahira Haroon is the personality behind the success of Mathematics Department of CIIT Abbottabad. During her tenure, she successfully launched the MS program. The graduates of this program are now pursuing their PhD's in foreign countries and some of them are offering their services in CIIT and other renowned universities of Pakistan. During her tenure, the research productivity of the department was tremendous and 63 Research papers were published in the National and International Journals of Higher Education Commission. She developed a useful research liaison with many universities in and abroad Pakistan. Her achievements were remarkable and left deep imprints. She will always be remembered for her dedication, determination and motivation. Ideas about building an even better CIIT Abbottabad? While studying in CIIT Abbottabad and even after graduating I occasionally visited the campus. I always felt a few things that can be done to improve over all academic and extracurricular base of students. In my view the students should also be given a chance of scholarships to study abroad via CIIT Abbottabad besides sending the faculty for such scholarships. Job fairs and exhibition should be held more occasionally to help its students get better jobs in the market. Students having extra ordinary talent in extracurricular activities shall be given some kind of incentives in term of extra points in degree or in term of financial aid etc. Refresher courses should be arranged for the students during semester breaks to improve their English Views about CIIT Abbottabad? I fell in love with the campus the first time I saw it. It is more like a dreamland where Snow White used to live. A green heaven surrounded by mountains covered in clouds. You can sit there all the day and just admire the natural beauty it possesses. The environment is very healthy and refreshing. Teachers are extremely professional and supportive. CIIT Abbottabad has state of the art laboratories for facilitating its students. CIIT Abbottabad also provides excellent facilities and opportunities for sports and extra-curricular activities. Students having different interests fully enjoy their stay at the campus. I have done MS in Computer Networks from a leading university of UK and I have realized that the NEWSLETTER EVENTS 16 July - September

10 educational standard of CIIT Abbottabad is far better than any UK university. I just spent two years at CIIT Abbottabad doing my MSc but I wish I had done BSc from there as well. What good memories you still cherish of CIIT Abbottabad? I miss my teachers and my friends. The fine weather of Abbottabad city, hostel life, Weekends, Halwa puri breakfast of local restaurants, Sports week and cafeteria. Ideas about building an even better CIIT Abbottabad? I have not been to the campus for about 2 years. When I was there I felt that the library of CIIT Abbottabad should be made better. Sufficient books related to courses taught at the campus were available in the Library but what we lacked was the number of books related to Urdu and English literature, poetry, essays, science, religion and general knowledge. I hope this has been improved now. Achievements? After doing my MSc Computer Science from CIIT Abbottabad, I ended up in UK. I did my MS Computer Networks from Middlesex University London. I then did CCNA and currently I am doing CCNP/CCNP Voice. I am also doing a full time job with one of the top recruitment consultants in UK. I am working as IT Support Analyst and looking forward to becoming a Computer Network Engineer once I complete my CCNP. How CIIT Abbottabad has been helpful in launching your career? CIIT Abbottabad has given me the skills and confidence that have enabled me to get recruited in a reputable organization of UK. Besides, soon after completing my MSc from CIIT Abbottabad, I was offered a job at CIIT Abbottabad which is a proof of the fact that they care for the future of their students. I am thankful to CIIT Abbottabad for making me what I am today! Name: Malik Nabeel Ahmed Awan Year of Enrollment in CIIT Abbottabad: 2002 Year of Completion of degree: 2006 Job Title: Senior Researcher Views about CIIT Abbottabad? CIIT Abbottabad provides an ideal environment for a person with passion and vision to excel. What good memories you still cherish of CIIT Abbottabad? I still take pleasure in remembering the excellent environment and scenic beauty with cool surroundings of CIIT Abbottabad. Ideas about building an even better CIIT Abbottabad? Students of final semesters of all disciplines should be given market exposure so that they must know the upcoming challenges of the demanding market. Practical and research oriented work should be focused. Achievements? My major achievements are related to studies. I presented my four research papers in internationally renowned conferences in the filed of Knowledge Management and Discovery. How CIIT Abbottabad has been helpful in launching your career? CIIT has given me the foundation which is extremely necessary for building an exceelent professional career. It grommed my personality both professionally and academically. Name: Asim Shahzad Year of Enrollment in CIIT Abbottabad: 2002 Year of Completion of Degree: 2004 Employer: OVEX Technologies, Pakistan Job Title: Network Designing and Presales Views about CIIT Abbottabad? I am proud to be a CIIT Abbottabad's alumnus, CIIT Abbottabad is a fully-accredited, very reputable institution, so in the IT world, its name means a lot. I have found CIIT Abbottabad Campus to be one of the most beautiful campuses all around the country. CIIT Abbottabad is a well known university which provides the best education of Business and Technology. What good memories you still cherish of CIIT Abbottabad? I will always remember the feelings of excitement and anticipation I had during my study at CIIT Abbottabad campus. At the time of choosing university, I checked out a few other universities as well. I was afraid, but CIIT Abbottabad was affordable and the classes were nice-sized and faculty was very experienced. I made friends with not only my class fellows but instructors and staff members as well. Teachers were always there to help us out in our problems. Ideas about building an even better CIIT Abbottabad? Efforts should be made to make the students more social and life long learners as education is not the sole key to success but confidence and well groomed personality play a vital role in making an individual a successful person in all walks of life. Achievements? I think the biggest achievement for any individual is to get employed soon after the completion of his studies. I have been very lucky in this regard and got employed soon after completing my studies. I got employed in ARWEN Tech Private Limited (Cisco GOLD Certified Partner) in February 2006 and worked their till January Presently I am working in OVEX Technologies (CISCO Silver Certified partner and largest third party offshore BPO and Information Technology Solutions provider and the second largest exporter of IT services in Pakistan, serving both domestic and international clients). How CIIT Abbottabad has been helpful in launching your career? The financial aid and scholarship program of CIIT Abbottabad made possible for me and many others students to complete the degree and get quality education. CIIT Abbottabad has helped me to realize what I want to do. Whatever achievements I have been able to make in my professional career are due to CIIT Abbottabad for which I shall always remain indebted to my respected teachers. Name: Touqir Ahmad Year of Enrollment in CIIT Abbottabad: 2003 Year of Completion of degree: 2005 Employer: Northwick Park Hospitals Trust London Job Title: System workforce Analyst Views about CIIT Abbottabad? CIIT Abbottabad is a wonderful place to study. What good memories you still cherish of CIIT Abbottabad? I miss all moments that I spent at CIIT Abbottabad. Trips to different places, friendly atmosphere of the campus, sitting with friends in leisure times at cafeteria and having tea etc. are all sweet memories that I shall cherish throughout my life. Ideas about building an even better CIIT Abbottabad? More foreign qualified faculty should be hired. More emphasis should be given to research in Management and Behavioural Studies. Achievements? I Recently attended a Global Intergenerational Training Program in USA sponsored by the UNESCO. I had been selected from a pool of more than 700 applicants from over 50 nations and representing all 6 continents. How CIIT Abbottabad has been helpful in launching your career? I am one of those lucky persons who got job before graduation and CIIT Abbottabad's good reputation helped me a lot in getting a good job in one of the nonprofit organisation named as Basic Education Employable Skill Training. CIIT Abbottabd, thank you for making me a successful person! Newsbite Department of Management Sciences Its an honour that research paper of our faculty member, Miss Zainab Fakhr, Lecturer, Department of Management Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad, was accepted for first National Conference On Global Management (NCGM 2009) organized by FAST Karachi on July Out of 148 papers 30 papers were selected and Zainab Fakahr's paper is one of those 30 papers. Heartiest congratulations to her form the CIIT Abbottabad's family! NEWSLETTER EVENTS 18 July - September

11 Department of Computer Science Sardar Muhammad Bilal WHO IS NEW? Qualification: MS (CS), CIIT Abbottabad Research interest:routing protocols in wireless sensor network Shahzad Ali Qualification: MS (CS), CIIT Abbottabad Research interest: Routing and MAC layer of Wireless Networks Osman Khalid Qualification: MS (CE), CASE Islamabad Research interest: Next Generation Networks Zobia Rehman Qualification: MS (CS) Research interest: Natural Language Processing Department of Chemistry Dr. Afsar Khan Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: PhD (HEJ, University of Karachi) Research Interest: Bioassay guided isolation and characterization of natural products from plants,bio transformation of natural products Miss Nadia Tabassum Qualification: M. Phil, (Quaid-e-Azam University), Islamabad Research interest: Biochemistry Department of Management Sciences Uzma Munir Qualification: Masters in English, Peshawar University, Peshawar Research interest: Novel Tayyaba Malik Qualification: MPhil, University of Management & Technology, Lahore Research interest: Code-switching in advertisements and daily life. Comparison of Word-order of English and Urdu languages. Language and Gender. World Englishes vs. Pakistani English Tufail Ahmed Farooqui Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: Mphil, University of Balochistan, Quetta Research interest: Commerce and Accounting Abdul Majid Khalil Qualification: LLM, Westminister University, London, UK Research interest:corporate Law Amina Hameed Qualification: MS (Management), CIIT Abbottabad Research interest: Human Resource Management Organizational behavior Syed Qasim Shah Qualification: MS (Management), CIIT Abbottabad Research interest: Empirically testing the impact of Corporate Governance Instruments on Firm's performance in Pakistan. Capital structure in Pakistan Muhammad Shabbir Qualification: Mphil, GCU Lahore Research interest: Feminism Modern Fiction Postcolonial Studies English Language Teaching Department of Electrical Engineering Rashid Mehmood Qualification: MS, MAJU Islamabad Research interest:robust vision based target tracking of multiple targets. Hifza Ali Qualification: MS, CIIT Abbottabad Research interest:requirements of Engineering and Project Management Jamal Nasir Qualification: Msc, Bradford University, Bradford, UK Research interest: Antenna Design Kamran Javed Qualification: MS, CIIT Abbottabad Research interest: Soft Computing, Intelligent Control Systems, Image processing. Muhammad Burhan Khan Qualification: MS Research interest: Switched Hybrid Control Systemsand Power Systems Control Nauman Khan Tareen Qualification: MSc, Queen Mary University, London, UK Research interest: Communication. Sidra Mumtaz Qualification: MS, CIIT Abbottabad Research interest: Soft Computing, Intelligent Control Systems, Power System. Sohail Uz Zaman Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: MS(EE), LIT-USA Research interest: Embedded Systems, Communication Asad Javed Khan Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (EE), CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Electronics Biktash Ali Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (CE), CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Embedded Systems Adnan Farooq Awan Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (CE), CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Communication Nadia Zeb Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (CE) CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Communication Nayab Gogosh Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (EE) CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Electronics NEWSLETTER RESEARCH 20 July - September

12 Munawar ul Zaman Designation: Lab Engineer Qualification: BS (EE) CIIT Abbottabad Research Interest: Electronics Department of Environmental Sciences Dr. Mohmmad Tariq Designation: Consultant Qualification: Phd, Ukrain Research Interest : Petroleum Geology Dr. Muhammad Farooq Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: PhD, South Korea Research interest: Geotechnical Engineering, Geophysics Muhammad Arfan Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: M. Phil, Quaid-i-Azam University Research interest: Organic Synthesis / â-peptide Mr. Farrukh Inayat Designation: Research Associate Qualification: MSc, Punjab University, Lahore Research interest: Petroleum Geology Mr. Khalid Khan Designation: Research Associate Qualification: MSc, Peshawar University, Peshawar Research interest: Petroleum Geology Muhammad Murtaza Designation: Research Associate Qualification: BS (Hons.), Peshawar University Research interest: Petroleum Geology Department of Mathematics Tahir Abbas Malik Designation: Research Associate Qualification: M.Sc, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Research interest: Bayesian Statistics and Econometrics Department of Pharmacy Abdul Mannan Designation: Assistant Professor Qualification: PhD, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Research interest: Plant Biochemistry/Biotechnology Muneeb Ahmad Idrees Qualification: M.Phil, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, Pakistan Research interest: Pharmaceutics RESEARCH List of Published, Submitted and Accepted Research Papers July-September 2009 Department of Chemistry Published Papers 1. Rehana Rashid, Farah Mukhtar and Mirza M.Niaz, Biological screening of salvia cabulica Pak. J. Bot., 41(3): , Izhar-Ul-Haq A. Shah, Zulfiqar A. Khan, Naila Choudhary, Christine Loholter, Sascha Sachafer, Guillaume P. L. Marie, Umar Farooq and Thomas wirth, Iodoxolone-Based Hypervalent Iodine Reagents, Organic Letters 11(16), (2009). 3. Afsar Khan, Viqar Uddin Ahmad, Umar Farooq and Sadia Bader, Two new Flavonol Glycosides from Otostegia limbata Benth, Chem. Pharm Bull., 57 (3), (2009). Accepted Papers 1. Umar Farooq, Azhar-ul-Haq Ali Shah, Diana Maria Freudendahl and Thomas Wirth, Enantioselective á-oxytosylation and á-oxysulfonylation of Ketones Catalysed by Chiral Hypervalent Organo- Iodine(²²²) Compounds Journal of Synthesis. 2. Viqar Uddin Ahmad, Sadia Bader, Saima Arshad, Amir Ahmed, Afsar Khan, Shazia Iqbal, Munawwer Rasheed and Rasool Bakhsh Tareen, Brauhenefloroside E and F; Acylated flavonol glycosides from Stocksia brauhica Linn Magnetic Resonance in chemistry. 3. Maria Siddique, Robina Farooq, Qaisar Mahmood, Athar Farooq and Zahid Mehmood Khan, Enhanced decomposition of Reactive Blue 19 dye in ultrasound assisted electrochemical reactor Chemosphere. Department of Computer Science Accepted Papers 1. Muhammad Hassan Arif, Syed Muhammad Saqlain and Muhammad Iqbal, Wavelet Based Multifocus Image Fusion incorporating Adaptive Block Size, International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security. 2. Shahzad Ali and Sajjad A Madani, "Distributed Grid based Robust Clustering Protocol for Mobile Sensor Networks, International Arab Journal of Information Technology (IAJIT). Submitted Papers 1. Muhammad Hassan Arif, Syed Muhammad Saqlain and Muhammad Iqbal, Wavelet Based Multi- Focus Image Fusion using Adaptive Sized Blocks, IEEE INMIC Shahzad Ali and Sajjad A Madani, Distributed Efficient Multi hop Clustering Algorithm for Mobile Sensor Networks, International Arab Journal of Information Technology (IAJIT). 3. Shahzad Ali, Sajjad A Madani and Imran Ali Khan, Routing protocols for mobile sensor networks: A comparative study, Journal of Universal Computer Science (JUCS). 4. Sardar Muhammad Bilal, Sajjad Ahmad Madani and Imran Ali Khan, Enhanced Junction selection NEWSLETTER RESEARCH 22 July - September

13 Mechanism for Routing Protocol in VANETs, International Arab Journal of Information Technology (IAJIT). 5. Javaria Ajoon, Mehtab Afzal, Ijaz Ahmad and Qazi Mudassir Ilyas, "Gleaning Disaster Related Information from Distributed Resources", International Journal of Semantic Computing 6. Mehtab Afzal, Javaria Ajoon, Qazi Mudassir Ilyas and Ijaz Ahmad, A Nearly New Disaster Ontology, International Journal of Semantic Computing. Department of Electrical Engineering Published Papers 1. S. F. Shaukat, et. al., Observed time difference estimation for mobile station tracking in a network, Journal of Electronics, China. 2. M.E. Khan, S.F. Shaukat and S Monk, Monte Carlo GPS based solutions for speed limit Indicator, World Applied Sciences Journal, 6(12), (2009) Accepted Papers 1. S. F. Shaukat, Herbert Schweinzer, Holger Arthaber, Media. IEEE book on Industrial Electronics Submitted Papers 1. Tauseef Ali, Shahid Khattak and Intaek Kim, Automatic Red-Eye Effect Removal using Combined Intensity and Color Information, Journal of Electronic Imaging. 2. S. Khattak, T. Jadoon, S. Madani, et al, Ad Hoc Networks IEEE book on Industrial Electronics. 3. Sifat Shah, M.K. L. Bhatti, A. Rashid, Crisis of Electrical Energy in Pakistan and Future guideline for Policy makers, International Journal of engineering and Sciences( I J E N S). Department of Environmental Sciences Published Papers 1. M. M. Shah, Q. Khalid, U.W. Khan, S.A.H. Shah, S.H. Shah and A. Pervez, Variation in genotypic responses and biochemical analysis of callus induction incultivated wheat, Genet. Mol. Res. 8 (3): (2009). 2. Qaisar Mahmood, Yousaf Hayat, Ghulam Jilani, Zahid Hussain, Muhammad Rashid Azim and Muhammad Waseem, Back Propagation Neural Networks to Predict the Performance of Anoxic Sulfide Oxidizing Reactor, Kuait. J. Sci.Eng. 36(2A) 1-14, 2009 (SCI, Impact Factor=0.051) 3. Amir Haider Malik, Zahid Mehmood Khan, Qaisar Mahmood, Sadia Nasreen and Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatti, Perspectives of arsenic remediation of drinking water in Pakistan and other developing countries, Journal of Hazardous Materials 168 (2009) 112 (SCI, Impact Factor=2.975) 4. Chong-jian Tang, Ping Zheng, Qaisar Mahmood, The shear force amendments on the slugging behavior of upflow Anammox granular sludge bed reactor, Separation and Purification Technology, (SCI, Impact Factor= 2.5) Accepted Papers 1. Maria Siddique, Robina Farooq, Abda Khalid, Ather Farooq, Qaisar Mahmood, Umar Farooq, Iftikhar A Raja, Saleem F Shaukat,. Thermal-pressure mediated hydrolysis of Reactive Blue 19 dye, Accepted manuscript in Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2009 (SCI, Impact Factor = 2.975). Submitted Papers 1. Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhatti, Qaisar Mahmood, Iftikhar Ahmad Raja and Wu Dongle, Chemical Treatment of Domestic wastewater using waste hydrogen peroxide from a food industry, Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy (SCI, Impact Factor=1.03). 2. Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatti, Qaisar Mahmood, Iftikhar Ahmad Raja, Amir Haider Malik, Muhammad Suleman Khan and Donglei Wu, Chemical oxidation of carwash industry wastewater as an effort to decrease water pollution, 2009 Physics and Chemistry of the Earth (SCI, Impact Factor = 1.138) 3. Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhatti, Qaisar Mahmood, Iftikhar Ahmad Raja, Amir Haider Malik and Wu Donglei, Integrated chemical treatment of domestic wastewater using waste hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light, Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 2009 (SCI, Impact Factor = 1.138) 4. Wu D L, Qaisar Mahmood, Li J Y, Tian G M, Li H, Li Y X, Effect of nitrification inhibition on nitrous oxide emission and nitrogen cycle bacteria under varying watering, Environmental Earth Sciences (SCI, Impact Factor=1.026). 5. Mohammad Maroof Shah, S. W. Hassan, K. Maqbool and A.Hassan, Comparisons of DNA marker based genetic diversity with phenotypicestimates using maize genotypes, Journal of Genetics, Khan, M. Saqib, M.Maroof Shah, A.Hassan, A. Pervez, A. Yaqoob, Determination and Quantification of Pesticide Residues in Summer Vegetables, Journal of Agrobiotechnology and Food Sciences (JFAS) H. Rahman, M. M. Shah, S. Pekic, A. Steed and S. A. Quarrie, Molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci for drought tolerance in maize, Journal of Genetics, M. M. Shah, K. Maqbool and A. Hassan, Additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) analysis of maize under different environments, Field Crop Research, Department of Management Sciences Published Papers 1. Hameed (A) and Amjad (S), Impact of Office Design on Employees' Productivity: A Case study of Banking Organizations of Abbottabad, Pakistan Journal of Public Affairs Administration and Management,Volume 3, Issue 1, Khalid (S) and Amjad (S), Gender Influence on Leadership Styles (A case Study of Education Sector of District Abbottabad),FWU Journal of Social Sciences Volume 3, no 1, Accepted Papers 1. Usman(K), Zaman(K) & Ikram(W), Economic and Financial Turmoil:Special case for Pakistan in the Current Scenario. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. 2. Zaman (k), Ikram (W) & Ahmad (M), Growth-Inequality-Poverty (GIP) Hypothesis in Rural Pakistan ( ): An Investigation Using Bounds Test, International Journal of Rural Management, SAGE India 3. Zaman (k), Ikram (W) & Ahmad (M), An Investigation of Growth, Inequality and Poverty Hypothesis in Pakistan: Cointegration Evidence, Journal of Development Economics. 4. Zaman (k), Ikram (W) & Ahmad (M), Relationship between Economic Freedom and Pro-poor Growth: Evidence from Pakistan ( ), Journal of Economics, Banking and Finance, U.S.A. 5. Sajjad (F) and Amjad (S), Total Quality Management practices and organizational development, The TQM Journal. 6. Aziz (A), Shah (I) and Azam (K), Impact of Devolution on the Delivery of publicly provided services, Journal of Rural Development & Administration. 7. Rashid (K) and Islam (S), Board size, agency theory and firm's performance in competitive markets, Journal of Corporate governance, Emerald publishers group. Submitted Papers 1. Farooqui (T), Financial Liberalization in Pakistan. Int. Marketing, USA. 2. Jadoon (I), Collaboration Dichotomies in Knowledge management Sharing and KMS Success. Int. Journal of Knowledge Management Department of Mathematics Submitted Papers 1. T. Haroon, A. M. Siddiqui and S. U. Jan, Analysis of Poiseuille Flow of a Reactive Power Law Fluid Between Parallel Plates, journal of Elsevier, Combustion and Fla. 2. A.M. Siddiqui, T. Haroon, W.Khan and Muhammad R. Mohyuddin, The Generalized Beltrami Viscous Flows through Porous Medium, Journal of Porous Medium. NEWSLETTER RESEARCH 28 July - September

14 Department of Pharmacy Published Papers 1. Abdul Jabbar Shah and Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Blood pressure lowering and vascular modulator effects of Acorus calamus extract are mediated through multiple pathways, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology; 2009; August 54(1): Impact Factor: Syed Intasar Husain Taqvi, Abdul Jabbar Shah and Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Insight into the possible mechanism of antidiarrhoeal and antispasmodic activities of piperine, Pharmaceutical Biology; August (8); Impact Factor: Anwarul H. Gilani, Ishfaq A. Bukhari,Rafeeq A. Khan,Abdul J. Shah, Ijaz Ahmad and Abdul Malik, Presence of Blood Pressure Lowering and Spasmolytic Constituents in Buddleja crispa. Phytotherapy Research; April (4); Impact Factor: Abdul Jabbar Shah, Saqib Ali Gowani, Akber Jalil Zuberi, Muhammad Nabeel Ghayur and Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Antidiarrheal and spasmolytic activities of the Alstonia scholaris crude extract are mediated through calcium channel blockade. Phytotherapy Research ; 2009; 23(--): Impact Factor: F. Wahid, Taous Khan, K.-H Hwang and Y.Y. Kim, Piwi-interacting RNAs (pirnas) in animals: The story so far, African Journal of Biotechnology, 8(17), 2009, S. Khan, O. Shehzad, Taous Khan and J.H. Ha and J.K. Park, Production of bacterial cellulose by Gluconacetobacter hansenii using a new bioreactor equipped with centrifugal impellers, Korean Chemical Engineering Research, 47(4), 2009, Accepted Papers 1. Abdul Jabbar Shah, Nizar Noorali Bhulani, Sara Haroon Khan, Najeeb ur Rehman and Anwarul Hassan Gilani, Calcium Channel Blocking Activity of Mentha longifolia L. Explains its Medicinal Use in Diarrhoea and Gut Spasm. Phytotherapy Research. 2. Taous Khan, M. Ahmad, W. Ahmad, Q. N. Saqib, M. I. Choudhary, Evaluation of the antispasmodic and lipoxygenase inhibitory effects of some Pakistani medicinal plants, Pharmaceutical Biology 3. O. Shezad, S. Khan, Taous Khan and J.K. Park, Production of bacterial cellulose in static conditions by a simple fed-batch cultivation strategy, Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering. 4. F. Wahid, H. Jung, Taous Khan and Y. Y. Kim, Effects of Red Ginseng extracts on visual sensitivity and ERG b-wave of bullfrog's eye, Planta Medica. Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Farooqui - The New Chairman of Environmental Sciences Department Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Farooqui, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad has been appointed as Chairman, Environmental Sciences Department. He did his M.Sc. in 1985 from University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan and PhD in 1994 from University of Montana, Missoula, MT USA. He has been serving the educational institutions since the last 25 years. More than 27 of his research papers have been published in national and international journals. He is the recipient of two very prestigious post doctoral fellow ships, Full bright Post Doc Fellowship ( ) and Commonwealth Post Doc Fellowship ( ). Heartiest congratulations to him from the CIIT Abbottabad s family. In the present study, Salvia cabulica an endemic plant of Balochistan was screened for different biological activities. For this purpose, six crude fractions i.e., petroleum ether (A), dichloromethane (B), ethyl acetate (C), acetone(d), butanol (E) and aqueous (F) (Scheme-1) extracts were obtained from 80% ethanolic extract of dry plant Salvia cabulica. Extracts ABSTRACTS Biological screening of salvia cabulica Rehana Rashid, Farah Mukhtar and Mirza M. Niaz The fast access to simple (Z)-3-iodo acrylic acid derivatives which can be easily oxidized to the corresponding hypervalent iodine(iii) reagents is B, D, and E showed low antibacterial activities against Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomon as aeruginosa. However extracts A, E and F showed moderate antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusis and Microsporum canis, while extract B showed significant phytotoxicity and insecticidal activities. Iodoxolone-Based Hypervalent Iodine Reagents Izhar-Ul-Haq A. Shah, Zulfiqar A. Khan, Naila Choudhary, Christine Loholter, Sascha Sachafer, Guillaume P. L. Marie, Umar Farooqi andthomas wirth A BuOH-soluble part of the methanolic extract from the roots of Otostegia limbata yielded two new flavonol glycosides; kaempferol 3-O-[â-D-glucopyranosyl- (1>2)-{â-D-glucopyranosyl-(1>3)}-{â-D- glucopyranosyl-(1>4)}-á-l-rhamnopyranoside]-7-o- [á-l-rhamnopyranoside] (1) and kaempferol 3-O-[â-Dglucopyranosyl-(1>4)-â-D-6??[4-hydroxy (E)- Department of Chemistry described. They can be used for various reactions with superior or similar reactivity as conventional hypervalent iodine (III) reagents. Two new Flavonol Glycosides from Otostegia limbata Benth Afsar Khan, Viqar Uddin Ahmad, Umar Farooq and Sadia Bader This paper focuses on two main issues, namely, conceptualization of disaster domain and domain specific information extraction for a disaster management system. We have studied the disaster domain and proposed an ontology for the description of Department of Computer Science cinnamoyl]glucopyranosyl-(1>3)-{â-d- glucopyranosyl-(1>2)}-á-l-rhamnopyranoside]-7-o- [á-l-rhamnopyranoside] (2). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical means. To the best of our knowledge, these are the largest flavonoids derivatives described so far from the genus Otostegia. Conceptualization and Extraction of Disaster Related Information from Unstructured World Mehtab Afzal, Javeria Ajoon, Ijaz Ahmad and Qazi Mudassar Ilyas this domain. We have also explored the information extraction tools for the purpose and critically evaluated them with test cases for the purpose. These components will be very helpful in developing a semantic disaster management system. RESEARCH NEWSLETTER 30 July - September

15 The shear force amendments can overcome the slugging behavior of upflow Anammox granular sludge bed reactor Chong-jian Tang, Ping Zheng and Qaisar Mahmood The granulation of Anammox sludge plays an important role to improve the efficiency of high-rate Anammox bioreactors. The present study involved the use of anaerobic granular sludge to start up the Anammox process to accomplish granulation in Anammox reactor. The accumulation of nitrogen gas and subsequent slugging behavior were observed in the upflow Anammox granular sludge bed (AGSB) reactor, resulting in deteriorated effluent quality. Based on shear force analysis of the gas column under the quasisteady state, the liquid-induced shear force was The thermal-pressure-mediated hydrolysis rates and the degradation kinetics of environmentally persistent Reactive Blue (RB) 19 dye were studied. The dye decomposition was studied at 40120?C, ph 210, and atmospheric pressure range of 12 atm. The intermediates and end products formed during the degradation were identified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and a possible degradation pathway of RB 19 was proposed. The stability of the dye in aqueous solution was influenced by changes in ph. At ph 4, half-life was min at 40?C and it reduced to min when the temperature was increased to 120?C. Acidic conditions Department of Electrical Engineering Monte Carlo GPS based solution for Speed Limit Indicator M. E. Khan, S. F. Shaukat and S. Monk* A comprehensive research has been undertaken to design and develop the GPS based, low cost and easily installable speed limit indicator in public and private vehicles. The device includes the building efficient GPS mapping technique for defining sentinels and a database for sentinel's storage utilizing minimum memory. These sentinels contain all concerned information required for navigation. Road safety is a crucial issue, ignorance of which can lead to fatalities. These happen due to speeding which often occurs due to lack of available information about speed limits on Department of Environmental Sciences particular roads. An algorithm is developed and implemented in C language for simulation purposes by analysing complexities of road structures. Various road tests are performed to illuminate the technical problems in real time. Roads characteristics are examined and different hazards have been optimized through algorithm to resolve problems faced by drivers. More importantly, it has been implemented within a Field Programmable Gate Array (FGPA), which verifies the simulation result as well. increased by progressively shortening of hydraulic residence time (HRT) and implementing effluent recycling. It appeared to be the right strategy to eradicate the slugging behavior which disappeared completely when HRT was shortened to 1.10 h with liquid upflow velocity of 1.30cmmin-1. The application of high shear stress enhanced the nitrogen removal performance to kg-nm-3 d-1. Thus the amendments in the liquid-induced shear force by shortening HRT may be an appropriate strategy to overcome slugging behavior of the Anammox reactor. Thermal-pressure-mediated hydrolysis of Reactive Blue 19 dye Maria Siddique, Robina Farooq, Abda Khalid, Ather Farooq, Qaisar Mahmood, Umar Farooq, Iftikhar Ahmad Raja and Saleem Farooq Shaukat were more conducive to enhance hydrolysis rate than basic ones as the decomposition was optimum at ph 4. The kinetic studies indicated that the rate of hydrolysis apparently followed first order reaction. A linear relationship was observed between hydrolysis rate of RB 19 dye and increasing temperatures and pressures. Overall, 23% dye decomposition occurred in 120 minutes at ph 4, 120?C and pressure of 2 atm. Along with thermal-pressure, a combination of techniques like physico-chemical, biological, enzymatic etc. may be more suitable choice for the effective treatment of RB19 dye. Increased personal control and comfort needs of employees triggered the concern among organizations to provide them with an environment and office design which fulfills the employees' needs and helps to boost their productivity. The main objective of this study is to find out the relationship between office design and Blood pressure lowering and vascular modulator effects of Acorus calamus extract are mediated through multiple pathways This investigation was aimed to provide a pharmacological basis to the medicinal use of Acorus calamus in cardiovascular disorders. In normotensive anesthetized rats, crude extract of Acorus calamus and its ethylacetate and nhexane fractions caused fall in mean arterial pressure. In rabbit aorta rings, crude + extract was more potent against high K (80 mm), ethylacetate against phenylephrine (PE; 1 µm), while nhexane fraction was equipotent against both precontractions. Crude extract exhibited a vasoconstrictor effect on baseline. Pretreatment of aortic rings with crude extract and its fractions shifted +2 Ca concentration-response curves to right, similar to verapamil. Crude extract and ethylacetate fraction +2 suppressed PE peaks formation in Ca -free medium. In rat aorta preparations, crude extract exhibited Piperine is a piperidine-ring containing alkaloid and a major constituent of Piper nigrum Linn. and Piperlongum Linn. species, belonging to the Piperaceae family. The present study explored their mode of action in gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea and colic. Piperine at the dose of 10 mg/kg provided complete protection from castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice, similar to that of loperamide. In isolated rabbit jejunum preparations, piperine exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous contractions. When used to treat high K+ (80 mm)-induced sustained contractions, piperine Department of Management Sciences Impact of Office Design on Employees' Productivity: A Case study of Banking Organizations of Abbottabad, Pakistan Amina Hameed and Shehla Amjad productivity. For this purpose, 31 bank branches of 13 banks were contacted and studied. The findings of this study show that office design is very vital in terms of increasing employees' productivity. Comfortable and ergonomic office design motivates the employees and increases their performance substantially. Department of Pharmacy Abdul Jabbar Shah and Anwarul Hassan Gilani endothelium-independent relaxation with a + vasodilatory effect against high K. nhexane fraction caused endothelium-dependent L-NAME-sensitive vasorelaxant along with ryanodine-sensitive vasoconstrictor effect on baseline tension and partially + inhibited high K. While ethylacetate fraction caused endothelium-independent relaxant and endotheliumdependent vasoconstrictor effect. These data indicate that crude extract possesses combination of effects; +2 relaxant effects, mediated possibly through Ca antagonism in addition to NO pathway. While the associated vasoconstrictor effects may be meant by nature to offset excessive vasodilatation, thus provide pharmacological rationale to its cardiovascular medicinal uses. Insight into the possible mechanism of antidiarrhoeal and antispasmodic activities of piperine Syed Intasar Husain Taqvi, Abdul Jabbar Shah and Anwarul Hassan Gilani inhibited such contractions, which suggested a calcium channel blocking (CCB) effect. The CCB effect was further confirmed when pretreatment of the tissues with piperine (10100 µm) caused a rightward shift in the Ca++ concentration response curves (CRCs) in Ca++-free medium, similar to that caused by verapamil. Loperamide also caused the inhibition of spontaneous and high K+-induced contractions as well as shifted the Ca++ CRCs to the right. These data indicate that piperine exhibits antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activities, mediated possibly through calcium channel blockade. RESEARCH NEWSLETTER 32 July - September

16 Presence of Blood Pressure Lowering and Spasmolytic Constituents in Buddleja crispa Anwarul H. Gilani, Ishfaq A. Bukhari, Rafeeq A. Khan, Abdul J. Shah, Ijaz Ahmad and Abdul Malik The aim of this study was to investigate the crude extract of Buddleja crispa (Bc.Cr) and its active constituent(s) for their antihypertensive and antispasmodic activities. The Bc.Cr caused a dosedependent fall in mean arterial pressure in rats under anesthesia. In rabbit aorta preparations, Bc.Cr caused inhibition of high K+ (80 mm) precontractions. The Bc.Cr also inhibited spontaneous and high K+ precontractions in rabbit jejunum preparations, suggestive of calcium channel blocking (CCB) activity. CCB activity was further confirmed when pretreatment of the tissues with Bc.Cr caused a rightward shift in Ca++ ++ concentration response curves, similar to verapamil. Among the pure compounds, BdI-H3 was Piwi-interacting RNAs (pirnas) in animals: The story so far Piwi-interacting RNAs (pirnas) are small RNA molecules of between 24 to 31 nucleotides (nts) sequence and interact with Piwi subfamily proteins. These pirnas play important regulatory roles in germline stem cell maintenance, epigenetic regulation, and transposition. Although the biogenesis pathways of pirnas are not well understood but recent scientific advances have revealed some important aspects of In order to improve the bacterial cellulose (BC) production yield, centrifugal and inclined centrifugal impellers were developed. A 6 flat-blade turbine impeller was used as a control system. The flow pattern in the fermenter and volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kla) of these fermentation systems were studied. Fermentations were carried out for the production of BC by G. hansenii PJK in a 2-L jar fermenter equipped with new impellers. Liquid medium F. Wahid, Taous Khan, K.-H Hwang, Y.Y. Kim their synthesis. Studies on regulatory mechanism of pirnas are in their early stages. Yet, the current findings suggest that pirna based regulation has direct implications on germline development and transposon silencing through heterochromatin formation or RNA destabilization. This review summarizes the knowledge about all aspects of pirnas since its discovery. Production of bacterial cellulose by Gluconacetobacter hansenii using a new bioreactor equipped with centrifugal impellers S. Khan, O. Shehzad, Taous Khan, J.H. Ha, J.K. Park more potent against the high K+ than spontaneous contractions and was around eight times more potent than Bc.Cr against the spontaneous contractions while the other two compounds, BdI-2 and BH-3 were inactive. Activity-directed fractionation revealed that the hexane fraction was more potent against K+ precontractions. These data indicate that Bc.Cr possesses a blood-pressure lowering effect, mediated possibly through CCB, though additional mechanism(s) cannot be ruled out. Among the pure compounds, Bdl- H3 is likely to be the active compound involved in the spasmolytic and possibly BP lowering effect of the parent crude extract. was circulated from the bottom, through the cylinder of the impeller and to the wall. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficients, kla, of inclined centrifugal and centrifugal impeller systems at 100 rpm were 23 and 15% of the conventional turbine impeller system, respectively. However, the conversion of microbial cells to cellulose non-producing mutant decreased and this results in the increase in BC production at low rotating speed of impellers. Dr. Shehla Amjad - The New Chairperson of Development Studies Department Dr. Shehla Amjad, Professor, Department of Development Studies, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad has been appointed as Chairperson, Development Studies Department. She did her M.A.in 1990 from University of Sussex, UK, PhD in 1993 from University of Bradford, UK and Post Doc. in 2006 from University of Bradford, UK. She has been serving the CIIT since the last 3 years. More than 20 of her research papers have been published in national and international journals. The CIIT Abbottabad s family extends warm congratulations to her on her elevation as Chairperson. Professor Dr. Izhar Hussain & Dr. Umar Farooq from CIIT Abbottabad Honored Prof. Dr Izhar Hussain, Chairman & HoD, Department of Pharmacy and Dr Umar Farooq, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry both from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Abbottabad have been honored with Research Productivity Allowance for the year , in recognition of excellence for their respective research work, by Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Islamabad. The Research Productivity Allowance is granted to active scientists of Pakistan on the basis of their publications in International Journals and their performance, as evaluated empirically by Journal Impact Factors, Citations and Peer Review. This initiative of Ministry of Science and Technology is meant to promote quality research grant and to attract the brightest researchers to opt for careers in various RESEARCH NEWS Scientific and Technological fields. By Asma Khan, M. Maroof Shah and Amjad Hassan Department of Environmental Sciences According to the PCST recently displayed result of Research Productivity Allowance for the year , the Peer Review Committee of PCST after examining the research work of 18 Scientists in the Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, from all over Pakistan, recommended only three Scientists for the award of Research Productivity Allowance and Professor Dr. Izhar Hussain being one of them. This achievement is not only the recognition and appreciation of both of these Professors research work at National level but also is an honor for COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad that two of its faculty members have been able to qualify for the award of this prestigious Research Productivity Allowance. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF PHYTIC ACID IN PAKISTANI WHEAT Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorous in many plant Research being carried tissues, specially bran and seeds. out under the supervision Varied concentrations of phytic acid of Dr. M. Maroof Shah is are found in wheat genotypes aimed to determine phytic depending upon environmental fluctuations, location,types of soil, acid concentration in fertilizer application and growing Pakistani wheat varieties stage in wheat. Phytic acid is a strong grown over several chelator of important minerals such as decades in different parts calcium, magnesium iron and zinc. It is of the country therefore, considered as an antinutrient. However a variety of benefits of phytic acid on human health have been reported. It not only act as an antioxidant but also has hypocholestrolmic and hypolipidemic effects. Phytic acid's chelating effect may also prevent colon cancer by reducing oxidative stress in the lumen of intestinal tract. It is also beneficial for diabetic patients as it controls blood sugar level by reducing starch metabolism. The determination of phytic acid level in dietary products becomes very important. A study has been initiated under the supervision of Dr. M.Maroof Shah to determine phytic acid concentration in Pakistani wheat varieties grown over several decades in different parts of the country. Data has been collected on all agronomic traits which will later on be used to establish relationship between these traits and the phytic acid content in each variety. The study will result in setting guidelines for wheat consumers depending on phytic acid content and its relationship to agronomic traits of Pakistani wheat germplasm. This study would also serve to identify suitable wheat varieties for cancer and diabetic patients and also help to overcome obesity by dietary control. RESEARCH NEWSLETTER 34 July - September

17 FECUNDITY OF BOOROOLA GENE IN SHEEP BREEDS OF HAZARA DIVISION Ibrarul-Hussain, Amjad Hassan and M. Maroof Shah Biotechnology Program Department of Environmental Sciences, CIIT Abbottabad ARTICLES DINOSAURS AND THE K-T BOUNDARY By Professor Dr. Muhammad Ahmed Farooqui Head, Earth Sciences Program Sheep and goats occupy an important position in NWFP, especially in hilly areas. It is a primary source of income of many families both in mountains and plains where agriculture cropping cannot be undertaken due to inadequate irrigation facilities. Some of the finest breeds of sheep namely Kaghani, Swati, Chitrali and Damani (Thin Tail) Hashtnagri, Michni, Tehrani, Bulkhi and Waziri (Fat Tail) are found throughout the Province with much concentration in the hilly areas. Kaghan valley in Hazara Division is a hub of shepherd's activities. Lush green pastures of the valley serve as grazing fields for hundreds of nomadic, transhumant and sedentary flocks in summer from mid April until the mid of the October. These people keep sheep flocks of different sizes ranging from 100 to 500. The only major source of income for these people is their livestock.during winter they shift their flocks to plain areas of Haripur, Nowshehra and Peshawar districts of NWFP and Attock, Texila and Rawalpindi districts of Punjab. Some of these stay in down areas of Kaghan Valley like in Paras, Hangrai, Satbani, Mahandri, Manoor valley and Garhi Habibullah where they have their own settlements. Booroola Fecundity gene (FecB) offers a new option that can allow the commercial producer to create a high level of prolificacy and still retain the other important traits desired in the flock. Booroola now refers to a gene Research is being carried out at CIIT Abbottabad to find the fecundity of Booroola (FecB) Gene. The gene poses a unique and exciting opportunity to add a high level of prolificacy to sheep that fit the environment well, without having to add undesirable traits of another breed called the FecB (B gene) which acts independent of the breed or type of sheep that it is contained in. The B gene can be transferred into any breed of sheep. Up until now the most numerous breed of sheep containing the B gene has been the Booroola Merino, the breed it was originally discovered in. The mode of inheritance of the Booroola B gene is simple Mendelian inheritance. The commercial breeder can opt to select homozygous Booroola rams from the breed of his or her choice. It is also possible to introduce the Booroola gene into the flock and never need to purchase another Booroola (BB) ram again, by simply retaining offspring from Booroola sired daughters. The Booroola B gene can be transferred into another breed by breeding each generation of Booroola B gene carriers to pure breeded rams of the chosen breed. Hazara Division is rich in sheep breeds and population. At present CIITAbbottabad is carrying a research to find the fecundity of Booroola (FecB) Gene. A breed found to have this gene would be recommended for prolificacy of FecB gene. The Booroola gene has posed the unique and exciting opportunity to add a high level of prolificacy to sheep that fit the environment well, without having undesirable traits of another breed. History of the Earth is full of mysteries. Scientists, especially geologists, have been aggressively investigating to solve these mysteries. One of such mysteries is the extinction of giant animals - dinosaurs that ruled the planet Earth for more than 150 million years. After several decades of continuous scientific investigations, it has been now widely established that a thin (approximately 10cm) layer of fine grained sedimentary rock, known as claystone was deposited around the entire earth approximately 65 million years ago. This layer has been termed as the K-T boundary as it marks the end of the Cretaceous (K) period (65 million years old) and beginning of the Tertiary (T) periods. It is best known as the time when not only the dinosaurs but nearly 70% of the then living species vanished from the surface of the Earth. Dr. Walter Alvarez, a resident of Berkeley, California discovered K-T boundary which marks the end of the Cretaceous (K) period (65 million years old) and beginning of the Tertiary (T) periods The credit of the discovery of K-T boundary goes to Dr. Walter Alvarez, a resident of Berkeley, California. He was born in 1940 and was the son of Physics Nobel laureate Dr. Luis Alvarez. Dr. Walter Alvarez received a doctorate in Geology from Princeton University in 1967 and after working in different academic and research institutions in North America and Europe, he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests were tectonics of the Mediterranean region, Geology of the Quaternary Roman Volcanic Province and its implications for dating glacial cycles and for understanding Roman Archeology, stratigraphy of pelagic limestones, but he is best known for his discovery of the K-T (Cretaceous Tertiary) Boundary. Dr. Alvarez's discovery of K-T boundary changed the way scientists view Earth and the history of life. Chemical evidence in this layer of claystone preserved from 65 million years ago, has been interpreted as indicator of an asteroid or comet that struck the Earth, The K-T boundary is also present in the rocks of Pakistan at many places. Geologists are actively searching the boundary layer and hopefully it will be found in the near future possibly at round 50 times the speed of sound, causing a super-disaster resulting in the extinction of half of all life forms (70% of the living species), including the dinosaurs. This interpretation is based on the evidence that a 9 ppb (parts per billion) abundance of the element iridium (Ir) in the 1-cm-thick layer of claystone at the K-T boundary is present. The fact that the high level of iridium coincided exactly with the classic end of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction event led Dr. Alvarez's and his team to propose a theory linking NEWSLETTER ARTICLES 36 July - September

18 these two observations. They proposed that an asteroid or comet between 6 and 14 km in diameter struck the Earth 65 million years ago and the impact lofted enormous amounts of pulverized Earth materials in the form of dust high into the Earth's atmosphere. They speculated that this enormous amount of dust that was ejected after the collision of meteorite with earth caused an environmental catastrophe. Under a microscope, the shocked quartz grains in the claystone layer, called tectites, show lines that are characteristic of high shock and are formed only by meteorite impacts or atomic explosions. Additional research by other geologists and students of Dr. Alvarez suggests that if the extraterrestrial object was an asteroid, it most likely impacted the Earth at a velocity of 50 times the speed of sound and measured 15 km in diameter. Because asteroids of this size are very few in number in the solar system, the object could also have been a comet, most likely moving even faster, possibly 170 times the speed of sound but measuring only 10 km in diameter. Analysis of the claystone layer revealed that there were large concentrations of element iridium. Iridium is a dense and rare metal, and it is the most corrosionresistant metal known to man. Iridium can be found in the core of the earth, but the levels found at the K-T Boundary were too high. Normally, iridium is found in concentrations of 0.3 parts per billion. The clay layer, first discovered by Dr. Alvarez at Gubbio (Spain) had Hypervalent Iodine Compounds By Dr.Umar Farooq, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry Hypervalent iodine compounds were discovered long time ago and dichloroiodo benzene as the first member of this class was prepared by Willgerodt in However the growing interest was developed nearly after 60 years. Similarly, the exceptional oxidizing properties of o-iodylbenzoic acid, known since 1893, were unveiled in In the meantime, an explosive growth occurred in the field of polyvalent iodine, especially during the last 10 years. More than a dozen individual compounds have currently reached the status of reagent, and numerous members from various classes have emerged as valuable synthetic intermediates. The chemistry of hypervalent iodine compounds, as it is appropriate to name them, includes a wealth of important, sometimes unique reactions, offering powerful synthetic tools. The concept of concentration 30 times higher. Iridium is also found, in much higher levels, in asteroids. Alvarez and his team, which included his father Dr. Luis Alvarez, Frank Asaro, and Helen Michel, proposed that an asteroid hit the earth, throwing up a thick dust layer that encircled the earth and blocked the sun rays which ultimately led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Since Alvarez's proposal in early 1980s, more than 100 iridium rich layers at the K-T Boundary have been found around the world. The discoveries of these additional sites further support the theory set forth by Dr. Alvarez and his team. Additionally, a site for the asteroid impact has been proposed. It is believed that the 180-mile crater in Chicxulub (in the Gulf of Mexico), on the Yucatan Peninsula, is the site of the asteroid that brought an end to the dinosaurs and most life forms at the end of the Cretaceous Period. This site was discovered in 1960, but it was not revealed until 1981, when it was met with very little interest. Today however, many scientists accept the 180-mile crater as the impact site of the asteroid, and many scientists also believe that this asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. The K-T boundary is also present in the rocks of Pakistan at many places, but the iridium-rich layer is yet to be discovered. Geologists are actively searching the boundary layer and hopefully it will be found in near future. hypervalent was established in Elements containing elements of group bearing more electrons than the octet in the valence shell are described as hypervalent molecules. The hypervalent iodine compounds are used in every field of synthesis. They can be used for traditional oxidations as well as for the oxidation of activated carbon-hydrogen bond of carbonyl compounds. It is also used for the functionalization of slightly activated C-H bond in benzylic positions. There are also large number of applications of hypervalent iodine reagents in total synthesis and natural product synthesis. Because of their low toxicity as compared to heavy metals, they have been used in the synthesis of natural products like quinines, alkaloids, flavonoids, and antibiotics. Introduction to Herbal Medicines Throughout the ages, humans have relied on nature for their basic needs for the production of foodstuffs, shelters, clothing, means of transportation, fertilizers, flavors and fragrances and last but not the least, the medicines. Plants have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine systems that have been in existence for thousands of years (Hannon, 1998). Man's health and well-being has been a subject of his primary concern from time immemorial. Centuries of observations, trials, error and the innate sense of curiosity have equipped mankind with a great deal of knowledge and wisdom that he has today in the field of modern medicine. The knowledge of drugs goes back to prehistoric times as man has always continued to find remedies to his maladies through the material available in his environment. Sometimes this purpose was achieved through eating a particular animal flesh or through a ritual but mostly it was attained through the use of plants and herbs growing in his environment. Traditional Medical Systems Continuous observations on trial and error basis particularly regarding the use of herbs and plants for the treatment of ailments finally enabled man to establish various systems of medicine, for example, Sino medicine (China), Kampo medicine (Japan), Han medicine (Korea), Ayurvedic medicine (India), Greco- Herbal Medicines By Dr. Abdul Jabbar Shah Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Why we study mathematics? We study mathematics mainly because of its usefulness. It has applications in almost every branch of science ranging from geology, zoology, geophysics, chemistry, astronomy, engineering, nuclear technology and even day to day dealings such as business transactions etc., in fact there are few aspects of life where mathematics is not used. Plant-derived medicines have been part of traditional healthcare in most parts of the world for thousands of years and have contributed a lot to the clinical medicine of today Mathematics- General Views By Dr. Dost Mohammad Advisor, Department of Mathematics Arab/Unani (Pakistan). They have probably the longest history of serving humanity. Role of Traditional Medical Systems in Health Care Medicinal plants are being used through the ages as a constant source of medicaments for the treatment of diseases and indeed major contributions on the medicinal properties of plants were made. Several such herbs and plants, when later on subjected to clinical trials of pharmacological screening, were found to be useful in curing diseases for which they have been empirically used since centuries. It has been estimated that 80% of people living in developing countries are almost completely dependent on traditional medical practices for their primary health care needs and higher plants are known to be the main source of drug therapy in traditional medicine. Plant products also play an important role in health care system of the remaining 20% of the population, mainly residing in developed countries. Analysis of data on prescriptions dispensed from community pharmacies in the United States indicated that about 25% of them contained plant extracts or active principles derived from higher plants. Plant-derived medicines have been part of traditional healthcare in most parts of the world for thousands of years and have contributed a lot to the clinical medicine of today. What is the scope of mathematics? The scope of mathematics is extremely wide. If its scope in Pakistan is limited it is because of limited numbers of opportunities which its application demands. For instance dearth of different kinds of industries where each step involves the use of mathematics. NEWSLETTER ARTICLES 38 July - September

19 What type of subjects we mainly cover at graduate level in mathematics? We mainly cover subjects like differential geometry, differential equations, analytical geometry, complex variable analysis, functional analysis, algebra, topology, fluid mechanics etc. What is the difference between pure and applied mathematics? Pure mathematics can be explained as the study of mathematics for its own sake such as the study of natural numbers, rational and irrational numbers and their properties. Pure mathematics deal with basic properties of numbers and in the process explores techniques and formulae such as trigonometric functions and Pythagoras theorem which are basic instruments on which the entire edifice of mathematics stands. In addition to its usefulness as a means of discovering secrets of knowledge, it also trains the reasoning faculties. It gives the means of treating with logical precision many studies which until lately were According to the vision of Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF), there will be 7 trillion wireless devices serving 7 billion people by the year Having so many devices serving so many people is a key driving force towards new and innovative research in mobile and wireless radio systems. In this article we will take a look at research issues and challenges for future mobile and wireless radio systems. If we talk about data rate requirements, we have very high data rate applications like the next generation (3D) mobile Internet with 3D graphics and animations. In addition to this, new charging and business models such as wireless flat rates will create traffic demands. So data rate requirements for the end users are continuously increasing at dramatic pace. As we have fixed and limited available radio spectrum, therefore, new adaptive spectrum sharing models have to be designed and spectral efficiency has to be increased for high data rate applications. One solution is to use higher carrier frequencies in the multi-ghz range, e.g., at GHz, potentially a wider spectrum will be available. But only a small range can be covered by using this approach and also unobstructed line-of-sight (LOS) might be required. New business models and supporting infrastructure for spectrum trading will be required in case we use wrapped in fallacy and obscurity such as the problems involving infinities. The difference between pure and applied mathematics is obvious as their names suggest. Pure mathematics though has many applications in real life as explained above but is drastically different from applied mathematics. When it comes to their applications since the very purpose of the applied mathematics is its use in producing various technologies for the service of mankind. Applications and jobs? Mathematics has applications in all walks of life as well as in almost every branch of science ranging from engineering to medical sciences. It can be put to great use ranging from road buildings to sky scrappers from business dealings to land measurements. There are opportunities for mathematicians in such departments as atomic energy, sparco and several research agencies. Future Mobile and Wireless Radio Systems: Research Issues and Challenges By Shahzad Ali, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science The research challenges for multiple antenna systems include re-configurability to varying scenarios in terms of propagation conditions, traffic models, mobility, transceiver architectures, mobile terminal resources (battery life time), QoS requirements for different services and interference conditions. dynamic spectrum management. Using the existing spectrum to support such a diverse range of applications having higher data rate requirements would require increasing spectral efficiency. In order to increase spectral efficiency, advanced signal processing algorithms should be devised so that interference cancellation might be achieved. Moreover, efficient signal processing for multiple antenna systems is also required. Further improvements can be achieved in the areas of multiple antenna systems. Multiple antenna systems is a very interesting approach and has significant impact on the efficient use of the spectrum, minimization of the cost of establishing new wireless networks, optimization of the service quality and realization of transparent operation across multi-technology wireless networks. It also increases the spectral efficiency and provides efficient coverage of high data rates (also to users on the cell edge) along with an efficient support of extremely high data rates to enhance the interference management. The research challenges for multiple antenna systems include re-configurability to varying scenarios in terms of propagation conditions, traffic models, mobility, transceiver architectures, mobile terminal resources (battery life time), QoS requirements for different services and interference conditions. A new interesting research area is the use of multi-user MIMO systems. The basic idea is to use multiple antennas at the transmitter which enables transmitting multiple data streams to individual users (spatial multiplexing). The research challenges for multi-user MIMO systems include optimum design of reduced rate feedback schemes, low complexity downlink transmission strategies, investigating impact of scheduling protocols on the design of multi-user MIMO algorithms as proper scheduling allows for simplified transmitters and simplified detectors that can save battery life time. Another future direction is to propose novel solutions for heterogeneous network environments. Currently we have a variety of network topologies around us including ad hoc networks mesh networks, peer-topeer communications, relaying, classical cellular networks and distributed antennas. New joint management mechanisms for such networks are required including opportunistic spectrum use and spectrum sharing, spatial domain utilization to improve the capacity, user co-operation exploitation and acquisition of Channel State Information (CSI) and channel statistical behavior information, traffic pattern knowledge including long-term monitoring and prediction network topology awareness in a mobile device. Last but not least is cognitive radio, which is one of the hottest research areas in wireless radio systems. Research challenges in cognitive radio include localization of terminals which is challenging in case of multi-path and in Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) environments. Power delay profile fingerprinting might be used in the future. Another future direction is realtime spectrum analysis for accurate and reliable noise floor estimation, fast acquisition, broadband capability, high signal identification capability and to identify primary/secondary users as well as jammers. In short in this article some of the research issues and challenges for future mobile wireless radio systems have been discussed. There is a need of research in all these areas. Hopefully this article would act as a guide for people who want to do research in future mobile and wireless radio systems. A Review of Optical Switching Techniques By Umair Ibrahim Lecturer, Department of Electrical Engineering Introduction The need of information exchange in every aspect of life has grown tremendously. The bandwidth requirement of common man nowadays is equal to a telephone exchange in the past. Optical systems are found to be the most suitable communication technology because a cheap enough material, Silica, due to its inherent properties, acts as the carrier of light. Humans are yet to find a way to store light, and a major portion of switching electronic data requires intermediate data storage. This fundamental limit has put a strong push towards the development of agile switching techniques in optical domain. The absence of light storage capability indeed has assisted in introducing sophistications in optical switching techniques. This article discusses the main switching techniques used in optical communication systems in a generic manner. The organization of techniques is made from the earliest to the latest. Some of the hybrid extensions of widely used techniques are also included to complete the discussion.; 1. WaveBand Switching: A type of Optical Cross Connect (OXC), called Multi- Granularity Optical Cross-Connect (MG-OXC) holds great promise to reduce OXCs cost, size and complexity. MG-OXC operates on the principle of switching fibers and set of wavelengths, so called WaveBand Switching. This reduces operational complexity and by using single I/O port instead of many, the cost decreases. Internal architecture of an MG-OXC at block level is shown in the Fig-1. NEWSLETTER ARTICLES 40 July - September

20 Fig-1: Multi-granularity photonic cross-connect 2. Optical Flow Switching: One of the main drawbacks of optical networks is electronic routing at the IP layer. This causes an electronic bottleneck which can be offloaded by switching large transactions or long-duration flows at the optical layer. This concept of routing is called OFS. In OFS, lightpaths are dedicated upon large data flows or upon detection of long-duration flows. only the label or header is processed electronically, while payload is kept in optical domain. An OPS node input interface performs packet delineation. Then packet header is extracted, decoded, and forwarded to the control unit. The CU processes the header information, configures switch fabric accordingly, updates header fields and forwards the header information to output interface. Switching matrix switches the payload according to information in the header. Output interface performs re-amplification, re-shaping, and re-timing (3R) regenerative functions. High Performance Coupled Simulation of an innovative thermoelectric cooler design. By Tufail Habib Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering Introduction: Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are used extensively for thermal management in the Hubble Space Telescope and other equipments operating in the extreme environment of outer space. Thermoelectric coolers serve as small heat pumps, utilizing semiconductors for the cooling action in an enclosed package without any moving parts. Because of their quiet operation and small size, the devices are used extensively for spot cooling electronics in aerospace, medical, defence, commercial, industrial and telecommunication equipments. 3. Optical Burst Switching: When several IP packets are packed and sent over the carrier, there comes the concept of Statistical Multiplexing Gain. OBS aims at combining the best of both transparent circuit switching and statistical multiplexing gain of packet switching. A control packet precedes the data burst and informs intermediate nodes to set themselves accordingly while allocating lightpath for incoming burst. Additionally, only control packet undergoes Optical-Electronic-Optical conversion at each intermediate node. 4. Optical Packet Switching: OPS aims at minimizing electronic switching, especially IP and ATM, while practical OPS networks are geared more towards optical label switching where, unlike OPS in which whole IP packet undergoes OEO conversion, Fig-2: Generic OPS node architecture 5. Light Trail: It is a generalization of a conventional Lightpath concept in which data can be added or dropped at any node along the path as opposed to lightpath in which only source and destinations are allowed to make changes in data. 6. Fractional ë Switching: It can be viewed as sub-wavelength circuit switching technique in which periodically recurring time slots are all-optically switched at intermediate nodes without requiring optical processing and optical buffering due to network wide synchronization of optical switches. Fig-3 shows the functional difference between OBS and OPS Fig-1: Thermoelectric cooler in an enclosed package How a Thermoelectric Cooler Works: A thermoelectric cooler operates based on a principle known as the Peltier effect, in which cooling occurs when a small electric current passes through the junction of two dissimilar thermoelectric materials, such as p-type and n-type. Current is carried by conductors connected to the semiconductors, with heat exchanged through a set of ceramic plates that sandwich the materials together. When a small positive DC voltage is applied to the n- type thermo element, electrons pass from the p- to the n-type material, and the cold-side temperature decreases as heat is absorbed. The heat absorption (cooling) is proportional to the current and the number of thermoelectric couples. This heat is transferred to the hot side of the cooler, where it is dissipated into the heat sink and surrounding environment. Fig-2: Operating principle of TEC Static Structure analysis of thermoelectric cooler assembly: ANSYS Multiphysics software is used as the tool of finite element analysis package with the capability to model 3-D thermoelectric effects. Fig-3: Coupled-physics simulation determined the temperature distribution throughout the device (top). These results are applied to the TEC assembly to perform a static structural analysis of the structure (bottom). ARTICLES NEWSLETTER 42 July - September

21 Given the multiphysics capabilities of the software, a fully coupled thermoelectric simulation could be performed, calculating the current densities and temperatures in the TEC considering both Joule heating and the Peltier effect. Engineers use the calculated temperatures from the thermoelectric analysis of the TECs to perform a static structural analysis, which is then used to predict thermal stresses in the thermoelectric materials due to temperature differences in the TEC assembly. GEMSTONES and GEMOLOGY By Khalid Khan Earth Sciences Program, Department of Environmental Sciences Gemology is the branch of earth sciences which deals with gemstones, i.e. its prospection, extraction, cutting, polishing and to an extent its marketing. Gemstone can play an active role in the development of country's economy if properly worked on to the international standards. Pakistan is blessed with the gemstones but unfortunately the true benefit of it, due to poor mining, cutting, polishing and marketing techniques has not been obtained. Fig-4 Structural analysis indicates the highest magnitude of stress on the corner of the thermoelectric element. Thermoelectric simulation: The objective of the thermoelectric simulation is to determine temperature distribution throughout the device. For creating the analysis model, a constant temperature condition is applied to the bottom of the mounting solder and a radiation boundary condition is applied to the cold-side ceramic. A heat load (simulating the heat-producing device to be cooled) is applied to the cold side of the TEC and a DC current is applied to the TEC's electrical terminals to drive the thermoelectric cooling. From this coupled-physics simulation, the minimum cold-side temperature, temperature uniformity of the top stage, voltage drop and electrical resistance of the TEC is determined. Newsbite Department of Mathematics Fig-5 In contrast to traditional multistage thermoelectric coolers with elements staked in a pyramid shape (Left), the new (right) flat configuration arranges stages side by side. The new design reduces the height of the device and also changes heat flow through the ceramic material. Conclusion: Through these analyses, engineers configured planar designs with maximum principal stress levels comparable to the traditional multistage devices. Thermal performance is nearly equivalent. This type of evaluation is possible with the multiphysics simulation capabilities in ANSYS. In contrast to traditional multistage thermoelectric coolers with elements stacked in a pyramid shape (left), the new Marlow flat configuration (right, patent pending) arranges stages side by side. The new design reduces the height of the device and also changes heat flow through the ceramic material. References: By Robin McCarty, Senior Engineer for Product and Process R&D, Marlow Industries, Texas, U.S.A. Mr. Ossam Chohan, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, CIIT Abbottabad has returned from Sweden after completing his MS in Computer Engineering with majors in Operational Research from Dalarma University, Sweden and secured 3.97 CGPA. The CIIT Abbottabad s family extends heart felt congratulations to him on this great success! Gemstone present in large quantity in Pakistan are potential areas for Earth Science students to work on and contribute in the economic development of Pakistan Gemstone deposits of northern areas: RUBY: They occur in 100 km dolomitize marble bulk extending between hunza valley and ishkoman valley. The rubies present are transparent to translucent and brownish pink to pinkish red or deep red in color. After Burma, vietman and Cambodia, Pakistan is the only region in the world that is producing blood red rubies. Experimental mining operations have established a reserve potential of 1.8 million carats of ruby spinal and sapphire in hunza valley belt only. The value of those reserves is estimated to be 3.6 million at the rate of average selling price of U.S $ 2 per carat. Other gemstones present in this area are spinal, parasite, aquamarine, tourmaline, topaz, moonstone, garnet, quartz, and epidote. These gemstone which are present in large quantity are potential areas for Earth Science students to work on and contribute in the economic development of Pakistan. Ruby Round Ruby Some Precious Gemstones ARTICLES NEWSLETTER 44 July - September

22 SCHOLARSHIPS 1. Ireland] PhD Studentship on Nanocrystal-molecule Assemblies for Sensing- Formation, Electrical Interfacing and Charge Transport Mechanisms, Tyndall National Institute For further details, contact Dr. Aidan Quinn, 2. [Europe] Master Scholarship 2010 at Erasmus Mundus Master in Neurolinguistics and Clinical Linguistics (EMCL) For further details, visit: Application Web Address: Contact Information: Roel Jonkers, 3. PhD Program in Vision Science at SUNY Optometry Application Deadline: 1 March 2010 For further details, visit: Applications may be obtained at: 4. [Europe] EM Master Scholarship 2010 in Biomedical Engineering at CEMACUBE Application Deadline: 1 January 2010 For further details, visit: 5. [UK] Clarendon Scholarship Scheme 2010 for Any Graduate Degrees in Oxford University Application Deadline: 8 January 2010 for Medical Sciences and Philosophy and 22 January 2010 for all other subjects. For further details, visit: 6. [France] Eiffel Scholarships Call for Master and PhD Applications 2010 Application Deadline: 8 January 2010 For further details, visit: 7. [UK] The Gates Cambridge Scholarships 2010 for PhD, Master, MBA, and Second Bachelor Degree For further details, visit: 8. [USA] Postdoctoral Position in the Haswell Lab, Biology Department of Washington University in St. Louis For further details, visit: Postdoctoral Position in Molecular Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), USA For further details, visit: [UK] University of Leeds Fully-Funded International Research Scholarships (FIRS) Session Application Deadline: 29 January 2010 For further information, visit: International PhD-Program in Austria 2010 Application Deadline: 30 November 2009 For further details, visit: Max Perutz PhD Programme 2010 Austria Application Deadline: 6 November 2009 For further details, visit: MaxPerutzphdprogrammeprocedure0909 [pdf] 14. Doctoral Studentships on 'Generation to Reproduction', University of Cambridge, UK For further details, visit: Application deadline: 15 February [Europe] Erasmus Mundus 2010 MSc Scholarships in Photonics Application deadline: 5 January 2010 For further details, visit: [Italy] IMT Lucca Institute for Advanced Studies PhD Opportunities 2010 Application deadline: 4 December 2009 For further details, visit: [Europe] Master Scholarship in Distributed Computing 2010 at The EMDC Programme Application deadline: 25 November 2009 For Further details, visit: [Canada] PhD Student Positions on Advanced Wireless Networking Systems at Carleton University For further details, visit: [UK] PhD Studentship 2010 at the Institute of Cancer Research Application deadline: 1 December 2009 For further details, visit: [USA] The Harvard University's Center for International Development PhD and Postdoc Fellowships in Sustainability Science Application deadline: 1 December 2009 For further details, visit: NEWSLETTER ARTICLES 46 July - September

23 Invitation for Participation International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology December 2009 Abbottabad, Pakistan COMSATS Institute of Information Technology is organizing International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology FIT-2009 (formerly an international workshop) on December The workshop was successfully organized for six years and thus upgraded to International conference this year, technically sponsored by ACM. The proceedings of the conference will be included in the ACM Digital Library (ISBN ). The extended version of the selected papers will be published in selected journals. The focus areas include Communication and Networking, IT Security, Internet Governance, Grid Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, Computational Science, Computer Graphics, Image Processing & Pattern Recognition, Natural Language Processing, Semantic Web & Intelligent Agents, Distributed & Grid Computing, and Machine Intelligence. International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology has emerged as a leading forum in Pakistan for IT professionals and researchers to discuss and present the latest research trends and results in the field of Information Technology. Besides oral presentation of 50 technical papers and 05 tutorials, 20 renowned talks of international speakers from leading international universities are also invited. PhD Symposium will also be collocated with the conference. Registration for participation from professionals and students is invited. For registration details please visit the conference website. Higher Education Commission (HEC) SPONSORS: FIT 2009 Secretariat COMSATS Institute of Information Technology University Road, Post Code Abbottabad NWFP, Pakistan UAN: Fax: fit09@ciit.net.pk NEWSLETTER PROFILE 48